'Kevin! Kevin! You wouldn't believe what happened to me! First, I appeared away from you! That was so weird. I usually always appear right next to you, but I can move farther away. It would be silly if I couldn't. But, it was also silly to not be next to you. But! I could feel you! You were really, really, far away. Then, this guy attacked me! Like, right out of the blue! Obviously I had to defend myself. You said that was okay, so I destroyed his stupid whip and then maimed him a little bit. That was fun, but then I popped when trying to jump to a roof to take a look! Well-'
I smiled at Sibby as she ate my fingers and talked to me over our connection. It felt good to have it back. Normal. However, that feeling faded as her story continued.
...
*Anger negated by Gamer's Mind.
I could understand people attacking Sibby when she arrived. She did stand out, but their response had been way overboard.
...
*Anger negated by Gamer's Mind.
Slaves? She had to have arrived in Roshal. That was one of my worst fears, but she was the Siberian, they couldn't-
*Hatred negated by Gamer's Mind.
What? Those scum! I'm going to-
*Anger negated by Gamer's Mind.
Right. Calm. She's safe now. Sibby obviously had things well in hand.
...
*Anger negated by Gamer's Mind.
I swear, if that Riqre asshole is still alive, then I'm going to make an example of him that would make both Gray Boy and Jack proud.
...
*Anger negated by Gamer's Mind.
Laila? I'd just met a woman a couple of days ago named Laila as Gandalf. That was an amusing coincidence. Gandalf had met lots of people, but the names in this world tended to be quite varied.
...
*Anger negated by Gamer's Mind.
I know I just finished saying this, but I swear that Riqre better be dead already.
...
Wait... William? So that was the name of her first parahuman? He actually sounded pretty intelligent... at least the version of him that was mourning his dead daughter? I wonder how he went from that to a drug addict who lived in his van?
By this time, Sibby had finished my fingers completely and was happily eating a sandwich I'd Crafted for her. We'd teleported further away from Nerrhavia's Fallen's army and were sitting under a tree. The only noise in the night air was the crickets as Sibby spoke to me over our connection and ate her food in perfect silence.
This was a side of Sibby I'd never seen. We'd never really talked about her original creator. From the sound of it he was... broken. She didn't go into details about him, but her journey through Shardspace spoke of someone who'd lost their daughter and blamed Cauldron for it. I knew that such a person had existed in the abstract, but I'd never known any details.
But... from the emotion Sibby is showing... I can tell that it's a difficult topic. Neither she nor Riley liked to talk about their time in the Slaughterhouse Nine for obvious reasons.
...
*Schadenfreude negated by Gamer's Mind.
Okay. Riqre is dead. That's the important thing.
Plus, Sibby really has grown. Not only in using her power... because... wow. But emotionally.
*Pride negated by Gamer's Mind.
Right, right. I'm proud of her, but I shouldn't let it go to my head. It's still gratifying to see Sibby acting, well, human. She was always like that around Riley, Panda, and me, but I'd been worried how she'd act on her own.
Not unfounded worries... from what she'd told me of her 'rampage', but even then she hadn't been... cruel. Right. That's the word.
...
Pomle sounded like an interesting place. I don't think I'll ever go there. While I enjoy a good fistfight, it wouldn't be fair. Not that [Martial Artists] don't have powers to elevate them too, but still...
A letter? A conspiracy among the different [Kings] and [Queens]?
Wow. An unjust war of multiple countries grouping together? Killing, pillaging, enslaving.
Yeah... that's not cool. I might have to have words with the Archmages of Wistram about not reporting this. I'd heard about their fledgling news network, and a story like this should be told - not covered up.
...
'...and then I took the sword. 'Cause I wanted to give them an 'explanation', right? Plus, Cauwine said it was good training - even though the sword itself isn't very good at cutting people. So, this time I connected to the ARMOR of the people I was hitting! Cool, right? I increased its friction and did some complicated stuff with the air to make sparks! Like, lots and lots of sparks! It was pretty, and it was also pretty... dangerous. Heh. It really did scare the cloth people. They don't like fire. So, anyways, there I was with the sword and people running like they should, when the magic guys started attacking again. It's a lot harder to dodge magic, 'cause some of it doesn't push air away. Still, not that hard. If it was really too much, I could always drop the sword and really move, but it didn't come down to that. So, I got to the magic wall again. It was too solid for me to eat, and it also was too big, y'know? Like, I couldn't even get part of it in my mouth! Well, it probably doesn't go through the ground William said, so I could possibly dig a little and take a bite from the bottom, but that's not an option in the middle of a fight. So... I tried a new trick! I took a bunch of air and smashed it! No big explosion, 'cause there's less air than other stuff. William said I'd need 'fissionable' material for an actual EXPLOSION-explosion, but... it made a lot of light! That let me un-summon myself and re-summon myself right in the middle of the mages without anyone noticing! Oh yeah, I guess you probably noticed, but I've gotten good at re-summoning myself. I used to have to have you or William do it, but it's really similar to how I summon Panda. Oh! Have you seen Panda? She's somewhere that way... I think. Anyways, I felt you get close. Like, CLOSE-close, so I ran to you, and here we are!'
"I see." The sun was coming up. We'd talked all night. Well, mostly Sibby had talked all night. I had to admit, that even if she'd gotten better at speaking out loud, that our bond was still a lot more convenient. If I'd had to wait for her to take a breath every few seconds, we'd be here for several more hours. "And Cauwine is what exactly?"
'Dead. Or something. Nice, but single-minded.'
I raised an eyebrow at that. Sibby calling someone else single-minded?
Heh.
"Okay. But I still don't quite understand why you're fighting the army." Or, rather, armies. She'd mentioned fighting one with lots of golems before.
Ears of Babel picked up another message from Wistram. I un-Inventoried my working scrying orb and stored the magical communication inside of it. Whatever it was, it could wait until I was finished catching up with Sibby. I re-Inventoried the crystal ball and I felt the continual drain on my mana pick back up from its brief interruption.
'Because, it's the right thing to do.' Sibby said with absolute confidence. 'They're ganging up on Tiqr because they don't like some other guy. William said that killing killers before they kill is fine, but I've still been trying to just wound them.' She smiled at me. 'You'll help, right?'
"Of course I will." I nodded. How could I refuse?
I hadn't planned on doing anything super-flashy that could upset nations, let alone the world... but... fuck it. Sibby was right, it was a good cause. Besides, how could I refuse Sibby when she asked for something selfless?
'Good!' Sibby sprung to her feet. 'I usually wait until night to attack, but that's part of my cunning plan! Get them accustomed to fighting me once per night... then Bam! Ambush during the day! They won't see it coming!'
"Hang on." I motioned for her to sit back down. "I want to talk to Tiqr's [Queen] first."
'Nsiia?' Sibby tilted her head. 'Why? We should attack now!'
"A couple of reasons." I held up a finger as I listed them off. "First, we're in her country. We should ask permission. I don't think she'd refuse, but we might mess up a plan or something if we act rashly and don't coordinate with Tiqr's army." I raised another finger. "Second, I need to talk with another place I'm allied with first." More to give Wistram a head's up than anything else, but that was also common courtesy. I straightened my last finger. "Third, I'll need some time to Craft some things."
I had... a LOT of missiles in my Inventory. Due to my Ephemeral Trait, I got a 90% discount on making single-use items. So naturally I'd prepared for some stupidly powerful end-game boss... or more likely, an army. I hadn't envisioned a medieval fantasy army with magic as a possibility, but they should still work.
However, I needed to build a communications tower at least. Something to announce to the armies and their commanders that they should run away.
Man, I wish I had Boo around. Then I could have him pilot all of the spare mech-suits I'd made. THOSE were supposed to be my anti-army countermeasures. Sibby and I stood up and I took her hand. As much as I missed my old Summoning Perk, I was much happier with the Siberian by my side.
'C'mon.' She tugged at me as we broke into a run. 'I can show you where the capital is! I can introduce you to Laila. She's like us.'
"An Earther?"
'No. Someone who matters. Someone real.'
Huh. Okay. I began to Inventory the air in front of me before releasing it behind me. It was a trick I'd picked up from watching Sibby run. I still couldn't sprint as fast as her, but it definitely helped increase my speed.
...
'I have information about something you lost.'
That was what the message from Wistram said.
I frowned a little as I Inventoried my scrying orb. Ears of Babel also let me know it wasn't from one of the Archmages. Each message had its own voice that I could discern, but that didn't help identify new people.
Eh, I'd just reply back if they messaged me again. That was the problem with saving it in my crystal ball. I could listen to it later, but I couldn't respond using the magical connection.
I'd thought about Crafting something that would intercept messages. I could probably make it work so that it retained that detail. It would also be something useful for when I was in disguise. Without Ears of Babel, message spells needed an external target.
But... I wasn't about to sacrifice a Skill for what would essentially be an answering machine. Really, I just needed to buy a message scroll and keep it outside my Inventory. It wasn't like missing messages was a new problem. This world had solutions that I just needed to acquire on my own.
I shook my head and resumed paying attention to Sibby as we ran. She sure had done a lot of things since we'd been apart.
*Anger negated by Gamer's Mind.
I needed to do something about Roshal. I had the means, but I needed a plan that wouldn't involve killing the slaves too.
Yeah... that would be the tricky part.
Nsiia Oliphant scowled at the map.
Things were not going well. Her people were fighting with skill and ferocity. Brilliantly so, but there were just too many invaders. Even if they won the war tomorrow, Tiqr would be years in recovering as refugees returned to their sacked villages.
That... that was a crisis for the future. Hopefully. She could worry about what happened after the war once they'd won.
And she was increasingly sure there was only one way that could happen. She'd have to declare for the King of Destruction. If Flos used his [Army of the King] skill, then they could turn things around in one final battle!
But, once again, that was something that the future might hold. Today she needed to focus on Savere's army. They'd been advancing slowly as the [Thugs], [Pirates], and [Raiders] of the coastal kingdom ransacked and pillaged their way north.
With Illivere moving so slowly, the Siren's forces had also not advanced as much as they could. Of course, that was probably due to Revine Zecrew wanting to leave no riches behind instead of a tactical decision. The issue was that, with Nerrhavia's Fallen finally arriving, Savere had increased their pace.
Ironically, since every other kingdom didn't want to face the full brunt of her forces, but also wanted to be there when the massive army of Stringfolk reached the capital that she might get that singular, decisive battle.
She looked down at the small dog-shaped figurine on the war map. "General Vasraf, how fares the Laughing Brigade?"
Her [General] cleared his throat. "Down to nearly two thousand troops."
Nsiia scowled. "That's a third gone."
"Yes." He agreed. "And they're still doing the best out of all of our units. While others also have good mobility, the Skill you provide them is particularly effective for ambushes and quick withdrawals."
It was true. Their maddening laugh was very good at breaking morale. Quite useful for disorienting opposing forces. It wasn't her strongest unit, that would be her Grand Elephants, but her gigantic friends were not mobile enough for such tactics. All the pachyderms that had gone into battle thus far had perished.
She wanted to take the field. To rage against their foes. To make them bleed. To sink into her throne...
Nsiia knew this was all her fault. If she had it to do over again, would she speak out as she did? What she'd said was true and right, but was it worth the cost?
Suddenly, she heard the sound of battle. [Soldiers] yelling. It felt... close. Within Oliphant. At the entrance to her palace.
Nsiia frowned and closed her eyes. She flickered through the vision of her tamed birds until... there!
Her palace guards were squaring off against two people. Correction, one person who had an ally standing back. The one doing the fighting was the Siberian!
Nsiia remembered her! It seemed like the trip to Pomle was a lifetime ago. The Zebra-beastkin had vanished, though there had been tales of her fighting Illivere's army single-handedly. What was it? A 'newspaper'? She distinctly remembered someone telling her that an account of the war in general, and Illivere's progress in particular, had been available for purchase. Written by... 'Rémi Canada'?
Given how easily Sibby was subduing her [Guards], it was believable. Not that Nsiia had ever had any doubts. The Siberian was no neophyte to combat, as her stories had told.
"General, please go and see to our visitors. Escort them inside."
Vasraf nodded and strolled out of the throne room to see to the situation.
Nsiia winced as the Siberian kicked another man in the stomach hard enough to send him flying several feet. No casualties. No blood. How had the fight started?
And who was that man with her? Judging by how he was palming his face while shaking his head, things were equally out of his control.
...
"Siberian." Nsiia nodded to her, now that the... skirmish outside had been dealt with. "It makes me happy to see you again. I've heard tales of your exploits on the eastern front."
Sibby smiled broadly and preened under her praise. "Thanks!"
"Indeed. Tiqr is grateful for your aid." Especially since the Siberian wasn't one of her subjects. "It raises our spirits to have a single ally when every other country turns against us." There, that was a good opening for Sibby to explain herself.
And to explain who the man accompanying her was. The Siberian looked hale and healthy, so if she had ceased her one-woman campaign, there was bound to be a good reason. With, hopefully, good news to go with it.
"If I may." The man stepped forward and bowed. "My name is Pixel, the Archmage of Cubes."
Nsiia raised an eyebrow, while the Siberian turned towards Pixel and tilted her head.
"Well met, Pixel. What brings you to Tiqr in these dark days?"
"I came to find Sibby." Pixel straightened and turned to smile at the Siberian. "Now that I have, I would like to help you end this war."
Nsiia nodded. "We will graciously accept any aid to us and our armies." She'd never heard of Pixel before, but if he was indeed an Archmage, then his help would be invaluable. "If the Siberian thinks highly of you, then you must be high-level."
Pixel smiled. "I'm sure I can help turn the tide."
"A bold claim." Nsiia smiled back. She liked boldness. "Please coordinate with General Vasraf." She gestured to him.
"Actually, do you have some empty land you could direct me to?" Pixel countered. "I'll need to raise a tower to get a good angle on the armies. It should also be far away from anything important, as I might be retaliated against."
I looked at the savanna we'd been directed to. It was pretty far away from the capital. There were a lot of refugees around Oliphant, so I didn't want to stay closer.
'What are you doing?' Sibby asked me.
I held the pixelated seed in my hand. "Just like I said, I'm going to Craft a tower."
'Why?'
"I need to get line of sight on all the armies at once."
'You can just fly.'
"I also need a target for any attacks."
'Huh?'
I pressed the seed into the ground. It was a fairly simple construct. I should be finished by tonight.
"Not all of us can reform, Sibby." I smirked at her. "Magic is dangerous and I have no idea what our opponents can do. I doubt they can actually out-range me, but it's possible. Far more likely is that they send [Assassins] after me."
'Ah! I get it! Minimize collateral damage.'
I gave her a look.
'William told me that.' Sibby smiled brightly.
"Yes, that's the general idea." The top of the spire was already starting to emerge from the ground. "I also need to inform Wistram of what I'm about to do."
'Why?'
"I'm an ally of theirs. It's good manners to at least give them forewarning." Plus, it was probably one of their Archmages that had sent me the message. I could see what that was about, check in on the Earthers, and let Wistram know I was about to kill tens of thousands of people all at once.
As I reached out to the Communication Cube, I started to Craft some long-range missiles. The tower is going to use all the materials underground to fuel its growth, so I'll need to provide the components for my weapons myself. Which means, of course, that I'll be consuming even more of my Tinkertech that I have stored in my Inventory.
I still have a good amount, but it's always worrying when your stock of potions goes down in a game.
Cognita strolled through Wistram on her usual patrol.
It was nice to have a habit because lately she'd been feeling... off.
She just hadn't seen or spoken with Zelkyr for so long. She missed him, and still guarded his legacy, but... It just wasn't as fulfilling as it had once been. She was even considering taking a trip.
The sound of footsteps and the dragging of cloth against stone let her know that a [Mage] was hurrying down the hallway behind her. Not many came to this area of the school, so she turned around to see what brought one of the living spell-casters of Wistram to this floor.
"Greetings, Blackmage." Cognita nodded to Aaron Vanwell as he came closer. While there were now other Earthers in Wistram who used their given names, Aaron still preferred to be referred to by his alias.
"Hello, Cognita." He bowed his head at her.
"Is there something I can help you with?" She asked. The Earthers as a whole didn't have the fear of her that the regular [Mages] of Wistram did. That was because they'd never tried to pass Zelkyr's test, nor known any that had made the attempt and died at her hands.
"Yes, I mean, no, I mean..." Aaron took a breath. "I'd like to ask for your help, but it's not for me."
"Who is it then?" Cognita raised a single eyebrow as she looked at him. Suddenly, a man appeared out of thin air without the slightest trace of magic.
"That would be me, Cognita." Pixel was in his other-worldly armor. Or rather, the image of Pixel was dressed as such. "I would speak with you and have you perform a minor task for me if you don't mind."
"What is the task?" Cognita turned to the image.
"I have some information I'd like to tell to the Archmages, and to you. I wouldn't want to trust it to a [Message] Spell."
"Ah. You want to use your 'Tinkertech' to convey it, and you would like me to carry the Communication Cube to their presence."
Pixel's body shifted slightly as his shoulders relaxed and his head nodded. "Yes. I don't want to take up your time, but I also want to let them know what I'm going to do in person instead of hearing about it afterwards from a third party."
"Very well." Cognita nodded in return. "I shall do this for you." Inside, she had to admit, Cognita was happy to have a diversion. Ceaselessly patrolling was starting to feel rather dull.
Aaron pulled the softly glowing cube out of his pocket and held it up to her. Cognita daintily took it. Pixel's devices were sturdy enough, but that didn't mean that she shouldn't treat them with care.
"Hey, can I, uh, stay and listen?" Aaron asked after taking a step back.
Cognita faintly smiled. Wistram [Mages] were all the same when it came to a secret. Young Aaron Vanwell seemed to be learning. "I do not mind." She then turned to face Pixel.
"I don't mind either." Pixel shrugged. "Just be warned that this 'secret' isn't going to be of any value come nightfall."
"Oh?" Cognita regarded him. "That implies that the thing you are about to do will be widely known." Otherwise, it would still be a secret for a while after the fact.
"That's right." Pixel nodded. "I'm going to destroy all the armies invading Tiqr."
Aaron's eyes bulged. "Wait, what?! How many armies are we talking about here?"
"Twelve in total, but only one of true significance."
"That seems... ambitious." Cognita, herself, could face the army of a smaller nation alone. She had done so in the past. "I also wouldn't call only one of them 'significant'."
"Yeah, I mean, I get that you're crazy strong, but..." Aaron added. "Have you... done stuff like that before?"
It seemed a fair question, given Pixel's confidence.
"I have missiles."
"Missiles?"
"Yes. Enough to target every army simultaneously."
"Wait, wait, wait!" Aaron held up his hands. "What kind of missiles are we talking about? Nukes?"
"I do have some potent weapons at my disposal, but I won't be using anything that will scar the land like that." The way he said it implied that such a restriction was by choice rather than anything else.
Cognita... might have underestimated Pixel. The way that he and Aaron were casually talking about such things made her wonder. "What level spell are we talking about?"
Pixel stroked his chin. "I would classify the missiles I'm going to use as... Tier 6."
"Tier 6 spells are powerful, but you would need quite a few to overwhelm an army hundreds of thousands strong." There were, of course, artifacts and spells from ancient times that were stronger, but nations horded them like Drakes lusted for gold.
"Yeah, shouldn't you, y'know, kill the leaders of the armies instead of carpet bombing the nation you're defending?"
"I would, except..." Pixel shook his head. "When you eliminate a gang leader, it doesn't stop there. Some of the gang members will slink back into the shadows, but some of them become a mob."
Cognita nodded. "Armies that lose their leaders have been known to become [Bandits]." This too she had seen happen personally. "The end result is always more fighting."
"But, still..."
Pixel held up a hand. "That's why I plan on displaying overwhelming power and forcing the armies to withdraw or die." He tilted his head. "I think I'll threaten the leaders directly. Give them some good incentive to retreat." He turned to look directly at Aaron. "The best outcome would be to have the armies leave without any more casualties on either side."
"Impossible." Cognita crossed her arms, the communication cube still held lightly in her grasp. "There has been too much blood spilt for each nation already. Wars do not end without a great deal more done." It was a flaw in the reasoning of leaders.
"A sunk cost fallacy." Pixel added.
"Yeah." Aaron sighed. "I get it. Countries don't like to back down. Once someone makes up their mind..."
"Precisely."
"Will you be asking the other Archmages for assistance?" Cognita asked for Aaron's sake. She'd find out soon enough on her own - especially if Pixel visited Amerys. The Archmage of Lightning was the only real battle [Mage] in Wistram. She also was allied with the King of Destruction.
Good or bad, if Pixel released her to help him fight his war, Wistram would be seen by many to be supporting Flos Reimarch. The Carved Golem assumed that was why the various factions had united to oppose the newly re-awakened king.
After all, there were lots of other conflicts in the world that the Archmages by and large stayed out of.
"No." The image of Pixel shook his head. "While I'm allied with Wistram, I'm going to be doing this for myself. I don't need anyone else getting involved."
"For yourself..." Aaron mumbled before his eyes widened. "Ah! Because you aren't trying to rescue any Earthers! It's not part of your mission!"
"Correct." Pixel nodded. "This may or may not help with that. On one hand, there's no direct benefit for any Earther, unless of course they arrived in Tiqr. But, I will be essentially stepping into the world stage." Pixel motioned to his armor. "My very image should be enough to let any Earthers know of my origin."
"Yeah." Aaron's face twisted into a wry smile. "Even people that never played Metroid will still recognize a video game character."
Metroid? Cognita wondered to herself what the two of them were talking about.
"However, even if things go exactly as I want them to, I will have earned the enmity of a lot of countries."
"Great people cannot make their mark on history without earning the scorn of their lessers." Cognita remembered just how many [Assassins] she'd personally killed from kingdoms that hated Zelkyr. "Wistram is safe, but other Earthers might be retaliated against if you anger the world." Her words hung in the air between the three of them for a moment before she continued. "But, fear of retaliation can dissuade a lot of such actions. As does the fact that your appearance, while unique, does not mark you as an 'Earther' for any except people from your world."
"All that is true." Pixel raised his hand and made a fist. "But... this is ultimately simpler than that. The choice I made as a... superhero, was to never ignore stuff that happens in front of me. There's always the thought that I could be doing more, and the best way that I decided to live was to do what I could with where I was."
"With great power comes great responsibility."
Both Pixel and Cognita turned to stare at Aaron. That... was a powerful phrase.
"Activate it." Thelican lounged on his silk couch as his [Mage] cast the scrying spell. The Djinni had abruptly left last night. Would it return this night? Only time would tell.
The [Great General] smirked. It mattered little to him. He'd already gotten his compensation from Roshal. It didn't matter so much to him when they captured the creature. If it was intelligent enough to avoid them, then that was that.
As long as it was out of Thelican's hair, it didn't matter for the moment.
But... there was a chance that the Djinni had abandoned its assault for some other reason. The reaction it had shown wasn't one of noticing something ahead. Rather, it was sensing something behind it.
A... master, perhaps?
One could say it was in a Djinni's nature to serve. For a newly formed one to find a master on its own without any binding shackles was certainly an... intriguing possibility. One that would doubtlessly make for a tragic story as the Djinni's true nature revealed itself. But one that he'd listen a [Bard] tell.
His [Mage] gasped suddenly.
"What is it?" Thelican leaned forward to gaze into the mirror. "Did you find the Djinni?" He frowned. "This isn't even pointed at the ground! Why would-"
Thelican also gasped as the Giant came into view as the scrying spell panned up. A golem of enormous proportions was towering above his army.
"Sir!" Another [Mage] burst into his tent. "We are getting messages from the front lines! There are Giants approaching!"
"Yes, yes, I see it." Thelican made a dismissive motion with his hand. "Can't you see what image is already in the scrying-" He paused. The [Mage] had said something important after all. "Did you say 'Giants', as in plural?"
"Yes, sir!" His underling nodded before putting his hand to his temple. "Other messages incoming..." His eyes grew wide. "Sir! Illivere is reporting a Giant confronting them! As is Savere! And-"
"Enough!" Thelican flexed his aura slightly to silence the nervous fool. "It's obviously a trick. There is no way that-"
"Greetings. I am Pixel, the Archmage of Cubes. And I have a message for the people who decided to invade Tiqr."
The 'Archmage of Cubes'? That would explain his appearance.
"All of you are pathetic excuses for leaders." The Giants spoke as one. Thelican could hear it across the miles to the edge of his camp. The voice was strangely at a normal volume level, as if the words were being broadcast to him instead of shouted across the front lines. "You fear the King of Destruction conquering you, so you instead conquer your neighbor? One country disagrees with you, so you destroy it? Loot it? Enslave its people?"
The Giants in the crystal ball looked contemptuously down at them. Even if it had no expression due to its armor, or being a golem, its posture relayed its clear lack of respect.
"You are morons. Corrupt power-hungry opportunists. Idiotic inbred imbeciles of the highest order. Didn't you think about who benefits from this? Is it you? No. You've gained gold, gems, and slaves, but now the world can see what you're really like. The part that escapes your meager intellects is that one of you will be next. When the next one of you dares to speak out about another issue, they too will be destroyed by your 'alliance'."
The Giants then laughed. A booming chuckle that echoed across the horizon. Thelican clenched his fists and ground his teeth. How dare he say such things?! The lesser [Kings] and [Queens] might indeed be lacking, but Nerrhavia's Fallen was the greatest country in the world!
"And who gains from that in the end? Not you. Who's being hurt? Not Flos. In fact, you're doing him a favor by resorting to the language he speaks so easily: violence. And since you've decided to enforce your will by such means, then I will respond in turn."
The threat hung in the air as the Giants paused.
"But, unfortunately, I'm too weak. Too weak to hunt down all your commanders one-by-one in a timely fashion. If I had arrived earlier, if you and your armies weren't inside the borders of another nation, if I had my allies with me, if I had gotten word of this charade sooner, then I could've done this with less bloodshed. As it is... I will simply have to kill the leaders who decided on this course of action only after I've slaughtered everyone else. So now I speak to those who are 'just following orders': run. Flee if you value your lives, and I will try not to include you in my AoEs." The Giants shrugged. "Or die. History won't remember you either way."
"Ayeohies? What's an 'Ayeohie'?" Thelican muttered as his [Army Dangersense] started to itch at the back of his mind.
He then saw the Ayeohie inside of the crystal ball. It came from behind Pixel and over the horizon. A vast distance that even the finest Magic Thrower war machines of Nerrhavia's Fallen came nowhere near matching. It was quicker than a [Fast Fireball]: despite the great distance it had traveled, it struck after flying in the air for a mere minute. The projectile was smaller than a [Valmira's Comet], but the explosion it created dwarfed a [Siege Fireball]. A blast of heat and flames tore apart a chunk of Tiqr hundreds of feet across. All the [Soldiers] inside of the area had been vaporized in an instant by a fire so profound that he could swear he felt the heat from it within his command tent miles and miles away.
Then... the second Ayeohie hit.
Bios:
Nsiia Oliphant - [Empress of Beasts]. Ruler of Tiqr. Currently thinking that making friends with the Siberian was one of her best decisions ever.