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Part One
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Chapter One - The Forgotten Legions.
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Bolts of lightning crisscrossed the sky, shooting back and forth in a seeming endless exchange of light through the sluggishly spiralling clouds. Each crack of arching light was a different hue and intensity than the one before it, some weaker some stronger, so the flashes were never the same from moment to moment. The clouds themselves bubbled like steam escaping boiling hot water. The wind blew harshly from both east and west, coming together in the maelstrom and churning to produce the dark electric spiral.
Far below, the waters of the Abyss - the ancient place of execution for the weaklings and traitors of Kain's Empire - churned endless as they had for thousands of years. The whirlpool had widened, many of the cliffs about it collapsing into its yawning great maw. The waters which fed its insatiable appetite plunged hundreds of feet down into total, impenetrable darkness. Thousands of Vampires had met their end thrown into that gaping void and only one being had ever emerged.
Before the dawn of the Empire, this expanse of water had been a lonely, seldom inhabited spot east of Vasserbünde. Its waters had fed the trees and swampy undercurrent of the Termagent Forest, sustaining Nosgoth's dark, wild and unnavigable heart for many centuries. No Human civilisation had flourished there, and only Vorador's self serving debauched court had called it home. This was the Lake of the Dead and for the dead it was kept.
Not long after the fall of the Pillars however, the waters of that silent forgotten lake dramatically changed. The land seemed to fall away beneath it and the rivers which fed the lake instead churned their might down to feed the opening mouth of the terrible abyss. It was like an open wound upon Nosgoth itself, an infected sore which only grew and grew as long as it went untreated.
Now however the abyss formed the epicentre of an unnatural storm which could only be the product of the Divus. From out of the very bottom gaping maw of the whirlpool rose a pulsing column of almost neon blue light. It was a sheer beam which lanced from the darkest depths of the whirlpool to pierce the sky itself. Around this throbbing shaft of light both water and cloud circled as if drawn into orbit.
Suspended in the centre of the column, halfway between ground and sky, was the elegant golden form of the Ark. The great celestial vessel, shaped to resemble a pair of sweeping swans wings curving in upon themselves, was the product of an artistic genius. Even from a great distance the individual feathers on those wings could be observed in fine detail. Yet despite its beauty, despite its exquisite and unearthly splendour, the sight of it just hovering there was enough to fill Kain with the deepest of dreads.
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"This storm seemed to have brewed out of nowhere. But perhaps it had always been there, subtly growing in the background, un-noticed in the rush and distraction of seemingly more important diversions. Now it raged in full fury around the Abyss, the Ark itself acting as its eye. That was surely not a coincidence."
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The amassed and combined forces of Vampires, Hylden and Humanity, even with their races' individually reduced numbers, was a sizeable army. Crossing the northern mountain range and coming this far south had been a drive which had taken some time, especially as the Humans were slowed down by much of their number being made up of women and children. With the aid of Serioli wings and Hylden technology however, they had made it in time.
Now that expanse of allies was encamped around the battered and blood stained walls of the Human Citadel, just to the north of the Abyss. From the plateaus and rocky crags they could see the abyss and its unearthly eruption of light with ease, an elevation which allowed them to observe without being directly seen. Perhaps if necessary it could serve a defensive barrier but Kain did not favour it being that decisive a factor if the Divus decided to make a hostile move. They would not need to rely on conventional military practises.
Kain had heard of course what Uriel-Divus had done to the Human citadel, how he had tricked his way into the confidence of the desperate people living there, bent their leaders to his will before betraying them. From their dead he had raised a near limitless army of undead thralls and marched them north, intending to crush the forces assembling before the dark mountain of Schwarzkern. Any who defied him and his commands were put to death instantly and added to the growing hoard of undead.
General Skelim had rushed what civilians he could out of the citadel and with this rag tag group of survivors had fled north ahead of the advancing army in hopes of finding sanctuary with the only other Human group, the practical Forsaken hunters. Now they had returned to see the fortified keep which had shielded them from the Vampire menace and at the sight of it, Kain understood grimly why none of them wanted to set foot in it again.
The walls of the citadel had been darkened in many patches around arrow silts and parapets by the spilling of masses of blood. Even after the carnage had dried up the signs remained vividly and the smell, especially to a Vampire nose, was that of a charnal house. Within there were no full corpses, for dead bodies were a resource Uriel had not wasted, but instead scattered Human debris was far more evident. Internal organs, wads of flesh, bones, torn skin and patches of hair were to be found in every street and building. Crows and other carrion birds, the only animals to do well in this era of death, had settled into the abandoned city to take advantage of the feast.
The tombs and graves beneath the Citadel had been broken open. Every coffin, every sarcophagus and burial had been raided for corpses. Not a single body had been left behind. The Citadel had been raped, living and dead alike. In the end it had not been any Vampire or even an army of Vampires which had brought to the Citadel its final death, but rather the empty promise of an opportunistic charlatan preying upon the desires of desperate people.
Upon the battlement overlooking the main gate, the seemingly only way in or out of the citadel, was the only person who had ventured inside the fort and remained there for any appreciable length of time. She had gone there the moment the allies had arrived and there she remained, simply staring down at the large open courtyard from beneath the wide brim of a replacement hat she had acquired. That was where Kain found her, dressed in black as usual and with her face shadowed by the wide brim of her hat.
Kain stood there in her presence for perhaps an entire minute in complete silence. Then just as he began to wonder if she were going to totally ignore him she began to speak.
"I knew what Uriel intended to do when I helped him propose his leadership to these people." Ophiel, former Divus, said in a voice which barely rose above a fluttering whisper. Her gaze never left the courtyard below, locked onto it as if drawn there by a powerful compulsion. "I betrayed my people here."
"Your people are the slaves of Fanum-Divus." Kain replied in a voice that expressed neither compassion nor rebuke, guardedly neutral.
"All human beings are my people." She told him and there was a catch in her voice. It spoke of tightly repressed grief. "I just couldn't afford to reveal myself. It wasn't time."
This part Kain had heard from Raziel, how she had defected to their side at a crucially important moment. Her surprise attack had enabled Raziel to reclaim the book of his first incarnation, thereby reclaiming his memories and with them full knowledge of the plans of the enemy. Since he had first met her, Kain had suspected there was more to Ophiel then had seemed apparent.
"So you had to play the role of the Divus enslaver." He concluded for her, arms folded over his chest. There was another moment of contemplative silent before Ophiel finally looked up from her vigil. The dim evening light fell across her face and she looked dreadful, red rings formed beneath her eyes.
"The citadel people look at me with such naked hatred in their eyes." She told him, her gaze hazy as if through eyes which were constantly on the verge of crying. "And I earned every bit of it." Kain tilted his head to the side giving her a sardonic smile.
"Regrets, Ophiel?" He asked. That made her turn her head sharply to look at him, her lips suddenly pursed together to prevent herself from emitting a protest. He met her gaze with a flat look, inviting her to speak up and vent that objection.
"Of course I have regrets, Vampire." Ophiel finally said in such a controlled manner Kain could not help but be impressed by her self control. "How could I not? Don't you? After so long and having been through so much?" Her question, perhaps not unexpected, stung all the more for its relevancy.
Unbidden distinct and powerful memories flashed one after the other before his eyes. Once more he was there before the awaiting Pillars, filled with disgust and anger, as he rejected Ariel's call to sacrifice himself. Again he found himself standing over Umah's battered and broken body as she begged him to save her life and he answered her request with death. Then again he stood in the Sanctuary of the Clans staring at the dead stumps of the Pillars, inert and lifeless as the world around them. Then finally he stood on the edge of the abyss itself as his first born son was dragged to that place of execution and he gave the order to cast him in.
The gaze he directed at Ophiel was one of mixed contempt, irritation and shame. That last addition to the mixture just made his anger rise all the more.
"Naïve girl, you don't know what regret really is." Kain said, barely bothering to conceal his spite before turning away to leave Ophiel wallowing in her self recriminations. "Not yet anyway."
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"Well? Report." Lorenzo of the Forsaken asked flatly as the runner came staggering into the small encampment, almost spilling head over heals into the campfire. The man was one of his own men, one of the Forsaken Vampire hunters. He was filthy, covered in ash and dirt and struggling for breath. Kain could smell him from across the campfire. The man tried to find his breath, spluttering hoarsely, before taking a deep breath.
"No move yet, Coordinator." He blurted out in a raspy voice. "The dragon circles the ship, but has simply stood guard. No other movement besides that." Lorenzo nodded in response, unhappily. It was the same as the last few reports. No movement. No reaction from their enemy at all. The wait was unnerving. Kain's grip tightened around the grip of his sword involuntarily.
"Get back to the edge and keep sending reports. Tell Skelim I want continual updates at least every thirty minutes." Lorenzo told his runner, clapping him on the shoulder with the metal palm of his artificial hand. The man took several large gulps of breath before he raised a hand to salute. The hand trembled.
"Yes, Coordinator." He responded and staggered away as quickly as his shaky legs could carry him. Lorenzo watched him go with a frown before turning back with his hands on his hips to face the others gathered around the fire.
The figures stood or seated in a ring were perhaps the most diverse group of beings to have come together in the history of Nosgoth. Kain was there of course, sat on the edge of a supply crate with the Reaver in his grasp before him. Raziel was beside him, crouched by the fire edge in a seeming attitude of relaxation, poking the fire occasionally with a talon to stir it up. The enigmatic Vorador on the other side of him. Umah stood to their right and the towering, bulking form of Balam of Clan Turelim sat to their left with his large arms crossed over his knee. He was by far the largest there in terms of sheer bulk.
The winged Vampires were all huddled in a group further along. Ajatar Cadre, Grandmaster of the Serioli, had sketched out a crude map of the geography around the abyss in the dirt with a stick. Her right hand, the warrior Ansu with his golden axe, was beside her using a grindstone on the blade of his weapon. Janos was beside them, looking over Ajatar's map with a frown creasing his face. Out of all of them Janos was the one who had surprised Kain the most with how much he had changed, become less the priestly observer and more vehement and progressive.
Across the fire from the Vampires were the four representatives from the Hylden race, whose forces watched the Humans and Vampires alike with hawkish suspicion. Enlil of the broken horn, leader of the House of War, was pacing up and down in clear irritation. Her two half sisters sat nearer the fire. Kishar of the House of Faith, with her calm almost serene demeanour, had her eyes locked onto the dancing flames. Tiamatu, leader of the House of Knowledge, was leaning around the fire to talk with Ajatar. She had been the only Hylden so far to perfect the art of growing flight capable wings.
The two of them, Ajatar and Tiamatu, Kain had been watching very closely. Nothing had been said of course and he had not seen no displays of excessive affection but he had caught the way they looked at each other, how each seemed to brighten in spirit whenever the other was around. Perhaps neither of them had realised it yet but he doubted it would be too much longer before one or both of them guessed it. When that happened then it would undoubtedly have serious but interesting consequences.
The fourth Hylden sat upon a boulder nearby, watching everyone gathered there with a small but smug little smile. Kain had always known her simply as 'the Seer', but her real name was Damkina. She was a princess, current ruler of her people. She had cause to smirk, for without her machinations, Kain was ruefully forced to admit, this alliance would likely not have been possible. Her skilled manipulations had been on par with those of Moebius himself, although ultimately she had proved far more altruistic. Through her the Hylden had set aside their racial hatred, at least for the moment, to join their forces with those of the Vampires in order to save themselves from annihilation at the hands of the Divus.
It still felt strange, even unnatural, to see so many from so different races, classes and food chain positions gathered together in common cause. For most of his existence Kain had considered Human beings to be little more than food stock, animals to be husbanded for the benefit of Vampiric civilisation. Now they were valued and necessary allies against a common foe. They had fought together, side by side and Kain had found himself impressed by their ingenuity and resourcefulness. Perhaps, he reflected, he had been a Vampire for so long he had forgotten the true strength of Humanity.
Enlil suddenly cursed loudly and kicked a small rock with her good leg, sending it clattering loudly against the side of a boulder.
"Its been hours now and they've just sat there on their blasted Ark. Why?!" She demanded into the startled silence that followed, all heads turned to look at her. The outburst helped to break the tension and give voice to the thought that was going through everyone's mind.
"Given what we know, I can think of only one reason for a delay." Lorenzo replied grimly, stepping up to the fire and picking up a metal pole he had stuck close to it. Screwed on the pole was the roasting carcass of a crow, plucked clean and crisping. He took a bite out of it, chewing greasily.
"The Equinox." Ajatar finished for him in a flat voice, folding her arms over her knees.
"Yes, they must be waiting until it approaches." Kain agreed with a nod.
The city of Fanum-Divus had existed outside of the flow of regular time, in a slender stable bubble and had been suspended between two voids of ultimate possibility. Above the city had been the white void, the expression of everything that existed or ever would exist. It was the ultimate personification of all time and space. Below the city had been its opposite, the black void, which represented the utter oblivion of total nothingness. No time, no space; simple nullification.
The Equinox was an event so rare that eons upon eons would go by without it occurring, but when it did those two ultimate voids would come together. This connection of the two voids would unleash a torrent of naked power that would shake the universe. If not prevented, the Divus and their so called God would harness this power and use it to propel their Ark across the sea of the cosmos to fresh worlds to rape. Their doing so, with Nosgoth so depleted and damaged, would render their world a dead dry husk incapable of supporting even disease.
"How long do we have, Raziel?" Kain asked, turning to give his once first born vampiric son a look. Raziel folded his arms over his chest, his talons drumming contemplatively on his forearms. Since regaining the memories of his first incarnation, the once king of the Divus, he was their only source of knowledge about the Equinox.
"I can't be exact, only their God knew the timing of that event for absolute certain." He admitted. "But if the memories I regained are correct, probably no more than three to four days at most."
His announcement caused a low, dark murmur to circle those around the campfire. Many faces were grim.
"Finally, a date for their Promised Day." Kishar muttered, knitting her fingers before her face before resting her chin on them.
"So do they intend to just sit there until its time for them to begin their journey, leaving Nosgoth to die behind them?" Enlil asked, her hands on her hips and her impatience born irritation
"I doubt they're that sanguine about their position, Enlil." The Seer remarked, causing the red headed Hylden to turn sharply to look back at her. "You forget that our raid resulted in the total destruction of Fanum-Divus. Such a thing would have been inconceivable for them. It will have shaken them down to the core." She swept them all with a look, clearly addressing everyone to make sure her point was collectively understood. "They will not simply wait out the hours until they can harness the Equinox, giving us time to amount any sort of attack."
"No they will not." Lorenzo agreed, turning his cooked bird back and forth and studying it as the charred meat held the answer to their dilemma. "If I were in their position, I would want us at the very least distracted and engaged so as to not pose a threat to the Ark."
"Do we actually have any means of raiding their vessel?" Balam asked in his deep voice coming from the depths of his barrel chest.
"On the face of it, I would say no." Lorenzo answered. He took another bite of his food, chewing messily and getting grease caught in his beard. "Only a select proportion of our combined force is capable of flight and we would need every iota of it in order to be successful. Presuming we have enough force at all." He shrugged one shoulder. "If only we had a few dozen of the Endurance to mount such an attack."
"And there is still the Dragon to contend with. The ultimate sentinel." Janos put in, before turning to look at Vorador. "The only priority we should be considering right now is remaking the Pillars. Once restored they will shield Nosgoth from the force of the Equinox."
"Or at least that is what you said." Balam added with a grunt, giving Raziel a sidelong flat and hostile look. The blue wraith returned the Turelim's gaze without a word.
"It pains me to admit it, but you're right. We need the Pillars restored." Kishar put in, her face creased in a frown of bitter reluctance. For the Hylden the Pillars were no symbols of hope and life but were instead the hard, unyielding lock upon a terrible cage which had engulfed them for centuries. The only reason they were permitting their restoration was the assurance that they would not be used against their species again, but for a whole new collective purpose. "We have both the Forge and its Ignitor now, do we not? We ought put them to use immediately!"
Ajatar and Vorador exchanged a look during the brief silence that followed. Slowly all heads turned to them.
"Unfortunately obtaining them and putting them to use are two different things." Vorador finally began, unwrapping the clothe wrapped item he had been negligently holding. Inside was the Ignitor, the strange pearl like orb which was the key to the use of the Forge. The sight of it made Kain involuntarily flinch, for he had seen this orb many times before in less then cordial circumstances. As far as he was concerned this so called Ignitor was still nothing more than the orb atop Moebius' staff, an artefact which had been the instrument of no less then three mass Vampire genocides; one of which came perilously close to the total extinction of his species.
"They are both relics made by Ukko, the greatest elemental smith the Serioli had ever known." Ajatar explained as Vorador held the orb up in one hand, quite gingerly as if not wanting to activate it by mistake. "Their construction and usage are complex on a level that escapes even me."
There was a very long pause, broken only by the crackling of the flames. Everyone was staring at the two of them with varied expressions of startled consternation.
"You mean to say... we finally have the tools to our salvation but we are too ignorant to use them?!" Balam asked incredulously, rising up to one knee from his sitting position; his large ears flaring out either side of his head.
"A grim assessment but essentially correct." Vorador said but then added quickly; "I am confident with sufficient time to study, the method of their usage will become evident."
"Provided that study time is less than three or four days!" Balam fumed back and Kain could see the group about him were close to breaking into a heated argument. Above all else that needed to be headed off, as the alliance this group represented was already perilously filled with tension. Quickly he raised his voice before anyone else could say another word.
"The only military option we have at the moment should be to move south and immediately fortify the sanctuary of the clans. We need to hold the Pillars until we're ready to proceed." It was a flawed, simplistic assessment and he knew it but it provided a distraction so that attentions were turned from bitterness and anger.
"They will know what we intend. They'll throw everything they have at us as soon as we do that." Enlil replied with a sneer of annoyance.
"It would be better if we spread out and surround the Abyss." Ajatar recommended, gesturing down to the crude map she had been drawing in the dirt before her. She made a circular motion with a talon about the pebble being used to denote the position of the Abyss. "That will worry them, cause them to commit their forces to trying to break our siege on their ship. They won't have a mind to think about what else we may be doing."
Lorenzo took another bite of his charred bird and gazed out over the various small encampments which half ringed the walls of the Citadel. The various different races and sub groupings within those races had all divided off and formed little circles of their own. Some were hard to tell apart from a distance, but others like the hulking giants of the Turelim, were simple to make out even in silhouette. All in all their combined numbers, at least to Kain's estimate, averaged out at roughly twenty five thousand.
"I think we have the military power to do that." The Forsaken leader said, then chuckled as if to himself. "They don't want us near their ship and we don't want them near the Pillars. Militarily the goals of our enemy and ourselves are all but identical. Strange isn't it?" His observation provoked a chuckle from around the fire by the less stiff faced of those present. Enlil still frowned about in irritation. That one seemed incapable of being pleased.
Kain however was similar in finding little reason to smile. While Ajatar's strategy seemed sound he preferred to take the concept further. In his mind, it would be better to attack the Ark with whatever aerial force they could muster. Perhaps if they had the element of surprise they could strike hard, do as much damage as possible, then retreat with minimal loss. That would serve far better to keep the Divus occupied than simply forming a circle around their vessel and hoping to contain them.
Time was what they needed and there was precious little of that. Everything now relied on Vorador and Ajatar. Only their Serioli skills could unlock the secrets of the Forge and allow new Pillars to be raised. Kain found himself smiling as the thought provoked a memory. So long ago he had met the first Balance Guardian, Ba'al Zebur. The way he had spoken of intents and final plans, Kain had little doubt that almost everything had proceeded as his ultimate predecessor had laid out. Kain did not know whether this plan had come from Ba'al, Ashar or ultimate the enigmatic Keeper himself, but there was no denying that following it had produced tangible results.
His gaze shifted slightly until it rested on Umah. She returned his stare slyly, lips curled up in a smug little smile. Her restoration to flesh, bounded with the spirit of the Hylden king Ashar, had given to her full knowledge of that plan and how to implement it. That knowledge had been vital in both learning of the forge and of organising the raid upon Fanum-Divus. Kain however wondered exactly how much of the plan Umah knew that perhaps she was withholding from him. He trusted her and Ba'al's intentions only up to a point.
His thoughts were interrupted however when another of the human runners came almost tumbling into the firelight.
"Coordinator!" The man called out, struggling his way towards Lorenzo. The leader of the Forsaken turned to him at once, catching the man on the side of the arm to stop him from falling over.
"There's been a change?" Lorenzo demanded sharply and the man nodded vigorously, his face pale.
"Yes! A sort of door opened in the side of the ship!" He proclaimed. Everyone around the fire went silent and Kain quickly rose to his face, his face implacable.
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"It would seem my enemy was indeed going to make the first move. Thus began the game."
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Before another word could be said by anyone, Kain's entire body dispersed into a cloud of bats; rising up into the air quickly before soaring forward. As a cloud of flying animals he travelled swiftly, covering the relatively short distance over rugged and unpredictable terrain before he arrived at the forward lookout position set up by the scouts. The position was little more than a small encampment hidden amongst the rocks atop one of the highest cliffs overlooking the great whirlpool. It was an excellent position from which to observe without being noticed.
The Ark loomed, a gigantic presence in its column of sterilizing blue radiance. Its golden hull gleamed brightly over each delicate feather of the two curving wings which flowed down either side. He had seen it only once before this close, when he had been attempting to escape Fanum-Divus the first time. It had been under construction still then, worked over by an ant like swarm of the golden haired slave sub species of humans. Now he stood in its complete majesty and its size and power radiated over him gigantically.
General Skelim, the straight jawed commander of those Humans left after the purge of the Citadel, started up violently when the cloud of bats came funnelling down into his encampment. His hand instantly went to his sword hilt but he paused when the bats came together and Kain reformed, but he did not slacken his grip from his weapon. There were several armed hunters all about them and then tension in the air became suddenly tense. The humans of the Citadel, despite agreeing to an alliance of mutual survival, had be no means forgotten their centuries of warfare against the Empire of the Vampire which had subjected them.
"Don't be stupid!" Kain snapped angrily, putting all the force of command he had learned over a thousand years into his voice. He was not going to waste precious time now on their fears and resentments. The effect was palpable as the men all about them flinched backwards and Skelim hesitated noticeably. "What is happening?"
The general drew himself up, his face still scornfully resentful, before he turned and pointed out over the edge of the cliffs.
"See for yourself, on the vessel's starboard bow." He said. Kain took the few steps past him until he could see the full extent of the Ark, suspended above the constantly curving waterfalls. It did not take him long to notice what had provoked the alarm.
A door had indeed opened, although perhaps 'door' was the wrong word. The surface of the Ark's hull had peeled back as the segments that made up the golden feathers had separated and then withdrawn into the ship itself, leaving a large rectangular opening. The aperture was perhaps about a hundred feet in length and seventy in width, level with a level patch of cliffs to the east.
The flapping of wings diverted Kain's attention for a moment and turning his head he watched as the body of a black winged raven burst forth into Vorador's more familiar form. The elder Vampire quickly came to Kain's side and Kain wordlessly pointed out the opening to him. Vorador spotted it at once and nodded, frowning in confusion.
"What are they doing?" He asked in a low voice, almost inaudible over the roar of the waterfalls.
"They're coming to destroy us. That is the only thing on their agenda." The would be Emperor of Nosgoth replied gratingly.
Suddenly two large poles of shining metal stabbed forth from the bottom corners of the opening, lengthening as they travelled with a hiss of scraping metal loud enough to be heard over the waterfalls. With force the two spear like poles slammed into the cliff and stuck there. Barely a moment later, sheets of metal began unfolding between them. Like a wave these sheets interlocked and overlaid one another, creating a firm, solid catwalk linking the Ark with the top of the cliff. Kain drew his lips back over his teeth in a scowl of anger. As elaborate as it was he knew a gangplank when he saw one.
"With what? Without Fanum-Divus they can make no more Hommucli and their slaves defected to our side. What possible army could they have?" Vorador asked with perplexity as the two Vampires, with curiously anxious Humans either side of them, watched the events unfolding.
Kain was about to remark on the possibilities that came to mind when the sound began. It was soft at first, a rhythmic thudding that one might almost think was a part of the Abyss' roaring chorus. But then it began to grow steadily louder, accompanied by an intense vibration that began causing small pebbles all about them to dance across the ground. It was a familiar sound. Kain had heard it before when his own forces had been on the march. It was the sound of many thousands of feet walking in unison.
Then they emerged, the first ranks stepping forth from the opening and onto the bridge. A gleaming grow of black and red armour, shields held at their sides, their form spiked like the thorns of a rose across shoulders and a full face concealing helmet. The first row came forth, a hundred men walking side by side. Then came the second row, identical to the first in every way. Then the third. Then the Forth. Then the rows were beyond counting as a steady stream of armoured men, a seemingly never ending flood of them, marched out of the Ark to set foot upon Nosgoth.
"What in the world!?" Skelim breathed, rising from his position on Vorador's left, his eyes widening in stunned amazement.
The army kept on coming, spilling out onto the eastern cliff like an grinding implacable avalanche. But they did not stop, rank after identical rank of soldiers was marching forth from the Ark's belly and showed no sign of stopping. Their numbers swelled to beyond counting in minutes. Thousands of men, tens of thousands, easily. So many of them marching in almost perfect disciplined unison that the ground itself vibrated beneath the tread of their unceasing passage.
Evidentially the Divus had possessed knowledge and memory of defunct timelines, for Kain recognised the deliberate homage being paid by the visage of these soldiers instantly. He was in fact the only living being outside the Divus ranks who could recognise them. It had been eons since he had faced this army in battle, upon a blood soaked field where the hope for a free Nosgoth died with the fall of King Ottmar. By traveling into the past and murdering the invading army's king before he could even consider mounting such aggressive military campaigns he had erased that army from existence. But now here they were, revived in both body and spirit by the Divus for the final climatic confrontation.
"Oh...how very appropriate!" Kain remarked, grinning from ear to ear as he faced down the full might of the Legions of the Nemesis.