13. Ascension of the Emperor

Sasiel was quite a young man for the position he was in, barely 30 and already the lord of Gordra. His father had caught a fever and the town his family had spent generations nurturing and ruling was passed to his hands, the young noble had spent his time rebuilding many of the bridges that had fallen in to disrepair while his father had been bedridden and reconnecting the town's trade networks.

Gordra was a trade town that lay on the path from Aeoror to Waloror, any trade between the two major cities had to go through Gordra and the town was rich for it, even balloons travelling between them would be forced to stop in the town to refuel half way through the trip. The town was in one of the best positions on the planet since its proximity to both cities meant that neither would try to annex them for fear of provoking the other and starting a war, so they were left to their own devices, although Aeoror had been getting much more aggressive lately and Sasiel did fear they might risk war and annex Gordra anyway.

Sasiel walked through the markets of his town as these thoughts plagued him, Aeoror had recently razed a small village that they saw as growing to challenge them and rumours were flying in every direction and contradicting each other; some say that the villagers survived or that they all turned in to beasts or even that they attacked Aeoror and destroyed it by summoning Fen and a thousand other rumours that he was sure were either completely false or barely half truths. The one thing that was consistent with all the stories was that the razed village was being led by a giant that could split mountains and kill a man with a simple look, the giant Aeoran.

Sasiel considered this as he politely greeted his people with a wave or a smile, all the stories about the giant were pretty consistent, at least more consistent than the stories of what happened to his people, Aeoran was a giant who was blessed by the gods with strength and genius, he was an immortal who could only be bested by the gods and Aeoror had killed him, at least according to Aeoror but others said he was alive.

The rumours swirled and made it difficult to figure out what was truly going on, they had also lost contact with some of the villages to the north, but it was clear to the lord of Gordra that a great shake up of the powers of Solaero was coming and Aeoror might not end up on top by the end of it, so he had to figure out who was going to be at the top at the end and offer his support early, this was the difficult part of ruling but it was also the most exciting it would get for the young ruler.

The lord of Gordra was ripped from his thoughts as one of the town guard ran up to him, the young man wearing a chest plate and helmet gave a quick salute before reporting.

"An army has appeared outside the gates and are demanding entrance" The guard sounded like he couldn't believe what he was saying

"Outside the gates!" Sasiel almost choked when he heard the news

They had travelled through the mist, an army of men skilled enough and crazy enough to brave the mist just to attack them was a terrifying thought but the fact they were unknown was even worse, who had made the move, had Aeoror finally taken the step they always threatened to or had Waloror taken the initiative and struck first.

"What banners were they flying?"

The guard took a moment to consider his answer, like it was even more ridiculous than the fact an army attacked through the mist, "They flew no banner I've heard of, it was the severed head of Fen struck by the axe of Aeoran"

Sasiel had never learned of any city bearing that heraldry, Aeoror only flew the severed head of Fen and Waloror flew a depiction of a Nolate, a digging beast, it couldn't have been either of the cities and the axe of Aeoran was the heraldry of Old Solra. The noble took a few seconds as he struggled to think of a response to this unknown enemy, he couldn't react properly if he didn't know who they were, as he strained a thought suddenly came to him.

All the heraldry had some meaning; Waloror's displaying the tunnelling beast to represent the many tunnels of the city, Aeoror's shows their dominance over even the mightiest beast Fen and Solra's showed that they still wielded the power of the legendary king. Sasiel tried to piece together what this new banner was saying; Fen being struck down by Aeoran, Solra resurgent, Aeoror being struck down by Aeoran, Aeoror being struck down by Solra. It came to Sasiel in a flash, he knew who was at his gates and it might end up being a blessing.

"Was their leader a giant?" Sasiel asked the question that would confirm his suspicion

"Yes, he would be able to climb over the gate easily"

"Only let their leader and a small group of men in, show them to my audience chamber"

The residence of the lord of Gordra was carved in to the mountain overlooking the town, long ago a façade had been carved in to the mountain to make it look like a grand residence but years of weather had smoothed it out until the only indications of the residence were the gate and windows that led in. the lord's audience chamber was at the heart of the residence, it was a large chamber with a fire trench running from the door to the foot of the lord's throne and providing the room with light while tables and chairs flanked either side.

Sasiel sat on a simple wooden throne with guards either side of him, advisors and a handful more guards waited in the wings, he glared at the great doors directly opposite him as he waited for the leader of the mysterious army. If it was who he thought it was and what he had heard was true then his coming could be a blessing and would explain the lack of communication from the settlements to the north.

The doors soon creaked open and several guards escorted a giant and several of his own armed men in to the chamber. Sasiel dismissed the guards escorting them and relaxed slightly as his suspicions had been confirmed. Aeoran stood before the fire trench, haloed by its orange light, he wore a simple white robe that was without stain despite his time in the mist, on his head was a silver crown with swirls of grey steel worked in to it, the light of the fire reflected off its mirror like surface and made it look as if he wore a crown of fire.

"I am Lord Sasiel of Gordra" he spoke with all the authority he had as he forced himself to stare in to the dark eyes of the giant who towered over him, "I'll assume from your stature that you are Aeoran"

"King Aeoran of Solra and all Solaero" a man carrying a spine tipped spear corrected him

Sasiel didn't address the man and kept his focus on Aeoran, "You claim our whole world as your domain?"

Aeoran held the stare with little effort, "Yes, now would you prefer to join through an agreement or by force?"

"I can't simply hand over my lands, the people will not accept it and my ancestors will curse me" Sasiel tried to keep his calm as his heart beat a thousand times a minute, "An agreement might be possible if you tell me what your plan is and what you can offer Gordra"

Aeoran simply nodded, "I am marching to Waloror to bring them in to my empire but I need an army, I've already gathered over 1000 men from towns and villages north of here who have pledged their support" the giant paced before the fire trench as he explained the situation, "I want you to recognise me as your king and supply as many men as you can to my army, in return you'll get to keep your position and you'll be supplied with advanced weapons reverse engineered from those found in Solra"

"Gordra has played a balancing act between Aeoror and Waloror for centuries, we joined neither to placate the other, joining you might force action by both of them" Sasiel was partial to joining the king but he needed to put up a show for the officials watching, he can't be seen to just be handing over his people to an outsider, "We don't have the strength to resist one of them let alone both, can you guarantee the safety of my people?"

"I can" Aeoran answered with no hesitation

"How?"

Aeoran signalled two of his men forward and they dropped a box at the young lord's feet, they opened it and showed him hundreds of carbines, "They will be able to punch through any armour Aeoror has and you'll be supplied with ammunition and body armour more than capable of protecting your men, our production is limited at the moment but it is increasing by the day" Aeoran stood between the lord and the fire trench, bathed in a halo of light the giant's black eyes looked right in to Sasiel's soul, "Now would you prefer to use them or have them used against you?"

Sasiel smirked, this was as good a deal as he would get, "I have little choice if I want my people to prosper, I'm sure my men could defeat your men if you weren't here, you could take this town by yourself" Sasiel stood from his throne and looked up at Aeora, he soon fell to his knee and bowed his head, "I, Sasiel of Gordra, pledge my loyalty and people to you, Aeoran, and recognise you as my rightful king and ruler. Let the Gods hear my pledge"

"Then rise Sasiel of Gordra and rule in my name"

Sasiel stood and looked back up at Aeoran to see a smile break out across his face, "Now night is almost here and my men will need somewhere to sleep"

"There are barracks here that can house your men"

The two sat and talked for hours as they hashed out the details of Sasiel's fealty; how many men needed to be equipped, how supplies were to be transported and how they were to be taxed.

Aeoran left Gordra in the morning with 1700 men behind him.

They had been trekking through the mist for about a month and beasts had attacked the army several times but their numbers and skill, as well as the presence of Aeoran, had meant that their casualties were minimal.

The villages and towns they visited all had different reactions to an army appearing from the mist and they all had been convinced to join Aeoran without bloodshed, mostly by stoking their fears of Aeoror's imperial ambitions, they all supplied as many men as they could spare; 10, 50 or sometimes 100 or more. In exchange for their fealty, Aeoran supplied them with weapons he had made and scavenged from Solra and he had been receiving reports by Kawl of the boost these new territories were giving Solra. Everything was going according to plan and his empire was slowly growing but his gains up to this point would look like childsplay compared to his main goal.

Aeoran and his army marched forward, for days and weeks, stopping at every village and town on the way, the primarch would meet the local leaders while some trusted men would tell the people what he was trying to achieve, if he couldn't convince the leadership of his goal then he would rile up the population to help him overthrow their rulers and install a friendly one. Aeoran and his men did this for another month before they arrived at the foot of Waloror.

Commanding 3200 men, all armed to the teeth and dedicated to Aeoran's cause after hearing his reasons and his dream for their world hundreds of times, they marched up the path to the city and within the day they were at the gates, to the complete shock of the guards stationed there.

Waloror was a mountain city in the most literal sense, it began life as a mining settlement and with little flat or arable land on the peak the people took to living in the mining tunnels. On the outside the mountain containing the city looked like a regular, untouched mountain but a closer look will reveal hundreds of carved out entrances and windows climbing all the way up to the peak. The path up the mountain led straight to two massive stone gates that had the image of a man holding a mountain carved in to them, slits carved above the gate allowed for guards to look out for returning mist walker parties.

It had been a quiet day for the guard on duty, no mist walkers were due to return, all he had to do was sit around, drink and occasionally look out a window but that all changed when the sound of thousands of stomping feet reached his ears. He looked out to see nothing until a giant shadow emerged from the mist and at his back were ranks of armed men, an army so big that it stretched back in to the mist, hiding who knows how many more men.

"W-who are you?" the guard nervously shouted down to the giant that stood at the head of the army

"I am Aeoran, King of Solra, I have come to talk to your king"

Unsure of what to do, the guard sent a messenger straight to the king.

Carsiel III of Waloror was a young man, at only 29 he was the youngest king on Solaero but his age didn't make him a fool, he had risen to become king by pushing aside his older brothers without anyone being any the wiser; it was easy to drunkenly fall down an old mine shaft or be unlucky enough to get caught in a cave in or even have a loose rock fall on your head. He had heard of Aeoran long before he ever made his disastrous trip to Aeoror, he never believed Radiel's bogus story about an attempted coup and believed Aeoran's death to be a waste but his interest was peaked when he heard rumours of the giant's survival. Carsiel saw the skill and genius it took to bring the four villages on his peak together without strong military force and now he was witnessing that skill again as he received message after message from villages and towns under his control, each and every one of them renouncing him and declaring their support of Aeoran.

The tunnel king made his way down the main causeway that led straight from his palace at the centre of the mountain to the main gate in to the city. Like all the tunnels of Waloror, it was lit well by the massive power plant at the heart if the mountain, the great tunnel split off every few feet to lead even deeper in to the mountain and different residences and businesses. Carsiel was accompanied by a squad of his personal guard as they cleared a path through the crowds that normally occupied the highway, all traffic parted as their king made his way to the city gate.

Aeoran stood before the great gates of Waloror alone with his axe in hand, his army standing a few feet behind him in perfect rank and file, he wore his crown and untouched white robes, he picked the robes to serve as a message of his peaceful intentions and as a show of his supernatural ability that he was able to survive in the mist in only robes. The primarch didn't have to wait too long before the gates of the city opened and armed guards marched out in formation, in the centre stood their king. The people of Waloror were known to be even paler than the average Solaeron and the king was no exception, he wore robes the colour of the mists with a bronze crown resting on his head, he squinted slightly in the dull light coming through the clouds, his eyes not use to natural light.

Aeoran walked forward and the King of Waloror's guards split as he walked to meet the primarch, "I welcome you, Aeoran, I am Carsiel III of Waloror" the king introduced himself, "I had been told you were dead"

"As much as Radiel wishes it were true, it is not but I assume you knew that long before I arrived"

"Yes, you've caused quite the uproar, much of my kingdom has abandoned me for you" Carsiel struggled to keep a neutral expression as the primarch's dark eyes stared in to his soul, "My advisors wanted me to launch an immediate offensive to stem the growth of your power"

"And why didn't you?" Aeoran asked, portraying less than the king

"The mist seers told me that you would ascend to rule our world" Carsiel noted a slight twitch in the primarch's face when he mentioned the mist seers, "Obviously Radiel's mist seers told him the same thing and he tried to stop it, where did that get him? His domain in uproar and a powerful foe growing ever stronger to destroy his legacy"

"So you've submitted to fate?" Aeoran asked

"I will only submit to fate as decided by gods and men" Carsiel quoted a small line of wisdom, "Your fate has been revealed to me but my own fate is still shrouded and so it is still in my own hands"

"What are you saying?"

"Your dress suggests you have come to talk but the axe and army suggest you've come for war, which is it?"

"I've come to bring your city under my rule"

Carsiel started to pace before the primarch as he looked back at the gates that led to his city, "For 3000 years my family has ruled this city, a long dynasty of kings, do you expect me to give up my crown for nothing?"

Aeoran took a step forward, "Keep your crown, I want your fealty and loyalty, I have designs for our whole world and I will not be able to rule it all from Solra, I will need men like you who know how to rule and govern vast areas" Carsiel turned back to look at the giant, "The villages that abandoned you for me will be returned to your governance, as long as they aren't punished, your kingdom will grow even larger as long as it is a part of my empire"

"Emperor Aeoran" Carsiel put the words out in to the word and considered how they felt

Carsiel looked up at the great gates to his city and then even higher to the peak of his home, continually hidden behind a blanket of grey cloud. There were many legends on Solaero but none more well known than the great king Aeoran, a giant of a man who slaughtered beast like they were livestock and who was destined to strike down the bloody red wolf. It was said that where Solra stands is where Aeoran found his axe, surrounded by the corpses of beasts and lesser men, Aeoran raised the axe and proclaimed himself king of a city and a whole world. The armour donned by the king of legend has a similarly miraculous story, Aeoran tunnelled in to the heart of a mountain to find the armour made for him by the gods, some even say that the first tunnel dug on Waloror was done by Aeoran to find his armour.

Carsiel smiled at the irony, he gave one last look back at Aeoran in his robes before heading straight for the gates, "I have something to show you, a gift for our new overlord"

Aeoran and a few trusted men followed Carsiel in to the city and along the great causeway to his palace at the heart of the mountain. The royal palace sat right in the centre of the mountain, massive stone pillars in an even bigger cavern, many pillars ran from the floor to the ceiling high above, each connected to the other by numerous stone bridges and in the middle of it all was a pillar at least 10 times thicker than the others and sprouting bridges to all the other pillars.

Carsiel led Aeoran in to his palace of pillars and through a complex maze of passageways and bridges as they made their way up and closer to the central pillar. A long walk later and Aeoran found himself at the very top of the central tower, looking down at the dots of people below with wisps of clouds hinting at a microclimate. The room that took up the very top of the centre pillar was empty except for a suit of armour standing dead centre.

The armour was expertly crafted, every ounce of care being taken in every part of it, it had a great bulk and stood as tall as the primarch. The plates, made from a metal that Aeoran couldn't identify, were stark white with swirls of grey running through it and made the armour seem as if it was made of mist. Mist rolled off of the armour from hidden vents and the helmets mouth grill. The primarch admired the armour, looking in to the red tinted lenses of the helmet as he saw himself wearing it.

"This is the armour of Aeoran" Carsiel explained, "My family has safe guarded it since we came to power and the family before us for who knows how long, this armour will only fit the one destined to rule our world"

Aeoran looked at the armour and felt no doubt that it was meant for him, it couldn't fit anyone else, no human could be that size, he reached out and touched the smooth cold surface.

Take it

His guiding voice whispered in the back of his mind as he instinctively disassembled the armour and put it on himself with no trouble. It was much lighter than he expected and felt more like a second skin than a bulky set of armour, he could move naturally and had a full range of motion.

"Fits perfectly" Carsiel commented as he kneeled to Aeoran, "We were always told we would bow to whoever wore that armour, fate will always play out no matter what you do it seems, my emperor"

Next time: Empire of mist