Crimson Twilight: Dusk
Chapter 20: Prelude to war
The knight found herself in the middle of a ferocious battle. All around her, men fought each other. They were faceless; features merely resembling each other until they resembled no one at all. The air was filled with the sounds of a hundred weapons clashing, armor ripping apart, war cries, dying screams and cries for mercy. One knight charged at her; two-handed sword raised for a killing blow. She was no easy prey though. Her lance punched through full plate, straight between his ribs, and into his heart. The man screamed; causing her lance to vibrate before she kicked the body off her weapon. More knights attacked her from different directions but she dealt them all the same violent death she dealt the first one. Blood sprayed everywhere; bespattering her until she was soaked in it. Some of the blood trickled to her lips.
The knight licked it up and grinned; revealing sharp, pointed teeth. The blood of those she defeated tasted so...pleasing. It caused her own blood to quicken; making her faster and stronger, more able to slaughter her foes with ease and absorb more of their strength.
"You're enjoying yourself, aren't you?"
The knight stared at the daunting figure of Baphomet. The goat-demon was massive; the size of four men stacked on each other. His fur was rust-brown, bloodstained and short. It was coarse like a mass of metal wires rather than hair. A pair of goat-horns curved backward from his skull and his jaw was slightly open; revealing rows of bloody, razor-sharp teeth. In each hand he held the halves of a dead knight. Blood dripped from his fang-filled mouth as he casually wiped some entrails from his furred chin. The bodies of several knights lay before Baphomet; each of them bore the marks of his massive scythe as well as his fangs. The goat-demon grinned and offered the knight the upper half of the man he was devouring. The corpse stared blankly at her with its remaining eye; the other half of its face had been gnawed to the bone. More blood spilled from the opening in its torso, where Baphomet had torn it apart. The knight smiled and accepted the ghastly offering. Slowly she sank her teeth into the cadaver.
"Feast with me then, knight. I sense a demon inside that soft body of yours just waiting to get out…out…out…"
Eliarainne Sialsanderin gasped as her eyes fluttered open. Her heart was racing. Cold sweat trickled down her neck and hair as the last vestiges of the nightmare receded. 'That was…horrible.' She thought. "I would never-" She pushed the thought away. Why she dreamed of such things frightened her more than the thought of facing Baphomet himself. A bit of sunlight caught the corner of her eye. 'Is it morning already? I have duties to-!'
That was when Eliarainne realized that she was laying face-first on the wooden floor of her room. Her bed was a few feet to her right. 'I must have missed.' She groaned inwardly. She clutched her face. It was a miracle that her nose wasn't broken. Apparently she had made a choice from one of the eight beds and flopped down face-first to sleep. Suddenly, a thunderous explosion sounded right outside her room; making her wince. The Payon spirits were taking their revenge for being downed so quickly. "What's that?" She grunted. "Is some crazy wizard raining meteors on the barracks?"
Eliarainne rolled over and sat up. A move she quickly regretted as the room spun around her. She clutched her head. It felt as if it had doubled in size and it throbbed painfully. Another explosion thundered right outside her door. The crazy wizard was right outside her room! Strangely enough the thought didn't sound right.
There had to be a simpler reason which didn't involve meteors but the Payon spirits were still fogging her brain up. Finally, an idea hit her. 'Wait a minute that sounds a lot like-'
Makaelthos Solcry knocked on his partner's door for the third time and sighed. Prontera's mornings were always foggy and cold; encouraging sleeping people to stay asleep. That wasn't possible for high-ranking knights though. A dull thud from inside the room was enough of a sign for him to take out his keys and open the door. He hid an amused smile when he found his partner sprawled on her back. "Good morning, Eliarainne." He greeted her; his tone neutral despite the absurdity of the scene. The disciplinarian in him frowned but he somehow could always forgive this. "Time to get up; we have a meeting with the rest of the Knight Commanders in a couple of hours."
Eliarainne groaned in reply and raised an arm. Makaelthos took hold of it and pulled her to her feet. She wobbled slightly and leaned against her partner for support. "Good morning to you too, Makaelthos." She said. "What's the meeting for?"
Makaelthos studied his partner for a while. Eliarainne's voice was still husky with hangover and sleep. Her eyes were bleary and bloodshot. He had expected this though; so he took out the bottle he was carrying, opened it and offered it to her. "Before anything else, Eliarainne, let's get rid of, at least, some of that hangover, shall we?"
Eliarainne took the bottle and took a pull. Immediately, she grimaced and put the bottle down. The liquid threatened to spill from her lips but she downed it all. "What is this stuff?" She demanded.
Makaelthos smiled. It was the concoction of another heavy drinker among his friends. "Horseradish, vinegar, ground green herbs and plenty of pepper, all stirred with the stalk of a white plant." He answered.
Eliarainne stared at the bottle and forced herself to take another pull. "Kreizen Xalascent's All-Purpose Hangover Cure, right? I just wish it didn't taste so awful." She gasped.
Makaelthos watched his partner curiously. Eliarainne was unusually pale this morning. The lines under her eyes spoke of mounting stress and exertion.
"Makaelthos."
Makaelthos turned his attention back to what his partner was saying. Eliarainne removed her hand from his shoulder and looked away. He could see that her cheeks were slightly flushed as she spoke. "You're always…doing these things for me; especially when I'm really mad at my father. I just want to say…thanks, it means a lot."
Makaelthos dismissed the thanks with a casual wave of his hand. "You're being too sentimental, Eliarainne. Besides-" His expression grew concerned. He had been thinking of what Seihanine had told him. "You should stop seeing your father so often. It's not doing you any good. Work alone is stress enough without him adding to it. I think some time without seeing you might give him the opportunity to better reflect on your relationship."
Eliarainne shrugged her shoulders. "I've noticed." She replied. "Every week, I go there expecting that he'd change his mind. That he'd tell me that it's okay to be a Pronteran knight, to marry someone I choose and to be partnered with you. I guess he's been expecting me to change my mind. Besides-"
A scene suddenly flashed in Eliarainne's mind.
"I'd sooner marry you."
Eliarainne avoided Makaelthos's direct stare and felt herself redden. Did she actually say that to him? Or had she dreamed the whole thing? Last night's events were foggy with too much Payon spirits. "Umm…Makaelthos?" She fumbled with the question, her stomach was doing a funny dance and it wasn't from the Payon Spirits or from Kreizen's Cure.
Makaelthos raised an eyebrow. From the way Eliarainne was blushing, he guessed it was probably something from last night. "Yes, Eliarainne?" He asked casually; trying to get her to relax.
"Did I…say something last night?"
Makaelthos stood up and prepared to leave. There was no point in evoking the awkwardness of that situation when they were supposed to be reporting for duty. "Not at all, Eliarainne." He replied. "You should get ready. I'll be waiting in front of the great hall of meetings."
He closed the door behind him before allowing himself to smile.
Seihanine Xalascent watched the rising sun from outside the infirmary. The first thing she did after waking up was to get permission from Silmeia to leave. Her injury had fully healed anyway. She remembered what happened last night and sighed in exasperation. She and Trenzein had arrived in Kreizen's shop to discover her brother tending to a young, scantily-dressed girl. The reactions were heated. Trenzein had burst into fits of laughter while she demanded to know what her brother was doing alone in their house with a half-naked girl; on her bed of all places. The girl had protested weakly at first, before the huntress silenced her with a glare.
It was Kreizen's turn to explain. All the while he fended off Trenzein; who was elbowing him slyly, and avoiding his sister's suspicious stare. The girl, he explained, was attacked by Eddga and she had managed to escape though she was badly injured. She had apparently lost most of her memory and was lying outside their doorstep when he found her.
Seihanine did not wholly believe the story. It was partly because the idea of a badly injured girl finding her way to the center of Prontera without the patrols spotting her seemed too unlikely to happen. It was also partly because Eddga was a hulking tiger-monster who killed swordsmen with a swing of his claws. It was strange that the girl could escape such a monster with only a light scratch to the side. Lastly, because Kalyx had bristled at the girl and watched her as he would an enemy. 'And that name…Moonlight? Is it just a coincidence?' Seihanine didn't think so. She had fought against the dreaded Moonlight Flower before. The image of the malevolent, spell-wielding cat-being was far from that of a shy, fragile-looking girl who appeared to be barely into her teens. Still, she had a bad feeling about Kreizen's "patient".
It wouldn't be something completely new either. Kreizen had a weakness for girls he considered cute; doting on them and commenting how they reminded him of her when she was younger. He also had a weakness for women he considered beautiful. He had a tendency to flirt with customers and new acquaintances. Seihanine remembered her brother even trying it on Silmeia when they first met. She was fine with that but she had also dealt with two female assassins and a rogue who tried to pass off as customers more interested in the maker than the product. They had thought the blacksmith was an easy target until they met his no-nonsense sister; a fatal error on their and their employers' part. Seihanine had to wait and see for this Moonlight girl though. For now, she had other concerns. 'Back to my duties I suppose.' She thought. She was headed for the main gates. As second in command of the Second Hunter Division, she often led the scouting patrols outside the capital. What surprised her though was the presence of a familiar green-haired wizard standing in front of the main gates. She gave out another sigh. "Zein, what are you doing here?" She asked.
Trenzein Zaisen grinned and produced a roll of fresh bread from the sleeves of his robe. In his other hand he held a hunk of roasted meat. "Breakfast." He answered. "Don't deny it, Sei. You haven't eaten yet and you're heading out for the patrols."
Seihanine moved past the wizard. While she somewhat appreciated the gesture, there was no time for such nonsense. She was no child to be looked after and fed! "I haven't the time for this, Zein!" She told him.
Trenzein responded by weaving through the air with his hands; chanting the language of magic with practiced ease. The air seemed to grow colder and it rushed towards the gates. Before Seihanine could figure out what he was doing, an enormous chunk of ice froze from the air. It quickly grew, extending until it touched the ground. When Trenzein ended the spell, it was already a large wall of ice; several inches thick and ten feet in length and width. The wall stood in front of the gate; preventing the entire structure from opening. The surprised shouts from the other sentries made it clear that no one had expected this. Smiling at his handiwork; Trenzein looked to Seihanine. "I think we can make time, Sei." He said. "That wall isn't going to go anywhere until you've eaten something. Oh, and don't bother wasting your arrows on it because I'll just conjure another one up."
Seihanine stared at Trenzein in disbelief. Wizards were discouraged from conjuring ice walls inside the city because it often caused undue traffic. In fact, spellcasting was usually frowned upon unless extremely necessary. After all, magic harmed anyone without regards to people or monsters. "The penalty for obstructing official business is one week of imprisonment with heavy fines, Zein!" She reminded him.
Trenzein shrugged his shoulders. He had actually worked this thing out with her older brother last night. "Kreizen told me he'll handle the fines." He replied. "As for the imprisonment, I can last a week."
Fuming, Seihanine grabbed the food and munched on it quickly. Trenzein grinned triumphantly and dismissed his spell. The ice dissipated at once; allowing the gates to open. Seihanine stepped closer to Trenzein and whispered harshly. "Don't do anything this crazy again, Zein! Promise me!"
Trenzein merely laughed and walked away. "If you promise take care of yourself, Sei!" He called out from a distance.
Seihanine let out a frustrated sigh and headed for her patrol. Before she could reach the gates though, she suddenly signalled for the gates to close. Trenzein knew the signal and activated his creamy-infused clip. The creature's magic bent space for him and took but a few seconds to send him to the top of the wall. His fears were confirmed when he looked out to the horizon.
On top of the gate's hundred foot wall, Trenzein stared down at a sea of orcs, goblins and kobolds. The horde was still a few miles from Prontera. It was no wonder Seihanine closed the gates quickly. He watched the smoke rise from the hundreds of campfires among the different tribes. By the gates, Seihanine was already shouting for a runner.
Makaelthos Solcry stared at the unfurled map before him. He, along with the gathered Knight Commanders of Prontera, was studying the movement of the orc tribes. Quai Hune, the Grand Knight Commander of the Pronteran Army; a veteran, middle-aged knight with grizzled, white facial hair, had calculated that the horde would reach Prontera within a week. This was based on the calculation that the tribes had to pass through the Lord of Death's newly acquired territory. Defenses were already being drawn up; ambushes, and advance armies-
"The orc tribes are here!"
Sir Althamas's voice cut through the planning and shattered any plans to prepare for the orcs. The message, once it sank in, alarmed everyone inside the room.
"What? That's impossible!"
"How did they slip past the Lord of Death?"
Makaelthos rose and glanced at Eliarainne. It couldn't be helped now.
"Knights, calm down!"
Quai Hune's voice caused everyone to settle down. He stared at the map briefly; silently cursing at the lapse in vigilance and lost opportunities, and then gave his orders. "We have to adapt! Get your divisions ready! At this rate we'll go to war this very afternoon!"
The Knight Commanders scrambled to get ready. Makaelthos watched as Eliarainne followed suit. What concerned him was the strange…eagerness that gleamed in his partner's eyes. 'War…it took them less than a week to start it. How long it will take us to end it?' He thought.
From across the pronteran fields, the Orc Hero grinned as he sharpened his sword. The tribes had force-marched until they reached this point. By afternoon he will order the first attack. The unprepared Pronteran Army will be crushed. "This will be our revenge against the humans." He told himself and he believed it. There was nothing more important than taking revenge on the oppressive humans. Not even this strange awakening and the presence of other immortals. He watched as his high orcs trained for battle. It was strange that they didn't encounter any resistance along the way. He had expected a showdown with the Lord of Death but the tribes had not encountered a single raydric. "To hell with the other immortals!" He roared. "Before the moon changes, Prontera will fall!"
From afar, beyond the sight of even the orc scouts, a silver-armored being stared at the tribes. Behind it rode seven dark figures in black armor. They stood there for a while and then rode off without a word.
Inside the city, the horns of war sounded. The knights were scrambling to man positions and to form their divisions. Civilians panicked as the news of the orc tribes' invasion spread. The fog was lifting and everyone knew that the first battle would come at noon.
World Notes
Grand Knight Commander – Prontera has thirteen knight divisions with more cavaliers than skirmishers. Each one is led by a Knight Commander who, in turn, answers to the Grand Knight Commander. It is the Grand Knight Commander who coordinates with his wizard, priest and hunter counterparts to determine the movement of the Pronteran Regular Army.