I know I promised to write faster but I took a long time for this chapter. It's three times bigger than usual because I didn't want to split it into several chapters and leave you wanting more each time.
About, I think there are a few points that need to be clarified first.
1°) Galactus will not make an appearance in this story. He's there just to help Rory understand a bit about of the "cosmic mess" her planet is in. Anyway, even if he decided to face the Celestials he would not be up to it. Once he faced 4 Celestials from another reality. He destroyed the first one without too much trouble but then the other three merged and knocked him out. They were also very weak for Celestials. So Galactus against the whole host Celestial….
However, it is true that Galactus and the Celestials appear to be enemies in a number of realities. As in Earth-X where the cosmic role of Galactus consists in devouring the Celestial embryos implanted in the planets to prevent them from multiplying too much.
2°) There will be no appearance either from the JSDF or Itami Youji. They were there in Chapter 11 to help the reader (you) understand that the Celestials are studying the Gate thoroughly in all dimensions of existence. Including that of the original light novel, manga, anime…. And fanfics from other authors on this website and other sites, in all the languages of the world. All Gates throughout the Omniverse are being observed and studied by the Celestials at this very moment where you reading this sentence.
3°) No appearance of the heroes of the marvel universe either. No Cosmic Ghost rider, or Silver Surfer, or Thor.
3°) I don't watch South Park, it's not my cartoon style. I am attached to my youthful heroes like Captain Harlock, Captain Future, Grendizer, Saint Seiya, Ulysses 31, Space adventure Cobra, He-man (first series in 80's) Hokuto No ken, Sailor moon, Ranma 1/2 etc… For the more recent anime, I like, "The Familiar of Zero", "Arise of the shield hero" and "Gate the JSDF". The idea of "no life" which would be the opposite of "undead" came to me naturally. I guess I'm not the only one in the world to have this idea. Apparently South Park thought of it before me a long time ago.
4°) Contrary to what Amiek said, the judgment of the Celestials will NOT put [1.5 geological time units/512 planetary revolutions/456.3 of your years] before being decided AND applied.
TRAVEL TO ITALICA.
After an afternoon where he had been able to relax, reassured by the idea that the judgment of the Celestials would not come for centuries and that everything would be done to make it favorable, Colt Formal of Italica had serene sleep. Glad to see his daughter again, even in a dream, but eager to see her again in the flesh in a few days.
However, the night was not going to go as usual.
The ritual was the same as on the first day. The Count would fall asleep, then he would wake up in his "dream" and everything around him would disappear, leaving a big blank, then his daughter would appear little by little before throwing herself into his arms.
The only difference was that Amiek was no longer present in the Count's dreams. There was nothing left to observe and he understood that the Count wanted to be alone with [his replacement unit/his offspring/his child].
This time things were different. The Count saw it immediately when he saw his daughter crying before she threw herself in his arms.
"DAD ! DAD ! YOU NEED TO COME IN IMMEDIATELY ! I BEG YOU ! COME BACK DAD !"
Colt was paralyzed. His daughter was so happy to see him every night, but tonight it was obvious she was terrified.
"Calm down Myui. Don't cry, I'm here. Tell me what is happening. What are you so afraid of? Why are you crying?"
"Dad…. The city…. We are under attack."
"WHAT?!"
"It started in the morning. People…. People showed up at the city gates."
"People? What people?"
"I…. I don't know exactly but…. They looked like simple refugees. The guards let them past…. Then they headed for the marketplace. At this moment…. Nobody knew…. Nobody knew".
"No one knew what Myui?"
"Oh daddy…. I was at the window of my room, I was looking outside, to reassure myself a little, to tell myself that everything was fine in the city and…. And they pulled out swords and maces and they started killing everyone."
The Count was livid. This beginning of an explanation did not bode well for the future.
"And…. And after? he asked hesitantly."
"After…. After the guards intervened and…. And they killed the bandits. There…. There were so many... So many dead…. But it wasn't over. At the same time we heard a sound of horn in the distance…. And the city gates were attacked by other bandits. The guards…. They fought well and they were able to repel the bandits but…. But…. But that was just the beginning. There was a second attack in the afternoon."
The Count was horrified about what he was learning, and from his daughter's attitude, the worst was yet to come.
It was then that the girl began to calm down.
"We won the battle because a troop of knights arrived. With their help, the guards were able to scare the bandits away but…. But there was still an attack in the early evening. The bandits were much more numerous. They could not enter the city but they gave us a warning."
"A warning?"
"Yes, I tried to offer them gold to leave and…. And they laughed."
"Laughed?"
"Yes, they said once they take the city, they will also take all the gold they wants. They said there would be no surrender, no bargaining. They said they would kill us all or die trying. Before leaving, they said they would attack again tomorrow."
"Oh Myi….."
"So far the city has resisted, the knights…. They are women. Their commander is the Imperial Princess. She says she will defend the city, but that we have to hold out for at least another 2 days because the rest of her troops are a day's ride from Italica. We sent messenger pigeons to warn them and to neighboring towns. If the rest of her knights arrive in time, then we can hold out for a few days. The time that the other cities send reinforcements…. The pigeons are on their way…. But even if Kaine and the maids dare not tell me, I heard them…. They are not sure that they will be able to be there in time…. Nor if the other cities of the province will be able to send reinforcements. Oh, I'm so scared daddy..."
Colt was very worried. It sometimes happened that groups of bandits ganged up and attacked small villages, but a major city like Italica was unheard of. However, the situation was exceptional. The Count had left enough guards to defend his city, but he had been forced to take the entire regular army on this stupid expedition through the Gate. The guards could maintain order in the city but they were not able to cope with the attack of an army.
The presence of the princess was surprising but that was a question for later. Although more open-minded, he wasn't sure that a female order of chivalry could do much, but apparently her arrival had been decisive and had bought some time. However, according to Myui, there was no guarantee that the rest of her knights would arrive in time to save Italica.
The remains of the armies of the first expedition and those of the allied kingdoms. That's why these bandits were dangerous. They were numerous, they had access to all the armament they could dream of and above all, they were former soldiers. Surely there were even Italicans among them.
"Dad…. I…. I do not know what to do. The maids…. They don't want to scare me. They must have thought it wouldn't be so bad at first…. But things got worse…. And…. And they can't hide the truth from me. I am no longer a child. I'm 11 now, almost the age to get married."
The Count hugged his daughter to him, trying to reassure her as much as possible.
Colt had no illusions. If Italica was ever taken, the bandits would leave no survivors. Men would be killed, women raped and then killed, children would not be spared either. His daughter's noble status would not protect her. On the contrary. She would be the victim of choice for any degenerate among these brigands.
This thought filled the Count with anger and disgust…. But it didn't tell him how to save his town and his daughter.
"Until then you can ask me what you want [within the parameters we set/as established by our contract/as before]".
The words of the Celestial came back to Colt's memory.
Amiek was the solution of course.
….
….
….
Uh….
Maybe.
Although he could not understand the limits of his power, or even if there were any, the Count did not doubt for a second that Amiek could protect his city and annihilate the brigands.
What worried him was the totally unpredictable reactions of the Celestial. From what he had seen so far, anything, was possible. However, he had no choice. His earlier idea of inviting the Celestial to visit his city to keep an eye on him was now becoming a necessity. If he ever had any doubts about it, they were just gone.
-O-
The Count wasn't the only one worried. Lelei too was worried sick about her pig, which she watched over like a mother over her child while she put him to bed.
She had tried to feed him despite his coma but Timus couldn't swallow anything. Everything was rejected. Of course the apprentice magician had used her magical knowledge but there was no spell to wake someone from a coma. Magic spells were rarely used to heal farm animals anyway.
She had considered asking Amiek for help, but she would use that as a last resort. She was not sure that the Celestial would help her pig but rather that he would place him in one of his "machines" for observation.
Timus didn't seem to be in pain. He had no fever, no convulsions, he seemed to be sleeping peacefully for two days. However, that didn't calm Lelei's worries. On the one hand, her logical mind told her that if Oshtur meant Timus harm she would have killed him outright. Instead, she had put the pig to sleep. On the other hand, her heart was not reassured. And what if Timus didn't wake up? How long would his body last without water or food?
The Tome of Oshtur provided no answer on this subject.
Cato el Astestan, who simply saw Timus as a potential meal, was nevertheless worried about his apprentice. Lelei hadn't slept for two days, going between the bed where the pig slept and her desk where the magic book lay.
"You haven't slept in two days. You should rest a bit."
"No master. Timus needs me. I can't leave him like this."
"Lelei…. It's just a pig. Not a human being. I can understand that you got attached to this animal but…"
""But" nothing at all, master. Pig or no pig, ridiculous or not ridiculous, it's a small living being placed under my care and who needs help. I will do anything to save him."
Seeing that nothing he said would change his disciple's mind, Cato tried a different approach.
"Did you find anything during your research?"
"Nothing at the moment alas," Lelei replied while continuing to leaf through the magic book in the hope that it would show something different.
"Perhaps you should ask the Apostle? Maybe there is something in this city of wonders that could help?"
"I thought about it, but the crystal handmaidens can't seem to do anything. They say this magic, although basic, is unfamiliar to them. As for the Apostle, if I understand his way of thinking a little, he will put Timus under observation rather than seek to cure him".
"Tell me, this amulet that the uh…. "Woman" gave you, do you know what it is for? Maybe that could help you?"
"I researched it. The book simply says that it is a magical amulet forged by the warrior monk "Vathelos the Blind". That doesn't tell me what it's for though."
"A monk who is a warrior and also a blind magician? Curious mix".
"Certainly, but in any case, it does not help me, or rather it does not help Timus".
"Lelei…. What are you going to do then? To leaf through this book endlessly until you find an answer it may not contain?"
"If necessary master".
"You really should ask the Apostle. Frankly, I believe that, at the point where you are, he is your best hope."
"Master, I have already told you that…"
"You don't trust him because you're not sure what he will do. It does not change anything. He is your only recourse. Maybe you should do like the people of this town and…. Have faith in him".
""Faith"? But Ral and Elange…."
"Are not jealous gods. As long as you pursue your quest for knowledge, they will not mind you ask another "god" for help…. Or whatever it is".
"If I have to do this then why not pray to Oshtur instead? She's the one who started what happened to Timus."
"It's good that I don't think she will do anything about it. But it is still a possibility. You could cast the calling spell again."
"I had thought about it before, but when I looked for the spell in the book, I couldn't find it. It seems to have disappeared and I will never be able to do it again from memory. It's too complicated".
"So again Amiek is your only recourse."
Lelei was not reassured by this idea but her master was right. It was her only recourse.
-O-
Ring ring ring!
….
Ring ring ring!
….
Ring ring ring!
….
Ring ring….. CRACK!
Rory Mercury's day was off to a bad start. This filth called "alarm clock" was extremely effective in rousing her from her sleep, and always in the most unpleasant way possible. The destruction of the offending object had become her little morning ritual and she had the deep displeasure of finding another one in the evening before going to bed, replaced during the day by the crystal woman who served her.
At times she had the impression that this thing did it on purpose, as if to put her in a bad mood because no matter what time she went to bed, the alarm clock always rang too early for her taste.
The day was still going to get better an hour later. She had asked to be informed of Amiek's whereabouts and so she had just learned that "the Apostle" was going to leave the flying city to accompany Count Colt to Italica. She was ecstatic.
The city was impressive but at the same time a little stuffy. The streets weren't as busy as she was used to. There were all kinds of businesses but people mainly stayed at home. The crystal women and all sorts of strange metal creatures called "robots", did the maintenance, the shopping, ran the shops...
Apart from those who went to "church" (a refurbished empty building) there were few people outside. Apart from a few mothers playing with their children in the park. Another explanation for this "desertification" was the fact that the space open to the inhabitants of Alnus was planned to accommodate 1 million inhabitants when there were only a few hundred.
Anyway, Rory needed to go to a real city that was much more active than this "city of nolife" as Rory called it. She returned to her apartment to announce the good news to Grassac. Her good mood vanished when she saw him.
This one was still playing World of Warcraft, his hands resting on the neurostimulator which made the experience hyper realistic…. And made him look completely bewildered. Grinning dumbly looking ahead while those eyes saw nothing of the real world around him.
He was interrupted in his reverie when Rory smashed the neurostimulator, and the table below, with her halberd. This gesture was of course in vain. The crystal woman who was in his service would replace the device very quickly. Nevertheless, pulverizing this object that she hated made her feel good. It was like swinging the alarm clock against the wall when they wake you up while you're having a nice dream.
Rory hated to see his "disciple" in this state. Luckily for him, she was precise enough to aim the camera between those two hands. Admittedly, he could have picked up the pieces afterwards, but a halberd hit in the fingers remains unpleasant, even when an Apostle shares her regeneration abilities with you.
"Eh? But why? What did I do?" asked Grassac.
"I'm tired of seeing you spend your days dreaming with this artificial crap. I am the Apostle of death, not of idleness or dreaming. You need a good dose of reality and I will make sure you get it."
"Couldn't it wait a little longer? The guild guys have planned a run party in the old raids on Wow origin. It will allow me to explore all the dungeons that I do not know, without going through a dedicated program".
Rory hadn't understood all the obscure language Grassac was using, and she wasn't sure he really knew what he was talking about either, but she had understood enough to know that she wasn't. agree with him.
And then, even if it was another style, the language he had been using for some time, learned from other "players" reminded her of the sometimes incomprehensible language of Amiek. It didn't improve Rory's mood.
"You'll go back to playing with your mindless buddies some other time. Today you come with me to Italica."
"To Italica? To do what? I don't know anyone in Italica myself."
"We accompany the other Apostle with the Count. The town is currently attacked by bandits and the Count returns to protect his city.
"I wish him good luck, but what's that got to do with me? Why would I want to go and confront bandits?"
Rory was flabbergasted by the boldness, or rather the recklessness of her "disciple". She had grown to like him over the past few days, but right now he was saying everything she didn't want to hear. She gently placed her halberd against the wall, then approached Grassac calmly before putting her hands on his shoulders while displaying the most fake smile she had displayed in the last 50 years.
"My little Grassac, I confess that I am not sure I understand. Are you telling me that you REFUSE to follow me to Italica so you can stay locked up here playing this "dream game"?"
Grassac understood very well that if he gave Rory the wrong answer, she would change her mind…. And not in the gentle way.
"Well, after careful consideration, I believe that a few days in the great outdoors will do me good."
"Is not it? And if all goes as I think, you'll even get to play your life-size game for real. With real bandits who need to be slaughtered in joy and good humor with real weapons. You'll gain a lot of experience, save real people, and you can't really die. Just like in your game actually. Isn't it wonderful? You will see, I assure you»
"In…. In effect."
"You cannot know how happy it makes me to see that we are in agreement. Now get ready. We're leaving in 10 minutes."
Thereupon Rory prepared her things (which was limited to picking up her halberd) while whistling. Glad to see that her "disciple" still had a working brain and the ability to recognize what is good for him.
In any case, she was going to make sure that Grassac, who was for the moment what she called a "virgin of war", had his "first time" during this "excursion" where he would taste the joys of combat.
Oh yes, she would. So far she had been content to show him how it's done, but it was high time he took a more active role.
10 minutes later, Rory, Grassac, Lelei, Tuka and Count Colt were in the "Pyram" driven by Amiek. Tuka was present simply because wherever her god's Apostle went, she would follow him.
The trip to Italica was surprisingly quiet. Nobody said anything. Everyone had their own concerns.
Rory was worried about the future of Falmart. Could she find a way to stop the Celestials from destroying everything she had sought to protect for nearly 1,000 years?
Count Colt worried about his city and his daughter. Was it too late? Would Amiek agree to help him?
Tuka worried about her people. Would the Celestials agree to resurrect them? And if so, what would happen next?
Lelei was worried about her pig. Was Timus okay? Would he wake up one day? What exactly had the goddess Oshtur done? How do you ask Amiek for help so that he decides to help Timus instead of placing him in his lab?"
Grassac was worried about his video game. Could he play World of Warcraft again when he returned to the flying city? Would he be kicked out of the guild for being away for a few days?
Amiek [stimulated his multiplex thought patterns/was deep in thought/worried]…. Of things that cannot be explained. Too many unfamiliar words and concepts and insufficient human capacity for abstraction.
It was therefore quickly and without incident that everyone went to Italica with their own concerns.
Then suddenly, Rory came out of her melancholy, staring at the landscape in front of her.
"What's going on?" asked Grassac.
"That smell…"
"Yes, the scents of the forest are very invigorating. The air in Alnus is too…. Uh…. Too "artificial"? I believe that's the word. I have a hard time with all these new words," Tuka said.
"No. It's not the smell of the forest, it's the smell of blood and death," said Rory, who was now the only person in a good mood and who, paradoxically, darkened the mood of others.
Rory didn't care. She had been very depressed lately, a good little massacre would do her the greatest good.
It only took a few hours to reach the gates of the city. Some might wonder how they could move so easily when the bandits infested the surrounding forests, but that was easily explained by the fact that none of them would have thought of trying to stop the strange vehicle of purple metal moving at full speed on the road.
How else would they have done it?
Italica. Governed for 2 centuries by the Formal family, Italica is a trading town that developed at the crossroads leading to Aspia and Dressria. Major cities of the empire and therefore an important place of trade. The most important of the eastern provinces.
The young Myui, 11, is the current head of the clan since her father is officially dead or missing since the failure of the invasion force sent beyond the Gate. Her father had refused to marry her to another as he had been forced for his first two daughters (although he was able to arrange a satisfactory marriage for them).
The two sisters in question, having lost their husbands during the Gate Expedition, were now vying for the regency of the city until Myui was old enough to rule.
Also during this expedition, the Count had been forced to take with him his best troops. Consequently, given recent events, banditry in the province increased while the security of the people decreased accordingly.
Information that Princess Pina would have liked to know BEFORE going to Italica. Not wanting to report to the city at the head of an army, she had left most of the Order of the Knights of the Rose 2 days away and right after her arrival the city was under constant attack by more massive troops of bandits, composed of survivors of the armies of the Empire and the Allied Kingdoms who had survived the three "battles" of the Gate.
Princess Pina did what she could to deal with the situation, exposing herself to combat (from the top of the ramparts armed with a bow, at the risk of being targeted herself). Once again the bandits retreated, but for how long?
"Hamilton! Norma! Everything is fine?" she exclaimed to her two childhood friends.
"We…. Are…. ok." Hamilton answered weakly, completely exhausted but without serious injuries. She and Norma still suffered a few blows.
"Princess…. Are you worried about us humble servants?" asked Gray Co Aldo, weapon master of the Order of the Rose.
"Gray…. Survival of the nobles is obviously a priority," Pina pointed out.
"Princess…. What are we doing in this town in the first place? To fight bandits? That's the job of the city guards," Hamilton asked.
Pina was overwhelmed. The battle had exhausted her too and the stress of the past few days was not helping.
"WE FIGHT THESE BANDITS BECAUSE WE HAVE NO CHOICE! I believed it was the forces of the other world that had set in motion and were finally attacking the Empire now that they were ready. That's why we rushed to the defense of the city when we heard that Italica had been attacked without having time to recruit reinforcements. I did not expect to have to fight our own troops who had become rebels."
The heiress (10th in line) to the throne of the Sadera Empire then turned to the exhausted defenders.
"YOU OTHERS, THE BREAK IS OVER! THE BANDITS WILL ATTACK AGAIN! I HAVE RECEIVED A MESSAGE THAT MY KNIGHTS WILL BE HERE TOMORROW! TOMORROW YOU HEAR? YOU JUST HAVE TO HOLD ON AND YOU WILL BE SAVED! IN THE WAITING REMOVE THE CORPSES AND REINFORCE THE DEFENSES! GO, FASTER THAN THAT! »
As a Princess, Pina was used to being obeyed, but in this instance it was the Commander-in-Chief of the Knights of the Order of the Rose who was speaking, a role she took very seriously and to which she excelled.
"Grey, what's the condition of the main door?"
"Completely demolished. It will take days to rebuild it. I suggest barricading it with wood, so we can set it on fire if the enemy attacks from here."
The servants of the Count's manor were also busy, as best they could.
"Over here everyone, we have prepared some rations."
"Norma any sign of the enemy?" Pina asked as she finished inspecting her troops.
"Not commander. Everything is quiet for the moment."
"So you're going to go eat something and then rest. You will need your strength. Grey, I'm going to have dinner at the mansion, I'll let you handle the other problems".
"As you order Commander".
A few minutes later, once she had returned to the entrance of the mansion located in the center of Italica, Pina was greeted by the private servants of the Countess.
"Welcome back to us princess. Would you like something to eat?" asked Kaine, the head maid, bowing respectfully.
"No thank you, I'm too tired to eat. On the other hand, a good glass of wine will do me good".
"Your Majesty".
"Your Majesty, wouldn't it be possible to negotiate with these bandits?" asked Bartholomew, the residence's butler.
"Yes, it is absolutely possible. Just open the city gates. In exchange, they will agree, perhaps to spare those among us who have the most "value". Meaning myself, and let's say…. A hundred people maybe? Those who can bring the biggest ransoms. Of course, the city will be pillaged, the men and children killed and the women raped. By the way, how old is Countess Myui? 11 years old? Surely some of these bandits will deem her to be…. To their liking".
"Then we have to keep fighting…" the butler sighed resignedly.
"Above all, we have to survive. My knights will be there tomorrow. If we hold out until then, with them protecting us, we should be able to evacuate the citizens to Aspia. There we can wait for reinforcements to come and retake Italica, but in the meantime the town will surely have been burned. By the way, how is the Countess? »
The housekeeper's face darkened.
"I'm afraid the Countess is... How to say…. For some time now she has been saying that she speaks to him in a dream thanks to the magic of the gods. At first I wasn't too worried, thinking it was her way of coping with grief. Nevertheless…. However, since this morning, she says that her father will come to see her today. I told her not to get too hopeful of course, but she refuses to listen to me. I'm afraid she'll be sorely disappointed at the end of the day..."
"I can't say that I don't understand. I too thought like that when I lost my mother. I believed that since I was a princess, I had the power to bring her back. All children are alike at this age."
Pina then raised the glass that had just been brought to her lips…. Before spitting it out almost immediately.
"Thi…. This is not the wine I asked for. she said disgustedly.
"No, it's tea. Drinking alcohol during a siege is one of the worst things you can do. It slows down reflexes and skews your judgement. It is therefore strongly discouraged." Kaine explained.
"Oh? Have you ever participated in a battle to assert this?"
"Thirty years ago, in the city of Rosa, my hometown besieged and then conquered by the Empire on this occasion."
"I see…. Well, I'm going to get some rest before tonight. Let me know if anything serious happens. If you have trouble waking me up…"
"Do not worry. If you are a heavy sleeper, I will use the 'big gong' to wake you up," Kaine explained with a cruel smile.
Pina was not offended by the attitude of the old governess. On the contrary, she appreciated his frankness and his joviality…. Although this "big gong" story worried her a little. She wasn't sure what it was all about but it didn't sound pleasant. However, that didn't worry her. The governess wouldn't dare to do anything really unpleasant. No one outside her family would dare.
The princess fell on the bed, without finding sleep at first, plagued by dark thoughts.
"If the bandits really attack tonight, we won't hold out. The guards are almost all dead or too badly injured to fight on. The population is completely untrained in combat and our defenses are barely holding. To say that this is my first military campaign."
Pina was Emperor Molt's fifth child, but she was only tenth in the line of succession because on the one hand she was a daughter, but on top of that her mother was only a concubine of the Emperor (even if he loved this concubine more than his deceased wife, among other things because, as is common, his marriage was an arranged marriage).
Pina was very lively, energetic, curious and rebellious against authority. In other words, a real tomboy.
She would probably never have been able to content herself with a princess life, attending balls, wearing the most beautiful togas, tunics, stola or palla to flatter her beauty. All this did not amuse her.
It was a theater troupe made up entirely of women and performing the play "The Tale of the Rose Knight" that had changed her life. The story told how a nobleman, who was only able to have one child and who was a girl, decided to raise her anyway as a boy to rule his lands in the future instead of marrying her to any inherit from another noble family. He preferred to let a woman rule his lands, rather than a male who was not related to him.
The girl had taken her role very seriously and fended off a coalition of noble enemies who believed that, being only a woman, she would be quickly defeated and her lands conquered, when her father died.
This play was a revelation for Pina Co Lada.
"I would create my own order of chivalry," she exclaimed at the end of the play.
Hamilton Uno Ror (10 years old at the time of the events), servant and friend of the princess had tried to dissuade her friend and mistress from this idea but in vain.
A few days later, she attended a reward ceremony, in the form of ennoblement to several soldiers who had distinguished themselves in combat during one of the bloodiest rebellions of the Empire.
One of the most notable of them, Gray Co Aldo (34 years old at the time) had just been knighted as a reward for his bravery and loyal service.
His career as a soldier and knight ended there, although he was able to retain the title. Pina had decided that the individual had all the qualities required to help her form the Order of the Rose and therefore had used her royal prerogatives to grant him the "honor" of becoming her weapon master.
Gray hadn't been thrilled at the time. To be forced to leave the army where he had fought so hard to climb the social ladder, in order to chaperone an overly spoiled princess who had a whim, was a humiliating end to his career.
The princess had first gathered her friends who, indeed, found these soldier games very amusing. However, Gray took their training seriously and ultimately the results were quite satisfying. So much so that the order received official status on the princess's sixteenth birthday.
Although women, the Knights of the Order of the Rose were brave and competent. Yes, the order was ultimately a great success. It was a pity that the order was considered a simple honor guard and not a real military formation.
It was thinking back to those old memories that the princess had fallen asleep, dreaming of happier times.
"BONG!" was the sound that shattered her dreams and brought her back to reality.
"WHAT'S GOING ON?! THE ENEMY IS ATTACKING US?!" she exclaimed, waking up with a start.
There was no enemy. All Pina could see was the old governess of the Formal clan, her hands over her ears, while two servants stood on either side of a metal disk almost as tall as they were, on which a third servant had just struck with all his might with a huge mallet. Next to Kain, there was Grey Co Aldo who looked at his princess with an embarrassed air. All had a kind of handkerchief in their ears.
Under other circumstances, Pina would have asked what this outrage meant, but before she could ask, Gray Co Aldo spoke up.
"We don't know exactly what's going on. I think you should come and see for yourself the strange thing that is approaching the eastern city gate."
"Eh?"
Pina wasted no time. She hurriedly put her shirt back on and galloped to the door. Looking through the opening all she could see was...
A purple pyramid with a translucent blue ring spinning around it.
"What is that thing? Some kind of iron ram to break down our door? No, it floats above the ground. It's magic. But what is it supposed to do? You can't see anything inside. Besides, is there an interior?" Pina thought before turning to the guards on the rampart.
"NORMA!"
"I DON'T SEE ANYONE AROUND PRINCESS!"
However, Pina was not willing to open the door to examine this…. Thing. She remembered too well a story from her youth, "The Statue of Maugeis" telling the story of an enchanted statue, which, once entering a besieged city, opened the gates, allowing the army to enter in the town. Empire taken the "impregnable" city of Maugeis.
It was then that a figure emerged from the strange pyramid.
"I am Colt Formal, Count and Governor of Italica. I order you to open the door."
Pina was surprised. She wasn't expecting this at all. Unless….
"Do you have proof of what you say? Count Colt is dead or a prisoner far away from here. How to believe you?"
Yes, anyone remotely resembling the Count could try to impersonate him. She had never met him personally and his presence here was totally unexpected.
"Commander, this may be the real Count. We have to make sure because if it is him, he surely has vital information for this war."
It was also true. Pina also couldn't afford to pass up the opportunity…. But if it was a bandit trap and if she opened that door….
"Wait a few minutes, we will proceed to checks" she shouted in the direction of the Count.
"Grey, get the old housekeeper and the butler. They should be able to easily tell if this man is who he claims."
A few minutes later, Gray Co Aldo was back with Kaine and Bartholomew, who had been beyond stunned when they learned that someone claiming to be the Count was at the town gate.
"So it's him?" asked the princess.
Kaine was hesitant to answer. In other circumstances she would have said "yes" without hesitation, but given the context and the fact that she believed the Count to be dead during the Gate expedition, she dared not give an affirmative answer but at the same time, the words of the young Countess Myui saying that her father would come today….
"No it's impossible. She couldn't know…. It would be a coincidence".
"I am not sure. If that's him then he's gained weight. It is true that there is a resemblance but I no longer have the eyes of my youth, at this distance and with all this sun on his face…" Kaine replied.
"And you butler, what do you think?" Pina asked.
"I agree with Kaine. At this distance, it's hard to say. If you tell them to come closer, however…"
We will never know what Pina would have decided because inside the pyramid vehicle, the Apostle of Emroy made a decision. Rory exited the vehicle and stood in front of the Count.
Not everyone had met Rory Mercury, but everyone knew that she went everywhere with a huge halberd that no mortal could lift, let alone a young girl.
"Is that really Emroy's famous apostle?" Gray asked.
"Yes…. I've seen her before at an Imperial ceremony."
"Curious that I was not present then. In any case, she seems to be the same age as Countess Myui"
"It's normal since the Apostles are immortal, so they don't age. She is at least 900 years old according to the archives. She is older than the Empire".
In the meantime, the other occupants of the vehicle had all left, first, a magician, recognizable by her staff and her outfit, an Elf, a peasant and….
Pina had never seen anyone like that. He looked human but obviously he wasn't from Falmart. Her strange black and white outfit was a first clue. It was not the clothes of a man of the people. His hair streaked with white and black was a second clue but especially his eyes…. Unlike Kaine whose eyesight was failing, Pina could see the boy's eyes perfectly.
Where she should have seen a blue, green or brown iris, she only saw white with black around where there should have been the whites of the eyes.
"An Apostle, a magician, an Elf, a would-be Count, a peasant and a stranger. A very unique group. Do you think they would side with the bandits?"
"Pina what are you going to do? You have to make a decision right now," the anxious princess thought.
It was then that "the truth" appeared to the princess.
"This road leads to Alnus so that's presumably where they came from. Rory must have been given an assignment by Emroy to drive out the otherworldly forces. She went to Alnus, she slaughtered everyone and freed the Count. The magician and the peasant…. Must be at her service in one way or another, companions chosen by Emroy to help her in her mission. The boy with striped hair and the Elf…. Surely captured enemies that Rory will have taken as a slave. The purple thing must be some kind of spoils of war. Maybe I can convince her to give me the two slaves to bring them back in chains before the senate? That way, some glory will flow to the Order of the Rose."
Pina was now delighted. The war was arguably over, and although victory went to Rory rather than Sadera, at least that was the end of this gigantic fiasco.
Too bad she didn't have the opportunity to shine during the battle. Too bad, she could catch up with the bandits. Now that Rory was there, victory seemed assured.
"OPEN THIS DOOR IMMEDIATELY OR I'LL DROP IT! I AM NOT IN THE MOOD TO TALK ABOUT NOTHING TODAY! I HAVE THINGS TO DO !" shouted Emroy's Apostle.
The princess was not used to being shouted at when giving her orders, but she had no difficulty in obeying this one. No way to make the situation worse by angering the only person who could save the city.
"WELCOME TO ITALICA" she cried as she opened the door with a bang.
…
…
Each entered the city in turn. The count was the first. It was him, much to the surprise of Kaine and Batholomew.
"Monsieur le Comte. Please accept our humble apologies. We believe you was all dead", the butler declared, bowing politely.
Kaine, for her part, was stunned and dared not say anything.
"It's nothing, but didn't my daughter inform you of my survival? Didn't she give orders in my name?"
"Of course Monsieur le Comte and she was obeyed, as she should be, by her rank of Countess. However, I confess that when she was talking about your survival through dreams sent by the gods, we were…. Skeptics".
"I understand. It's not serious. Lead me to her, now".
"Of course, Count."
It was then the turn of Rory, Grassac and Lelei to enter. Amiek was still close to the vehicle, contemplating things a little behind. Tuka stood beside the Apostle of her god.
"Hey, you two, bring this…. Uh…. "cart" here. We are going to close the door," Pina said to the two "slaves."
The blood of Colt, who was so happy to finally see his daughter again, had forgotten Amiek, froze when he heard that.
"[Clarify the nature of your request/What do you want?/Huh?]" Amiek asked.
Before Pina could answer, the Count intervened immediately before someone said or did a huge mistake.
"Miss, I don't know who you are but these two people are my guests in this town and will be treated as such. So you will speak to them with respect."
Pina wasn't used to being spoken to like that, but she hadn't yet introduced herself, and on the other hand, it's true that the Count had more authority than her regarding her town…. At least given the current circumstances.
"I am Princess Pina Co Lada, daughter of Emperor Molt Sol Augustus and Countess Nell, Commander of the Order of the Rose and in charge of the defenses of this city for the time being. I would respect your authority Count, but I am on a mission for the Emperor and you will assist me in any way I deem necessary."
Colt felt his shoulders slump, he closed his eyes and sighed. Without even mentioning the bandits, the day promised to be painful.
After spending an hour celebrating his reunion with his daughter and making his return known, Colt spent the afternoon explaining a lot of things to the princess who in turn explained the situation to him.
However, the Count had not spoken of the nature of the Celestial that accompanied him. The immediate situation was complicated enough as it was without having to worry about the princess' reactions and that could wait until tomorrow.
He did not lose sight of Amiek however. Allowing the entity to wander around his castle or town at will would inevitably bring disaster. With his eyes and his strange hair, there would be any moron to see in him an inferior "half-human" good to molest. The citizens of Italica had long since learned to live harmoniously with the demi-humans, but there were always morons to commit idiocy.
This is the excuse he had provided to explain the presence of Amiek at his side. The Count being known for his kindness to demi-humans, no one protested. Until he insisted that Amiek be present during the preparations for war, as well as Tuka since she did not want to leave him, always with him like a little puppy.
"Monsieur le Count…. We are developing a military strategy to defend your city. Then why are you so insistent on keeping these two demi-humans here? Without even mentioning that it's supposed to be secret, what could they be good for? Demi-humans don't understand the art of war," Pina said, exasperated.
These insults left the Celestial completely indifferent. As for Tuka, although anxious to defend the Apostle of his god, she did not want to embarrass him by making a scandal. If Amiek gave her an order, she would obey with zeal and speed, but if not, she would remain calm for the moment. After all, insults from beings as limited as humans amounted to insults from children. Compared to Tuka, the princess was like a 50-year-old child (Elf).
The Count also remained calm. Now was not the time to panic or explain things in detail to the princess. She might decide to have Amiek arrested and although he was not worried about him, he feared the Emperor's reaction when he learned that his daughter had been turned into a frog like Podawan or something.
"Princess, with all due respect to your rank, and with infinite gratitude to you for protecting my city at the risk of your live, I can assure you that it is preferable that these two people do not leave me during their stay in Italica".
"As you want. This is your city after all." replied Pina, who was in no mood to discuss the Count's whims.
She was still intrigued by the strange boy and those completely black eyes with a white circle inside and his striped hairstyle. At least now it was clear that he didn't belong to Rory but it was still obvious that he was from the other world. Perhaps one of the magician's apprentices? When the battle was over, she would have no trouble invoking her authority as a princess to take this captive boy and have him interrogated by the best "questioners" of the Capital.
The rest of the afternoon consisted of long tactical conversations. Amiek leaning over the table, much to Pina's annoyance, like a curious child, to see the better restaurant dish.
In the end it was determined that the South gate, which was the most exposed, would also be the most reinforced with archers and crossbowmen as well as all the peasant militia that could be assembled. Norma Co Igloo would command the troops. The North Gate would be defended by the spearmen and the few remaining mages, reinforced by Rory Mercury who had agreed to defend the city.
Pina would have preferred to put Rory in the thick of the action at the South Gate but the Apostle had felt that she would actually be more useful at the less defended North Gate.
This decision had surprised everyone because everyone thought that Emroy's Apostle would want to be where there was the best chance of fighting. However Rory thought differently. The South Gate would be the best protected so the one where she was least needed, it would be better for her (and her unlucky follower) to be where she could be most useful in case of an attack.
Apart from that, makeshift barricades had been erected in the center of the city to act as additional lines of defense for the inhabitants of Italica.
When the preparations were complete with Princess Pina and everyone had left the war room, except for Colt, Amiek and Tuka, the Count had to face the facts: The situation was desperate. His best hope, his only hope in fact, was to ask the Celestial to protect the city by invoking their contract.
"[Your request cannot be completed/It is not possible/I refuse.]" replied Amiek simply.
"Why?" asked the Count, already knowing that he would receive an unpleasant or even incomprehensible answer.
"[A number of non-specific factors/Special circumstances/This unusual situation] make this battle unique and therefore interesting to observe. Any [tampering/intervention/action] would compromise the results of the observation."
Colt would have wanted to strangle Amiek had he not been convinced of the futility, and the danger, of this attempt, but the urge was there.
"However, [an arbitration/an accommodation/a compromise] may be put in place".
"What compromise?" asked the Count hopefully.
"I accept to [secure/shelter/protect] those who will take refuge within the walls of the castle. A level 8 force field will protect them."
"A force field? This kind of invisible wall that surrounds Alnus?"
"[Affirmative/correct/precisely]"
It was a little and a lot at the same time. At least the Count could shelter all those who were dear to him in the city, starting of course with his daughter and his servants. Of course, he would welcome as many people as possible into the castle, especially children. It would be one less burden on his shoulders.
A little before nightfall, the castle was full. There was almost no room. All the rooms were filled, as well as the corridors and even the prison cells. Only Myui and Princess Pina had been able to keep an entire room for themselves.
Count Colt, on the other hand, was at the southern rampart alongside the knight Norma Co Igloo awaiting an attack, which he hoped, would never come, at least not until the reinforcements were there.
Frankly he had hesitated a lot before volunteering. It was a very bad idea in many ways. First he could die, which would have been unpleasant in itself, not to mention his daughter's grief, but more importantly, if he died, there would be no one left to try to temper the danger that Amiek posed.
So far he had been able, somehow, to prevent the overflows of the Celestial but what would happen if he died? Would Amiek look for someone else as a guide or would he do as he pleased and too bad for Falmart. He had explained to the Count, only this morning, that he no longer needed him, even if their pact remained in force for the moment.
So why was he there?
Because he had had an idea, very risky indeed, but which could succeed.
"I am surprised to see you here, Count. I would have thought you would have remained holed up in your castle, with your daughter." said Norma Co Igloo.
Norma was unaware that the castle walls were impenetrable at the moment because although he had sheltered as many people as possible in his castle, Colt had not spoken of the impenetrable barrier that would protect those inside. On the one hand because no one would have believed him and on the other hand because, if he had been believed, everyone would have tried to take shelter inside the castle rather than fight. However, the castle was far too small to accommodate the entire population of the city.
"I have to be here. This is still where I could be most useful."
"I admire your dedication but, without wanting to offend you, I do not see what more you could do. Certainly we need every man capable of fighting but I do not think that your presence changes much in the situation".
"I have a plan. Desperate but worth the try."
Normal was surprised. What brilliant strategic idea could the Count have had that could help them? And why didn't he talk about it earlier?
"Really? And what is this plan? Our situation is already desperate, so I am ready to listen to any desperate plans."
"When the bandits approach, I will appear on the ramparts and introduce myself. I will tell them that "those who exist beyond the Gate" are here with me and they will destroy them if they attack the city."
Norma wasn't sure he heard correctly.
"Can you repeat? I probably didn't quite understand."
"I intend to show myself to the brigands if they attack and I will try to scare them. Almost all of them are survivors of the three "battles" of the Gate, some were even part of my own troops. They will no doubt be terrified to face again what they saw there. I hope that seeing me alive and telling them that the Gate powers have followed me here and will destroy them if they attack, they will give up on their plans."
Only the first part, saying that "the powers of the Gate", i.e. the Celestial, was true, the second part that said he would destroy the bandits if they attacked was a lie since Amiek had clearly explained that he would not intervene in the course of this battle…. But he didn't need to inform the bandits of this lie.
"Excuse me, I want to make sure I understand everything. Your plan is to tell them that if they are not kind, a big, mean Trolls will come to punish them? It seems a bit... childish".
The Count could hardly dispute the knight's opinion.
"I know the chances of success are slim, but the chances of victory in a classic battle are even slimmer."
"We have the Apostle of Emroy with us. It matters." Norma pointed out.
"It matters mostly to those at the North Gate, not to us at the South Gate. Anyway even if Rory decides to fight until all the bandits are dead, all the other soldiers and townspeople will probably be dead before, starting with us. Knowing that we will be avenged is small consolation."
Now it was Norma who could not dispute the Count's opinion.
"I myself am not very convinced by my plan. However, if I can induce a few to retreat, or even just strike down their morals and make them doubt…. It will work in our favor."
"…. I would have preferred something more... Substantial. A repositioning of the archers for example. However, at the point where we are, it is an idea like any other. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst."
The Count had nothing more to tell.
-O-
Very worried until now, the soldiers were now perfectly reassured. Those massed at the South Gate knew that they were located in the most dangerous place, certainly, but also the one where they were the most numerous and the best armed. Those at the North Gate were confident of their victory as the Apostle of the War God would fight alongside them.
Only Grassac was not very happy. Rory had him chained to the ground a few feet from the door.
"Rory, I don't understand…. Why chain me here like a slave?"
"It's for your own good. When the battle begins you might be tempted to run rather than fight. Fear in the stomach I know what it is. I don't blame you, me too it was difficult in the beginning, even becoming Apostle, I was still very afraid of the pain. Of course, I got used to it, so you will too. In any case, it is my duty as your spirit guide to help you become worthy of death and to be offered to Emroy. This chain is there to help you overcome the temptation to flee. Since you won't be able to escape to hide in the first hole you come across, you'll be able to fight like never before. Not to save your life, but to avoid the pain as much as possible. We're both going to have fun."
Of course Grassac was in no way relieved by the reasons given by his mistress. When he enlisted as a soldier, there was no evidence that he would go to war then (Yes, that was a possibility but most soldiers were just doing guard work rather than conquest, unlike Sadera's army). He could simply be on guard in a city or carry out maneuvers in the hinterland. Of course war remained a strong possibility but in this case, it would surely be to assist the Empire which used to win battles.
And now he found himself, on the contrary, not only in the front line but right in the middle of the enemy's passage. The semi-immortality that Rory had bestowed upon him did not reassure him. Having his entrails strewn on the ground by an ax or his head shattered by a mace did not thrill him.
"Couldn't we at least go to a place where we have a better chance of defending ourselves? Now I'm going to be slaughtered for nothing before I can do much."
"Do not worry about that. Even if you are cut to pieces you will get up in less than a minute thanks to my blessing. Where we are, we have a clear view and the goal of the game is to avoid and parry the enemy's blows as best as possible so that it hurts as little as possible. The more you fight, the more experience you gain and the easier it becomes. After being torn to pieces a dozen times you should start to get your bearings. Currently the record is 25.
"The record?
"All your predecessors to whom I introduced this game died dozens of times in their first battle. Whoever did the best received a mortal wound only 25 times. I'm counting on you not to be mortally wounded more than 20 times. After all, with all the time you've spent on your stupid game, you should already have some experience, right?"
"But…. But I…. You…" the young man stammered.
Grassac wanted to explain to Rory that playing a fire mage in World of Warcraft hadn't gotten him used to fighting with a sword and shield, but he didn't think that argument would have deterred Rory.
He just had to hope that the enemy wouldn't attack here tonight or that luck would smile on him somehow.
Of course he was going to be disappointed.
-O-
Amiek stood on the ramparts of Tuka Castle and Princess Pina stood by his side.
Pina was furious.
FLASHBACK
When the Count had demanded that she stay at the castle to protect her, she had already been furious. His place is alongside his knights, not set back behind the castle walls. The princess thought it was simply a false excuse for her not to go into battle at the risk of dying.
Of course she could understand the Count's position. If she were ever injured or killed in her city, the Emperor's wrath would be terrible. She would gladly have used her authority as a princess to refuse, but in times of war the laws were unequivocal: the count had full authority to protect his city as he saw fit. Only the Emperor had more authority than him and, despite being the Emperor's representative, her father had not given her any document giving her full powers.
But still, the Count's request after that….
"I want you to stay with the Elf and the young man with her. His name is Amiek for information."
"You want me WHAT!?""
"I want you to stay with them and watch their actions. Above all, do not oppose the boy. Let him do as he pleases and if he says strange things…. Trust him without trying to understand. Believe me, it's the best thing to do."
Pina was flabbergasted. Stay with these two slaves? To do what? Make sure they don't escape? Like she was a caravan guard? If that was what the Count wanted then why not just lock them up in the castle jails? Why did the Count have such a request of her? It was as absurd as asking her to count the blades of grass in the garden.
"I REFUSE ! I AM PRINCESS PINA CO LADA ! DAUGHTER OF EMPEROR MOLT SOL AUGUSTUS ! COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE KNIGHTS OF THE ORDER OF THE ROSE! I AM NOT YOUR SERVANT !" cried Pina, flabbergasted by the Count's nerve.
"Princess Pina, I am very well aware of who you are and believe me when I say I mean no offense to you. You have protected my city and for that, be assured of my eternal gratitude. However, it is absolutely essential that someone I can trust defends the castle and watches over this man."
"And could you tell me WHY it should be ME? Why not your servants?"
The real reason was that Colt wanted Pina to be protected and the safest place possible was with the Celestial. If she were ever killed, the Emperor could go after Italica itself later. A risk Colt was unwilling to take.
"Because I need someone intelligent and militarily competent near him to interpret his reactions and act accordingly if necessary. I know we barely know each other, but spending the afternoon with you working out a plan to defend Italica convinced me that you were that person. Certainly I could ask any member of my staff, one of my maids or old Kaine…. But despite all their qualities, they are not soldiers. You are the best choice to organize the defenses of the castle if we are defeated and the enemy takes over the city, and you are also smart enough to consider this individual and what he might do. Believe me when I say I would prefer to stay here myself but current circumstances do not allow."
"But finally…. What's so special about your slave? Admittedly, he is rather a pretty boy despite his weird eyes, but…"
"Princess, I don't know what you are imagining but I believe there is a huge mistake that should be corrected immediately. This boy is not my slave. This is…. Uh…. An emissary from the other world."
It wasn't quite the truth. Amiek had not come into this world to deliver a message to anyone. So he wasn't an emissary but it was the best explanation Colt could give Pina on such short notice. Anyway, if he had made a detailed account of everything that had happened to him, the Princess would have simply thought he was crazy…. Or else she wouldn't have understood. For the moment this explanation should suffice.
"Wait…. You mean…. Is HE the "magician of Alnus" everyone is talking about?"
"Uh…. I don't know what you were told exactly, but he is indeed a very powerful magician."
The conversation Pina had had with Godasen suddenly came back to her mind. Indeed, the young man resembled the one described by Godasen but the princess had forgotten this aspect of the conversation. For her, a powerful magician had to be an old man with a long beard and an enchanted staff. This young man could only be a sort of disciple at most.
"Hey, wait a minute. You said an emissary from the gods of the other world. You mean an Apostle?"
This would explain the youth of the individual. He could be much older than he looked.
"Yes that's it. Finally, it's not exactly an Apostle because the gods of the other world are NOT the same as those of the Empire. Listen, I would really like to explain everything to you now. This is a conversation we MUST have, but now is not the place or the time. We have a more pressing problem. I must ask you to stay here with this boy and treat him as an emissary of the gods."
Pina wanted to argue but what more could she argue? Everything was said. If she had a choice, she wouldn't even have answered and would have gone to fight alongside her troops, but she had no choice since the Count had already clearly used his authority to order her to stay here. It only remained for her to decide whether she agreed to watch Amiek or not. As it was not a military issue, the Count had no authority to impose on it.
All that remained was to answer "yes" or "no".
If she had listened to her heart, she would have said "no". Her pride would have forbidden her. However, one of the first things she had learned when she created her order of knighthood was to always remain calm and observe the situation well. Her mentor had taught her that wars were won with a clear mind and with strategy. Not by doing what you want without thinking…. Not like his brother Zorzal.
There was a mystery in this situation, a mystery that she intended to solve.
"I accept, but I warn you: I feel seriously offended. If I ever get the impression that you looked for a false excuse to keep me here away from my troops, then I will make you regret it later. Take it for granted. You have authority now, but once the battle is over, if we're still alive, that won't be the case anymore. At that time, you will do well to provide me with excellent explanations, and not a fairy tale. There are treason charges pending against you in the Senate. Do not forget it".
"I will not forget it and, again, believe in my most sincere gratitude. Colt replied, smiling while turning on his heels to quickly join the front before the princess changed her mind, while hoping that he had not just made a monumental mistake.
END OF FLASHBACK
Now Pina was there, with a few guards located about ten meters behind her, ready to answer her orders if necessary.
Amiek was as indifferent to the presence of the princess and the guards as if they were statues, and Tuka only had eyes for the "Apostle" of her gods. She still hadn't understood that the "Apostle" of her "god" was her "god" himself, although he himself had repeatedly said "I am the Celestial Amiek".
The human-shaped Celestial then made a gesture and immediately multiple metal plates floating in the air materialized in front of him and a moment later, different places of the city as well as its surroundings were displayed on the plates. No detail escaped the sophisticated drones he had deployed for several kilometers around. They weren't really drones in the human sense of the word but it was the closest human word to define these artificial lifeforms.
Normally, as a Celestial, he would simply need to open his perceptions, but as a human he was constrained by logical and biological limits. The "drones" compensated for this and they were sophisticated enough to record any relevant data.
Tuka's surprise lasted only a moment. After all, she had already seen all kinds of much more incredible things in the new city of Alnus. The Princess on the other hand did not really understand what she was seeing at the moment.
"Tell me Lord Amiek, what exactly are we doing here?".
"I [determine the functioning/establish the viability/understand the nature] of the inhabitants of this city in a situation of extreme parameters."
" Really? Is that all you care about? Study people? »
"It is indeed [one of the primary objectives/raison d'être/why] of my mission. Studying, understanding, transmitting and, to a certain extent, experimenting".
Tuka was pensive…. While not knowing what to think.
"That seems to surprise you. [I thought/it seems to me/I am certain] that I had already explained this to you."
"Lord, I am an Elf. Conflicts between humans do not concern me. My people see them as rambunctious children who die too soon to learn."
The Elf closed his eyes then looked into Amiek's gaze.
"However, I find it really unfortunate, when their life is already so short, that it is still shortened without valid reason. Especially when there are other possibilities. When you live that long, you have to learn to love what doesn't last, precisely because we don't have the possibility of keeping it for long."
It was now Amiek who was pensive. Tuka's words, while simplistic, had merit.
It didn't change his decision of course.
"It is true that my mission is above all to observe. However, you should also know that the results will [establish a series of processes/set a course of action/make decisions] that will be [helpful/beneficial/positive] to this people in the future. »
"Lord, you talk a lot about the future. You talk a lot about what must happen "one day", but you never talk about the present. You never talk about what should be "now". Wouldn't it be better for the future AND the present, if some things were done now?"
A simple truth but even Celestials sometimes have to accept simple truths, instead of looking for reasons to oppose them.
It would take time to think about that…. When the battle was over. In the meantime he had better things to do.
Princess Pina was flabbergasted by the situation she found herself in. First she watched the screens where she saw the whole city. She had never seen, or even heard of, such magic.
On the other hand, what was the meaning of this conversation between the Elf and this boy. She was not deaf, she had heard perfectly everything they said…. But what they were saying... It didn't make any sense. Sure, she understood the meaning of the words they were using, but she couldn't grasp the context, or accept the implications.
Why did the Elf call him "Lord"? Was he her master? Of course many of the Elves were slaves or servants to some noble, but then they did not question their masters, they were trained to remain silent and obey without argument.
It wasn't a friend either, otherwise she wouldn't have called him "lord."
And besides, the two individuals were completely indifferent to her presence. They weren't trying to run away or hide anything from her. They were right there. In front of her. To have a strange conversation and using strange magic.
The Princess decided to wait for the moment. Maybe she would understand better if she kept listening. However, she was beginning to think that Colt hadn't made fun of her when he asked her to watch these two individuals.
-O-
The night was well advanced, almost over in fact. It was three o'clock in the morning and everyone was beginning to believe that the attack would not take place that night after all.
It all started very quickly.
It was a volley of flaming arrows that fell on the defenders, already causing the first deaths. The archers on the ramparts tried to retaliate but their enemies were somewhere in the dark while they themselves were perfectly illuminated by the light from the braziers around them, making them easy targets for this first salvo.
"THE ENEMY IS ON THE ATTACK! GO FORWARD HIS HIGHNESS PINA! ATTACK ON THE SOUTH GATE! ARCHERS GET READY!" Norma Co Igloo shouted to the soldiers around him.
Now everyone had raised a shield and was prepared against the arrows. The bandits advanced, emerging from the protection of the night, dreaming of carnage and not caring that they would die as long as they entered the warrior paradise promised by Emroy.
This was when the Count decided to put his plan into action. He stood on the ramparts and shouted.
"I AM COUNT COLT OF ITALICA! LORD AND PROTECTOR OF THIS CITY!".
The speech was quite simplistic because Colt knew that these ruffians would not have been sensitive to more sophisticated language.
The bandits ceased their assault. Some actually recognized the Count and wondered. Others wondered who this stranger was.
"YES ! I AM COUNT COLT! YOU SHOULD KNOW I WAS LEADING THE EXPEDITION AGAINST THE OTHERWORLD FORCES BEYOND THE GATE! I NOW STAND BEFORE YOU…"
Perhaps IF he had been in the middle of a Senate tribune in Sadera, the Count could have convinced. Perhaps IF someone other than him had made these remarks he would have had better success. Perhaps, but the Count was not in the Senate with people who came to discuss and he was a man capable of inspiring confidence but not fear.
No, he was on the ramparts of a city where a battle had just begun, talking to bandits who were not afraid of him. On the contrary, the Count represented everything they hated. Those who had sent them to slaughter at the Gate while they remained behind, well protected.
Whatever the thoughts of the bandits, one of them simply shot an arrow in the direction of the head of the Count who fell from the ramparts. Just like that.
"What a stupid death." thought Norma.
The next moment, the bloodthirsty frenzy of the attackers resumed.
Everything happened very quickly and there is not much to tell.
The bandits almost didn't care if they died. In fact they weren't really bandits in the sense that their objective was not simply to loot the city. If all they had wanted was gold, they would have accepted the negotiations proposed by the Countess who would not have hesitated to empty the treasure room so that they give up their attack.
Oh yes, the lure of profit was present, but it was only part of the situation. The renegades were driven by a strange mixture of a desire for revenge and a fight in addition to their natural greed…. To which was added a deep religious feeling.
When they went to the Gate, they dreamed of glory, conquest, riches and beautiful slaves obtained by the strength of their arms, fighting for an eternal place at Emroy's side.
All they got from their god was death and madness. Those who should have guided them had abandoned them. Some had glimpsed endless riches at Alnus Hill. They had held in their hands treasures that would have made them kings (not realizing that the sudden influx of such an amount of wealth would have destroyed the economy of the Empire and would not have been of much value ultimately) to ultimately lose everything.
Now they needed revenge on those who had abandoned them after promising them fortune and glory. They would kill or be killed in the name of their god. Either way, Emroy would reward and glorify them. A place in warrior heaven awaited them one way or another and nothing in the world would deter them.
A real war, bloody massacres or the blackest desires of men were fulfilled by themselves.
The South door was starting to give way….
-O-
On the other side of town, Rory was in ecstasy. She had thought that although the main battle would take place at the South Gate, there would still be an attack at the North Gate to try to take the city from behind.
The bandits, with great courtesy, had not disappointed her. What was most surprising was that they actually seemed delighted with the presence of the Apostle. They might have thought it was a sign that Emroy was against them but in fact they interpreted her presence as proof that their god was directly interested in them and testing their faith…. And then what an honor for warriors to have the opportunity to fight Rory Mercury in person.
Emroy is the god of madness, his most fervent followers, whose numbers had greatly increased following the three battles of the Gate, were rarely sane.
Either way, everyone seemed to be having a good time amidst the merry carnage. A magnificent choreography of heads, arms, legs and various human limbs flying in the air with splendid sprays of red liquid superbly highlighted by the light of the torches. It was a sight that had everything to please the god of war and death.
The ambient music composed of cries in the name of Emroy, howls of pain, clashing swords and armor crushed by a giant halberd, contributed perfectly to the atmosphere of the show. Even the soldiers were reassured since Rory Mercury herself was fighting alongside them. How could they lose?
However, if the corpses piled up around Rory, the number of soldiers also decreased and it did not go unnoticed, even in this chaotic situation.
At least those who were still alive, for the moment.
Only Grassac seemed to lack enthusiasm, especially since a mace had crushed his jaw and a spear had sunk into his right lung. This could explain his difficulties in expressing what he felt.
Not that anyone would have listened to his opinion anyway.
-O-
Inside the castle, everything was deathly silent, in stark contrast to the sounds of battle in the distance that everyone could hear. Few people dared to speak because everyone was paralyzed with anguish. The adults tried somehow to reassure the children, to tell them that the castle was solid, the castle of Italica had never been conquered.
This might reassure young people, but adults had no illusions. If ever the soldiers fighting outside were defeated, then the castle wouldn't last long. It was far from an impregnable fortress.
Unjustified fear since a force field raised by a Celestial protected the castle, but of course the inhabitants were unaware of it.
In the dungeon room, Kaine, the old governess, was trying somehow to reassure her little mistress.
"Don't worry miss. I'm sure everything will be fine. We will never let those bandits or anyone else touch a single hair of yours."
"Thank you Kaine, but it's not me I'm worried about, it's my dad. I have just seen him again and he is already going back to battle. If ever this time... He wasn't coming back?"
"Miss, your father survived against all odds. We ourselves do not believe in it but you told us that he was alive, that he spoke in your dreams…. And you were right. I confess that I myself did not believe it. In fact, no one here believed it even though we tried not to tell you…. And then he appeared this afternoon in this strange magic carriage. You don't have to worry now."
" ….. I hope so ".
The truth is that Kaine was just as worried as the Countess. The return of the Count accompanied by Rory Mercury had galvanized everyone but the enemy was former soldiers. Some of them even came from Italica. Which infuriated Kaine and most of the town.
These people were born here, they had been children playing in the streets of the city, they had been the sons of neighbors, soldiers of the city…. And now they came to kill those they had known as children, loot their homes and burn the city that had nurtured and protected them. Sure, they were a small minority among the bandits, but still they existed. They were the easiest to hate.
"Vermin..." the old woman muttered, gritting her teeth.
-O-
The Battle at the South Gate was not going well at all. The soldiers were mainly made up of archers. Some were shooting from the ramparts, and those below were shooting randomly over the walls in hopes of hitting a target.
Unfortunately, their arrows didn't go far. Gusts of wind almost reduced the force of the arrows to nothing.
It was not bad luck, but the magic of a Siren.
Myuute Luna Sires really didn't want to be here, let alone do this. She was disgusted but since she had fled during the battle beyond the Gate, she had no choice.
It all started a little less than a year ago on her island. Like a young girl dreaming of seeing the world, she had fallen in love with a young mercenary, hired by a merchant to protect goods in the dangerous waters of the Avion sea.
Note that the young man was not interested in her…. Beyond their first night. Myuute had then made her first mistake. She had tried to seduce him with the power of her song.
Sirens have the power to bewitch those who listen to them, including their fellows. It is not considered bad because it is perfectly natural. It is like birds singing in mating season to attract mates. The Sirens being "half-bird" they had the same behavior.
This "love" did not last because the effects of the song were not made to last, simply to initiate a meeting at first. Quickly, the hosts came to their senses and if they hadn't learned to love the Siren, male or female, then everything stopped.
And much to Myuute's disappointment, that's what happened. The boy hadn't learned to love her.
This is where she made her second mistake. Dreaming of adventure and seeing the country she had joined the mercenary group and, some time later, the door to Alnus had appeared.
See another world…. An irresistible idea for the naïve Siren. Following the group on this expedition had been her third mistake. They were now all dead except her and since she couldn't return to the Empire as she would no doubt have been quickly captured and sold into slavery (Siren being an extremely rare species in the Empire), she had been forced to join bandit troops to survive. Her "talents" having enabled her to protect herself from all…. Unwanted attention, which her exotic beauty might have elicited.
Now all her dreams of living an adventure and discovering the world alongside her great love were dead once and for all. Now her only goal was to collect enough money to get back to her island as quickly as possible with as few horrors on the way as possible, but that was easier said than done. At this very moment she was helping to ruin a city. It was not what she wanted but this war was not of her doing. She was just a forced participant who would give anything to be somewhere else.
Now the bandits had reached the ramparts with few losses and the gate had just given way.
A few bandits were killed but most of the opposing forces were now retreating towards the castle. Soldiers could better defend themselves in open terrain. At the South Gate the battle would soon be over.
Not all of them had been able to retreat, however. Norma had a front row seat to see his own death coming from either side of the rampart. He had no time to retreat as four bandits armed with axes came at him from each side, he prepared to sell his life as dearly as possible.
He managed to kill three men before succumbing himself. That was what all his years of training with the Order of the Rose had served. To die gloriously in war.
It was a short but intense fight. The first opponent raised his ax and, quicker and more accurate, Norma swung his sword directly to the throat. The man fell from the ramparts head first.
The second opponent wanted to take advantage of what he considered to be an opening created by the first attacker, but Norma took a step back and pushed the man in turn. The fall was not immediately fatal but one of his lungs was pierced by a broken rib. It left him with no chance of survival. It would be a long and excruciating agony.
Alas the third adversary had better luck and hit Norma with his spiked mace at the joint of the neck and left shoulder. Although the wound was mortal, the knight managed to avenge himself on his assassin by planting his sword in the stomach of the bandit. The man wouldn't die right away either, but this time the wound was fatal.
The knight collapsed to the ground from blood loss. There was no pain, only warmth on his neck and his eyesight blurring and turning black as the noise around him seemed to fade away.
Curiously, before passing away, he did not really regret these years or his choice to join the Order of the Rose. No, it was his comrades he would miss. Especially Hamilton Uno Ror. He thought of her as the little sister he wished he had. He would miss their rivalry and their discussions. He regretted that she had not had time to introduce him to her fiancé. Never mind. He swore anyway that if the man was not worthy of her, he would come back from Emroy realm to beat him up. He hoped Hamilton would survive that night. If not…. Well they would have another conversation together at Emroy's banquet later.
Emroy realm welcomed his soul tonight as well as those of his fallen men at his side.
-O-
At the North Gate, things were going better…. In a way. All the bandits were dead…. As well as all the soldiers. Rory had just killed the last attacker. This one had been lucky enough to have his head torn off with her bare hands. Admittedly Rory mainly used her Halberd to inflict death, but sometimes it was more enjoyable to do this with her bare hands, to feel the life disappear from the body while the soul rose through her arms until it reached her heart where it finally migrated to the kingdom of his god.
"Here is. It's finish. It feels good to let off steam, right Grassac?"
….
….
"Graaaasssssssssaaaaacccc? Where are youuuuuu?" asked the Apostle.
The place was unrecognizable. Completely devastated by the fury of the battle (Although Rory was the main cause of the damage). Grassac was linked to Rory so if he had gone further she would have found him but her senses told her he was less than fifty meters away, but where?
After a few minutes, after methodically moving the piles of bodies to see if he was hiding underneath, she finally found him. The poor guy had so many weapons planted in his body that he couldn't move his muscles. Spears, swords, axes, arrows. Also, due to the regenerative abilities imparted by Rory, most of the weapons were "stuck" inside him and, alas for him, he was CONSCIOUS.
Rory proceeded to extract all the weapons from his "disciple". Swords and axes were pretty easy. It was the spears and arrows that were the real problem because if Rory got it wrong, they could break inside the body. In which case, extracting the arrow pieces from a permanently regenerating body would have been laborious for her…. And particularly painful for Grassac.
After 2 minutes that Grassac would never forget, he was finally released from his agony. Relieved to have come to the end of his suffering (at least he believed).
"Is it…. Is it over? We won? Can we go?"
Rory had other plans.
"No. We're done here, yes. On the other hand, the bulk of the work is now at the South gate. Job half done = job not done. We are going there now."
"Please, I'm completely exhausted. I died at least 100 times. I've suffered enough for tonight."
"No. First you only died 21 times and you killed 12 enemies. I speak knowingly, I have done the accounts. Congratulation. You broke the record, but next time you'll have to kill at least 20. That's the only way you can progress. You will rest when the last bandit is dead. Lets' go."
Grassac would have liked to run away but he would not have gone very far, especially since the regeneration powers did not regenerate his stamina. His muscles were hard as wood. He couldn't have run and he would have a hard time lifting a sword.
"I can't move anymore, my muscles don't obey me".
"Oh I see. That's not a problem."
Rory took Grassac under her arm like a potato sack and began to run, jumping on the roofs to go faster.
-O-
At the South Gate things were not going well. Everyone was either dead or on the run, retreating to the castle which had better defenses. Barricades had been hastily erected at strategic points, but that would not slow the bandits down for long. It had been planned to set fire to it but that would only burn the city without changing anything to the battle result.
The population was holed up in their homes, in the underground shelters dug by the previous lords of Italica to escape the Flame Dragon. Thus, they were spared from fighting as long as the bandits did not bother about them.
Of course, once in the city, the attackers wanted to start looting but first they had to take the castle in the center and kill the last soldiers. After that the city would be theirs. The massacre they had dreamed of, their revenge, would be theirs.
Inside the castle, people could see the city burning in the distance. Everyone was horrified. Old men prayed to their gods, men screamed in frustration at being trapped in what would become their graves, children wept as their mothers did what she could to reassure them.
Only Lelei remained calm, because the young magician knew that, in addition to the fact that she was under the direct protection of the Celestial who would resuscitate her if necessary, the castle was protected too. She knew he had nothing to fear.
This did not prevent the panic from breaking out.
"I WANT TO GET OUT OF HERE!" shouted a man.
The individual was a merchant passing through Italica. He had been trapped in the city following the latest events.
"Come on, calm down," said one of the maids who had been made available to watch over the refugees.
"I'M CALM! I JUST WANT THIS DOOR TO BE OPENED FOR ME! JUST PUSH THE LATCH AND TURN THE HANDLE! IT'S NOT DIFFICULT! THEN LET ME OUT! IT'S AN ORDER!"
"I'm sorry sir but I only take orders from the Count or his family and the chief of staff."
"THEN GO GET IT!"
"I'm sorry again sir but his orders were clear. No one will leave the castle and all doors must remain locked for security reasons."
"I HAVE NO ORDER TO TAKE FROM A STUPID HALF-HUMAN! I WANT TO GET OUT OF HERE! OPEN THIS DOOR OR I OPEN IT MYSELF!"
"Sir, I regret to inform you that if you commit acts of violence, I am authorized to use any means I deem necessary to maintain order. Including the use of force. I add that the personnel of this castle are very qualified for the fight in case of need."
The servant, Persia, was a "Neko". A feline race considered weak in the empire. Not because of their physical abilities, which were about the same as those of humans, but because they were relatively mild-tempered, very sociable.
This did not prevent them from being extremely dangerous when cornered.
The demi-humans working at the castle weren't used to being spoken to like that. The Count's family had always ensured that they were well treated. However, when foreigners came to Italica, foreigners of importance, they had to put up with it.
The merchant did not trade in slaves, but he still had a few at his disposal. He had demi-human clients with whom he did profitable business, and although he always considered his own race superior to others, he did not mistreat his demi-human slaves. However, fear prevented him from thinking clearly. He made the mistake of landing the first blow in the direction of the maid's jaw.
A Neko's reflexes are far superior to those of a human. Persia dodged the blow without difficulty and, dragging the merchant in her tracks, knocked him down before mastering him with a deft twist of his arm.
"Escort this individual to the cell." Persia said, turning to the guards.
She therefore had no possibility of defending herself when she was struck from behind.
The anguish and panic were at their height and this aggression was the spark that was missing to ignite the powder.
The two guards were quickly overwhelmed without being able to do much before 5 people tried to force the door open.
Lelei was not the type to take care of other people's business, however she saw that things could very quickly degenerate. There were enough enemies outside the castle, no need to add more inside.
The scream from the individual who had attacked Persia and now tried to remove the heavy latch that closed the door screamed in pain as his hands were caught in the wall of ice Lelei had just erected between him and the door.
"It is useless." she said simply.
"You…. You are human. Why are you siding with a demi-human?"
"I don't take sides with anyone, but that door will remain closed. The safest place is here, not outside. You will be killed if you come out and I will not let you endanger us".
Lelei didn't know exactly what measures the Celestial had taken to protect the castle, but she didn't want to risk some panicked idiot coming to jeopardize something.
The circle of magic swirling around Lelei's hand was frightening. Everyone knew how dangerous a mage could be.
"Go back to your seat now."
The merchant also complied, going to sit in a corner, taking his head in his hands before starting to cry.
Persia got up and approached the young magician.
"Thank you for your intervention."
"It's nothing. It's in all of our interests to curb any panic."
"Certainly, but I admit that I am impressed by your own. Everyone is worried except you. »
"I have always been naturally calm. Anguish and excitement do no good. Moreover, I am absolutely confident that nothing will happen to us as long as we stay here."
"I can indeed assure you that this room is the safest in the castle and that everything will be done to protect it, but you place a lot of faith in us".
"No. My…. "Faith" goes to Elange and Ral. However, my certainties... Are going to…. Someone else. This certainty removes all my doubts".
Persia couldn't understand what Lelei meant, but she didn't see fit to pursue the matter further. People reassure themselves as best they can after all. The only thing she could do now was hope that Lelei was right.
After this short demonstration, no one thought of leaving the room, especially since a few additional guards had descended as reinforcements upon hearing the cries.
Lelei then considered that it would be useful to cheer everyone up here.
When she was with her master and they needed money, they improvised some magic shows. They even happened to travel with troupes of circus. This suitably replenished their treasury and allowed Lelei to practice new tricks.
The magician clapped her hands to attract attention.
"Let me assure you gentlemen, ladies and children that there is nothing to fear as long as you stay here. In order to help you wait, allow me to show you something interesting."
This speech…. Wasn't very convincing. It was dreary and dull. Lelei was not a show woman, rather it was Cato who took care of capturing the attention of the crowd while her disciple performed her tricks.
A moment later, a flame appeared in the apprentice's right hand, while a ball of ice formed in the left.
"Everyone knows that fire is orange like the sun and ice is white like clouds, and yet, take a good look."
Lelei approached the ball of ice ball and the flame for a few moments, causing blue and orange sparks in the process. Then she spread her hands again.
The ice ball had turned orange like a sunset while the flame was now white like the snow.
The children began to smile and the adults to forget a little their probable "imminent death".
-O-
Pina was horrified by what she saw on the screens in front of Amiek, as was Tuka. Any questions the princess wanted to ask about the strange young man had left her mind. She had seen many of her knights die including, among others, Norma Co Igloo whom she considered a friend even if she had never said so openly.
She no longer cared at all about the young man and the Elf. Her eyes were fixed on the "magic mirrors" that showed the entire battle.
"Despite the strong will to win that motivates them, the volunteer militiamen are too weak. Even if the enemy is made up of seasoned veterans, they have no strategy. They attack us head on again and again." thought the princess.
"However…. We will never hold out until reinforcements arrive."
Beside her Tuka watched, disgusted by what she saw. Amiek, meanwhile, was unfazed.
"Lord…. The battle is lost, obviously. You got all the observations you wanted. What more is there to see? The massacre of the defenders?"
Amiek wasn't moved in the least by Tuka's question. If at times the Elf or the Count manages to…. Disrupt him, this was not the case this time around.
"Wait…. I do not understand…. You are saying that this…. Magician, could influence the course of this battle?" Pina asked, not sure she understood the Elf's insinuations.
"Yes. He can defeat the bandits single-handedly if he wanted to, and by the way, he's not a magician, he's an Apostle of the Elven gods."
In reality, Tuka didn't know the limits of his god's 'Apostle' power, but due to the fact that he was an 'Apostle' in her eyes, he must have been very powerful.
Pina was unconvinced. She remembered Godasen's words, as well as many disturbing "little details". However, she remained skeptical. To say that the boy in front of her was an Apostle of the Elf gods, as if gods other than the 12 gods of Sadera could exist, made no sense to her.
Yet the magic he was practicing before her eyes was unheard of. Mages could do all sorts of wondrous things, but magic that lets you see events happening right now in the distance wasn't one of them. If that were the case, every general in the empire would have a mage at their side to help them prepare their battle plans.
Pina was proud of her princess title. She was prouder still of her role as commander of the knights of her order. It was for this reason that it was very difficult for her to ask something from someone she perceived as a "commoner".
However, Pina never let her pride blind her. Especially when the lives of her troops were at stake. She advanced towards Amiek.
"Sir. As Princess of the Empire, if there is anything you can do to help us, then I ask you to do so. I will pay whatever price you want."
Amiek briefly turned his gaze to the princess before answering.
"[This situation must be analyzed to its conclusion/I prefer to watch/No thanks]".
Then he turned back to his screens.
Pina was puzzled by this strange way of speaking but she still understood that the answer was, more or less, "no, I prefer to watch".
"He prefers to WATCH?! He thinks it's a show? He takes PLEASURE to see these horrors? What is this sicko?!"
The princess was furious and disgusted by this response. It was a real battle. Not one of the battles to the death organized between groups of gladiators as there were every week in the great Coliseum of Sadera or Telta. There those who died in the glory of the arena were slaves and demi-humans, very often both moreover, it even happened sometimes that they had committed some crime, but there it was a real battle with real citizens of the Empire. It wasn't a game.
She then took out her sword and put it on Amiek's shoulder.
"I cannot accept this answer. The lives of my soldiers, the lives of the whole city will be lost if nothing is done. If you really have the power to do something then you MUST act. I don't mean to hurt you, but I'll do anything I can to save this town."
Pina couldn't believe she was doing this. Threaten a stranger for he perform a miracle and save the city. In her mind, this situation was completely absurd and ridiculous, contrary to many things she believed, but at the point where she was, she had no choice.
To say that less than an hour ago she considered him a slave….
It was the reality.
Amiek didn't even turn his gaze to the princess. Completely oblivious to the sword on his shoulder, he didn't answer.
Tuka had changed lately. Since Amiek had [restored the original settings/undone the modifications/set things in order] in her genome as they should be according to the Celestials, the abilities unique to the "Eternals" had begun to manifest in her.
Of course it would still take some time before his mind and body were perfectly synchronized and his attributes fully developed, but already certain aspects were manifesting. She still had a lot to discover about herself but she knew that now, a simple metal weapon could do nothing to her.
The "Āīlo͞ovǣn" then seized the princess's sword by the blade and snatched it from her hands as one snatches a lollipop from a child.
"Eh? What?" Pina exclaimed.
"Do not threaten the Apostle of the gods." said the Elf simply.
"But…. The city? People? My knights? My…. My …. Friends?" Pina said.
These words shocked Tuka. She understood perfectly how the Princess felt and she wanted to help her. She too wanted Amiek to change her mind, but how to persuade him?
"I would really like to help you."
"THEN HELP ME!"
"I don't see how. Everything depends on him and he is the Apostle, I am only one…. In fact, I don't know what I am for him."
Thinking as much as she could about an answer, she remembered an event from her childhood, with her friend Yuno a little less than a hundred years ago.
"I have…. I have a twisted idea... But I guess at the point where we are... We can always try. There is nothing more to lose," she says without much conviction.
"I'M LISTENING TO YOU! AT "THE POINT WHERE I AM" I AM READY TO HEAR EVERYTHING !" cried Pina with a burst of hope.
"Do exactly as I do."
-O-
Moreover, someone observing this scene could have wondered about the passivity of the guards. There were two explanations, however.
First, although the Count had assigned them to Pina's service, he had expressly ordered them not to attack the strange boy or the Elf, no matter what.
Second, since they understood the boy to be a magician, they had no intention of fighting him. None of them wanted to be engulfed in a torrent of flame or smashed against the wall.
As the surviving soldiers of the South Gate retreated, the Bandits followed behind them. Certainly they would have preferred to start looting the houses and attacking the inhabitants, but their leaders had clearly decided to first take the castle in the center of the city.
However, they encountered resistance. Civilian militias who were not seasoned soldiers but ordinary citizens armed as best they could with axes, kitchen knives, pitchforks. For lack of an arrow, some were throwing tiles and stones from the roofs.
When a line was about to be pressed, another formed a little further. It was a street-by-street fight.
It was heroic... But it wasn't much use. There were some casualties on the attacking side, sure, but what can hastily formed, poorly armed militias do against well-armed, battle-hardened soldiers? What can stones and tiles do against shields and helmets?
The only good side is that it seriously slowed down the attackers but in the end it was useless because they had all their time. The battle would last longer, but its outcome was no longer in doubt in people's minds: They might see dawn one last time, but they would never see a sunset again.
The defenders who had sought refuge in the castle when they saw those in the front line retreating, were horribly surprised to discover an invisible rampart which they could not cross.
The protection granted to the castle by Amiek of course. Once in place, no one can enter, no one can leave.
"WHAT IS HAPPENING?! WHAT IS THIS SORCERY!? WHY THOSE BEHIND…. THIS THING, DON'T COME TO HELP US?!" shouted an anonymous soldier.
"WE ARE PUMPS SACRIFIED TO SAVE TIME!" retorted another.
"THE PRINCESS KNIGHTS HAD TO COME TO HELP! WHERE ARE THEY?!" added a third.
The answer was that unfortunately for the people of Italica, the reinforcements would never be there in time. Now all the surviving soldiers were crowding around the force field, desperate and unable to cross it.
The bandits were almost upon them now. The last rampart that protected the soldiers was a kind of wooden palisade. An obstacle that could be overcome in an instant…. But who wouldn't.
Indeed, the invaders had decided that they wanted to "savor" this moment. Instill more fear, more despair in the heart of their soon to be victim before launching the final assault. Paradoxically, they wanted to incite their hatred, that they fight with all their might before they die. A real battle and a real victory and above all a real massacre where they could satisfy their lowest instincts of murder, looting and rape. This is what they were really looking for.
Now the defenders surrounded the castle, themselves surrounded by an almost non-existent palisade, surrounded by the enemy. The attackers did not try to cross the palisade. They just surrounded it, making sure none of those now trapped behind could flee.
Then everything became silent.
You could see the bandits smiling. They didn't feel like launching the last charge right away. They'd had a better idea to terrify and break what little fighting spirit their next victims had left.
-O-
Although Colt was already dead, he was now dying again…. Worry. He hadn't really had time to hurt when the arrow had pierced his brain and he had crashed below earlier. A shock to the forehead was all he remembered of his death.
In the end, it had been nothing more than a bad time to pass.
However, even though he no longer had anything to fear from the bandits, he was still very worried about his city.
He was not yet in the halls of glory, but rather in the bleachers of a kind of gigantic coliseum, in the center of which he could see in a magic mirror the battle which was taking place below.
Emroy believed that people who died in battle had a right to see the outcome of the battle. After all, they had participated, so it was only right that they could witness the victory or deafeat before entering the halls of glory…. And now Colt was watching his city be destroyed.
At first he was alone, but soon the coliseum began to fill up. At his side, the other soldiers defending the surrounding wall, dead in combat. In the stands opposite, there were the bandits killed. Everyone here instinctively understood what the Mystical mirror was, and everyone understood that they had no right to fight at the moment. If they wanted to keep fighting, they would have to wait and participate in the eternal war of one of Emroy's mystical battlefields.
The dead bandits were delighted and encouraged the living. Although dead, those still alive were winning the battle.
Conversely, the soldiers of Italica were depressed. They had reached the halls of glory but their deaths had been for nothing. The city would be destroyed, their families killed.
Colt at least hoped the Celestial would keep his promise and those inside the castle would remain protected. It was all he could do.
It was then that he had a strange feeling. Colt felt something in the back of his mind. Without knowing why, he laughed.
The Count could not know that although dead, his link with the Celestial was still active but what could cause this reaction?
-O-
Rory was almost there. In fact, she would already be here if she hadn't needed to pay attention to her "disciple". Jumping on the roofs while holding someone is not easy. Grassac had already fallen twice. He was unconscious at the moment but when Rory arrived on the battlefield she would take great care to wake him up before throwing him into the fray.
However, her earlier frenzy was gone. She felt that something terrible was happening. She couldn't say what but she felt it. It was not the prospect of the death of the defenders that caused this feeling. That she had known for a long time. It was something else. Something of…. Against nature.
What could it be?
-O-
Lelei had run out of comic magic. She could have done the same again, but the brief period during which she had been able to reassure the people in the room was over. Everyone could see through the windows that the bandits were surrounding the castle.
However, additional guards had come as reinforcements and no one would dare to fight them. After all, with their weapons, these guards could kill as surely as the bandits.
But that wasn't what Lelei was worrying about now. She had felt something too. The magical flows seemed to react to an outside force. Lelei had never seen such a phenomenon.
What could cause this?
-O-
The bandits had cleared a path, allowing riders to bring in something dragged by their horses.
The night was ending, dawn was beginning to rise now. This allowed the soldiers to see a little better what their enemies had brought. Enemies who smiled like children watching a show.
Some corpses.
"Hold on…. Wouldn't that be Pedro's wife?""
"No?!"
"But…. It's Terius?! How awful"
"I…. I thought they left town yesterday."
Indeed, a convoy had left the city yesterday to find refuge in lands better protected by the Empire just after the first attack of the bandits. It was a risky bet but one that could have succeeded if the bandits were not ready yet. Obviously the bandits were ready and the convoy hadn't gotten far.
The corpses were naked. Those of the women had no doubt been raped multiple times before being killed, or, for the more "lucky" ones, killed first. As for those of the men, even from a distance, one could see obvious signs of torture.
They had been used as "toys" by "children" who find it amusing to break their toys, piece by piece…. Literally.
Literally because now the corpses were being cut up, as one cuts up carcasses of pigs in a butcher's shop by ever-smiling, ecstatic bandits, literally wallowing in horror.
Then the pieces were thrown over the palisade to the defenders.
The horror disfigured the faces of the soldiers because unlike their enemies, they had not abdicated all sense of morality to sink into pure barbarism.
"AH!"
"IIIIHHHH!"
"MONSTERS !"
"NOOOOO!"
"STOP IT!"
To which the bandits replied:
"COME FIGHT IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM!"
"BAND OF COWARDS!"
"THIS IS THE PRICE TO PAY FOR STAYING SAFE WHILE WE WERE DESTROYED AT ALNUS!"
At one point, the corpse of a young girl caught the attention of one of the guards, a man named Nikola.
"A… ADELIA!" he exclaimed.
The so-called Adelia had left with the convoy yesterday, at the request of her husband, who absolutely wanted her to go and take shelter for a while….
"Was that your wife? Take. I give it back to you."
"I FORBID YOU TO TOUCH HER!"
Without depriving himself, the individual then began to cut off the head of the young woman like a piece of lamb.
And without shame the villain threw Adelia's head at her husband over the wood palisade. The head crashed to the ground, with a noise that was both sickening and macabre.
Nikola fell to his knees, his gaze lost in his wife's dead eyes. Trying to find the slightest trace of life, of hope. Something warm, comforting…. He found only the terror and despair she had felt before she died.
"A real beauty. I should have fucked her while she was still alive. Finally, well, tell yourself that others have done it. From what I see, they had a good time" added the bandit, mocking, feasting on the suffering of the young man.
"I WILL KILL YOU !"
Nikola crossed the barricade and rushed forward without anyone being able to hold him back. Armed with his pitchfork, he rushed towards the man who had just desecrated the body of his beloved.
This was exactly what the bandit wanted. Killing this guy with a pitchfork was going to be as easy as killing an unarmed child. He wouldn't strike the killing blow right away no, first a shot in the arm to make him drop his weapon and make him lose all hope of avenging his wife. Then, a blow to the legs, inflicting a wound too serious for his victim to recover. Then he would pick up the pitchfork and stick it in the belly, especially not in the heart or in the head. A mortal wound but which would give the victim time to agonize, changing his howls of rage and hatred into howls of pain. When a few moments later he began to lose consciousness, he would cut off his head as he had done for the woman. The bandit's laughing face would be the last thing his victim would see of this world before finally dying. He would then throw the head to the other guards, near his wife's head.
More horror, more tragedy, more despair. It's very pleasant to be a bloodthirsty monster, you feel strong, free. Like a god who has the power of life and death and who only obeys his own laws.
He was about to parry Nikola's clumsy assault when he was cut off in his tracks and fell to the ground. He had suddenly hit something.
-O-
Moments earlier.
As the last last stand of the defenders was about to take place, about thirty meters a little further, at the top of the ramparts, a strange scene was taking place.
Amiek…. Was very [losing reaction skills/disturbed/uncomfortable]. He felt [at the mercy of/back against the wall/trapped].
To his right, Tuka was staring at him with wide eyes that looked like she was about to shed tears as she folded her hands in front of her in prayer.
To his left, Pina was doing exactly the same thing.
"Lord Amiek…. Can I ask you a favor?" Tuka asked in the voice of a child begging her mother for a whim.
"[You have…. You have the per…. Permission from/I…. I…. I you…. I'm listening/What is…. What…. What do you want? »]
Sensing that she might have a chance, Tuka went for broke.
"Could you please help this town? I think you saw everything you wanted. I don't understand the point of looking at this slaughter more. Please, in the name of Harchzem the Judge, I beg you to intervene. It would make me so happy."
"Please. It is Princess Pina Co Lada, heiress to the throne of the Saderan Empire, who asks you. I can be... Very grateful".
Pina was 10th in line to inherit the throne and she was in a good position to know that, but she felt that it was not useful to elaborate on this small detail at the moment.
Invoking the name of Arishem the Judge or offering the Empire's eternal recognition [did not question his decision/had no value/was unimportant] to Amiek. Tuka would have summoned a pebble and Pina would have sworn the eternal hatred of the Empire…. It would have been exactly the same.
"PLLLLEEEEAAAASSSSEEEEE!" they cried in unison.
Tuka thought back to her childhood, when she and her friend Yuno wanted to get something from their parents. They had developed this strategy. Simple but effective. It didn't always work, of course, but they had a much better chance of success when they asked for what they wanted, both at the same time than separately. It was much harder to deny two children than one, especially when the other is the daughter of an old friend. She didn't know if it would work on Amiek but as she said earlier, she could always try and there was nothing left to lose.
Pina…. Didn't quite agree. She didn't know if she should laugh or feel humiliated. On the one hand, imploring a stranger as if she were still a child was humiliating. On the other hand, it reminded her of when she, Bozes and Panache did something similar with their parents. Emperor Molt was the main "victim" of this strategy.
….
….
….
That was how she had been able to obtain the right to found the Order of the Rose. So now, using the same "tactic" to save the city was not that hard to accept.
She just hoped she wasn't doing this for nothing and that this... "Amiek" was going to agree to help and above all, she hoped that he really had the power because, given the situation, she was not sure that a few spells of wind, fire and illusion (she believed though that was it) would be enough.
"Amiek..." She had heard that name somewhere before.
Then the words of the mage Godasen came back to him: "He was like a child…. Totally unpredictable…. With the powers of the gods".
That's when she realized her mistake. The individual was not a simple apprentice. He was the "magician of Alnus" himself. When she saw Rory Mercury coming from Alnus with Colt she thought the Apostle had destroyed the threat herself and brought that stranger back as a slave/trophy.
Obviously, she was wrong. She did not yet have formal proof, nor did she have enough elements to understand everything…. But if the famous "magician of Alnus" was present in Italica then…. What was going on at Alnus right now? Who occupied the ground? Invading forces from the other world perhaps? Rory Mercury would not have allowed that….
In fact, it was entirely possible that "Rory Mercury allowed that." Emroy's Apostle was historically well known for its fickleness. She could change sides at any time according to the mysterious plans of Emroy, "god of madness".
She didn't know if she really wanted the individual to have divine powers pable of saving Italica, OR if she didn't WANT him to have divine powers pable to destroy the Empire. At least this "Amiek" looked troubled. It was a good sign. This proved that he had human weaknesses that could be exploited.
The two [carbon entity XX/binomial females/women] advanced towards him. Amiek took a step back…. And almost fell from the top of the ramparts.
It was not what they said that troubled the Celestial but his human mind that was in the throes of an intense [psychological attack/emotional burden/discomfort] against which he had no [countermeasure/defense/protection].
Furthermore, [all the probabilities indicated/the logical sequence of events/it was obvious that]. [The opposing groups/the rebel entities/the bandits] were going to massacre the inhabitants of the city. Despite her faculties of regeneration, the entity "Apostle" codified "Rory Mercury" and her sub-unit codified "Grassac", would not be enough. Despite the [close inertial space/force field/protection] he had given the castle, the rest of the city would be [entirely deconstructed/sacked/destroyed]. The wooden palisade that separated the villagers from the bandits [would be disabled/would be destroyed/fail] soon, within the next three minutes at most.
Given this set of data, his Celestial part gave in to his human part which demanded a [re-study/reassessment/reconsideration] of the whole situation.
Conclusion: Observation [no longer offers a favorable gain/cost ratio/no longer provides relevant data/no longer necessary]. Direct intervention [should be preferred/is preferable/I will act].
"I accept" he replied simply to the two "conspirators".
As he turned to battle again, the Elf and Princess exchanged a knowing smile.
-O-
Nikola was struggling to get up, only to find that everyone around him, starting with the bandits, was stunned.
He quickly came out of his surprise when the criminal who had cut up his wife tried in turn to throw himself on him but was brutally pushed back.
There was now a sort of wall between them. A transparent wall but each people could still see it a little thanks to the reflections of dawn on its surface.
The bravest, or perhaps just the most curious, of the bandits put his hand up against the obstacle. He felt nothing. It was neither hot nor cold but there was an obstacle.
It was then that among the bandits, some had bad memories that came back to them.
"I HAVE SEEN THIS SORCERY ALREADY!" one of them cried.
"THE DEMONS OF ALNUS ARE HERE!" adds another.
In fact, few of them had ever seen the "force field" erected by Amiek. Most, when they were still soldiers, had stayed away in their tents, not really knowing what was going on then, even if a rumor about an "invisible wall" had quickly circulated.
There were a few though. It didn't take long for them to flee. All desire for violence and killing having abandoned them, replaced by an instinctive fear.
They didn't get very far. Their "companions" did not hesitate to cut them to pieces in a few moments. He would not tolerate any cowardice in their troops.
Amiek had decided to [put his actions on hold/to wait for the continuation/to wait] a few more minutes, to observe what the bandits would do. When he had [determined the futility/considered admitted/obvious] that they would do nothing but stupidly and futilely tap against the force field, he decided it was time to [continue the procedure/Go to next step/continue].
The defenders, for their part, were beginning to calm down. Clearly, powerful magic was at work to protect them. They had never seen such magic but it was not surprising. In this medieval world, what magicians could or could not do was subject to much rumor.
The laughter of the bandits had now turned into grunts of rage and spite. Their glorious victory was just yards away, and a coward's magic put that victory beyond reach. No doubt by dint of hitting this thing it would end up yielding. It was only a matter of time.
Meanwhile, Nikola had come to his senses and, his anger (but not his hatred), had calmed down a bit. He was walking back to the guards behind the humble wooden stockade, hoping to find some idea of what he should do but wait.
The surviving soldiers and militiamen continued to stare at this miracle while wondering what to do, aware that no magic is eternal, but what else could it do since they were unable to enter the castle.
They didn't have to wonder for long when a cool breeze swept across their faces. It was not a draft, just the sunlight, which was now fully visible, was blocked by an obstacle. A gigantic Shadow had descended on Italica.
Instinctively, several bandits who had already experienced this, recognized this phenomenon. They looked up, and they saw that the giant they had met when they first walked through the Gate was standing before them again…. And again they began to flee, prey to the same fear that their companions had experienced earlier. They didn't want to disappear in a blue light like their unfortunate comrades when they first encountered the giant before, when they were still proud and loyal Saderan soldiers going to conquer glory beyond the Gate, in another world.
In another world, precisely, where the souls of those who die violent deaths go, in the mystical coliseum of Emroy, in the stands, the souls of the dead bandits watched the situation, in silence, annoyed. They refused to believe what they saw.
Their victory at hand was about to elude them. The bandits still alive were now on the run. No matter what the giant did, the bandits would not be able to take over the city.
So they had died for nothing.
On the other side of the coliseum, the souls of the dead soldiers were perplexed. They did not understand this apparition. What did this giant floating in the air mean?
Only Count Colt knew what that meant. He was now reassured. His town was saved, which made him smile.
"What makes you smile?" asked Norma who was standing beside him.
"We won. The city is saved."
"Won? We are dead. A victory like that I prefer to do without."
"I understand. That said, you no longer have any reason to worry about the princess or your friend. They will live."
"How can you be so sure?""
"Do you remember the strange young man who accompanied me? The one with the striped hair?"
Sure enough, Norma remembered. Admittedly, he hadn't really had time to get to know each other. He had simply seen the strange convoy at the gate and nothing more, but he was not likely to forget the strange individuals who had come out of the strange metal vehicle earlier.
"Yes, I remember him. What is the relationship with the current situation?"
"Because of the urgency, I did not have time to present him to you. Simply put, he's not a human. Nor a demi-human. He is a kind of god disguised as a human. It was he who put Sadera's armies to flight three times. First the conquering legions beyond the Gate, then the reinforcements and finally the army of the allied kingdoms. To all this we can add the Flame Dragon itself. The bandits don't have the slightest chance of being able to do anything against him."
Norma then remembered the words of the innkeeper he had heard a few days earlier and the letter written by the mage Cato El Atestan. At the time, he had simply believed in a mystification or at least, an exaggeration especially the part of the "nice god raising the dead".
Now that he saw the giant the letter was talking about, he began to see the situation in a completely different way.
For the defenders it was a divine apparition. Flare the sun god himself had appeared to protect the city in his golden armor. Indeed, the rays of the sunrise reflecting on the gigantic black and white armor of the Celestial gave him a "golden" appearance.
-O-
For her part Tuka was now on her knees, praying before her "god".
As for Pina, she looked at this spectacle in disbelief. Inwardly screaming "It's not possible. It is an illusion.".
She saw without being able to believe.
When she implored/manipulated Amiek for his help, she thought he might be a great magician who would cast spells of fire and gusts of wind that would strike the enemy with force and rout them. She hadn't imagined for a second that a god would intervene.
"So he really is an Apostle…. But whose Apostle?" she thought.
Indeed, Amiek was unlike any of the known Apostles. Was it a god from the other world? Absurd. Everything was ruled by the gods of Falmart. There were no others.
And yet….
"NO ! NO ! IT IS NOT POSSIBLE ! THAT DOES NOT MAKE ANY SENSE ! THIS IS AN ILLUSION! THIS IS AN ILLUSION!"
It was then that the "illusion" raised its right arm.
Even while he was still in Alnus, Amiek had already decided on the future of the city. He had plans for Italica and he didn't care what the bandits wanted. At a pinch, as part of his contract, he was willing to discuss these changes with the Count.
He had simply wanted to witness a battle to jot down any information that might be important, but once that was done, he would rearrange things as appropriate. Tuka and the princess' maneuver had only speeded up the planning a bit at the expense of additional information.
"[This variable does not influence the conclusion/It does not change anything/There is no problem]".
Now was the time to sort the wheat from the chaff.
Then, through a simple manipulation of the force field, the bandits were trapped in transparent "bubbles", rising into the air. It only [stimulated certain neurotransmitters in their hypothalamus/increased their terror/terrified them more] and caused them to beg for mercy or ask the giant why. A fact that the Celestial [thought it was not important/didn't consider/didn't care about].
Of course, the corpses of the bandits who had already perished were included in the lot.
If he had been human, or at least human enough, then perhaps Amiek would have found it curious that men ready to slaughter, but also to die, moments earlier were now [prioritizing their survival/begging let them live/beg for mercy]. Maybe he would have been disgusted? Surprised? Maybe he even took pity?
However he was a Celestial and right now it was all just [listed/classified/considered] as [irrelevant/unnecessary/useless information] in his mind.
It was then that a green light emanated from his eyes, passing through each of the bubbles from right to left, allowing him to make basic but sufficient analyzes of the [experimental material/test subjects/specimens] prisoners, as he had done when he was still in the Dyson sphere.
To start, he did a simple genetic analysis. Any individual with unusual pattern or mutagenic potential would be [preserved as is/kept in stable state/spared] for the time being.
This basically included "demi-humans".
Next, a psychic survey was conducted to determine who [could be rehabilitated/potentially useful/reusable]. It was not based on human moral considerations but on who might still have a use in society.
In other words, the bandits to whom there remained a fund of humanity, or who, like Grassac, had been [constrained by circumstances/didn't have a choice/didn't really want to].
Finally, a biochemical analysis was used to determine what [the organic matter/beings of flesh/bandits] remaining [could be used/would be recycled/transformed] would be used for.
After the analyzes were completed, the [compilation of results/the set of various conclusions/the results] read as follows. 3.4% deserved further analysis, 17.5% could be reinserted into this world's social system as [grassroots workers/enslaved subjects/slaves] 79.1% would be more useful as [converted back into protein block/composted materials/manure].
A simple [psychic automatism/subroutine/thought] from the Celestial sent the first group of individuals floating towards the city of Alnus. Once there, [mechadroids/artificial lifeforms/crystal maidens] would place the subjects in biostasis.
As for individuals who might be useful for [functioning social infrastructure/manual work/physical labor], they would remain in their bubbles for the time being. The city authorities would decide exactly what to do with them.
As for the others….
The good news for the bandits is that they had no time to feel their death. Amiek had [reached the estimate/established/determined] that multiple ruptures of the veins in their brains would be [the preferred course of action/the safest and quickest method/the most effective way] and the least expensive in terms of time and energy used. It was an instant and painless death although the Celestial had not taken these parameters into account in his choice.
The final stage of converting the [carbon organisms/flesh creatures/harmful parasites] could now begin.
Some chemical tweaks and hyperstimulation of certain types of bacteria to accelerate [protein conversion/disintegration of biological tissues/decomposition], as well as a slight temporal acceleration inside [containment spheres/force field/ bubble], were quick to turn the corpses into fertilizer.
Luckily for the residents, who had now emerged from their homes sensing something was up, he couldn't see the horrific process. Not only were their eyes fixed on the giant, but the bubbles floating in the air were several hundred meters away. They had simply noticed that the army which attacked the city and roamed the streets promising horror and massacres, had disappeared.
They were completely amazed, but, although very imperfectly, they understood what was happening. Flare the sun god had appeared to save Italica. That explained why the bandits had all disappeared. Flare was the revered god of the city and the majority god of the province. Italica and its surroundings were the "granary" of the Empire. It was therefore normal that the god of the sun was particularly prayed to in this part of the world, to obtain his favor and abundant harvests.
And today Flare was rewarding that devotion by intervening directly to save his worshippers.
….
….
Admittedly, he was usually depicted as a being of fire with a golden disc around his head and feet and not wrapped in giant armor, but that didn't change anything. The gods took the form they wanted. So the citizens were not particularly surprised.
As Amiek spread the newly "obtained" fertilizer in the surrounding fields, the townspeople bowed down and began to pray…. Again, to the complete indifference of the Celestial.
Not everyone, however, was praying. A good part of the population expressed its devotion and its recognition in a more vocal way.
"FLARE! FLARE!"
"FLARE! FLARE!"
"FLARE! FLARE!"
As his Celestial aspect finished spreading the fertilizer, the human version of Amiek now experienced a new sensation, a [common temporal redundancy/recurring perception pattern/a sense of "déjà vu"].
It didn't really matter since he would [restore the societal equation/correct this error/clearly explain the truth] a little later. However, it [created another potential for variables/presented alternatives/opened up other possibilities] but the people of Italica needed to understand some things first.
Tuka was sincerely praying to her "god". She had never had a religious vocation (something very rare among Elves) and had not denied her belief in Lunaryur, god of music, of course…. But what she had learned about the past of her people and the Celestials completely redefined her faith.
It was when she was deeply immersed in her prayer that a strange phenomenon began to manifest itself in her. The young Elf suddenly stood up and….
She floated in the air, arms outstretched at either side, hair billowing in the wind.
In fact, Amiek had simply "connected" to her via the bond that unites the Celestials and the Eternals. It was as easy as turning "on" a computer and using it. In this specific case, Amiek wanted to use Tuka as an intermediary or rather as an "interface" between him and the town. Through her, he transmitted his will to the entire city. He could do it directly of course, but the use of Tuka would make it possible to "filter" and correct a certain number of things.
Her right eye had turned completely white, her left eye completely black, and she was surrounded by white and black bands of light. It was not a transformation strictly speaking, it was rather a "harmonization". Tuka's biology had not changed. She was simply "in tune" with Amiek and her body was reconfiguring itself to harmonize with him.
Then she started to say something.
"AICHAU MINNO MAU. AICHAU MINNO MAU".
She spoke in a low voice, yet the whole town heard her.
-O-
Rory stopped when she saw the giant appear again. She was now below the castle but the death of the bandits had stopped her for an instant as their souls flew through her to their final destination. Thousands of souls in an instant was a lot, even for her. So much so that she had dropped Grassac in shock. He was now struggling to get up, feeling nauseous and dizzy. Fortunately, he had been "lucky" to have been disembowelled several times earlier during his fights alongside Rory, so he had nothing to vomit now, even if he wanted to.
Clearly, he felt almost the opposite of his mistress who was on her knees, staring into space, drooling at the lips, carried away by ecstasy, disconnected from reality.
"Rory?"
No answer.
"RORY?"
Still no answer.
Grassac then grabbed her by the shoulders and began to shake her like a plum tree.
"RORY? MISTRESS? WAKE UP !"
Without success. It was then that he had a "brilliant" idea.
"PAF".
That's the sound Grassac's hand made on Rory Mercury's cheek as he slapped her with all his might.
The result was... Mixed. Ok, the slap did indeed snap Rory out of her torpor, which was the intended purpose. But her reaction was... Brutal. She grabbed Grassac by the crotch (not delicately) and shoulder, and threw him with all her might against the castle wall.
"HAVE YOU GOT CRAZY?! WHAT MADE YOU DO THIS?"
Grassac was still conscious although really damaged. The stone of the wall being stronger than his flesh and bones. However, despite the impact, his ears were still working, better than his jaw anyway.
" I was…. Worry. You seemed…. Part." he managed to articulate.
Rory thought for a moment and remembered the situation. Indeed she had no time to bask in the ecstasy of a mass killing. She had work.
"Ah yes. Thanks for waking me up. Well I'm leaving you. I have things to do. Wait for me here and…. No hard feelings huh?" she asked, giving Grassac a big, charming smile.
"No…. No hard feelings…. No hard feelings," replied Grassac, doing his best not to scream in pain as the flesh of his body fell back into place.
Rory then jumped onto the roof alongside Tuka, Pina and Amiek to observe the giant….. Who was floating too high in the air for her to jump up to him.
"To do what anyway?" she thought.
-O-
In the Emroy coliseum where the souls of bandits and soldiers watched, there was silence. No one knew what to think.
All the bandits were there now. The fight was over, they had lost the battle and they were dead. Now they were furious and disgusted, their "ghostly" bodies crying in spite. It was so unfair. They had put their lives on the line, they had, so to speak, won the battle…. And their victory, their spoils, their triumph, even the glorious death they dreamed of, had been stolen from them by…. By what exactly?
Was it really Flare as chanted by the inhabitants of Italica? No. It couldn't be Flare. It was the monster, the demon they had encountered beyond the Gate. It was not a god.
In the "tiers" on the other side, the soldiers who had died defending Italica were…. Perplexed. On the one hand they were delighted to see that they had won and that their families would live. On another side…. They were sad and disgusted. Sad because they were dead and they would not see their families again. Not for a long time anyway. Being in the Warriors' Paradise promised by Emroy now seemed small consolation. Disgusted knowing they could have lived if Flare had intervened sooner, they would still be alive. Was the god of their city, to whom they had prayed so much, asking for their blood to protect them? Was this the price to pay for divine intervention? Mountains of corpses?
"At least the princess is safe and sound. I died protecting her and Hamilton." It's a consolation. Norma said with bittersweet glee. Joy that Hamilton and the princess survived, bitterness at being separated from them.
"I hope at least the beer at the Emro's banquet will be good." he said looking at Colt.
"If everything goes as I hope, then you will not have the opportunity to taste it. Not today anyway. However, I invite you to drink a bottle from my personal reserve when it's all over. I don't know if it's worth Emroy's banquet beer, but I assure you, you won't regret it. The best vintage in the province".
Norma looked at the Count, shocked, doubtful.
"Monsieur le Count…. We are dead and in the afterlife. I don't see how you could invite me to drink at your house."
"Normally, I would have agreed with you. However, I have very good reason to believe that we won't stay dead for very long."
"Eh? What do you mean?"
Before Colt could respond, something happened in Emroy's Coliseum on the side of the Italica defenders. They were starting to disappear.
"Wha…. What the…" Norma stammered before being struck by the phenomenon in turn.
From his perspective, everything seemed to dissipate in an instant around him. Everything had disappeared. The Count, the mystical coliseum, the walls, everything. There was only…. Black. Then, as if waking from a long night, Norma opened his eyes.
His first sensation was the discomfort of the position he was in, lying on the ground against the stone.
He scrambled to his feet, disoriented, and saw that he was on the ramparts of Italica again, his neck wound was gone, though he could see his damaged armor and clothing where the mace fell down earlier.
For a moment he thought it was an illusion or a dream, but the blowing wind and the heat of the sun on his skin were very real.
Around him, the other soldiers were also picking themselves up, experiencing more or less the same as him. Their wounds had disappeared but the material damage remained.
Very quickly, his fighting reflexes took over. He picked up his sword, searching around for any signs of danger. However he could see that only the soldiers and militiamen from Italica were there. The corpses of the bandits were gone (Amiek had recycled them and added them to the biomass fertilizer he had spread on the fields).
It was only then that Norma could see the giant bathed in the light of dawn, which he had seen moments earlier from Emroy's realm. Now he saw it above him hovering over the city. He was much more impressive seen from this angle.
The reality, or rather, the unreality, of the situation was forcing its way through the knight's incredulous mind. It was still very hard to believe he was alive. Oddly enough, it had been much easier to accept that he was dead earlier.
"WAS THIS ALL A DREAM?" he shouted to the heavens, as if hoping for an answer.
"It wasn't a dream," answered a voice that came, not from heavens, but from a few feet below.
Norma looked down and recognized Count Colt. Alive and apparently cured of the arrow he had received earlier in the head.
"Monsieur le Comte? But what happened? What does all this mean?"
"Obviously that means we have been resurrected." replied the Count, smiling.
Norma could not hear well because of the distance and the melody in the city which kept repeating "AICHAU MINNO MAU. AICHAU MINNO MAU" on a loop. It was then that he saw a ladder nearby. So he hastened down to join the Count.
" But…. By who? How? Or? What? Why?"
"So as to 'who' is the giant you see over there. How? Or? What? This I do not know. I am not a magician or a specialist in miracles. Why? I'll have to ask him sometime. I hope his answer will be understandable."
"Who is this golden giant? Is it Flare? Did he perform this miracle?" asked the knight, curious to better understand why and how.
"No. It's not Flare. It's a "Celestial". To put it simply, he is a giant magician with the powers of a god, who came from the other world beyond the Gate. By the way, his name is Amiek."
It was then that Norma realized something.
"Wait…. You KNEW things would turn out this way? Did you know that even if we were defeated, this giant would appear and save the city?"
"Not exactly. I didn't "know" anything. I just hoped things would turn out that way. That's how it went when Coda Village was attacked by the Flame Dragon, so I was hoping it would be the same this time, but nothing was less certain. We were lucky."
"For now anyway," Colt thought secretly, not losing sight of the danger the Celestial represented.
Until that moment, Norma had given no value to the innkeeper's letter which told how the villagers of Coda had been saved by a giant, the Flame Dragon routed and its victims resurrected.
Now he knew he was wrong. All he hoped now was that the next time he died it would be in his bed and not in battle. Once is enough.
"By the way, do you know what it is, this melody "Aichau Minno Mau" that we hear?" Norma asked.
"No, but even if it doesn't mean anything, I feel like I understand something."
In fact, it was exactly that.
"Aichau Minno Mau" means nothing. It is not really a celestial language. This was simply how the townspeople heard the Celestial's message. In principle they could just as well have heard "Pika Pika Pikachu".
However, there was inside this sentence, in its consonance, in the tonality, in its rhythm etc…. A number of "subliminal messages". Human ears did not perceive them, but the brains of the inhabitants did.
In fact it was a form of "telepathy" but sound rather than psychic.
Amiek could have "inserted" anything he wanted into the sentence as long as it was kept simple enough. The human brain could not have decoded a too complicated message because of its too basic structure. Too much information would have resulted in brain damage.
The message embedded in the sentence was quite simple. It said:
"I'm not Flare. I am the Celestial Amiek".
The Celestial had decided that at this stage of his role, it became urgent to create a clear and distinct distinction between the Celestials and the gods. Humans needed to understand the distinction between the two groups.
As soon the gods would no longer be allowed to influence the fate of people. Humans and demi-human, he had to embed this in all the minds.
-O-
As he clutched his wife's head in his arms with sorrow and love, indifferent to his own fate, Nikola saw that something was happening in front of him.
The air seemed to distort for a brief moment, then a ball of light appeared and moved towards him. Inside, Nikola could see…. A miniature replica of his beloved watching him…. He saw her soul, ripped from the clutches of Hardy, brought back to this world by the Celestial.
Then the soul began to grow, darken and change shape. First taking on the appearance of a skeleton. Then the vital organs began to appear.
Nikola's comrades were fascinated and disgusted by what thye saw. The process was repulsive. Nikola himself, still holding his dead wife's head in his hands, was in no mental state to be further disgusted but he was intrigued nonetheless.
The vital organs were now fully formed, now the flesh was covering them in turn.
"A…. Woman?" thought Nikola from the shape of…. The thing.
The flesh and the musculature were in turn finished, it was now the turn of the skin to appear.
When it was over. Nikola was speechless: His wife's body stood before him, lifeless but uninjured.
"A…. ADELIA?!" cried Nikola.
Internally, the connection between the soul and the body had also just ended. The girl woke up.
"Ni…. Nikola ?"
At first it was confusion. A moment earlier, she had died, her soul stored in one of the shelves of Hardy's kingdom with those of her ancestors including her mother who had perished with her when her convoy had been attacked. She felt nothing, couldn't see, was blind. It was like sleeping but comfortably surrounded by the souls of your loved ones.
Now she was in front of her husband, whose tears were streaming down his face. As if the past few days had been just a horrible dream.
She threw herself into Nikola's arms. Crying in turn. She was still confused herself but for the relief she felt was stronger than the confusion.
They cried in each other's arms for a few moments, then Nikola found the strength to ask.
"Ho…. How? 'Or' What? I thought you were dead."
"I…. I believed it too. I remember…. No, I don't want to think about it. But how did I get here? Where am I exactly?
"You…. You are in front of the castle of Italica. The…. There was this bandit... He …. He has…".
Then, not knowing what to do, Nikola showed the dead head of his wife…. To his wife.
For a moment she knew what to say in front of this abomination. Not everyone gets to see their own head decapitated. It's a sobering sight.
Adelia collapsed to the ground. Although she didn't want to think about it, the shock was too strong to allow it. Her death and especially the multiple violence that had preceded it came back to her mind. She was now on her knees, throwing up and crying.
Her husband knelt beside her.
"It's over now. Ever…. Everything is fine. I'm here. I…. I will take you home."
One of the soldiers approached.
"Hold on ma'am. Put that. You risk getting into trouble if you walk around naked." he said, handing her the garment he wore on his upper body.
"Thank you" declared Nikola who appreciated the intention.
It was the unforeseen little inconvenience of the "great return" as this miracle would later be called. The Celestial would raise the dead, but when they were too damaged, it would completely recreate the body. However, clothing was not considered a "necessary life function", so some came back to life completely naked.
Under other circumstances the incident might have been laughable or the sight of a beautiful naked woman might have aroused "impure" thoughts in the soldiers mind, but no one was in the mood for that. The context did not lend itself to it.
Nikola helped his wife put on the garment, then he put his hand on her shoulder to reassure her. It was only then that Adelia paid attention to the voice that echoed through the city.
"Aicho Minno Mau! Aicho Minno Mau."
She then looked up at the giant that hid half of the sky.
-O-
Everywhere similar scenes were happening. Dead soldiers came back to life, as well as civilians. Everyone except the bandits.
Emroy's coliseum now presented a new sight: the side of the "defenders", namely the soldiers of Italica, was completely empty. Only the side of the "attackers", therefore the bandits, was full. They were genuinely furious and disgusted. The "match" was over and the "home team" had won.
The bandits had died for nothing. Their warlike exploits reduced to nothing. Anger rumbled like never before in Emroy's coliseum because never such a situation had occurred.
One of the souls rose from the stands, rolling his eyes, his face contorted with hatred.
"HEAR ME EMROY! IF IT IS EVER TRUE THAT YOU ARE THE MASTER OF ALL WARS, THEN GRANT ME THAT NO ONE IN THIS CITY SURVIVES THIS DAY! EMROY GREAT LORD OF DEATH, AVENGE US FROM THIS DEMON! SHOW HIM THAT NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO STEAL THE VICTORY OF THE WARRIORS!"
The other souls around him shared the exact same feeling and rose in turn, chanting the name of their god.
"EMROY! EMROY!"
"EMROY! EMROY!"
"EMROY! EMROY!"
Their prayers were heard and…. Accepted.
At first it was a simple vibration, but soon it became similar to an earthquake. If it had been made of real matter rather than spiritual then Emroy's coliseum would have collapsed. However, although there was no apparent damage, everyone was terrified by the howl they heard.
"OOOOUUUUHHHHHOOOOO!"
As if all the wars of all times had been declared at the same time. As if every dead warrior was crying out for revenge.
Never had the god of war suffered such an insult, to himself and to all that he represented. He had never seen anything so unnatural.
Bringing back to life those who had been slain by the Flame Dragon was still acceptable, at least once anyway, as most were not warriors but fleeing peasants.
But interfere in a battle of this magnitude. Go against the balance between life and death. To deny the result of the battle by snatching victory from those who had so hard won it, and thus giving it to the vanquished, was the gravest sacrilege that anyone could ever inflict on Emroy. Even Zufmuut wouldn't allow himself.
In truth EMROY, god of madness, was CRAZY FURIOUS!
-O-
Of course, his god's howl of anger couldn't escape the attention of his Apostle and Rory... Cried with joy.
Normally, Emroy was not one to ask or procrastinate. However, his Apostle was a special case. He appreciated and even respected his Rory very much, so he demonstrated to her that…. Consideration.
Even if his orders remained absolute.
"Rory, I will incarnate into you and take control of your body to fight this abomination. The transfer will be much more efficient if you are completely voluntary".
"Of course I am a volunteer, lord. I belong to you body and soul and I am immensely honored to be able to assist you in combat".
Quick and concise, no long debates that would have changed nothing anyway. Everything was decided in just two sentences.
The transfer then began.
Right next to Rory, Pina was trying her best to figure out what was going on. She had accepted that the situation wasn't an illusion, but her mind couldn't accept that it was real either.
If the armies sent to Alnus really had to face this giant, then it was no wonder they were defeated. Besides the gods, who could face this…. This thing?
The princess was now gazing at the giant's "Apostle." He was not focused on his god above the town but on the metal plates that showed various places in the city, as if the presence of the golden god completely indifferent to him.
"Such power…. I need to know more! If this Apostle has the favor of his god to the point that he intervenes at his request then he must absolutely become an ally of the Empire !"
The princess understood that trying to fight this thing was completely useless. His father's orders to withdraw from Alnus and welcome him wherever he went was the right decision. There were no others anyway.
Pina was already beginning to think about the possibilities. The Apostle….. Amiek (Huh? His god and he bears the same name?), seemed suggestible although unpredictable, like Godasen had said. Perhaps he had been "Apostle" for a short time? Perhaps his god had designated him among so many others especially to come into this world, which explained that he was still sensitive to the false tears of two beautiful young girls who beg with big eyes?
If so, then she might have found a weakness to exploit. If she could make a deal with Amiek, then maybe she could, through him, win her god's favor for the Empire?
"SHLACK".
It was at this exact moment that the princess' thoughts were interrupted when she saw Rory Mercury's halberd slice Amiek in half.
Amiek's corpse now lay on the ground, severed from the left shoulder to the right leg.
The princess was taken aback. What did this gesture mean? Why had Rory killed the other Apostle? Why was the body not moving when the Apostles are renowned for their immortality?
Soon however, Pina turned her attention away from the corpseon the gound to Emroy's Apostle, terrified and unable to act.
Rory's face was as expressionless as the corpse at her feet. Pina was terrified but did her best not to show it.
The most curious thing was Tuka's total inaction, still floating in the air. Completely indifferent too, to what had just happened right next to her. She was just repeating the same "Aichau Minno Mau" litany. This was explained by the fact that she was still serving, from the depths of her trance, as a "relay" from the Celestial Amiek to the population of Italica.
"Aichau Minno Mau! Aichau Minno Mau." she continued to repeat tirelessly.
Rory was also in a trance. The truth was that Emroy had completely invested her body. She saw what was happening but could not intervene. Which she had no intention of doing anyway. She was Emroy's servant and it was a great honor for her to lend, to sacrifice her own existence to her god. Especially to fight off the biggest threat to Falmart she's ever faced.
She was just as disgusted as her god for what the Celestial had just done.
Rory/Emroy then walked towards Tuka, ready to bring down her/his ax on the Elf who was not reacting at all to this threat, completely indifferent to the world around her, simply reciting her litany.
Pina really wanted to step in to save the Elf who had just helped her convince the foreign Apostle moments earlier, but what could she do? Die bravely facing Rory? The idea of a glorious death suddenly seemed less appealing than she had previously imagined.
Amiek had just finished [replenishing the resources of the homo sapiens species/restoring infrastructures to optimal functioning/raising the dead and repairing the city] when his human part suffered [a series of major breakdowns of metabolic functions/permanent damage to vital organs in the rib cage/he had just died].
A slight setback but [which had to be remedied as soon as possible/resolved immediately/corrected without delay].
Rory had made it to Tuka. Now she raised her halberd, preparing to strike, slowly, carefully.
Inwardly, Rory was sincerely saddened by what Emroy was about to do to the poor Elf, but her devotion to her god came first and Rory had long accepted the concept of "necessary sacrifice for the greater good".
"It's still a shame", she thought.
However, when Emroy was about to deliver the killing blow, the same phenomenon that had resurrected Adelia was happening in front of Rory but much faster.
Amiek then appeared in the light while his "old body" continued to bleed out on the ground.
Rory/Emroy's surprise only lasted a moment. The anger on "Emroy's" part rose again. His plan had failed. Emroy knew perfectly well that the Celestial and the human were the same "person". He had hoped that by killing the human, he would at the same time take down the Celestial.
However, in the end, it was better that way. Emroy does not like cowardice. Attacking the Celestial by surprise was the opposite of what he had always advocated. It just happened that way, that's all. At least now he could face his opponent as equals.
He lunged at Amiek at high speed, ready to slice him in half again.
Not this time.
Amiek's previous body was fully human, based on "homo sapiens" characteristics in order to properly interact with the human environment he would face.
Unfortunately, this body had the same weaknesses as any human being, although it was genetically "perfect", this had led to his "death". A state of being that made him unable to continue his mission until a new body was formed.
Even if it means recreating a new body, you might as well do better and eliminate this weakness. Amiek's new version, although identical in appearance to the previous one, was much more solid. Of course, Amiek could endow this new body with any genetic mutation with the powers they can produce. There were some compatibility limitations but that wasn't a real problem.
The chosen change was "reinforced binding cells". The bonds between the cells of his body were thousands of times stronger than those of a normal human. In other words, it was practically impossible to break their cohesion, even for Rory.
On a human scale this new body was almost indestructible…. And didn't prevent Amiek from using his others original Celestial abilities, though, seeking to stay as close to a human as possible, Amiek hadn't added any other special abilities to this body yet. After all, it wasn't necessary and he could change his mind whenever he wanted.
Rory's halberd…. Still managed to penetrate a good centimeter into Amiek's neck and with enough force to send him rolling for several meters.
"[Damage suffered above the parameters envisaged/it's unexpected/I'm surprised]" he said with some…. Pain emotion.
In fact, the shock had caused a sharp pain in the neck, which was very unpleasant. He hadn't had time to analyze the pain when Rory had cut his old body in half because the biological brain had stopped working almost immediately. This time he had more time to analyze what pain is.
"[Disabling sensory and emotional experience related to tissue damage/an experience to avoid/I don't like it]," he says, as if talking to someone.
Rory/Emroy, surprised for a short time by this new situation, launched themselves into the charge again. However, when he was halfway to his opponent, the ground seemed to give way beneath her/his feet. He fell forward while at the same time he rose into the air.
He was now floating in the air 3 meters above the ground, gesticulating in all directions, unable to hit Amiek since unable to reach him.
The Celestial watched again, unfazed, as the blood flowing from his neck wound took on the appearance of a black fluid that sealed the wound before returning to his body.
"[A class three metaphysical entity/a member of this sphere's pantheon/a deity]. This is…. Premature, but not undesirable".
Amiek foresaw that, sooner or later, the Celestials would come into conflict with the "planetary deity system". When there was a proven presence of divinity, the Celestials were generally considered an "external threat". The conflict was usually short. A few shows of force, at worst the annihilation or confinement of the troublesome deities solved the problem quickly.
It wasn't always necessary. It happened that the gods themselves had long given up interfering in human (or aliens) affairs, so any confrontation was useless. In the case of Falmart however it was, on the contrary, almost the worst possible scenario. Here the gods interfered daily in the life of the inhabitants of the planet, but the most serious thing is that they prevented any evolution.
Completely unacceptable to Celestials whose very nature seeks change. Confrontation was therefore, in all likelihood, inevitable. However, the young Celestial did not think it would take place so soon.
He would get away with solving this problem now rather than later. The fact that all the inhabitants of the city were present would make things easier, because once the humans had witnessed the defeat of one of their gods, they would realize that they were not as "supreme" they believed which would challenge them to question their beliefs and boost their independence.
This is why with a wave of his hand, Amiek made giant plaques appear all over the city to show everyone the fight that was to follow.
In order for "the audience" to understand what they were seeing, Amiek slightly changed the meaning of the phrase that Tuka kept repeating. The sound itself did not change. It was always "Aichau Minno Mau". However, now the information in people's brains was different. Basically it was as if Amiek, while facing Rory/Emroy, passed the comments to Tuka who relayed to the crowd. Like a boxing match on TV on Earth.
However, the fight was far from over. The same way Amiek could use his Celestial abilities in a human body, Emroy could also call upon his divine powers through Rory.
As rage formed on Rory/Emroy's face, her/his body began to glow with a red aura. Interesting phenomenon to analyze from Amiek's point of view. The energy emission projected by Rory had a force of about 15 kilotons of TNT, equivalent to the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima.
That energy wouldn't have been enough to break through the force field that protected the castle, all that power was meant to annihilate Amiek, not scatter to destroy the surrounding area (not that Emroy cared about the town or the forest but he did not want to waste his strength on the landscape).
The attack had the only effect of pulverizing the clothes of Amiek who was now naked. The reinforced bonds of his cells could handle more than that. For him, it was like a warm breath of wind.
Amiek had no desire to rebuild everything again. Weariness is a common feeling among Celestials and humans. Therefore, he decided to extend the force field that protected the soldiers to the whole city.
Rory/Emroy stared open-mouthed. What she/he saw defied her/his logic. How could matter be strong enough to withstand a force capable of destroying a city? Immortality is one thing, indestructibility is another.
He was about to launch another, more powerful attack.
"[This action cannot succeed/once but not twice/no way]".
Amiek raised his left hand to Rory/Emroy and waved something. It looked like an air distortion. Even if Rory/Emroy had been quick enough to dodge, he couldn't as long as she/he was floating in the air. The wave therefore hit Rory/Emroy without difficulty.
At the moment of impact, the red aura that surrounded the body was as if detached and pushed back a few meters further. It now looked like some kind of steam ghost. A ghost so the legs disappeared into the mist, while his face and upper body took shape, with long hair falling back like a lion's mane.
"How…. How…" Emroy stammered, realizing that he had just been separated from Rory's body, who had fallen to the ground but was still conscious.
"Any parasite can be extirpated," replied Amiek simply.
The Celestial then raised his right hand. Now both of his arms were outstretched towards Emroy and another 'wave' hit him, much faster and with much more force, completely dissipating the red ghost in the wind.
-O-
While Amiek was fighting Emroy, everyone in the city was watching the fight on the "TV screens" scattered all over the place, while Amiek was explaining what's going on through Tuka and they didn't understand. Although they were mostly illiterate peasants, they could still understand the meaning of Tuka's words, i.e. "The Celestial Amiek is fighting the god Emroy" but their minds were unable to accept this truth. It was too big for them. They were like newborn babies opening their eyes to the world for the first time.
Only Lelei, Tuka and Colt were hardly surprised. They had clearly understood that the Celestials were fabulously powerful…. And from their perspective, they didn't like the god of war. War is rarely appreciated by the peaceful Elves of the forest, the "wise" men of Rondel or the reigning family of Italica who had always favored economic development over territorial conquest…. And anyway few people appreciate death, murder or madness.
Emroy was popular among armies, but not with ordinary people who instead worshiped Flare for good harvests, or Mirittia for the survival of infants.
It was not uncommon for someone to change their beliefs according to their needs at the time.
However, the fight was not over yet. Now the sun had finished rising and everyone could see a clear blue sky…. Until a supernatural phenomenon begins to manifest. It was quick and spectacular, at least for a human.
First it was a sound of thunder, in the middle of the blue sky, which attracted everyone's attention. Then a cloud began to form, a black cloud. In less than a minute it covered the entire sky and red flashes roamed the cloud. All light had completely disappeared.
Emroy god of darkness incarnated on this plane of existence.
It wasn't long before the red flashes and cloud mass then condensed into a giant in red armor, comparable in size to the Celestial. Although the sky was completely black, people could still clearly distinguish the two giants facing each other. Each wanted the townspeople to be able to fully see and understand what was happening, although for completely different reasons.
Emroy wanted spectators for his biggest fight since achieving godhood (which was also the first fight he had since achieving godhood).
Amiek wanted the locals to clearly understand what a Celestial is in relation to [A class three metaphysical entity/a member of this sphere's pantheon/a deity].
Everyone was watching now. Even the souls of Emroy's kingdom watched the fight carefully and not only the bandits who had just died in Italica, but all the warriors that Emroy had welcomed into his kingdom (all the warriors therefore).
And of course, albeit more subtly, the gods were also watching.
Normally people would have run for cover, but a voice in their head, a voice other than the Celestial's, ordered them to stay put and watch. Most would have fled anyway, but they were forced to obey this voice. Their legs refused to move.
The Celestial and Emroy were now face to face. Emroy looked into the eyes of his opponent (who actually didn't really have eyes to speak of) who remained indifferent. And then concentrated his power again. He stretched out his arms in front of him and released a red torrent of divine energy.
For the inhabitants, it was like the end of the world. Black giants and a black sky with red blood lihtning. They couldn't look away though. On the one hand the voice of the Celestial in their head kept them informed of what was going on and kept their brains "receptive" whether they liked it or not. On the other side, the power of Emroy himself ordered them to watch the fight. A will that few mortals could resist. The fight was therefore in the sky between the two titans, but also in the minds of the citizens of the city.
Amiek was unresponsive to the onslaught at the moment, scanning the entity in front of him as energy attacked his armor like a laser attacks metal…. And start to destroy it. Indeed, Emroy's assault was formidable, and the Celestial's outer shell was taking damage. Minor damage, but real damage. The armor was cracking…. And self-repair at the same time.
It was not a combat like those of mortals. There were no hits, no dodges, no parries or special moves. It was an endurance fight pitting the power of a god against the resistance of a Celestial.
Rory watched her god with concern. From her point of view, Emroy's power was beyond her comprehension, even after all these centuries of serving him. On the other hand, what she had learned from the Celestials was far beyond anything she could imagine. She was like an insect watching a tidal wave on one side and a forest fire on the other.
From her "insect" point of view, she was totally unable to realize which of the two phenomena was the more dangerous.
In other words, she was unable to determine which was the most powerful.
Without closing her eyes to observe the "fight" Rory began to pray, not knowing who exactly. Normally, she would pray to Emroy and her god would answer her, but this time praying to Emroy in the hope that he would consent to grant her prayer which was that he triumph over the Celestial, wouldn't have made much sense.
So she began to pray…. Destiny. Or luck, chance, the other gods (except Hardy) the cosmos itself, or more generally ANYONE or ANYTHING with the power to tip the scales in Emroy's favor. She also prayed for the world. Emroy was best hope to protect Falmart right now.
If Rory prayed in silence, others were more…. Noisy.
"EMROY! EMROY!"
"EMROY! EMROY!"
"EMROY! EMROY!"
In Emroy's Coliseum the bandits cheered their god, waiting for him to destroy his adversary. If ever the soul of the giant came here, they would have at heart to make his existence in the afterlife a real hell.
It might sound ridiculous but actually not from their point of view. When Emroy triumph, which of course there was no doubt for the bandits, he would surely take his opponent's soul as a trophy and take it with him to his kingdom. From there, perhaps the opportunity to take revenge directly on this giant would arise. He didn't know what the being in the armor looked like but it didn't matter. This did not prevent them from imagining all sorts of tortures, each more despicable than the next.
Unaware and indifferent to the disgusting plans that the dead bandits had for him, Amiek had just finished his analyzes and decided on the action to be taken. Slowly he began to advance towards his adversary, not by walking, but by floating towards him.
The God of War was drawing in all his power to destroy the Celestial and the damage on the armor was appearing faster and faster but that didn't change anything as the Celestial's armor was adapting to repair itself even faster. Amiek was advancing inexorably towards the god of darkness.
If the Celestial moved so slowly, it wasn't because he was slow or because Emroy's offense was formidable, but because he was looking to hit the mark. What he wanted to accomplish required a substantial amount of energy but above all, precision.
When he was next to Emroy, the Celestial put his hands on the god's shoulders and a white aura began to flow out of them, chasing Emroy's red aura as it spread around his " body" and gradually dissipating the black cloud that covered the city and its surroundings.
In the minds of the locals, Emroy's "voice" began to fade, while Amiek's remained unchanged. The fight was no less impressive. It was like a tornado trying to overcome the sea. Useless but impressive.
There is no doubt about the outcome.
The white light now completely surrounded the God of War. The black sky had turned blue again now that Emroy was cut off from the outside world and contained in the white light.
Then the light began to shrink.
It was hard to see at first because of the intense light. People also couldn't look directly at the sky but they could see the plaques that Amiek had spawned around the city to show the fight and anyway the Celestial's comments clearly explained what was happening to those who had difficulty understanding or even believing what they were seeing.
Slowly but surely, Emroy was being COMPRESSED like gas in a carboy, or rather, in a way the Italians would understand better, like steam in a pot.
After 5 more minutes, all that was left was a ball the size of a melon, a grain of sand in Amiek's hand. Emroy was still "alive" but imprisoned in a translucent sphere. It was neither red nor white but now bright yellow like a light bulb.
The Celestial then directed his hand towards Rory Mercury and the sphere came to rest in front of her.
The Apostle couldn't believe her eyes, or anyone else in the city for that matter.
She took the sphere in her hands.
"Lor…. Lord Emroy?" she asked in a shy voice.
No answers.
"LORD EMROY?!" she cried then, panicked.
Intellectually, Rory knew her god was there, imprisoned in the sphere but she could no longer feel his presence, hear his voice. The link between the Apostle and her god was now severed. Amiek had separated Emroy from Rory.
The relationship between an Apostle and his god or goddess is not simply that of a servant to his master, or of a priest to his god. No, the Apostles regard their deities as a father or a mother. The one who helps them grow into deities themselves. They are more than friends, more than confidants, and that bond grows stronger as the centuries pass because their god or goddess is always with them, bringing comfort and wisdom in their time of need and the only ones left, while their friends, lovers, families are swept away by death.
To be cut off from one's god is unprecedented and above all it is a gigantic trauma, like a young child who would suddenly lose his entire family.
Rory put the orb down, then struck with all her might with her halberd.
Useless.
She knocked again, then again, then again without succeeding in making even a scratch on the globe. She suspected that even if she persevered for hours, she wouldn't get anywhere. How could she break by force a power capable of locking up a god?
Her efforts were in vain and would remain in vain.
Rory Mercury, who two hours earlier had been overjoyed as she slaughtered the bandits, was now plunged into the deepest abyss of despair.
For the first time in her life she was truly alone…. And began to cry. A very rare event.
The rest of the city, on the other hand, was jubilant.
Admittedly, peoples hadn't fully understood Amiek's explanations saying that he was a "Celestial" and not a "god". From the point of view of the inhabitants, it made little difference. It was an honorary title like any other. A bit like "your highness" instead of "your majesty".
What they understood was that a new "god" (or rather "Celestial" since he preferred to be called that) had saved their city and especially their lives. Men and boys would not be killed, women and girls would not be raped before they were killed. Their homes would not be burned and their property would not be stolen. All the damage had been repaired and the dead raised. They now had a new protector who truly cared about them and didn't hesitate to use his power to protect them. A protector more powerful than Emroy himself. They then let their joy burst out.
"AMIEK! AMIEK! »
"AMIEK! AMIEK! »
"AMIEK! AMIEK! »
-O-
Conversely, all dead Bandits could now see their defeat from Emroy's Coliseum. The other side of the coliseum, which had previously hosted their victims souls, was now completely empty as the souls therein had been brought back to life. Their god had been defeated and would not be there to greet them in the halls of glory. Not only were they dead, but even their entry into the afterlife was miserable.
Sadness, disillusionment, despair, regret, such was their final reward for the life they had led. They had lived and died for nothing.
-O-
Amiek was not really satisfied with the reaction of the population. People had simply [Switched their devotion/substituted their religion/changed their belief] for the gods to a belief for the Celestials but basically it was the same thing. Predictable but unsatisfying. He hoped for better. However [results were within pre-defined parameters/primary objectives were met/it was enough].
Anyway he had something else to think about now. Emroy had proven to be [exceeding the preset parameters/much more powerful than expected/potentially dangerous]. His armor was damaged, melted in some places and cracked in others. Repairs would soon be completed, however. The gods of this world were not a threat but [they could permanently delay the Celestials' objectives/had to be neutralized quickly/they were troublesome].
-O-
"I know I've asked before, but just to be sure, I'm asking again. Am I dreaming Monsieur le Comte?" Norma asked.
"If this is a dream, we are doing the same. Rest assured. For me too it was difficult at first, but you will eventually get used to it." Colt replied.
"I doubt."
"You will be amazed at how much easier it becomes to accept this kind of thing without asking too many questions."
"Why is that?"
"Because by dint of getting incomprehensible answers, you end up having a headache and the answers remain incomprehensible. You end up agreeing with no question."
"When we were dead, you offered me a drink from your best bottle. Does the offer still stand?"
"Absolutely."
"So I accept. A glass of wine will do me good. In fact, if you have a second bottle, I'll drink it all. I need it badly."
-O-
Pina tried somehow to take stock of the situation.
First, there was the opening of the Gate to Alnus. It was a rare but known phenomenon. Then there were the armies sent there who had returned with insane tales of living metal worlds and armored giants. It had all been blamed on the incompetence and growing age of the legate, the old mage Godasen.
Then there was a second attempt, this time with one of the Empire's greatest general. The result was another rout against an overpowered magician. This could still be explained by a skillfully conducted night attack with wind, fire, and illusion spells.
Then there was the defeat of the allied kingdoms which had mutinied. Self-destructing in the process.
Finally, the rebellion of the troops attacking Italica.
Until then, everything could still be explained by a combination of bad luck and incompetence. The series of disasters, the relentless fate, it exists.
But in less than an hour all these convictions had collapsed in front of…. How do you explain this rationally?
"A sky-high armored giant appeared, he destroyed the bandits, repaired the city, raised the dead and finally he locked Emroy, the god of war, in a small ball?"
….
….
….
How was she going to write her report? What was she going to tell her father, Emperor Molt? Her mind understood the meaning of the words but could not integrate the logic. It was like a door that refuses to open even when you have the key. If you insist too much, you risk breaking the key in the lock.
Pina, for her part, was about to pass out.
Part of her wondered if she was just going crazy. That would be a heartbreaking finding, but on the other hand it would explain everything. It might even be better from a certain point of view. Maybe it's better to go mad than live in a world gone mad.
In any case, the princess still had a question in mind.
"And…what now?" Wh…. What will happen?"
Well, I've been thinking about this chapter for a long time and I made some changes on the job. I gave the gods of Falmart powers roughly equivalent to those of Odin or Zeus, but with an "ethereal" rather than corporeal nature. An adult Celestial would probably have had less difficulty defeating Emroy but Amiek is still "young" for a Celestial and the gods aren't that weak (Thor has already broken Exitar's armor for example…. And Ashema the listner can transform Thor in frog with a snap of the fingers).
