《Returning to Legacy》 Prologue V 1 Somewhere in the Citadel, Y824 ¡°The Great Empire of Kyrad united 824 years ago by our God King Kyra. In his benevolence we were saved from our moment of weakness. An invasion from the west by the Barbarian hordes and cancerous ministers and lords who do nothing about monsters eating or slaughtering their subjects. With his martial skill and tactical prowess he thwarted the invading horde and excised the corrupt lords of that age. There are many tales of his origins, a being of noble birth, a divine being sent from the stars etc. But not was he only great with a weapon. He ruled fairly and just until the civil war known as The Feud. Great Kyra blessed be his name had ruled for over 129 years without any sign of aging and it was clear as day the people did not wish for a new leader. However, his most beloved grandchild Naten made an attempt with a coup. Making deals with creatures and accepting false gods. Naten had gathered many under his banner to overthrow his grandfather. But we both know how it all ended. With the God King mortally wounded and heartbroken. *bell tolls* Ok Avlyn that¡¯s all you¡¯re going to learn from me. I hear you¡¯re getting a new butler tomorrow. Good Luck¡± a learned man quickly sees himself out. ¡°God I thought it would never end with that boring lecture¡± a young princess yawns away without minding her surroundings. Skipping out of her door she slams onto a wall. ¡°How were classes my dear?¡± the king himself Lord Gismund had came to check on his daughter. As she slowly peels off his tough body. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you teach me this yourself instead dad?¡± the pouting girl replies. ¡°You know how it is with managing the council and the empire.¡± The father shrugs. ¡° I¡¯m sorry for not being there for you, but I hope the attendant I¡¯ve hired for you would suffice for the moment while I settle certain matters¡± ¡°Yes and I¡¯ll be having him run off the castle in a week.¡± Whispers the daughter. ¡°Say again?¡± ¡°Oh nothing father. Thank you for checking on me¡± reserving a smile for her dear father. Next Day At the gates of the castle walls which reaches so high that even a mountain giant would take a moment to climb. Never thought I¡¯d return home like this. But I definitely prefer this over a grand ceremony with battalions of soldiers lining up for my return. Who would ever guess that the King would return as a personal attendant. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Taking in the sights of all the changes over the past few centuries, I approach the gates. I notice an old guard who seemed not happy with his job placement. ¡°Present your papers please.¡± The old guard who was bored out of his mind asked. I present the documents and state my business. While staring at a statue with over-exaggerated proportions. I don¡¯t remember ever having such huge thighs or such huge biceps. Plus I can¡¯t grow chest hair. I¡¯m going to have to find out who made that statue and ask for his sources. ¡°So you¡¯re the new personal attendant? Kyra bless your soul¡± the guard says with a tone of pity and remorse. While scanning me up and down. ¡°Yeah, though I don¡¯t think I need the blessings¡± I said with a cheeky smile while snapping my neck back to the conversation. Why would i need my own blessing? ¡°Har! There¡¯s some confidence! I¡¯m betting he¡¯ll last.¡± the guard captain shouts over. ¡°Hmm, i¡¯ll take your bet. Also you¡¯re pretty well built for a butler aren¡¯t you? Don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen you around in town and I¡¯ve lived here all my life!¡± the old man smiles with an assurance of a free drink coming his way. ¡°Well, it¡¯s been a very long time since I¡¯ve been back here. Traveled all over and I¡¯m finally back home I guess.¡± ¡°Is that so? Well I can see why they hired you then. You must have a wealth of experience traveling all over. Welcome back then.¡± The old guard stretches out his hand. ¡°Thanks and you have no idea. Hahaha.¡± Shaking his small frail hand. ¡°One last thing! Go easy on the princess she¡¯s only 11!¡± the old guard shouts over to me. What? I wasn¡¯t informed she was that young. Oh well that won¡¯t stop me from enjoying this long trip back here. Besides after 400 years, you can bet it feels great to return home. Plus I¡¯m curious enough to see what has become of my family or descendants. With a huge backpack I walked into the great maw of the castle. Chapter 1 The God King Nanny Author''s Notes: well this is humbling and surprising. My story has followers XD. I humbly beg for "CONSTRUCTIVE" criticism as to point out flaws and grammatical errors as well as areas to improve upon as i have no prior experience to writing. Although, I''m confident in my english but i''ll quickly point out that i''m human and will no doubt make errors. Thank you all for taking the time to read as this is just a story i squeeze out in the middle of the night when i can''t sleep. This chapter was finished in 5.40a.m so perhaps i''m an insomniac XD. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Citadel Upper Floors, Y824, Kyra The God King they call me. Guardian of the Empire and Saviour of the States. I expected this but can¡¯t bring myself to ever get used to this. All this fame and responsibility from driving the Barbarians of the West and from uniting what was is now known as the Empire of Kyrad. Petty lords and corrupt pot-bellied officials had forced my hand onto revealing myself to save what¡¯s left of our people. I never asked for immortality. But I don¡¯t regret my decision to protect my family. As I was reminded of past mistakes and the stories of a time before even this castle was built due to walking these corridors. I was being briefed by the chamberlain about my duties and responsibilities while being escorted to my chambers and later towards the princess¡¯s chambers where I can begin my duties. The chamberlain wished me luck and skirted away as we were right outside her chambers. Before I knocked on the door I was hit with a dreaded sense of foreboding. Opening the door with caution. I see a wired mechanism next to a water runestone. No doubt this was a prank made in poor taste by someone who had nothing better to do. Stretching my senses I found the perpetrator hiding in the corner of the room. Noticing who it was. I decided to amuse the young lady by stepping into it. *Splash* *Splat* *Poof*. Hmm, this is unexpected. I thought I saw only 2 mechanisms. But being covered in water, tar and feathers proves that I misjudged the girl¡¯s skills at tinkering. *Giggle* well now ain¡¯t that a cute devilish grin. I told myself. A charming little girl with glistening black hair and sharp features. No doubt there¡¯ll be wars and duels fought over her when she matures. ¡°Hello, my name is Kyra.¡± as I address myself to the princess. ¡°That¡¯s a very common name and you¡¯re not mad? Not sure if I find that impressive or boring.¡± As she speaks her mind out loud. Oh mercy, she¡¯s gonna be a handful. No wonder that guard offered me blessings. If I¡¯d known I should have taken the offer. ¡°I¡¯m giving you 2 weeks tops.¡± The girl says victoriously to me. ¡°Oh, my little lady. I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ll be staying here for the long run.¡± As I smile towards her. ¡°Ewww, you¡¯re one of those perverted ass-kissers that tries to get on my good side by letting me win.¡± The girl says in disgust. Ass-kisser!? Where does she even learn these things? Is it common for young ladies of noble birth to say these things? Am I out of touch with the times? As I struggled to understand how her basic etiquette came to be like this. She continued. ¡°Say looking at you closely you¡¯re pretty tall and handsome. Not to mention you¡¯re about as big as my father.¡± The girl says staring at me. ¡°Why Thank you.¡± As I snap back to reality. Who¡¯s the ass-kisser now? Wasn¡¯t she threatening to kick me off in 2 weeks? Children can be so random at times. As I stood there staring back at her and processing my thoughts. The King walks by and he sees a birdman standing in the corridor. With a simple glance he identified who I was with a look of amusement and remorse. ¡°Well now I see you¡¯ve both met¡± as he takes a small distance from me. ¡°Avlyn you promised me you wouldn¡¯t do this. Sorry about this Mr. Kyra¡± I was stunned at how humble my descendant was. Thank the heavens. The King then proceeds to lecture the daughter about her attitude and how it was unbecoming of a princess of a large empire. Although I don¡¯t disagree with a tough love, I felt sorry for the poor girl with her blackened hands as she stood there obediently. ¡°Avlyn, although you¡¯ve ruined introductions. This is Mr. Kyra who¡¯ll be your personal attendant from today onwards.¡± ¡°Also Mr. Kyra I hope you exercise restraint when dealing with my daughter¡± As the King gives me a look of a overprotective parent before walking off as an adviser calls him over. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Looking closely back to the princess. I can clearly see that she was on the verge of tears and I can see why she needed a personal attendant. Her father can¡¯t make time for her it seems. So I¡¯m here to pick up the pieces or cover up for the King until he can make time. ¡°There, there. I¡¯m sure your father meant well. No need to cry and beat yourself up over it¡± as I made an effort to comfort her. Though I admit despite living for so long I did not spend much time with children. So I¡¯m not too sure if my advice was structured for children. However, she sprung back to life as a thought came through her mind. ¡°Come with me as she grabbed onto my hand.¡± With a face full of anger. She led me onto the courtyard telling me she wanted to have a sparring match. Reasoning to me that she held no respect for attendants who were weaker than she was. I¡¯m guessing she reacted to the word ¡°beat¡± and came to the conclusion on how she was going to vent her frustrations. Finally it hit me as to why I was tested in combat before being allowed to be interviewed. No matter. This was a good way to quickly earn her respect and I know that a good workout will vent almost any frustration. Taking out her rapier, she stood at the ready on the opposite end of the courtyard. While my weapon was stored safely away in my room. I improvised by conveniently walking to the gardener¡¯s station to grab a rake and washing myself with a hose before standing before her. Instantly her face turns sour as she took offence at my weapon of choice. Offering me instead to use the practice weapons available. As I politely refused. She took a stance and charged me with speed I¡¯ve never before seen for a girl her age. It was more akin to the Dark Elf assassins I met a couple decades ago. Shuddering in my past thoughts as I was about to receive the trust. I quickly side stepped and placed my gardening tool in the path of her feet. She tumbled and fell into the well trimmed bush that was neatly shaped. Coming out of the bush I saw that she had no cuts or bruises and it confirmed my suspicion. She was my descendant. Gifted with speed, strength and toughness. She was a warrior princess which I can almost swear I saw steam blowing out of her ears and nose. She reminded me of a tribe of warrior women I met far south in the islands. They were cannibals. Having yet to admit defeat she came charging straight out trusting and slashing with her rapier again. She was rather skilled and I can clearly see why her past attendants did not live up to her standards. Her weapon was clearly enchanted as well. Making a mockery of my rake¡¯s durability as the wooden handle was getting chipped away despite my skillful deflection of her blows. Having seen enough I switched to the offense and charged her instead. As I attempted to force her into submission by disarming her. She came rushing towards me with her fist and kicks. Finally, my patience wears a little thin and I tripped her straight onto the floor and I sat on her back while pulling her legs onto her back. Her arm strength alone was enough to lift me up but I applied enough strength to weigh her down into surrendering. Listening closely, I hear an incantation as she muttered words of power to gather mana into herself. Oh boy, this is gonna take extra effort from me to subdue this lady. With added strength of both divinity and mana I backed off quickly as I could not ascertain how much strength I¡¯d need to pin her down. She back flipped onto the opposite end of the courtyard staring daggers at me. If looks could kill, I believe I was dead in her eyes already. Realizing she could not win with a weapon she came swinging again. Then it hit me. Like a troll¡¯s fart under the bridge. I forgot that I came here to help her vent her anger and I made it worst instead. Reinforcing my body slightly. I let her swing her fist at me while being careful not to let her hit any hard bones or my privates. Before long she grew frustrated and was complaining about lack of effort. ¡°What do I prove even if I win? That I can beat an 11 year old girl? Hit me until you feel better and I¡¯ll slowly sort out your feelings later.¡± I answered. I wish now I spent at least a few decades conversing with children. Could almost swear to myself that I was saying the wrong words. She dropped onto her knees in front of me which prompted me to look down and be wary of low blows. Then she unleashed her greatest weapon. Which even I was hardly immune to with my wealth of experience in combat and my gifts. She cried. Chapter 2 The God King Nanny 2 Author''s Notes: As usual, I humbly beg for "CONSTRUCTIVE" criticism as to point out flaws and grammatical errors as well as areas to improve upon as i have no prior experience to writing. Finished this at 3.20 this time mwahahahaha, But honestly, i need input on where to improve because in my head the story sounds ok, but it might not be for the people who''re reading it. GIMMMMMMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE REVIEWSSSSSS will release more chapters as usual when i can''t sleep and Yes i do plan ahead as to not fck it up. Also if you''ve noticed i try not to add foul language into the novel XD _____________________________________________________________________________________ Citadel Library, Y824, Kyra ¡°Grandpa, will I be King one day?¡± the most innocent little boy ask. ¡°Of course, the people will come to love you Naten and let me remind you that no king should rule forever.¡± Not knowing that this sentence will come back to bite me and haunt me for centuries to come. Scenes of carnage and betrayal sweeps my mind as I stand at attention at the princess¡¯s corner while she¡¯s receiving a lecture on history. Heavens forbid the amount of inaccuracies and times I wished to walk across the room to punch him straight back to the professors that taught this individual. Class ends with the scholar quickly dashing out the room. Avlyn gives me a look of terror and discomfort. Opps, I guess I was leaking out too much blood lust. Over the past few weeks she has come to accept me but her curiosity will be the soon be the death of me. The staggering amount of questions she bombards me regarding my origins and journey across the lands will leave my mouth hanging. But there is one moment respite that always cheers us both it seems. After almost every class, she has has constantly asking me to spar with her and guide her onto improving. May the heavens show mercy on the man who will marry her because she will not. Also to note that I¡¯m getting rather irritated that the King does not manage to make time for his daughter. I thought I had always emphasized the importance of family. Perhaps he¡¯s taking his responsibilities as king far too seriously. Looks like I¡¯ll have to investigate on what is taking all his time. Princess Avlyn ¡°Cursed Kyra I still can¡¯t make a dent in his defense! How is he this skilled? If he was an adventurer or a elite soldier of the empire, I definitely would¡¯ve heard of him.¡± Pondered the young maiden as she screams into her pillow. As she turns makes a turn at a corridor she see Kyra walking towards the Throne room. ¡°!!!¡± without any conscious reason, she slows her step and moves to follow him. Curious as to what he plans to do. Knowing her father is not currently in the Throne room as it was late in the evening. Kyra should have no business in the throne room. Not to mention the Master Rune Living Armor will not permit just anyone to walk straight in unless provided they have a badge of authority by his majesty himself. The moment Kyra walks in, the inanimate armor comes to life. The princess jumps out in surprise in fear for Kyra¡¯s safety as the Living Armor was said to be able to even best drakes or demons easily. However, the bigger surprise was that the armor did not ready their weapons for combat. Instead they bowed to Kyra in gesture of a welcome. Kyra Kyra senses her and turns around noticing too late that the princess had been following him. ¡°I knew I should have remained vigilant. I swear I would¡¯ve been able to sense a rat breathing in a corner of this citadel if I wasn¡¯t complacent. ¡± as he thought to himself while looking at Avlyn. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°Why aren¡¯t they attacking? Why are they bowing? They never done this for generations!¡± says the girl with her face screaming with questions and curiosity. I¡¯m dead, the pomp and ceremony that¡¯ll follow will surely bore me to death. Unless¡­. ¡°It¡¯s a trick. Even you can have them bow before you if you know the trick.¡± As I lay it out with such assurance that even a conman would be proud. The girl does not seem convinced and says ¡°If it is a trick, how do you know it when the maker has died about 700 years ago? Aren¡¯t they there since during the time when the empire was 1st founded?¡± Yes, my sweet little child. I was in class with you that day as I scream my insides out as I felt that I was hit with a nail in the chest. No choice I told myself All or Nothing. ¡°I traveled a lot remember? I¡¯ve come across ruins with such armors and I¡¯ve visited Lord Tori¡¯s tomb! So it would be natural to come across these neat little tricks.¡± Spoken with my will wavering and crumbling. Hopefully she does not notice as even the most thick headed man or woman of the empire knows that the armor has no such tricks. ¡°Really?! Teach me, teach me!¡± with excitement in the air. Oh sweet heavens, she is gullible. But that¡¯s what so adorable about her I guess. So young and innocent and falling for old tricks. True to my word, I lean towards the armor and inscribe her name onto their armor to have them bow to her too. Thanking Tori in the afterlife for forcing me to learn his art all those years ago. I quickly tell her that the trick only works if she heads of to bed now. With her scuttling off like a rat but with the speed of a demigod. Stretching my senses again to check the situation. I actually see that she was indeed in bed, while I head for the trap door in the throne room which leads to the King¡¯s chamber. Intoning a spell of wind to change my voice and to silence my step. I slip into the King¡¯s chamber. Careful not to trip the magic enchantments on the floor. Noticing he¡¯s asleep and alone I come across a startling fact as I read through the documents available in his room. The Queen was my direct descendant whereas he was from a branch family. Reading slowly I see that she fell ill and passed which raised a lot of suspicion as I know that my line does not fall ill easily. But I can see that he loved her dearly as there was a corner of the room filled letters of love that are exchanged between them. Another corner was filled with investigation papers to a few corrupted high lords who are suspected but never proven. Looking closely, I can see that he was vindictive in trying to prove that it was a murder. Taking the document I decided that I will continue the investigations in my own time. With 1 final task before I leave. I suppress the spells and enchantments on the floor with my divinity as well as mana. ¡°King Gismund, you are to spend more time with your daughter.¡± I whisper into his ear the words laced with power. Hearing him mutter the sentence again. I confirm that my spell has taken effect and make my escape. However, next day I came to know that I released far too much power onto the room and fried every enchantment and spell. Which set the castle on high alert. But it was all good. No one comes in or out of the castle meaning King Gismund can put off some work so that the father and daughter can spend more time with each other but with the downside of having more Royal Companions around. Looking at their faces at the end of the day, not even the strict and stiff faces of the Royal Companions could dampen their mood. Now, I slip out of the castle to do some work of my own. Chapter 3 The Avenging Ancestor Author''s Notes: As usual, I humbly beg for "CONSTRUCTIVE" criticism as to point out flaws and grammatical errors as well as areas to improve upon as i have no prior experience to writing. Makes me wonder what it''d be like if i write with a fresh mind instead. Wondering if the story is paced too slowly. But i need a solid foundation of man returning after god knows how many years. plus emotions are bound to run freely XD. Thank you all for reading and suggest me tags to put on since i''m a clueless dumbo =D Love you readers who waste time on the thing i waste my time on =P _____________________________________________________________________________________ Noble¡¯s District, Kyra Reading the names of the suspects. I find 2 family names I was familiar with. The great house of Tangilus and the noble Salomet. They were my greatest allies when I unified the empire, the first to join me when I rallied the states. The names brings a tint of sadness as I remember the heads of both houses were murdered by my grandson all those years ago. If their families follow tradition or even hold onto a sliver of the moral codes set down by Ser Tangilus or Ser Salomet, I have no doubt that the families are not involved in any murder plot. However, it doesn¡¯t hurt to double check. Either they had real bad apples down the line or these investigation papers have been tampered with. Inquiring information from pedestrians tells me they are very close to the royal family and also how they act. The more information I dig up about it, I came to know that the 3rd great family of Eter rose up roughly 400 years ago during the time when the empire was seething with corruption and power hungry individuals. A civil war occurred and the royal faction won with the family being raised in status. Heading to the library to catch up on history, I only find out about the details everyone already knows on the street. With no one to turn to as they¡¯re either dead or I''ve lost contact with them. I set about to my next best idea which hopefully doesn¡¯t backfire on me. The House of Salomet, archmage and seeker of knowledge of the empire. I can bet their estate contains more detailed accounts of history. Remembering the location I find that the house turned into a castle. Perfect, either I vault over the walls or walk in the front door. But looking closely at the walls and the personnel guarding it, I told myself it was as hopeless as sneaking up on a Dragon. With my options cut down to only walking the front door. I make a request to see the head of the house by using the royal seal I have with me. Being escorted to the guest room. I patiently wait while staring around the room and stretching my senses. Noticing a woman coming to greet with as the guard relays the message. Upon the door opening, the head of house has her eyes bulge in shock and I came to a sickening realization that I forgot what happened to Ser Salomet¡¯s wife. She was an Elf, like her husband was also a seeker of knowledge and they both fell in love soon after with matching interest. I can see her regaining her composure. While I¡¯m panicking and screaming in my head as to what she¡¯ll do to me. She ushers the guard out of the room while giving me a look of disapproval or anger. With a panic ridden voice I say ¡°Long time no see Minerva?¡± Minerva It was just a typical day like any other for me in this castle. As I test my experiments and think of new findings or discoveries. The years or centuries have yielded so much and yet I grow bored. Despite looking like a young maiden with silver hair and a slim figure. I grow tired of the years. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. A guard comes to me telling me someone is bearing the royal seal to have an audience with me. As the matriarch of the house of my late husband. I had an obligation to see this buffoon who thinks that a simple royal seal is all it takes to have an audience with me. Walking towards the guest room with the resolve to chew apart the neanderthal that interrupted my time with my research. I gasped in surprise to actually find a real close relative of a neanderthal in my guest room. One which I recognize all those centuries ago. Expelling the guard and gathering my composure as well as some questions. The fool speaks in panic about how long we haven¡¯t met. God Temis, I am so tempted to chant the most powerful spell I can conjure right now to smite this man. Oh yes, I forgot he¡¯s a god too. ¡°Long time no see Minerva? That¡¯s what you have to say for disappearing all those years ago? Do you know how torn down the Empire was when you left? How injured and heartbroken I was that you left without saying Goodbye or even attend my husband¡¯s funeral?¡± not the questions I wanted to say but my emotions get the better of me. ¡°Kyra you bloody fool!¡± as i scream at the caveman. Ok my composure and questions have failed me. Kyra Dammit, what in the seven hells have I done. I stand and walk to hug her, while noticing scars lining down her back. Regret fills me again that I should have taken faster to overcome my lost and visited sooner to check on her health. ¡°Ok, think Kyra think. How can I salvage this situation?¡± as I ponder in my head. She breaks off from my hug with a look of fury. What happens next comes closest to the saying ¡°Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.¡± As she fires off a lightning bolt which could have killed me if I was a normal human being. Being flung across the room while breaking the furniture. I stand up to see her finish casting a spell. Have mercy woman! As I take another hit with a huge arcane missile across the chest. Blowing me straight across a few walls. Ok this actually hurts. I have magic immunity but only to an extent I can ignore most small spells. Wishing I had worn my armor or even my amulet. I see a guard look at me as he opens the door to my room. My blood chills as she walks across the broken walls like an Ogre Champion I fought in the past who did the same to me. The guard with a look of realization quickly walks off as if nothing happened. Smart man. ¡°Minerva, calm down lets talk this out. No need to get violent.¡± Trying my best to communicate words with enraged psychopath as she pounds me into the floor with more arcane missiles. I believe I had more luck communicating with that Ogre Champion. As I start to feel sore and my ribs straining under the pressure. It is no wonder she is the head of Salomet as her spells hold such potency that even I have trouble taking them without the help of infusing mana and divinity. I continue begging her to stop before I had to resort to drastic measure. I see more people gather outside the room which I presume are the family members. She notices them and stops her rampage. Sweet tender mercy, as I get up to look at her with blood coming out of a cut in my mouth. She looks at me and goes down on her knees in horror of what she¡¯s done. What came later was even more surprising as I never expected a woman at the age of 1200 years to do. Tears fall and I tell myself that I¡¯m horrible with women. Bless me for the trials to come. Chapter 4 The Avenging Ancestor 2 Author''s Notes: As usual, I humbly beg for "CONSTRUCTIVE" criticism as to point out flaws and grammatical errors as well as areas to improve upon as i have no prior experience to writing. Noticed that the POV''s are TINY!!! now i added little stars so they twinkle and shine XD. Also noticed my chapters are kinda short so i made eXtra effort for this chapter to be as long as my **** XD. _____________________________________________________________________________________ ***Salomet Estate Castle, Minerva*** ¡°Matriarch you can¡¯t be serious! We are to lend our resources in it¡¯s entirety to this stranger?!¡± my grandchild Raven says in opposition. While walking towards the main hall after I have regained self-control over my feelings. I have my family call me Matriarch to avoid hearing the words Grandmother, Great Grandmother and so on. It touches something sensitive in me to realize that I am aged in human standards. Plus, I¡¯m still in my prime as an Elf so I don¡¯t want to be feeling old while people still call me The Beautiful Archmage. Although I have retired a few centuries ago but I¡¯m sure I¡¯m still beautiful. I hope. Raven is the current Archmage of the royal court after inheriting most of my knowledge and skills. Being part elf he looks to be the same age as I am now even though he has only just recently passed 600 years in age. He was remarking how he¡¯s seen him in the castle as the princess¡¯s personal attendant and how suspicious it was that he¡¯s here when the castle is on lockdown. I find it funny that he came out of exile to serve as a servant. Just as we enter the main hall, Kyra looks at me with regret still in his eyes. The fact that he is here after all this time means he needs our help and it doesn¡¯t take a genius such as myself to figure that out. ¡°Raven, meet Kyra PlainsWalker or Kyra Elf friend, Dragon Slayer or Demon Bane or most commonly known as Kyra the God King of the Empire¡± As I smirk to see my grandchild¡¯s reaction. He was about to shout profanities at Kyra before I quickly introduced him. With a look that I have not seen in centuries, he stood there stunned and confused before realizing who I was referring to. He kneels down faster before I can even laugh which kinda ruined the fun for me. Staring at me he asked ¡°Didn¡¯t the books say he fell when he confronted Naten?¡± still confused and in awe of the figure in front of him. I tell him that I¡¯ll brief him later on real history before Kyra interrupts me. ¡°I hope my identity remains in these halls Minerva.¡± Kyra warns me. I see that he hasn¡¯t changed much in that regard when it comes to fame and responsibility. The fiery look in his eyes shows that he is serious and I respect his wishes and ask my little Raven to keep this secret to himself. ¡°Fine, straight to business then. What do you need of the Noble house of Salomet?¡± doing a small curtsy in gesture of respect for his authority. ¡°I¡¯ve been gone for far too long and I need to be briefed on recent events. The rise of this new house Eter and the death of my direct descendant for starters.¡± With a voice I come to recognize filled with authority and charisma that would make any man or woman follow his command. Twitching at the name Eter. I smoothly convey what I know regarding the 2 subjects that he mentioned. Starting with how Eter came into power and also adding my opinion of how suspicious I find them growing into power so smoothly after the civil war of 400 years ago. Next I explain how we came into suspicion due to Eter casting out questionable evidence against us and Tangilus. At the end of my explanation. Kyra ask me how the house of Tangilus is doing. Squirming as I struggle to answer him. My grandchild who has been standing there like statue speaks out his mind at the worst topic. ¡°The house of Tangilus has fallen on hard times my lord.¡± Raven brings his opinion into the discussion. ***Kyra*** ¡°Elaborate please.¡± I command with my voice laced with concern. My best friend¡¯s family is in trouble? I would not spare a second thought at using my authority or powers to remedy the crisis that Tangilus¡¯s family is facing. ¡°No my lord, the current head of the house is in my opinion a poor reflection of what Tangilus was as a individual. Forgive me for speaking my mind but Lord Andre Tangilus is a mockery of the noble house of Tangilus with his character and attitude.¡± Raven reports to me with a wavering tone as he realizes he might have touched on a sensitive subject. ¡°Continue.¡± Was all that I needed to say to assure him that I will not persecute him. These habits and characteristics of a ruler gradually come back as I continue conversing. With a small grin he continues ¡°Lord Andre has been seen frolicking with women despite his marital status and is extremely harsh on his subjects. There have been reports of torture chambers and interrogation rooms. Unlike Ser Tangilus who ruled with your image in mind. Lord Andre has done the complete opposite. The Matriarch has made efforts to confront him regarding his administration with no observable changes.¡± Taking his summary about this new lord of Tangilus. I feel irritated while I process the thoughts in my head he continues to speak. ¡°However, all nobility and greatness is not lost in the house of Tangilus I can recommend the son of Andre¡¯s 2nd wife Asur. He is noble in contrast with his father. As his friend I can vouch for his character. Not to mention his martial prowess is also easily at the level of the Royal Companions¡± Raven speaks with certainty. Looking at Minerva. She nods her head in approval of Asur¡¯s character along with the mentioned report of the current head of Tangilus. I move to quickly address the issue that I currently know of with the 2 leading members of the House of Salomet. They lead me onto their teleportation chamber when I remember a tradition pre-dating even Ser Tangilus. ¡°Why hasn¡¯t Asur challenged Andre to claim for his position as head of the house?¡± I quizzed. ¡°It is true that such a tradition exist within the house of Tangilus with both participants usually only going with basic arms and gear. However, Andre is a coward who does not fight fairly by donning the equipment of Ser Tangilus.¡± Minerva says with distaste. Anger surges in me as I hear more of the character of the man currently leading the house of Tangilus. He¡¯d be turning in his grave with this buffoon running his house into the ground. With another jolt of realization I remember an extra detail to the tradition as I teleported to the Tangilus estate. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. The person who greets us is none other than Asur as he greets us and welcomes us befitting a host of noble lineage. As we exchange greetings, I see no reason in beating around the bush and ask him to bring us straight to Lord Andre. With a quick tour past the teleportation chambers I can see that some rooms have fallen into disuse and the castle reeks of blood. Stretching my senses I can see where the torture chambers are with its victims and it assures me of my actions. Every corridor I passed angers me more before I finally arrive to stand before Ser Andre with a servant speaking into his hear about our arrival no doubt. ¡°Welcome-.¡± As I interrupt Ser Andre before he can speak. ¡°You do not Welcome guest stinking of blood and piss of your victims.¡± I state matter of factly. Asur jumps in surprise at what I¡¯ve just said. I can see shame and anger mark his face a second later as he too knows what I said is true. With a stunned look and later anger. He says ¡°What proof do you have? You come into my house as a guest and ACCUSE ME!? HOW DARE YOU!¡± as he shouts across the room. Minerva was about to cast a arcane missile straight at him before I stopped her. Most likely he is wearing an amulet of protection and I need to install Asur as the new head of Tangilus. ¡°Guards remove these so called guest and disable the teleportation circle!¡± The guards move to follow his orders before I whisper to Asur to follow my lead. ¡°Asur declares a duel as claimant to become the head of house Tangilus.¡± The trio gasped in shock as if I just handed a death sentence to Asur. Gesturing to show them I have it handled. Minerva takes my cue to hold back both Raven and Asur. With a look of confusion before realizing my intent he then begins to laugh. ¡°Fine I¡¯ll accept a duel with Asur, Ha hA Ha! So when and where is the duel held?¡± with the most maniacal laugh I¡¯ve heard in decades as if he has already won. No doubt the artifacts of Ser Tangilus are legendary but there other ways to install Asur as head. ¡°Immediately.¡± I answer the idiot who is about to die. ¡°Very well, meet me in the courtyard and the head of Salomet along with Archmage Raven shall be the witnesses.¡± The dead man says. Walking towards the courtyard I apologize in advance to Asur for what I was about to do. As he shouts at Raven about me being a crazy lunatic and a lot of other creative names. Minerva asks me again if I had it handled. With a smile, she takes it that I have it handled while we wait for the walking corpse to equip himself. He appears 30 minutes later with a suit of plate armor, sword and shield that I recognize really well. The whole set was forged in dragon fire if the dwarves were not lying to Tangilus as a sales pitch when he had saved the dwarven lord. But I know better that those were genuinely master crafted with runes inscribed to give it powers that would make even a peasant seem like competent fighter. ¡°Ok ready when you are.¡± The pompous man takes practice swings with the blade. Which I can tell he has some skill but not enough to let him live past today. ¡°Following tradition of the House of Tangilus Asur appoints me Kyra as the duelist to represent him as he currently has stomach cramps making him incapable of fighting.¡± With a quick punch to his stomach I incapacitated him and whisper a apology. The Salomet duo suddenly remembers the tradition and agrees with me with their wealth of knowledge. Andre looks confused and betrayed before seeing the opportunity to kill me. His smile with his yellow and tarred teeth was really off putting. No doubt thinking that with his equipment even a Royal Companion would lose to him. But he won¡¯t smile for much longer. With Asur on his knees because of *stomach cramps*. It was up to me to fight on his behalf. Taking a look of the selection of weapons and armor I grab the weapon I was always most comfortable with. The Greathammer, unwieldy and unbalanced. It was still my weapon of choice even after trying out and mastering a multitude of weapons.Minerva looked slightly worried until I picked my weapon and she smiles. Giggling and laughing his ass off with my choice. He proceeds to take a stance in the middle of the courtyard. Check and mate. ¡°Any last words?¡± he tells me with victory already in his mind. ¡°All men must die.¡± I say staring at the breathing carcass. ¡°Wise words. So today must be your day to die!¡± he charges with the speed of swooping hawk. Making the same moves as my greatest granddaughter. With a thrust he intended to skewer me. However, he was much more skilled and faster than my granddaughter with his equipment. Before I could swing my hammer down on him, he swings his sword horizontally to try to disembowel me. Using the handle of the Greathammer to block to swipe. He cuts it cleanly in half along with a nice gash on my shirt. I forgot for a split second that this wasn¡¯t my weapon and there was no way in hell that it would have been able to block that swipe. The look on his face tells me that he¡¯s beginning to be wary of me as I managed to survive his first 2 attacks. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen your face or heard of you. A man of your skill should have been famous.¡± The confused brain eater tells me. ¡°But you have heard of me.¡± I leap towards him with my hammer in mid swing charged with both divinity and mana. The ghoul reacts too slowly to dodge or mount a proper defense. ¡°I¡¯m your King.¡± With a blow that can be heard all the way in the capital as I struck him straight in the chest. I pulped the insides of Ser Tangilus armor and lodged it into the castle walls. Chapter 4.5 Side Story – Heaven and Hell Stirs Author''s Notes: As usual, I humbly beg for "CONSTRUCTIVE" criticism as to point out flaws and grammatical errors as well as areas to improve upon as i have no prior experience to writing. OMG i learned another magic trick! it kinda feels like i''m EVOLVING! font sizes AND colours!!! XD Also i plan to expand on my world slowly and to set a standard which doesn''t make the MC overpowered. I read far too many Chinese novels with mythical level beings that can destroy mountains and such with ease. updates are most likely gonna be dependent now as i wanna improve the quality more if i can, hoping the follower base increases so i can get tips and advice on how to improve. google points me to such complex guides that i get lazy reading them =.= _____________________________________________________________________________________ ***The 7 Hells*** Each depraved lord felt the smallest surge of power that was released on the mortal plain. With the malevolent lords distracted from their constant struggle for power either with complex plots or by using their demonic champions to fight for control. They¡¯re reminded again of the fun they had when they had corrupted a child against his family while gifting him the smallest fraction of their power to overthrow the PlainsWalker. The fleeting lives of mortals so filled with desire and so easily tempted to corruption. The evil lords have each a cult based on the mortal realm and occasionally send their agents to do their bidding be it gaining worshipers or simply to corrupt and destroy. With gleeful laughter the lords find an excuse to postpone their game of toppling each other as they once again begin planning to assert their influence to bring chaos and darkness onto the mortals. ***The Higher Planes*** ¡°Goddess Temis did you feel that? He¡¯s come out of exile.¡± Says high lord Crius ruler of the realms of light. The gods of light were having a light discussion on the demonic incursions that occurs on the mortal realm and how they should respond. ¡°Yes, no doubt the dregs of hell sensed it too. Let¡¯s hope he can handle it.¡± Goddess Temis speaks with disregard. As the patron god of the elves, nature and healing. She was perhaps one of the older deities in the hall. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°But the demons will violate the pact! Knowing their kind they would not hesitate to create another champion. Destruction and death will follow if they succeed.¡± Says a recent minor god. He recently only gained consciousness and was gifted with near boundless knowledge as the heavenly plane pours wisdom of the eons into the new god. The new god was birthed by the strong raw beliefs and emotions of a religion brewing in the far eastern islands. Praying for good weather and quiet seas over the years has given enough energy to form a physical manifestation in the higher planes. Likewise, whenever evil or malicious deeds are performed. Negative raw emotion fuels and birth the denizens of hell and its masters. ¡°Correct and that¡¯s as far as they¡¯re permitted to act if they do not wish to incur the wrath of the Higher Planes. We¡¯re no better if we interfere because of care for our creations. We have our own champions. Let them decide how their world turns out.¡± With absolute authority. High lord Crius can no more spare any assistance to the immortal. ¡°But the PlainsWalker is allowed to walk the mortal planes? I don¡¯t understand¡± says the newcomer. ¡°He¡¯s called the PlainsWalker because he was formed in the mortal realm. By powerful human mages or shamans as they were called in the past. A byproduct of their jealousy of the other races and their long lives. They attempted to achieve immortality by harnessing the very raw emotion of the world into a single point. But with utter failure which led to their deaths along with their art.¡± Khurguth god of the forge and dwarves say. ¡°Not a true immortal like us and not blessed by the higher planes. He bleeds like a mortal and is only a fraction of a god. A true abnormality. In age he may be older than you but he is not gifted with the wisdom of eons which causes him to make mistakes like a mortal. ¡± He continues to explain. ¡°The mortal plain cannot sustain any full manifestation of a god or a master of hell child. Did the wisdom not fuse with you properly?¡± Temis speaks to guide the young god. With a proper explanation the young deity resigns to agreeing with the group to resign the world to its own fate. Chapter 5 The Avenging Ancestor 3 Author''s Notes: As usual, I humbly beg for "CONSTRUCTIVE" criticism as to point out flaws and grammatical errors as well as areas to improve upon as i have no prior experience to writing. My goodness, i''ve decided on more tags since i wanna expand more now, APOLOGIES to the massive gap in updates. Windows updates fcked me over and i learned how important pressing Ctrl+S is again. Plus, i hope increase my writing speed more..... but college ain''t easyyyyy. With my ranting done, Enjoy. ALSO TELL ME WAT IS PO AND WO. ITS KILLING ME. _____________________________________________________________________________________ ***Castle Glut, Eter Estate*** Lord Eter, Bane The advisor brings a town crier into the main hall to see Lord Bane head of Eter. A man with raven black hair and was currently in his prime as a man with a body that fat nobles would envy. ¡°Go on child tell Lord Eter what you told me.¡± In a cunning old voice. Looking like he was from the slums and barely old enough to leave his mother¡¯s side. Lord Bane gestures for the boy to speak. ¡°Lord Andre has been replaced by Lord Asur. A recent duel has placed Lord Asur as head of Tangilus¡± The boy speaks with a tinge of nervousness. With an utter look of displeasure, Lord Bane walks up to the boy and ask one of the servants to confirm the news. The advisor backs away knowing full well what will happen to the boy. That¡¯s why he brought the boy over to break the news instead of himself. Seconds later the servant returns with confirmation and Lord Bane instantly vents his anger in a quick-draw of his sword. The unfortunate child was disemboweled with the contents of his stomach and breakfast plain for all to see. In shock the child falls on his knee trying to gather his intestines and in a sad attempt to forestall his death. It was clear however, he would not live for much longer. As Bane calls the advisor and tells him to prepare for the ritual to summon the patron of Eter. The curtains close, doors shut and barred. While a maiden was summoned to the main-hall with looks of joy as she was the bed partner of Lord Bane the night before and was thrilled that she was summoned again only to be shocked seeing a boy panicking with his guts spilled onto the floor. The advisor delivers a sharp kick to the boy¡¯s head and snaps his neck while he wasn¡¯t paying attention slumping him onto the floor.Using the blood of the boy as a catalyst, the pentagram was drawn and constructed using the innards of the young boy. Chanting blasphemous words that would give the average man a chill and a lurch in his stomach. The girl was brought to the center of the pentagram screaming for a savior and to Kyra as she realizes what fate has in store for her. With the pentagram emitting power. The shape and form of it was distorting as though looking at it through a heat haze. The maiden screams and pleads to Lord Bane as he walks up to the girl with his bloody sword and delivers another horizontal slash beheading the woman which would have executioners wish they had the same finesse. In a fountain of gore the ritual was complete as the blood remained still in mid air, defying the laws of gravity and the maiden caught her head before it fell onto the floor with pitch black eyes that seemed to absorb all light. The hall darkens without any other source of light except from the ritual itself. The head screams in delight in a thousand voices in defiance of the limits of human vocal chords. Bane goes down on his knee and smiles in success of the ritual. ¡°To what do I owe this pleasure, Lord of Eter.¡± As the room echoes with voices and moans of pleasure. ¡°Lord Asmodeus, I was promised more power by having Lord Andre trash down the Tangilus name with his perverse acts and incompetence. I would hate it if you gone back on our deal.¡± Banes says smugly. A screech so loud that came from the severed head caused Bane to drop in pain with his ears bleeding. Some of the servants were concussed with the sudden burst of sound that they fainted. ¡°Do not presume to command me mortal! I AM YOUR LORD!Whether or not I keep my end of the bargain is my choice to make and do not speak to me of hate! You are mine! Not Sathanus¡¯s servant or have you forgotten who gave your family power 400 years ago by instigating that civil war? Or who gave you that poison vial meant for the royal family?¡± ¡°Of course not my lord, I dare not go against you and I am always eternally grateful.¡± Bane regretting his choice of words. ¡°Oh? But you smiled when the ritual was a success didn¡¯t you? Do not think I did not sense your smile. I am the Lord of Want. I govern all pleasure and desire for the Curse of Life is the Curse of Want and do not be grateful child for I can sense your gluttonous desire for more power. You are far more ambitious than all your forefathers which I find it as a very pleasant quality. So let me give you this since Andre was supposed to be the downfall of Tangilus so instead I¡¯ll give you some of my minions for your war and this sword to use on the PlainsWalker, Do entertain me child.¡± The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Laughing and moaning as the possessed body floats into air before exploding to reveal the promised blade. Bane felt like the name was ringing in his head but was enraptured by the power emitted by the blade floating before him to make sense of it. Meanwhile, the chunks of meat became demons of all shapes and sizes as some moaned in perpetual ecstasy while a few embodied gluttonous appetites and ate the unconscious servants. The body of the boy deformed into a large mess before revealing a huge greater demon towering over its lesser kin as its multiple mouths were grinning in pleasure while tentacles greedily grabbed the advisor and tearing him into many chunks before devouring him. Bane could feel malice and power exuding from all of them. Feeling unstoppable, he summons his retainers and troops for another civil war. ***Citadel*** Avlyn, King Gismund. Having the castle under lock down has created so much time for the King that the princess no longer felt insecure about her father¡¯s love for her. With classes and certain administrative matters put on hold. Both parent and child had ample time to spend with each other. With all the fun and love the princess was having, she had completely forgotten about her personal attendant. Until now. Finding a Royal Companion nearby, she queried about the whereabouts of Kyra with none of them knowing where he went for a week. Puzzled about his disappearance she went directly to her father. ¡°Dad, where¡¯s Kyra? He¡¯s been missing for a week now.¡± The father¡¯s face looks surprised with just knowing that Kyra has disappeared. Quickly moving ask his chamberlain the King begins a investigation of his own at the disappearance of his daughter¡¯s personal attendant. Smiling victoriously Avlyn begins to wonder how much trouble Kyra has landed herself in. But deep down she feels indebted to him for the recent changes to her lifestyle as she had never spent as much time with her father. Having second thoughts she kneels in prayer by her bed for Kyra to return safely and thanking him for the changes. News came to the citadel that armies are moving at the outskirts of the capital. Most notably from Salomet and Eter. The King attempts to call on both houses to report their sudden movements, Raven replies that they¡¯re to apprehend Bane for murdering the queen whereas Bane replies with accusations of Salomet. As both armies are already marching, the King summons the royal army to stop the coming civil war but knowing full well that he may be too late. ***Castle Russ, Tangilus Estate*** Kyra, Minerva Disturbing documents were found with Eter collaborating with Andre. How they had supported and planted the man as head of Tangilus while supplying and promoting his vile hobbies. Further digging in Andre¡¯s private chambers by Salomet scribes have found a link of Eter and Andre¡¯s assassination attempt on the royal family. However, thankfully or sadly the queen was the only victim. Hearing of this news, a man was pulsing with anger. So much so that it can be felt by the scribes providing the report. With a stern look Kyra looks to Minerva. ¡°I need a favor, How many troops can you deploy by the time we reach the Eter bastards?¡± Knowing full well of Kyra¡¯s personality when it comes to his family. Minerva relents on advising him on using the proper authorities and having the royal army capture Bane. Kyra¡¯s killing intent and rage can even be felt in her spine. ¡°I can summon what available troops I have in my service which numbers roughly 4000 trained men, 212 mystic knights plus 48 sanctioned mages. They will all gather to meet us en-route outside Castle Glut by today.¡± Spoken with confidence of her available resources. ¡°Good make it happen. We march now.¡± With purpose Kyra moves off his chair and proceeds to walk out the castle. With seething anger Kyra had no desire to see time wasted by using the proper authorities in arresting the bastards responsible for his descendant¡¯s death. No, he will deliver justice himself onto the perpetrators. Andre should be thankful that he was given such a quick death, no such promises will be given to Bane as he summons the troops of Salomet and Asur¡¯s personal retinue. Leaving a very small token force behind in Tangilus to capture any other accomplices that may be discovered. Kyra and Minerva marches toward the Eter estate. The mage houses under Salomet which many answered the call including the colleges of magic in the capital as Minerva uses her full authority to summon them. Under Kyra¡¯s orders the mages were asked to cast quickening onto the men to speed up the march. For what would have been a march of 3 days was shortened to a single day as Kyra will wait no longer. With the pieces gathered, everyone including heaven and hell spectates the return of the PlainsWalker, Chapter 6 The Avenging Ancestor 4 Author''s Notes: As usual, I humbly beg for "CONSTRUCTIVE" criticism as to point out flaws and grammatical errors as well as areas to improve upon as i have no prior experience to writing. ok guys in celebration of even more followers and to apologize for my long leave of absence i wrote another 1. this was done in 7.51am jesus i think i need more sleep. Also i learned how to remove formatting on the buttons given to me when i wanna post my chapters. SO KEWLLLL. WTF ARE THESE BLACK DOTS i can''t KILL THEM KYRA SAVE ME. _____________________________________________________________________________________ ***Capital outskirts, Army grounds*** King Gismund ¡°Raven this is madness! Tell Minerva to halt her advance on Eter now! I will not have another civil war happen in my lifetime. Submit your evidence and let the royal army handle it.¡± ¡°My Lord, Bane is responsible for the death of the queen and I can assure you that if we do not act now he could slip out of our grasp. As your advisor, I can stake my title and name that Bane is responsible and we¡¯re moving to apprehend him now.¡± As the mages relay messages between Salomet and the king directly, Gismund has been trying his best to contact both parties to reach a peaceful conclusion to avoid a worst case scenario. However, the mention of his late wife stirred emotions he has put aside for quite some time now. With conflicting emotions on who is actually to blame as evidence had been pointed at both Tangilus and Salomet previously. It was unusual that the suspects were now marching on the accuser with evidence pointing to them instead. Bane has not spoken to Gismund even after repeated attempts to contact him directly. Instead, one of Bane¡¯s retainers is acting as the middleman in relaying the messages. Frustration grips the King with the attitude of both houses as Minerva is busy force marching the army to Castle Glut and Bane is probably busy mustering his forces for the coming battle. Gismund had a solemn look on his face as he hears the reports from his generals on the preparations for departure for the royal army. 2 days minimum was the best guess. At best speed, the march would be riddled with risk, supplies can run low, equipment could be left behind, and the lack of information was the worst of it. Never a man for prayers as the family has the blood of Kyra himself. Gismund makes an honest prayer to any God who would save the Empire from needless bloodshed. ***Gluttons Maw*** Minerva ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not going to command the army? Temis knows that you¡¯re a genius on the battlefield Kyra.¡± With Minerva pausing to chat with Kyra on their mounts. ¡°No, I¡¯ve been in exile for far too long. The strategies and tactics that I know may be outdated and useless after so long. Plus, I¡¯m seeing equipment I¡¯m not too familiar with so I¡¯m assuming there has been new changes. You will have to command the army because I know you¡¯re as competent as I am if my memory serves me right back in the day during the unification. I will study the coming battle thoroughly to update myself to modern stratagems.¡± Can¡¯t argue with that logic. Even with all that anger bubbling inside of him, it¡¯s amazing how he can remain composed enough to think straight. True that war has shifted slightly with the invention of black powder and the weapons using them. But truth is War never changes, even if heaven and hell were to start killing each other. An established fact even for us as mortals as we give meaning to our lives in trying to accomplish deeds and set goals for ourselves, even if those goals means trampling on others. Marching onwards past two cliffs as my thoughts and memories fall back from all the way back from the unification until the civil war. As I can see Kyra looking straight ahead with quiet anger in his eyes. Even he is not exempt from emotion as a God. Admittedly, I was angry as well when I was in the halls with him hearing the report from the scribes. But I have trouble understanding how he can get so angry over a distant descendant whom he has never even met. But I can somewhat piece together what drives him to such lengths to care for his family. Having met him way before I was even an adult and when he was so unkempt and primitive. A nomad, the chief of his tribe before the accident which granted him the blessing or curse as my parents told me more than a millennium ago. His base instinct to care for his young and family if I was to hazard a guess. That¡¯s what drives him. As he stares back at me. ¡°Minerva, you there? You¡¯ve been staring right at me for a minute now. Are you okay?¡± he says as I snapped right back to reality. ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine~, sorry, I was just thinking about~¡­ Tactics! Yea! The coming strategies that I¡¯ll be using!¡± as I awkwardly try to cover up my shameful staring while thinking of possible theories on what drives him. ¡°Ok, how long before we reach our destination?¡± he questions before I look around to check for landmarks to give him an accurate answer. ¡°As soon as we climb up this pass we¡¯ll spot the cast~..¡± suddenly an arrow streaks right at my temple before Kyra knocks me off my horse. Dazed for a second before shouting to the captain to raise shields. It was too late as he was shot right in the neck with blood streaming out of his artery. Hundreds of soldiers were peppered with arrows before a proper order was given. Looking at the situation, this was a strategic nightmare with no cover and no way for us to reach the enemy. Officers were targeted specifically and we were only given 2 choices which is a full retreat or a charge through the pass before they hold it. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Before the order was given, we were given a horrifying sight as the pass was already occupied. Not only by men but also a horde of demons. They charged the column as they dropped from both sides of the cliffs and down the pass slaughtering the men. It was chaos, small pockets of mystic knights were holding them off valiantly before they were outnumbered and butchered by demons and the troops of Eter. Cursing my luck and negligence, in our haste to march to apprehend the Eter cowards has left us vulnerable and the scouts we had sent out earlier have not reported in which has led to this sorry situation we are at now. I presume they¡¯re all dead seeing how well the enemy has set themselves up to ambush us here. Rocks were falling killing both allies and enemies as the enemy mages bombarded the Cliffside with high powered spells. Shouting my orders to the mages to counter the enemy bombardment. I see Asur charging with his small retinue into the thick of the fighting where the squads of mystic knights were. He was dressed in that armor I know all too well, it took some time for the servants to scrub it clean of viscera but he was much more worthy of that suit and that sword compared to Andre. Bodies were flying with the raw strength of the demonic forces and some even have the nerve to feast on corpses in the middle of the battlefield as morale plummets and all hope is about lost as men are panicking. Conveying my orders as best I can, I look back at Kyra and he has an arrow stuck in his shoulder. No doubt, he got shot because of me but apologies can come after the battle. Many of the enemy forces were charging straight at our position as they recognize me and the mages were directing the demons towards me as well. With only time to chant short incantations to ward off the tide of oncoming enemy forces. I was effectively silenced as a commander as I cannot convey orders and chant my spells at the same time. Raven is straining to shield me with a mana barrier whereas Kyra is clubbing anyone who gets too close for comfort. Men were crying while fleeing as all discipline and order were thrown out the window. The battle was lost until Kyra¡¯s voice boomed across the battlefield. ***Kyra*** In a display of power and to attract the most attention. Just as I swung my Greathammer upwards in an uppercut motion to fling a demon that was roughly 18ft in height high into the air. I shouted with mana and exude my divinity outwards to calm the men. I pull the arrow out of my shoulder with surprise as I see that it was barbed. ¡°Fight! Do you wish for these creatures to invade your homes?! Fight!¡± as I swing my hammer again to launch a few enemy men into air in a mangled mess as I applied a little too much force. With little effect the men began to regain their sanity and pour in their last as the words I said has a ring of truth in it. I continue to say simple phrases while spreading out my divinity which also stung the demons. Simple phrases that even may be lies were told to regain control of the situation as I tell them to hold out for dear life as reinforcements are coming. With sparks of hope and the realization that these creatures should not roam free. The soldiers begin to fight back. The battle can finally be salvaged but it was still a horrible start as the enemy has gotten a huge advantage over us. ¡°All available Mystic knights hold the cliffs! Let no demon pass! Cover the flanks and hold!¡± using age old tactics to have the elites to hold the flanks. There was a need to stop the demon horde from constantly climbing the cliff walls down on the column. Nodding to Minerva as she chants a large spell. I tell Raven to command the mages to the best of his ability. Strange weapons were spouting fire and I can see speeding projectiles eject out as the enemy continue their bombardment. Strong enough to punch right through most armor but the heavy infantry and the mystic knights could mostly ignore the projectiles due to enchantments and overall armor quality made from special metals. Leaving my analysis for later, I see that barrels were being thrown right down at us with fuses lit. Understanding what they were, I shout to Raven to counter the issue. However, some barrels land with devastating effect as some unfortunate souls were blown apart and many more were concussed. Before Raven begins chanting, the retired Archmage unleashes her might with bolts of thunder and lightning striking the both cliffs. Huge explosions can be heard and balls of fire light up the sky before the rain comes and renders both our sticks and theirs useless. Looking closely now, this was a battle I can manage without the new weapons. As it was back to simple weapons I know. Charging to break into another demon group surrounding a group of knights, I rallied the soldiers to charge with me to break out the pass. Just as I stood on the front of the line about to lead the charge, I saw a towering creature with teeth and tentacles together with a warrior who was standing on top of it which I can guess who it is judging by the armor and that smug look. Anger grips me as I scream the bastards name and charged. ¡°Bane!!¡±