9. Reclaim what was lost
Aeoran returned from the palace holding the axe high, climbing the steps of the temple as his people gathered around him, he stopped next to the shattered head of Fen and turned to address them. The people marvelled at the great axe as it seemed to give the primarch an even greater aura of power, all eyes were on him as he prepared to speak.
"The fate of Solra has been revealed to me" Aeoran looked down at the crowd, this was something they needed to hear, "We are here because Aeoror betrayed us and slaughtered our family while calling us guests but this is not the first betrayal of that cursed city, they came to Solra as friends and allies and in the same instant orchestrated it's fall to the mist, their history is nothing but lies and betrayal and we will avenge not just our own but the dead of Solra as well"
The crowd was riled up and would probably do anything he asked, it was what Aeoran needed, there was something he had to do before he could destroy Aeoror or unify his world, he needed to rid himself of his guilt.
"We will have our vengeance soon enough but for now we must be satisfied with a small act" Aeoran paused for a moment, "I will return to the body pit of Aeoror and I will recover the bodies of the 30 who were murdered, 100 of the best men will gather the best arms and armour in the city and follow me" he declared to a roaring crowd who realised this was the first step in their journey to revenge
The old people of Solra had used weapons and armour that was far more advanced than anything even Aeoror possessed, their armour was made of a material that stopped bullets dead without harming the wearer and they had weapons capable of reducing an armoured man to ash. They had only gathered a small portion of the armour and arms left in the city but the children and elderly had sorted them in to those that could be used and those that were too far gone, Aeoran planned to study the ones that were beyond repair, but for now his warriors gathered up their best weapons.
Aeoran went without any armour, since all of it was built for human proportions, and only carried his newly acquired axe. He walked amongst his men as they geared up for the mission, the primarch soon noticed one man struggling to put on his armoured carapace.
"I'm not sure you should come" Aeoran walked up behind his friend
Alrean turned to look up at the primarch, "Did you think I would stay?"
"I was hoping Aslia would force you to stay"
"No one could, not even you"
Aeoran looked down at his friend with pleading eyes as he placed a giant hand on his shoulder, "I need someone I can trust to keep our people safe if something happens"
"If something happens to you then we have no hope besides I need to bring them back, you know why"
Aeoran sighed, his friend was right, Alrean would come along no matter what was said to him, even if he was certain to die, he would still come, "Fine but Aslia can't blame me if you die" the primarch smiled as he helped his friend in to his armour
Alrean laughed, "She probably will anyway"
The small army was seen off by all the people of Solra, it was only a few days trek from Solra to the base of Aeoror but since expelling the beasts from the city the trek had become 100 times more dangerous. Aeoran marched at the front of the column with Alrean by his side as they all kept an eye out for the beasts that fled the city.
Aeoran turned the axe in his hand as he felt its power pulse through his body and the veins of power running through the blade pulsed with his heart beat. He swung and twirled the axe, testing its weight and power, finding it was easy for him to wield, the perfect weight distributed so he could swing it with inhuman speed and deliver devastating strikes.
As Aeoran was focused on his weapon, his instincts screamed at him and a second later the eerie silence of the mist was shattered by a deep and terrifying roar. A fist the size of a man flew out of the mist and sent one of the men flying out of sight. A hairy beast, taller than the primarch and covered with muscles that threatened to burst out of its skin, roared revealing razor sharp teeth as big as a man's arm. The Gorath swatted another man aside and the sound of all his bones turning to dust was clear to all as the group scattered and fired at the beast, it stumbled back as their weapons cut deep wounds in to it. As the beast was off balance Aeoran took the initiative and charged.
Let your power flow
Aeoran focused his anger and rage in to the axe's blade and swung with might only a primarch could muster, he was still a few feet away from the beast but the axe produced a blade of pure energy that sliced through the beast like it was air, cutting the Gorath in half.
Aeoran breathed heavily as he felt the axe drawing the power out of his body, letting it flow in to the weapon, he closed his eyes an took a few deep breaths as he pulled the energy back in to himself. The men gathered at a distance from the thrashing torso of the Gorath, it was still alive, flailing and screaming as it tried to smash the men just out of it's reach, it was eventually Alrean who walked up and put a single shot in to the beast's head.
Kasadiel was an aging man but he could still fight as good as any young man, he had descended the peak at least five times although a Needle tail spine to his hip had ended his career but he still served his fellow mist walkers by leading the guild of mist walkers in Aeoror.
In the villages and some small towns being a mist walker was a duty most men had to undertake but in the larger towns and cities it was a job, the mist walkers would descend not to primarily find food but to scavenge for lost tech they could sell and maybe hunt for exotic meats that couldn't be found on the peak.
Kasadiel ran a hand through his greying and thinning hair as he read a report submitted by a group that had recently returned from the mist, there has been a sudden increase in the number and deadliness of the beasts near Aeoror and it could soon become impossible for anyone to leave the peak.
"What do you think should be done?" Kasadiel's young assistant, Samiel, watched the old man rub his eyes
"I don't know, I think this is the Gods' punishing us for what that dumbass King did"
"His majesty has spies everywhere, don't say things like that"
Kasadiel looked at the empty room they sat in, "Unless you're one then I think I'm safe and what he did was stupid, killing such a venerable mist walker"
"He did try to assassinate the king"
"You believe that"
The official story of what happened was that Aeoran and his party attempted to assassinate the king and take control of Aeoror but they were stopped and killed and their village was razed but anyone with half a brain knew that it was a lie and the King just wanted to be rid of a potential rival. Those who had figured out the truth, like most of the mist walkers, were up in arms about it but they could do little against their king.
Samiel's ear picked up the sound of the door before Kasadiel looked up to see it open and several robed figures glided in, their long robes making it look like they were floating. The two looked at the group like they had just suddenly popped out of the floor, it was strange for them to be here and their presence couldn't mean anything good.
"Master of the mist walkers we require your help" they all spoke at the same time, the voices of men and women, young and old came together to create an unnatural voice
The robed figures were the mist seers those chosen by the god of the mist to have the vision to see beyond the veil of time that obscures the future and to interpret his will. They usually remained in their fortress, hanging off the side of the mountain slightly above the mist, only coming out in small groups to claim those that they have seen to have the mist sight. The mist seers were used by the King to divine the future and guide his decisions, to lead Aeoror to greatness.
"Venerable mist seers" Kasadiel bowed his head to the group, "It is quite strange for you to leave your fortress in such force, what has forced this and why are you seeking the help of us mist walkers?"
"The great god of the mists has shown us the path, it leads us away from Aeoror and down in to his holy domain but we will require protection"
Kasadiel quickly figured out what they meant, "You want to go in to the mist?" he gave them a look that said he was concerned for their sanity, "The mists are dangerous at the best of times and now they are deadly even to trained men, surely you must have seen that"
"We have divined that but our god has also shown us that now is the only chance we may get to serve his design and his chosen king"
"His chosen king?" Kasadiel asked
The mist seers turned their heads in unison, looking at Samiel standing next to him, it was clear what they wanted, Samiel would no longer be permitted to sit in on this meeting. Kasadiel sent his assistant away and asked again.
"The chosen king of Solra and soon of all Solaero, the chosen of the mists and of our god, his champion, Aeoran" Kasadiel's eyes widened at the revelation
"Aeoran lives!" the veteran mist walker was elated at the news of his hero's survival and most mist walkers would feel the same
"Yes and we must descend soon or he will go in to the mists, not to be seen until he brings fire and death to this forsaken city"
It was difficult for anyone to refuse the request of a mist seer, they were the voice of a god after all, but it was impossible to refuse a request to take them to the greatest mist walker on the planet, "How many in your order?"
"30 of those who follow our god over our king, the rest are now judged in the mists" the group turned in one swift uniform motion, "Gather your men and make your way to our fortress, all those who wish to serve the god of the mists and his chosen are welcome, you have two days"
The seers glided out of the room without another word.
Aeoran and his men continued through the mist for a few more days, sporadically encountering beasts, and soon reached the last leg of their journey. The group marched through a mist shrouded valley that would lead them right to the base of Aeoror, they had lost few men to the beasts and weren't expecting to lose anymore but as they walked through the thick fog the more observant mist walkers noticed they were being stalked.
"How many?" Alrean asked Aeoran
"At least 10" Aeoran looked out in to the mist as he listened for the beasts stalking them, "Only one beast acts like this"
"I know" Alrean fired off in to the mist and the yelp of one of their stalkers was heard as the beasts that surrounded them leapt out to attack
Fensons, wolf like beasts, made in the image of the great beast itself, that stood taller than a man with a silver coat that was impervious to most weapons, they were ferocious pack hunters that have decimated whole expeditions, highly intelligent and wielding razor-sharp claws. They were some of the deadliest beasts in the mist.
The men were ready for the attack, forming a defensive circle, they all fired outwards, the overlapping fields of fire ripping the beasts to shreds, none managed to get close to the group as they fired a second volley and completely destroyed the pack.
"That was easy" one of the men commented as he shouldered his rifle
It's not over
"It's not over" Aeoran sensed another predator circling them, larger and more ferocious, the alpha of the pack
The primarch hefted his axe as he tracked the unseen beast through the mist, his frightened men not able to sense it as he could. It came as a silver blur and snatched up two men in its jaws, their lives ending before they could even scream, the men drew closer together as they desperately searched for the beast.
Behind you
Aeoran turned on his heel as he summoned the power of the axe and threw a blade of energy behind him, blocking the beast's second charge. The alpha Fenson was massive, twice as big as the primarch, and radiating blood lust, its red eyes locked with Aeoran as its lips curled back to reveal gore stained teeth that were as big as a child.
Aeoran met the beast's challenge and charged at it, bring his axe down to cut at its shoulder, the beast moved with unnatural speed as it dodged and swiped its massive claw to knock off the primarch's head but Aeoran was faster, ducking and quickly spinning to cut deep in to the beasts other leg. The alpha howled as it retreated from Aeoran, the primarch followed, swinging at the beast as it moved back to avoid death, it was soon driven to the valley wall and just barely dodged anther axe strike. It moved back as Aeoran threw his axe in to the valley wall, lodging the blade in the rock, sensing an opportunity the alpha lunged forward, jaws wide to clamp down on Aeoran's throat, but it was a faint. The force of Aeoran's axe strike had loosed some rocks overhead and as the Fenson lunged forward the rocks landed and pinned the beast. The alpha beast thrashed and howled as it tried to free itself, Aeoran stood over it and raised his axe high, bringing down his blade to cut through the alpha's exposed neck.
Aeoran strapped the beast's head to his back and the group continued on to Aeoror. It took them only a few more hours before they reached the body pit of the great city.
Aeoran was taken back to the moment he woke in the pit, the pain and rage and defeat he felt at seeing his comrades and family dead, he felt all those emotions rush back as he gripped his axe, threatening to snap it in two if it was made of a lesser metal, his eyes turned to the sky and he thought of the fat king that caused all this.
"Calm down" Alrean placed a hand on the primarch's arm and calmed him, "Let's just get our dead"
Aeoran calmed himself and lead his men to where he had woken up.
The bodies of their friends were rotted but still recognisable, they got to work finding all of them and then carefully wrapping their bodies up to be taken back to Solra. Aeoran watched as his father was carefully lifted onto the cloth to be wrapped, his skin like melted candle wax and his bones and musculature showing through in a few places. The primarch pushed the other men away without a word as he fell to his knees and started wrapping his father's body, holding back tears as he finished.
"I'll carry him" was all he said
Take what is yours
Aeoran's eyes were drawn back to the city looming above them as he felt his rage rising.
Climb up
"Don't wait for me"
Alrean moved to stop his friend but he was too slow, the primarch jumped up the cliff face and quickly climbed it, heading for Aeoror.
The primarch scaled the mountain quickly, reaching the walls, he kept to the shadows as much as he could and jumped to the top in a single leap, the man patrolling the top of the walls was surprised at the sudden appearance of Aeoran but before he even had time to process what was happening he was flung over the side of the mountain. Aeoran moved as swiftly as he could, keeping to the shadows of buildings and only walking through abandoned back alleys. He made it all the way to the palace without being seen and it took little effort for him to climb over the walls. The primarch entered through the servant's quarters, which were abandoned during the day, and used the rafters to navigate the palace proper, avoiding the regular guard patrols.
Aeoran moved through the shadows over everyone's heads, using his instincts to guide him to his goal.
Here
Aeoran stopped and looked down to see two men standing guard outside an innocuous door, he guessed that is probably where that fat king was at the moment. The rest of the hall was empty except for the guards so the primarch simply dropped between them and quickly crushed their heads. Aeoran opened the door but instead of Radiel he found a room full of weapons, he had found the palace's armoury.
He will not die today
He quickly figured out why his instincts had led him here, he located mist cutter and the other weapons stolen in the betrayal, he figured that Radiel would have to wait to die but that didn't mean he couldn't send a message. Aeoran gathered the stolen weapons and grabbed a double-sided axe, it seemed small in his massive hands but it was designed to look like the axe of Aeoran and would work perfectly for what he wanted to do.
Aeoran climbed back in to the rafters and moved as quickly as he could, using his instincts to guide his way, he soon found himself looking down on the palace's throne room. The empty throne was surrounded by a handful of guards that were barely paying attention, the primarch swiftly jumped down and dispatched the guards with little effort.
With the throne room empty now Aeoran ascended to the throne, he planted the severed head of the alpha Fenson on its seat and raised the axe he took from the armoury with one clean strike he planted the blade between the dead beast's eyes. Aeoran left the message on the throne along with the dead guards, the symbol of Aeoror being split open by the symbol of Solra.
"We shouldn't be doing this" Samiel complained as he walked with Kasadiel
"If you're afraid then go back but I'm doing this"
Behind the two was a small army made up of Aeoror's most experienced mist walkers, Kasadiel had told those he trusted of Aeoran's survival and what the mist seers were planning and they had told more people, now most of the mist walkers in Aeoror were following him and those that weren't hadn't heard the call. The stories of Aeoran's battles against the beasts had inspired many to descend and many more saw him as the true successor to the great king and Radiel's murder of him had been unpopular.
The entrance to the mist seers' fortress was on the far side of the city from the mist walkers' guild hall, so they had agreed to gather closer to the fortress to avoid looking suspicious or being easily apprehended. The people gave them surprised and concerned looks as hundreds of mist walkers, armed and fully geared, crossed the square that led to the mist seers' fortress. Whispers and gossip soon started flying as the people tried to figure out why so many mist walkers were gathered, accusations of a coup or of the two venerable orders falling out and engaging in hostilities were inevitably brough up.
Kasadiel and his mist walkers stopped at the other side of the square, right before the wide avenue that would lead them to the entrance of the mist seers' fortress. Standing in their way was Kasrean and a number of armed men.
"Turn back guild master and all will be forgotten" the commander gave his simple ultimatum
"You know I can't" Kasadiel pointed his Needle tail spine tipped spear at the man, "Move aside commander, I don't want to hurt you"
"This is treason Kasadiel, the seers will be dealt with but you can be spared"
"We both know the king won't let me live" Kasadiel gripped his spear and shifted in to an aggressive stance as the other mist walkers readied their own weapons
"Fine" Kasrean drew his sword
The common people fled as the two sides clashed. The common soldier of Aeoror was well trained but most were either no match for mist walkers, who had refined their skills and reflexes in the most dangerous places on their world, or they were retired mist walker who, while skilled, were well past their prime.
Kasadiel thrust as Kasrean parried his spear and closed the distance. Kasrean was a skilled fighter and the two had traversed the mists together before he decided to join the city militia. Kasrean was just as skilled as Kasadiel and he didn't have an injury holding him back like the guild master, this would not be easy.
Kasrean quickly moved past the tip of Kasadiel's spear and thrush his blade at the mist walker's throat, forcing him back but the commander pressed his attack and sought to keep Kasadiel off balance and on the run. He thrust and slashed as Kasadiel tried his best to block and dodge but it was clear who the better fighter was, Kasadiel felt his old injury flare up and his leg failed him, he fell back on to the ground with Kasrean standing over him.
"It's over" the commander pointed his blade at Kasadiel's chest, "You'll die for your treason"
He drew back his blade and prepared to deliver the final strike but as he was about to bring his sword down the tip of a spear burst through his stomach. Kasrean looked surprised as his sword fell from his grasp and he dropped to his knees, attempting to hold his innards in, Kasadiel looked up to see his saviour.
Samiel stepped over the crumpled body of Kasrean as he helped his master to his feet, "I though you didn't like this"
"That king doesn't deserve our loyalty but you do"
The mist walkers had effectively dispatched the city guard with only light casualties and now the way to the mist seers and to Aeoran was clear.
Aeoran climbed back down in to the body pit to find his men still there, waiting for him, he had been gone at least 3 hours but they had waited for him. As Aeoran dropped on to the morbid surface of the pit Alrean was already heading for him, his displeasure obvious.
"WHAT THE NAME OF THE MISTS WAS THAT?"
"It was something I had to do" Aeoran tried to explain but his friend wasn't hearing it
"Did you at least kill that bastard king?" Alrean sighed as he tried to calm down
"No, he wasn't meant to die today, I only sent him a message" Aeoran saw the annoyance in Alrean at learning Radiel was still alive, "One I'm sure will keep him up at night"
"What ever let's just get back"
"Yeah" Aeoran knelt to pick up his father's body when his ears picked up the sound of footsteps, "Someone's coming"
The primarch's men readied their weapons as they prepared for an attack. It sounded like a great many people, more than they brough to the pit, and some of them were chanting under their breath but the primarch couldn't quite make out what they were saying.
The next few minutes were tense as the primarch tried to figure out who they were, the city militia wouldn't climb down the mountain and mist walkers aren't likely to come anywhere near a body pit so who ever was approaching they were likely here for Aeoran and his men. the regular men could hear them now and they kept their weapons trained on the direction the sound was coming from, a few seconds passed before their shadows could be seen in the mist.
"HALT!" Aeoran used his powerful voice to stop the mysterious group in their tracks, and stop their low chanting, "Who are you?"
"We seek the king" several of them spoke as one, "The chosen of our god"
"And who is that?"
"You are" the group quickly chanted in an ancient and mysterious language and before them the mist cleared, allowing the two groups to see each other clearly
It was a group of about 30 hooded figures surrounded by a hundred some mist walkers, the robed people stepped forward and dropped to their knees before Aeoran.
"Hail Aeoran" they said in unison, "King of Solra, King of Solaero, chosen of our god the keeper of secrets and master of the mists, Tzen"
Next time: The dark ships of Krake