Chapter 4 :: The Seige of Asgard
"We're too late. The siege of Asgard has begun," Kratos said. From the air, Macerdon's airships rained fire on the city, burning everything indiscriminately. They glided smoothly over a column of soldiers waiting to charge the city gates. As they arrived in the center of the city, they witnessed firsthand the atrocity of war. A lone Rheaird flew over and did a loop before diving for an old chapel nearby. The beam from the aircraft struck the wooden building, turning it into a blazing inferno."Help!" a man yelled from within the burning building. Solstice had just landed and let his passengers off before returning to his old man form.
"There are people in there!" Mithos exclaimed. Without thinking, he called up his wings and made for the chapel.
"Just one second, kid," Kratos said, grabbing Mithos' collar.
"This building was used as a shelter. There are still a few people left inside," the man hollered.
"And just how do you suggest we survive plunging into a firestorm?" Kratos asked.
"I'll help. Siralas darnel hydros! Aqua Edge!" Solstice called. He held both hands out and sent a burst of water inside. "Siralas darnel hydros! Aqua Edge!" A second blast streamed inside, dousing some of the flames. "That should make it easier."
"Martel, you stay here and get ready to help the injured," Kratos instructed. "Let's go, Mithos. Use your Divine Storm technique to dance through the flames."
Though Solstice had quelled the anger of the fire with his spell, the flames inside raged intensely. Mithos, the lighter one and using his wings to his advantage, shot left and right with the sprinting skill employed in the Divine Storm Blade.
"There's one over here," Mithos called through the thick smoke that nearly blinded him.
"And here," Kratos called back. In the end, they only saved five people, while the others inside perished.
"At the very least, they won't have to endure this Eternal War any longer," one survivor said. An elderly woman they rescued comforted two children that had just lost their family. Meanwhile, Martel used all her healing abilities to mend the burns they had received.
"Hikaral sirr lifa, deset! Nurse!" Martel chanted. A soft white light fell upon their wounds, bringing relief to their pain.
"I... Even with the sword skills, I wasn't able to save them," Mithos said, clenching his fists.
"Mithos, if there is one thing you must realize about this world, it is that we cannot save everyone," Kratos said.
"Kratos, we mustn't stay long. I sense something creeping in the shadows," Solstice said.
"How observant," a serpentine voice said. Standing atop an adjacent building was a black-cloaked woman with pale skin and crimson hair. Scythe in hand, she glared down at the group of people with glowing eyes. All around them, soldiers in black cloaks and armed with scythes appeared.
"We are Enigma's Ghosts, and I am their leader, Alice Enigma!" the woman said, diving for Mithos.
"What do you want? Can't you see that we're trying to save these people?" Mithos said angrily, sidestepping Alice as she landed.
"We have come for that red crystal that you possess. It will consume your soul," Alice said.
"Martel and I will help the survivors; you handle the shadows," Solstice advised.
"Understood," Kratos replied.
"Arthos!" Alice commanded in the Elven tongue. On cue, her soldiers tossed back their cloaks, revealing they were half-elves. They rushed for Mithos also, ignoring Kratos entirely.
"Dragon's Ascension!" Kratos called out, lifting one of the flunkies with the face of his blade and batting him to the ground.
"Prism Sword!" Mithos tried his light blast attack, aiming it directly into Alice's face.
"A futile effort," Alice said. With a single hand, she had projected a barrier to shield her from the spell.
"Gosh, does that thing ever work?"
"I can sense your anger towards me. You are willing to give yourself up to save these people," Alice said. "In that case I will finish you all off now. Eterna kural! Sword of Anubis!"
"Lady Alice, the walls have been breached!" a soldier reported.
"I'm aware. Inform my apprentice that we are on the way back."
Alice held out her free hand and formed a massive sword of dark energy. She turned and slashed it not at Mithos but at the sky. The wave of darkness streaked skyward until it crashed into a Macerdon airship that was preparing to bombard them. Split in half, the airship exploded high above the ground.
"If you wish to end this war, seek out the summon spirits that power the weapons of both sides," Alice told them. "Asgard has fallen, but the conflict is far from over."
An airship appeared above them, emerging from an invisibility shield. The custom transport of the Enigma's Ghosts, it was shaped like an oversized bird and powered by four jet engines in the rear.
"Wait, just whose side are you on?" Mithos demanded.
"I am on nobody's side because nobody will side with us," she replied with a grin before climbing onto the rope ladder from the airship.
"Miss Enigma, we have a message for the Delthis leadership," Martel called out, fumbling through her belongings to the letter they had been sent to deliver.
"I assure you that the sanctuary will not be harmed," Alice replied. "Get out of here while you can. Macerdon's Black Phoenix Knights are merciless when it comes to attacking our kind."
"We must heed her advice and follow suit," Solstice said, turning into a dragon once again.
"What about the survivors? They'll be killed by the invading army," Martel asked.
"I can carry them, but only so far. We can tell them to head to the village in the mist," Solstice replied. His dragon form stood a few meters higher than he usually was since he was exerting his strength to the fullest. Solstice's scales made the perfect places for everyone to hang onto. Lowering his wing, he nodded for them to hurry on. Mithos climbed on first and Martel and Kratos followed. The refugees from Asgard then got aboard. Almost immediately, Solstice leaped and sped south for the Misty Plains.
At the gates of the city, a swarm of Macerdon's soldiers smashed through the wall and flooded the streets with a tide of warriors. With Delthis' capital taken, the Desian Empire now stood surrounded by foes to the north, south, and across the ocean.
"From here, go south and follow the flags. You'll eventually reach a village where you can hide in safety. The mist may be lighter, but it will linger for a long time," Martel told the refugees.
"Thank you. Let the gods protect you on your journey."
Because the day was getting late, the travelers made camp on the plains. Although night fell, the flames burning in Asgard shone like a beacon near the horizon.
"It's hard to believe that such a heavily defended city could fall so easily," Kratos noted.
"I've been thinking about what that Alice woman said," Solstice said. "The summon spirits regulate the flow of mana from the land of Derris-Kharlan to the rest of the world."
"Derris-Kharlan was sealed off at the start of the war, right?" Mithos said.
"Yes, both sides agreed to place a magical barrier around it so the source of all life would remain," explained Martel.
"Or so they could both tear each other apart with full strength," Kratos theorized. "Neither side is willing to concede one iota of their fighting power."
"We should head for the Balacruf Mausoleum then," Solstice said. "While the Rheairds of both sides and Delthis' Deathcarriers are powered by lightning element energy from Volt, Macerdon's smaller airships are powered by Sylph's crystallized mana."
"Balacruf... wasn't that the civilization that vanished in ancient times," started Mithos.
"Fifty thousand years before this war began and long before men and elves grasped the notion of magic. The Balacruf were a race of people with wings not unlike yours with their capital where Asgard stands now. We dragons witnessed the terrors of an ancient wind monster tear them apart. In the end, they used all their energies to seal it away beneath the temple but perished in doing so. Their final legacy is the burial temple to the east of Asgard," narrated Solstice.
"Food's ready," Martel said with a smile on her face. Though all the destruction, the battles, and the death, her smile was the only bright thing they laid eyes upon all day. Martel dished out bowls of soup to everyone, the same kind served at the temple.
"I'm going to bed now. Good night everyone," said Mithos. He entered their makeshift tent and easily fell asleep.
"Is it really wise for you to be bringing such a young child along?" Solstice asked.
"Mithos may be young, but he has the will to finish this journey," Martel said.
"I fear that he may see more death in this sojourn than any child deserves to in a lifetime," said Solstice.
"However, we will be there to guide him," Kratos replied.