《BORN OF URSA MINOR》 CHAPTER 1: THROUGH SHEPHERDS MIGHT Sparks and blazes flew across the sky, as Irelurk was being sacked, raided, and abused. 65% of the men had already been wiped out, executed, or tortured, as their women were taken prisoner, killed, and raped. The children experienced no mercy and they were either hung or enslaved. Taverns were burnt down in the same alcohol they served, as schools, halls, and houses were met similarly. The cries and pain of the Irelurks deafened the ears of the Batshemis, the faction ransacking them, but nothing stopped their skirmish. But it was not before long until a star had awoken, serving the power Iklane would need to restore order, but this should not come without a cost. "Gods! Have mercy, please send us one that will serve us retribution!" the tortured villagers cried in terror. "Gods! Where have you gone!? Do not leave us of your divine faith here now!" they kept on crying and crying. The cries of the villagers eventually grew tiresome for the foot soldiers of the Batshemis, causing more executions to occur. "Your Gods have left you all, now worship King Shemis, your one and only rightful leader" Captain Organ said to those who still believed, standing before them, playing with their lives as if they meant nothing. Hours had passed, as the already dwindling number of villagers went from 300 and dwindled even more to 250. The faith of the people was running out, it had seemed like no man would arrive to serve them justice.. except for one group. "You monsters! How can you all torture children and kill our people!" Captain Bil Sok of the 21st expedition guild exclaimed as he arrived with his party of 4. Sok, an adventurer of the cutlass type, those that hold glory with blades. Sen, a child of scorn who are users who hold the power of magic. Jin-Kan, a cross-man, specializing in fast-paced heavy arms, and Evon Sin, a Druid, capable of manipulating nature. "Sen, do what you must, and make sure these bastards know pain! We''ve lost two of our members in that 3-month journey, and we aren''t going to surrender our home!" Sok charged as Sen compiled his chi, developing one of his heavy moves within his arsenal, theindigo, a sharp gem-like energy projectile capable of blasting through 20 men at once. Despite the power, the chi needed to expel this skill is needy. But without hesitation, as soon as it was done preparing, Sen blasted his Indigo as it tore through the armor of its foes, as it flew through the wind at flawless speeds. "Grah!" Kan roared as he jumped into enemy lines, blasting each one with poisonous bolts from his crossbow. Sok and Sin then bound forces as they took care of crowd control, trapping platoons and cutting them down. Soon, the number of invaders decreased from 1,000 to 856. Their defense had been working, if it had not been for one actor,Organ. With the versatility that would rival even the most powerful of nymphs, he blasted through his lines, straight for Sok, killing the warrior. "Pathetic, and arrogant, two characteristics of man that I shall never forgive." Organ said as the other three adventurers were still from shock. Soon, Organ continued with his bidding, as he beheaded the two of the three remaining fighters. "Hm, we could use another child scorn within our ranks" Organ continued. "L-let go of me, you bastard! I''d rather die than work under your pitiful ranks-" Sen was cut off as Organ proceeded to slaughter three more villagers, dwindling the numbers even further to 247. "You were saying?"Organ asked Sen, looking at him straight in the eye, with a blank, dead expression. "As I was saying earlier, all of you shall now work under our God King Sir Shemis! Irelurk shall now be under our colonization. And I''d say that it''d be best for all of you to repopulate, for if not, we shall see no use for this village and wipe you all off the face of Iklane." All the villagers quaked in fear as they all started shivering. The thought of their technical enslavement was terrifying, that, and the added burden of those they had lost within the skirmish right before. "Now, with your adventurers killed, I shall ask one last time, is there any mortal here who dares to go against me, Cutlass wielder Organ?" Silence filled the air for 30 seconds until Sen spoke.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. "The children of scorn is a hivemind, and I can feel a presence, Organ. The Northern Star will birth a child, who will rival even those of your power." "Let me see that then." Organ said as he beheaded Sen. "I have no use for mages who have unwavering loyalty to what he holds." Days turned into weeks, as weeks turned into years. Slowly, Irelurk was regrowing in population, but that number was contested by the daily executions held at the village. Days after days, men and women would secretly gather, praying to whatever deity was left, to give them theone that would serve them retribution. Three years later "Alright everyone, gather around. I have returned by the king''s orders to claim your taxes." Organ said to the villagers as he threatened to torture those who contested against the king''s will. One by one, the villagers slowly made their way up to give their taxes, until one villager stood. "Where is your payment!?" Organ said in a demanding fashion. "S-sir I ha-haven''t g-g-otten a job.." the villager said as he jittered in fear, until Organ struck him with a blow to the diaphragm, sending the man flying in pain, but not dead. "Hmph, this world needs less of you. If you cannot pay your taxes, then you shall pay with your head." Organ was about to strike the man''s head until a large deafening explosion within the sky started quaking the ground beneath it. Son, a bright light came from the direction of the northern star, as it seemed like it was beaming down from the heavens. Soon after, it crashed onto the surface of the planet, as blue smog leaked out of the debris. "H-huh? What is this crap?" the Batsheman guardsmen gathered around the small crater, not before having all their throats slit and pierced by a single indigo. Soon, a humanoid entity rose from the rubble, his veins pumping blue, his face covered with what seemed to be steel, and armor like no other. Soon, the entity summoned six more shards of indigo, effectively taking out all those that were in its way. "You! Your fight is with me!" Organ exclaimed to the body before he dashed towards it with his blade, which was then parried by the entity''s pauldron. "My chi further outranks your own will." the entity exclaimed, not before sending three shards straight at him. But with his versatile skills, Organ was able to dash and dodge all the attacks. "Pft," Organ said as he spit on the ground. Is that all you''ve got to offer me!? "I''m done playing with you.SKILL: HEART OF THE WOLFRAM" Organ then rushed at the entity after activating his skill which allowed for him to attack with higher speeds. With each strike, he could sense the entity getting more fatigued, until he''d finally done it. With his final strike, he knocked the entity onto its knees. "Pathetic and arrogant. I''ve already said about what I think of heroes like this." Organ scoffed as he set out his arms to remove the entity''s helmet. His mind was being overrun with victory, until the entity grabbed his arms with great strength, crushing his bones, leaving him groaning in pain as Organ''s senses were overwhelmed with the presence of a powerful aura. "W-what are you? Some child of scorn?" Organ asked with fear slowly seeping into his voice, as he trembled with every vowel and consonant he said. "No, I''m worse." The entity replied back, before casting his final spell. ----------------------------------------------------------- "SHEPHERDS COME THROUGH SHEPHERDS'' MIGHT, GUIDE US THEE TO NORTHERN LIGHT. FOR THOSE IMMORAL, FOR THOSE WHO''RE DEAD, SHOW US ALL THE SERPENT''S HEAD!" ----------------------------------------------------------- With the spell''s chant pronounced, a slim but powerful orbital beam charged from the North Star aimed for Organ struck down from the heavens, into the earth, displaying energy and sending out scents of aura around the area like no other, as Organ was vanquished. The remaining shards killed off most of the guardsmen and foot soldiers, as the remaining few then retreated and ran away from the village. The entity kneeled down, with smoke rising from its body as if it had tired itself out. "S-Savior! Bringer of retribution!" the villagers chanted as they ran towards the entity, circling around him. "What''s your name divine bringer of justice?" They all asked. "Name?" The entity inquired, which then responded with "I am Polaris. I have awoken to serve peace, justice, and retribution to all those damned by their own kind. I have awoken from the direction of the Northern Star. Worship me, for your words shall power my campaigns throughout this world." "Then we shall name you Polaris! Oh divine bringer of peace, oh you shall be worshipped divine deity!" All the villagers chanted in relief. Soon, the villagers brought him in to help him with his fatigue and showed him their hospitality. "Hm, why am I here? This is my first time doing this, I can only hope for this to end well. I need to win these people''s hearts, and keep their prayers. Their worship empowers me greatly." Polaris said to himself. Part 1 ofCanis arc. CHAPTER 2: BORN OF THE STARFRONT 5 days later "I am unsure on how I was created, how I attained the abilities I hold, how I am able to murder men with no signs of morality or guilt, but I know that I have one duty. This duty is instinct, it''s almost torture when I choose to fight against it. I need to get stronger. I need to own the lower playing field these mere mortals lay on. I need to make them worship my grace. I am their light, I am their hope, and I am their God." Polaris said to himself deeply, as he was in the village tavern regaining his power. Polaris then ventured all the way to the village library where he was yet again, praised. Here, he learned day in and night out the different abilities and species that the Irelurks had recorded as he understood his dire need of knowledge. The only problem for him was that they had no records as to what species are immune to what chi''s. As soon as he stepped foot outside the library, the villagers outside immediately knelt down, showing their praise, exclaiming the phrase "Oh divine leader, your mercy shall not go in vain. We thank you for your grace, shall Polaris prosper!" in unison, before going about with their lives. "Hm, weird." Polaris said as he felt a powerful aura raise up to his spine. "Did I gain anything new? New abilities, skills, anything?" But he was met with blank silence. As he walked through the streets, with Irelurk after Irelurk kneeling before his presence, he had finally arrived at his desired destination, the village gates. Due to his meteorite, he had brough with him a mix of silver and iron ore, providing the village with enough ore to sustain itself and fortify its defenses. The only real problem for Polaris is the lack of manpower, as they only had 27 conscripts available. Two of which were sent out on a recon mission to retrieve an iron stockpile. "Karn, Isle, Shota." Polaris called the three captains'' names. "Yes, divine grace?" they responded. "As it stands now, you three are the only available captains watching over the village. Obviously, after what you''ve said to me about what occurred years ago, this will not suffice when the possibility of another large raid arises. Also considering the fact that some of their foot soldiers survived, if any intel was to be spread about the existence of a supreme being in this settlement, we are bound to be ravaged once again." "What do you suppose we do to improve our stakes ''O Lord?" "We need to recruit-" Polaris was then cut off to the sounds and shouts of other conscripts. A raid was incoming. "Raid! Raid! Woodland Nymphs!" Polaris was slightly stunned to hear this announcement, as he was aware that specific species are immune to specific types of chi. Pure chi meaning pure chi energy like indigo, ferro chi, meaning chi that involves metallic material, which he has not yet understood, and final chi, disastrous energies capable of mass destruction like his Shepherd chant. But understanding the gravity of their situation, he would need to figure this out within the battle. "The cross-men shall stay by the bulwarks, and the foot soldiers shall fight with me down there." Polaris commanded to his 25 conscripts, 10 of which being archers. With the men stationed in their desired places, they stood in their formations as thee sternly awaited the charge of the wood nymphs. The Wood nymphs had not yet made a move, but they were in enough of a distance to be audible. Polaris could hear all sorts of mumbling. From the wood nymphs berating their defenses, to them being intimidated by his presence. This, however, just made him feel more powerful. "Gentlemen, as I can see, there seem to be at least 20 wood nymphs. Our village has a population of 350, and most of them are in no condition to fight. These are wood nymphs who have the ability to manipulate wood into whatever shape or form they''d like. Stay away from wooden materials if you''d like to avoid being impaled.'' Polaris said to his men. "Karn, you and 5 foot soldiers will take the west flank. Isle, you and 4 will take the east, and Shota, you and the last 4 conscripts will defend the gate with all your might, as I will face them head-on. Do I make myself clear?" Polaris asked the three captains, in which, they all agreed. An hour later, the rattles of the wood nymphs could be heard running across the field towards the Irelurk gate. Polaris seeing the charge, immediately deployed his Karden pocket, allowing him to send out indigos. With each shard sent, his chi grew less and less, but he was backed up by the faith his men had. With each strike of his indigo, the nymphs groaned in pain, begging for mercy. Polaris leaped into the Nymph ranks, bashing their heads in as his indigo swept up the remaining bodies. Twenty became sixteen, sixteen became ten, and ten became three.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. "H-he''s too powerful!" The remaining three nymphs said in defeat. "Imaye, sound the socall, get some more nymphs over here!" The lead said to one of the nymphs. As soon as Imaye blew the socall, the ground started shaking with great ferocity. The men and women within the village gates were stunned by the great magnitude and left their buildings for safety. Soon, minutes had passed, until eventually, came bursting out of the ground were Woodland dirt hounds. With the socall initiated, the three nymphs soon turned 30. With them, came 27 nymphs and three dirt hounds. Polaris was quite stunned after seeing the situation, but for his people and glory, he continued his rage. "Oh Great Lord!" Captain Isle called out to Polaris. "Those are dirt hounds Sir! Our ordinary weapons are no match for them. Let us commence with you ''O Lord, so that you may kill the hounds while we buy you time!" "And what if you perish?" Polaris replied sternly. "Then it has been an honor fighting by my God, and I shall take the reward of living in your everlasting salvation." "Very well." Polaris said in return. Soon, arrows and crossbow bolts flew across the sky, as Isle, Karn, and Shots led their charges. "For the north star!" Karn roared As he jumped into the battlefield, cutting down and nymphs that grew across his path, his blade causing sparks, capable of setting their wooden spells ablaze. Isle followed as he deployed his stone claymore, and crushed the nymphs within his gaze, as Shots pulled out his cleavers, slitting the throats of many. But these efforts were cut down as every time they killed 20, 30 more nymphs would be socalled. Soon, they had already killed 100, but 150 more nymphs stood. The cutlass type conscripts stood from 15 all the way to 12, as their faith in their God was dwindling. Polaris feeling his power getting drained through their loss of faith, leaped into one of the dirt hounds and casted his spells. "Now you usurpers shall know the wrath of the Gods!" He yelled as he shot one of his indigo''s deep into the throat of the hound, only for it to deflect off the beast''s fur. "Crap, are these monsters immune to pure chi!?" He asked himself. Shortly after, the beast threw Polaris off of its back, plunging Polaris down, before he was then run over by the same bull. On the ground, he saw and realized that the hounds were defending Imaye, who had the power to summon more nymphs under his command using the socall. Right as he was about to be ambushed by two of the hounds as he was lying on the ground, a voice was heard. "My Lord!" Isle shouted, as he charged head-first into one of the beasts with his claymore, damaging it greatly, but not fatally injuring it. Isle then picked up Polaris, as they dashed through the wind, trying to avoid any attacks, until they got back to their lines. By this point, they were surrounded. The cross-men were taken out by the nymph''s wooden spears, and there stood only 13 of them, including Polaris. "My-my Lord! Save us, please" one of the conscripts begged. "He seems to be injured and fatigued, we need to hold until he can regain his strength. The only thing keeping us safe right now are his indigo shards." Isle said I''m return. "A God that needs to rest? These are just mere mortal beings, and he''s already struggling!? What God is this being? Is he even a God!?" Karn said in retaliation. "Do not disrespect our divine being! He is here to save us-" Isle said before being impaled by a wooden spear. There and then, all the conscripts fell to their knees in defeat, as Polaris laid there, he was left in shock to see one of his followers killed, and seeing those he had the duty of protecting slaughtered. "L-Lord? Lord!" Karn cried in desperation, but Polaris stood. Smoke was being expelled from his body, as all the creatures stopped their offense as they felt a strong presence and aura pierce through their hearts. Then suddenly, ----------------------------------------------------------- "You.. lesser beings. You pathetic creatures. From flora you came and from fauna you shall fall! You prey on those lesser for you to be full." "You want a God? THEN FEEL THE WRATH OF A STARSTUCK DEITY!" "I AM POLARIS, THE GREAT, I AM BORN OF THE NORTHERN STAR, WORSHIP ME YOUR FOOLS, FOR THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU SHALL DISRESPECT MY LIKENESS. BOW DOWN TO THE ONE BORN OF THE STARFRONT!" ----------------------------------------------------------- Almost immediately, Polaris reached into his Karden, as he had finally channeled the power he felt that rushed up his spine earlier. With this, he activated his ferro chi, and deployed his Icarus. With this blade, he held the power to cut down foes even if the greatest kind, and that he did. Determined to get the faith of his followers back in hand, he soared across the great winds, slitting throats of all the nypmhs that killed his men. Which each strike, he burnt the roots of the nymphs, causing them to burn alive and groan for mercy. Hundreds of nymphs later, he charged straight for the hounds, as he pierced all their hearts with a single strike. And right as Imaye was about to blow the socall, his indigo knocked it off his hand, leaving Imaye to the wrath of a God. "I''ll make your death quick if you answer my question, heathen. Where are the rest of you?" Part 2 of Canis arc. CHAPTER 3: SCRAPS FOR THE PROPHET "P-please have mercy ''O divine savior, please spare me! I promise to spread your holiness across all the tribes of the woodlands!" Imaye cried in agony. "Oh, now you choose to worship my likeness? After you ravaged our walls, and killed my people!? State the reason as to why your kind chose to commit to such atrocity, and answer my question earlier. Where are the rest of your people?" "Th-they''re all residing within the woodlands 300 miles east from here my Lord!" Imaye responded as quick as he could. "And your business here?" Polaris asked with his impatience growing by the second. "W-we heard about a new God that has been residing within this village, and our prophet Usaine, a druid. He said that this was blasphemous to our religion as a species. He wanted us to sack the village and abduct what he called the ''false deity'' and serve retribution to the spirits of the woodlands. B-but you''re real! You''re true! Please grant me mercy ''O divine grace, make me your vessel-" Imaye was beheaded at an instant by Polaris right after talking. "I have no respect in those that only gain faith when they fear me. I have no respect for those that surrender themselves to Gods they never believed in." Said Polaris. "Karn, Shota, treat the wounded. We will be holding a ceremony for Isle''s passing. And you, Karn, see that your faith has been relinquished. Go in peace, my men, you have done me greatness." Polaris said before dismissing the platoon. Five hours had passed after the conflict as the faith of Irelurk had increased. Polaris stood by the side of the road,, next to his captains Karn and Shota, as the village carried Isle''s coffin down the street with carriages. "Karn, have faith in me yet again, for I have have given those who have harmed our hearts the punishment they have been longing for. Karn, if you are to ever lose faith in me again, understand that I shall forgive you, and understand the power that our religion holds." As the burial of Isle was commencing, Polaris stood atop of his podium, to give the weary hearts reassurance. "To all those who are listening, do not fret. It is I, Polaris, the bringer of retribution, and the God to rule amongst you all. We have lost the lives of great men today, both commoners and superiors. But I am here to give you all my grace, and my apology. My apology for allowing such to happen, and I must tell you all that the lives we''ve lost have now entered their own valhalla, and my grace." Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. "We, are the bringers of justice and peace, and we work and brag under my honor. We are a growing force, and we are a religion. Rise up my followers! For I shall now be choosing an apostle to stay alongside me for our troubles. We shall prevail from our previous losses, from the deaths of Bil Sok, to the martyring of Isle. We are the force of the Northern Star, we shall now be the religion of Canis." With great vigor and new resilience found in their hearts, the Irelurks who are now Canisians under the heat of the Northern Star rejoiced as they all prepared their tribute for the apostles. "Me! Me!'' "No, take my son!" "I can protect you!!" "Guide me under your light." The crowd chanted and screamed, begging to be by the side of Polaris, but the God had already made up his mind and put his sights upon one person. "Karn, step into my grace. I have made you my apostle." Polaris called to him. "B-but my Lord! I slightly lost faith in you earlier during the raid!" He said worryingly, understanding his unworthiness. "Isn''t that more of a reason to take you with me?" Polaris responded. "Thank you, my Lord. I shall do you proud." Karn said in relief. Three weeks later "Hm, you''ve built quite the formidable force, Karn. 120 new foot soldiers for our campaign through the woodlands." "I thank you for your gratitude ''O lord, but if I may ask, what shall be our business with the lower life forms over at the woodlands?" Karn inquired. "Right before I executed that nymph named Imaye, he told me that they came here for a reason. To take me. They found our religion blasphemous to theirs, and their prophet, a druid named Usaine was to blame." "Oh my, so what shall be your plan ''O Lord?" Karn asked. "My plan is to strip the dead nymphs of their attire and equipment. Dress our foot soldiers with their insignia, and we must pose a scene. All 120 of you will walk me down the woodlands, curse me,, hit me, anything. Act like I have been captured, and that you are surrendering me to their prophet. We may not skirmish them right away due to their dirt hounds. I won''t be killed, but you all will. And once we''re by the throne room of their great prophet, we strike. Karn. I want you to assign divisions. We''ll need a team make sure none of those nymphs catch their hands on any more socalls." Polaris said. "Very well Sir. We shall do this so that Canis may prosper by your name!" Karn said with enthusiasm. Days had passed as they were preparing their foot soldiers for their raid. Polaris had been able to fully rest from his fatigue due to the worship bestowed on him and his time to rest. His ability to reign down shepherd''s might had finally replenished, and so had all of his chi. As he walked outside his tavern to the city gates, he assigned Captain Shota to keep watch of the village while they were on their skirmish. As soon as he met Karn, they all set their formations and loaded their carriages as they went for their odyssey. "Now, you are all under my protection and guidance, but you must all understand what I''m about to say. While we are in bloodshed,, i will not be able to face each one of you with my blessings, so you must all watch your flanks." Polaris said to his whole platoon as they were in their carriages and horses. "Are there any updates regarding the divisions, Karn?" "Yes my liege. The recombinants composed of 30 men shall be the one assisting you while you are being offered to the druid. The Instacks shall take care of any artifacts like socalls that will ruin our line, made of 20 men. The First division shall be our main battle force once you call upon us, and I will be within this division, composed of over 50 men. And we shall have reinforcements awaiting for your command at bay, composed of 20 men." "Very well, I thank you for your obedience, Karn." Three hours had surpassed, as nothing new had risen. Many men had fallen asleep or had succumbed to boredom. The horses and carriages were moving until Karn halted the force. "Polaris, there''s smoke in the distance, it seems like cavalry, and I recognize the insignia on their flags.. The 21st expedition guild..?" Part 3 of Canis arc. CHAPTER 4: UNINVITED COMPANY "What''s the 21st expedition guild doing around these lands?" "Didn''t they disband?" "Do they know about Bil Sok?" "They''re late, it''s already been three years!" All of Polaris'' platoon questioned each other as Polaris and his army waited for the guild to get to their position. Some rejoiced, and some were weary. The guild had disbanded four years prior to their time, keeping Karn''s guard up high. As the cavalry got closer, and closer to their position, Polaris and Karn could see their apparel clearer, and clearer until they halted 3 yards in front of them. The leader of the horses then broke from his chain, expressing a wavy gesture as if he were inviting Polaris to come over. "My Lord, let me come with you. This could be dangerous for our plans." Karn sternly said to Polaris, expressing his worry and fear. "It would be unwise for a meteor to collied within the crash of two suns." Polaris insisted, which kept Karn at bay. Minutes passed as Polaris finally decided to initiate on his steed, and started riding towards the figure. The closer he got, the more details he saw. The tarps were tainted red, their helmets riddled with cracks, each one mangled and leaking of black spores. The closer he got, the tougher the winds got, and the stronger the aura was around the area. "State your name and reason, soldier." Polaris demanded, but was met with no answer. "I said state your name, soldier." Still no answer. Polaris stood on his horse there with the reigns of his steed in hand. He stood there patiently for ten minutes, until his patience ran dry. After this, he sat back down and was ready to leave the area, until two figures from the chain of ominous horses rose up from the ranks and held their arms straight. Polaris was left in shock, but was then put in dismay after hearing them yell one single word. ----------------------------------------------------------- "CHAINS!" ----------------------------------------------------------- After this chant, Polaris'' horse tripped as Polaris himself lunged off at the last minute and faced his new adversaries. The spell had chained the horses legs onto the ground, immobilizing it temporarily. "Icarus!" Polaris yelled as he summoned his Karden and pulled his blade out of its reality. "What do you want from us!?" "Four people. Bil Sok, Sen, Evon Sin, and Jin-Kan. Return the adventurers to us immediately." The leader of the chain demanded to Polaris.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "You''re late. I am the one reigning this area. The adventurers you''re demanding for lost their lives fighting for their homeland. And I am here to ensure that their deaths were not in vain." Polaris responded. "Very well then. Arm your men." the figure shot back, as he sent a large gust of wind, pushing Polaris and his horse slowly all the way back to his own army. Slowly, they saw the chain of horses slowly advancing towards their position. Polaris realized the little time they had left and formulated a strategy. "All of you, form an arrow, and make sure the carriages holding all our goods stay within the formation for we cannot settle here and dwindle when we haven''t even made it halfway!" Five minutes later and the straight chain of hoses, started galloping straight towards their arrowhead formation. Polaris had no doubt that they could outrun their adversaries by piercing through their straight formation by concentrating their force through a single point. As the sides got closer and closer, Polaris decided to make a straight opening to help them get through. "Karden!" Polaris shouted as he reached in to summon his indigos. Once he got ahold of them, he spotted the two figures that bound his steed. Without hesitation, he fired his indigos, causing for both figures to end up beheaded. "Hmph, weak." Polaris exclaimed with his pride as they rode through the plane, ready to strike through the formation of the other army. It was 120 against what seemed to be 300, but with their God on their side, the Canisians felt no worry. But in a sudden twist of fate, a black ooze-like life force started seeping out of the carcasses of the dead figures, grabbing their heads, and putting them back on. Polaris was in shock after seeing this. This was no longer the adventurer''s guild they now. "EVERYONE! PLACE YOUR BLADES IN HAND, THESE ARE NO LONGER THE HEROES YOU KNEW!! THEY ARE NOW SPIRIT SHADERS!" Polaris figured that someone had defeated the remaining members of the guild as they were out to find Bil Sok, and had puppeteered their dying bodies into their play toys. "THOSE ON THE CARRIAGES, PICK UP SOME BOWS OR CROSSBOWS, WE''LL NEED TO CUT THEM OFF BEFORE THEY EVE NSTRIKE, THEN GO THROUGH THE BREACH WE HAVE MADE! MY INDIGO SHALL ASSIST US ALL AS WELL!" Polaris commanded to everyone. "You heard our God! These beings cannot die easily! Take up arms!" Karn said as he emphasized Polaris'' command. Soon, both sides were only 60 yards away from each other, as crossbow bolts and arrows flew through the sky, immobilizing many of the spirits, only for them to reanimate. Polaris'' made sure on taking out their mages so that they would no longer nuisance his platoon. Soon, 60 yards became 50, then 40, then 20, and suddenly, their forces were bound to collide. The opening was large enough to get their formidable force through the enemy formations, until they subtly heard a yell from the distance. ----------------------------------------------------------- BAGON VON KARNUM! ---------------------------------------------------------- Suddenly, an energy barrier appeared close in front of their army, almost stalling them, but Polaris had another trick held up high. He had discovered it shortly before their preparations, and he was ready to utilize it. ----------------------------------------------------------- "PURE CHI: BURN THE HEARTS OF THOSE WHO''VE LOST, SHATTER CORES THROUGH A COST!" ----------------------------------------------------------- Suddenly, a beam of light emerged from Polaris'' chest, destroying the barrier in an instant. Their regiments clashed as some men from both sides were trampled, and some were victorious. By the time that they slipped through the enemy formations, their numbers had fallen from 120 to 111. As they slipped through Polaris noticed the chain of horses turning back, and continuing to chase after them. "Archers! Steady fire!" Polaris still roared. When the spirits were still hot on their tail, they had to pull their final resort. "To those in the carriages, there''s a lever that will open a hatch to dynamite stripped under the hull. These were meant to make sure no bandits could get their spoils if we were ever defeated. But above the dynamite lies strings. Cut them off and that should dismount the TNT, causing for the explosives to roll over to the spirits, buying us time to escape!"Karn said to the troops before adding "To those behind the carriages, form a V shape to ensure that none of you get injured!" And that they did. The explosives rolled on the ground, exploding at the perfect times, pushing the spirits away, until they covered enough distance for them to disappear off away from the plains. "Keep your guards up, they may be waiting for us when we return." Polaris said to his army as they saw the woodlands close by. Part 4 of Canis arc CHAPTER 5: GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES A few more hours passed, which then turned into days as they recovered from their losses. They could not settle at one area, however, for they were still weary of if the spirit shaders for they may catch up to them. Their rations were running a little bit low, as their horses were growing tired of the weight and duties laid upon them. "Karn, we are about 2,500 yards away from the woodlands. Update me on the status of our soldiers, the rations, the quality of our remaining equipment, and the current number of soldiers we have left." Polaris commanded his apostle. "Yes sir. As it looks right now, morale is really low due to slight hunger, and grogginess due to their inability to rest without paranoia. Our rations have run low, and it is possible that we may only be able to supply our men with two final meals. As for our count, we only have 28 recombinants, 18 instacks, 45 of the first division, and 20 reinforcements remaining, adding up to a total of 111 soldiers left. We have sadly lost 9, my Lord." Karn replied to Polaris honorfu1lly. "Hm, may they be given eternal rest. Karn, slow your steed down so you may reach the back of the ranks. Announce to everyone that we are 2,000 yards away from the woodlands, and that they must prepare their equipment." As their horses slowly made their way through the rough terrain, the soldiers finally spotted the entrance to the woodland forests. With this, large cheers and chants erupted from the ranks of Polaris, rejoicing as they would finally be able to rest and forage for more food. Despite the amount of morale, faith, and hope being regained and absorbed by Polaris, empowering him, his instincts couldn''t help but worry about a powerful aura blasting through in the form of waves out of the forest. As they dismounted off their steeds, and unloaded their carriages, setting down their chests and crates, a group of five soldiers went foraging for fruits to eat. "Karn, I shall investigate the area. Set some tables and give the soldiers their second meal for the day." "Yes my Lord, I shall." Karn bowed down in agreement. As Polaris walked around the perimeters of the woodlands, we noticed a strange purple-glowing aura from one of the fruits hanging from the numerous trees. It was purple, had the sweetest scent, capable of luring unexpecting travelers to taste its sweet flesh. It had a round yet light structure, making it easy to carry, a judgefruit. "Our Lord!" Polar heard from the encampment, which slightly startled him. As he made his way back, he realized that the calls were coming from the five foraging soldiers whom he had crossed. "What is it?'' He said, demanding the soldiers for an answer. "We found this strange pathway, Lord." the responded. "Refrain from stepping onto that pathway. We shall investigate it when our regiments are ready. We cannot afford any laced traps on that floor. Now, follow me back to the encampment, everyone''s meals should be ready. Wash the fruits you have foraged, and pass them around the tables." Polar said as he warned his troops and invited them back. As they walked back to the encampment, they heard the numerous shrieks of happiness and wheezes of laughter. As they cleared shrubs and bushes to see the way, they saw all the soldiers'' hopes filled high as their morale was through the roof, chanting, singing, resting, and rejoicing as they were all eating on folded tables together. As the foragers were handing out normal goods like apples, berries, and bananas, but one particular consumable caught Polaris'' eye. It was the judgefruit. Without hesitation, he picked it up from the table before anyone could indulge in it, and hid it in his robes. He was worried on what danger or harm this could''ve caused to his men since he didn''t know. "Hm, did you lace their foods with some laughing poison Karn?" Polaris chuckled. "Haha, no my Lord. They just naturally became happy after getting time off from riding their horses and eating a full meal." After a few minutes, Polaris entered the carriages and helped with taking the remaining chests out of the hull. He commanded his soldiers to feed and nurture the tired horses, set up some tents for those who needed to rest, and investigated the perimeter as Karn looked over the regiments as well. As night fell, he commanded all of these soldiers to gather for rest in their tents, as they would embark and spearhead their skirmish by the next day. He also assigned 15 troops of the But as Polaris was taking up rest in his carriage with a separate mask on to avoid revealing his true face to anyone, he heard three knocks on the hull. "My Lord! We tried to stop them, but three of us were injured while trying to keep the five foragers at bay! They seem to have been controlled by an omnipotent force! They kept on yelling the word ''pathway'' and fought us if we tried to step across their way!" One of the weary guards said to Polaris. Without hesitation, he leaped out of his carriage and went to the direction of the dirt pathway they discovered earlier before. As he made his way, he then heard several arrows whir through the wind, and the groans of his men. There, he stood in disbelief as he noticed that his men at tripped on a wire that he''d been blind to before, and met their ends. But with this, he also noticed something peculiar. He noticed a half-bitten judgefruit next one one of the corpses of his men, and 5 more fresh ones in their bags. Within the encampment "Hm, when is it going to be sunrise yet? I''m kind of tired and I want to eat something that''ll for sure get me going. A meal perhaps?" Nightguard 1 said to Nightguard 2. "Well, you could eat one of the fruits the foragers brought in earlier. There were these three sweet-smelling purple fruits left in this sack they brought in." Nightguard 2 offered to his peer. Right before the nightguard could get his teeth around the skin of the fruit, and indigo slashed right through it, cutting it in half, startling the nightguard, causing for him to drop it before placing his sword in hand. "Wh-who are you behind the foliage!? Reveal yourself now!" he guard demanded. "It was the fruit. They''re judgefruits. Dispose of any more purple judgefruits around the encampment. They''re laced with a curse around this forest, causing for those who choose to consume it to be put under its spell and mind controlled." Polaris came out, commanding his soldiers. As the sun barely rose, the bells of the encampment rang as the soldiers fixed themselves up and prepared themselves for their first meal of the hour. there, they were served the same food from the day before. "Ehh??" "Five graves?" "What happened here??" "Did we get attacked?" "Aren''t those the foragers??" All the soldiers said while reacting to their shock after seeing the graves of five of their comrades. "It was the judgefruit." Polaris said. "The purple fruit that was being passed around that I disposed of? That was a judgefruit. If any of you had chosen to indulge in that sweet fruit, you all would have met the same fate due to the mind control curse laced into the consumable. Now, I want all of you to finish your rations and ready your equipment. We shall venture into the woodlands and find the area where their prophet resides." As the soldiers finished their plates and prepared their equipment and went into their formations with their regiments, Polaris reminded them about the importance of the tainted woodland apparel they brought with them. They needed it to cover their bulky armor and fit in with the woodland creatures to infiltrate their base. Polaris then told Karn to restate their plan. "The reinforcement regiment shall stay here within the camp, making sure that nothing is stolen and staying on their guards just incase they are called to the front lines of the conflict. The Instacks will lurk around their structures destroying and keeping any and all artifacts that may be the woodland trump cards like socalls. The recombinants will carry our Lord, Polaris, up to their ''great prophet'' and will fight alongside Polaris when the conflict starts, and the first division will be waiting as the main division. Now I must remind all of you, choose a plot of land fairly distant from any wooden sources like shacks, weapons, trees, or anything. Your steel armor should protect you from the first few blows, but they will find a way to kill you, they always will." After their preparations were complete, Polaris let them through the forest, until he heard one voice call out to him. "My Lord! There''s a dirt path here! Why don''t we just take it?" a soldier asked. "Because it was laced with traps. Our buried comrades back at camp were killed by them, because the mind-controlling judgefruits made them suicidal." The word "suicidal" alone was able to keep his men''s eyes off of the dirt paths and judgefruits, because, after all, they still had people waiting for them back at Irelurk. Polaris then opened his Karden and sent out indigos into the forest, while some of them swerved through the air, and some hit traps, helping him and his men locate safe paths. Eventually, they came across a deep ravine, which had vines riddled atop of it. They all then used the vines to traverse the forest atop the trees. But they were all shocked when they laid their eyes upon the peak, the summit of the prophet''s temple. As they lowered from the trees and saw the gates to the woodland settlement, they hid behind the foliage as Polaris gave one more reminder.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. "The conflict starts once I say smite." Without hesitation, Polaris and his regiments, all disguised, robed, and masked on came out of the foliage and went into a line formation as they marched towards the gates. The nymphs guarding the gates rejoiced for their plan to abduct what they thought was the "false deity" which seemed to have worked, or so they thought. They then opened the gates, as all the woodland creatures settling within the gates looked in awe as crowds of them cursed at Polaris. "You heathen!" "Why is there a Usurper!" "You deserve to get punished!" "How dare you mock our God?!" "Interloper!!" The mobs yelled in frustration to Polaris, thinking that he was a disgrace to the religion that the woodlands held. Polaris then realized that he had to make their disguise more believable. He then stopped in the middle of the pathway, initiating the disguised Karn to push him forward to keep the line moving and cuss him out with words like "You are no better than those who spit on your unholiness!" As Polaris was being escorted up the stairs of the temple, he looked behind him to see the Instacks breaking out of line and dispersing within the crowd to find the woodland armories, before yet again, getting shoved to stop the line from stalling. They walked up a linear staircase as the structure of the temple resembled a pyramid with rooms at the top, so everyone around saw the deity who they presumed was false, quite literally saw him being escorted. As they finally reached the peak of the temple, the large stone doors were then opened by the guards, and there, sat high on his throne, was the prophet, Usaine. "Ah, there he is! Polaris, or so I''ve heard. Born of the Starfront, born of Ursa Minor, and the force of Urlaris. Our God, Sirius warned us about this prophecy, a God stronger than him, and how there''d be a time for when we''d bow down to you. But we, great followers of our God Sirius, shall destroy you posers under the religion named Canis! You shall be executed, and your followers skinned! "How do you know the name of our religion?" Polaris inquired to Usaine. "Because of the prophecies that our God gave us. But we shall not let that turn into a reality! My dear nymphs, do our God a favor. Tie him up in restraints, so that we may be the only ones holding the name Canis. You, Polaris, do not understand the sheer amount of distraught you have caused us! By using the name of the constellation the star our God was born in! Now kneel!" As soon as he knelt down while being in restraints, Usaine grabbed his grand axe, which he said was given to him straight by his God. Right as he was raising his axe and was about to behead Polaris, he heard him mutter a sentence. "What if I know your God?" This sentence alone made Usaine blackout for a few moments, which was enough time for Polaris to break out of his chains, and grab his axe. "You dare challenge a God? Now I shall SMITE you as one!" Polaris yelled as it echoed throughout the temple so loud that the first division even heard it from the outside. In an instant, all of his troops removed their robes, masks, parkas, and disguises, revealing their armor as they began to pursue their adversaries. The recombinants immediately began slashing at the temple guards, and pushing the weaker woodland soldiers off the temple to their demise. The first division ran through the buildings, sparing the civilians and making sure that any and all threats they came across met their ends, as the instacks ravaged the armories, destroying artifacts they thought would aid the woodlands and keeping items that looked valuable. As the bloodshed commenced, Polaris figured that it''d be their loss because of their lesser numbers, so as his men fought with courage, he felt and absorbed the rising amounts of faith within his ranks, and unleashed his trump card. "SKILL: HEART OF THE WOLFRAM!" Polaris had only figured out on the way to the woodlands that he could control the chi abilities of those who he had defeated before when he absorbed enough faith. With this newer knowledge, he utilized Captain Organ''s ability, making his, and all his men''s weapons and armor more durable and powerful, while also increasing their attack speed. Seconds later, he could hear the loud yells of his buffed soldiers In an instant, Polaris sent out indigo shards to take down his opponent, who then summoned a vine wall to buy him time as he dashed out of the way. Usaine then summoned a rock spike from the rock walls of the temple behind Polaris, who then turned and cut it down with his Icarus. "Hm, my first time fighting a druid who can manipulate stone." Polaris eagerly said before turning back around to face Usaine. But right as he turned around, he saw Usaine leaping at him, tackling Polaris and grabbing his axe back as he pushed the both of them off and out of the temple through one of the windows, leaving the both of them to plummet down 1,000 feet below. The battle seemed to have ended as they both hopelessly flailed to the ground, until Usaine summoned vines to catch him, as Polaris pulled out indigos which then lowered him onto the ground. There, Usaine stood in shock as he saw his guards and foot soldiers getting ravaged by the Canisian regiments. "My men! Use your socalls!" Usaine helplessly pleaded. Ten seconds after this command, the pack of Instacks busted out through the door of the Woodland armories, holding crushed socalls in their hands, taunting the Prophet with words like "Oh you mean these socalls?" before blazing into battle, slaughtering all that passed by. As Usaine was too absorbed by the carnage, Polaris leaped over to Usaine, before trying to strike him down with his Icarus, which was then blocked by his axe called the cry of Canis. Usaine summoned vines to hold Polaris still on his feet, which were then crushed by the sheer power and aura he held. Polaris sent out waves upon waves of indigos, but all of which were futile as the battle axe was capable of deflecting each shot. Understanding the gravity of the situation, he sent out the spell he used against the shaders, yelling "SHATTER THEIR CORES!" summoning the chest beam he had used before, but it took too long allowing for Usaine to dodge it, as the beam left a gigantic crack on the side of the stone temple. Usaine having enough of his God''s legacy murdered, used one of his trump cards to stump Polaris. ----------------------------------------------------------- "TO THE BLOOD OF THE GOD I WORSHIPPED, GIVE ME THE POWER TO STONE THE ONE THAT LIES BEFORE ME!" ----------------------------------------------------------- Immediately after yelling his move, a large chunk of the temple was removed, as it all combined into a singular sphere that looked like it was eating all rock particles around it, until it took the shape and form of a rough jagged, human, a stone golem. Usaine then commanded the golem to attack Polaris, who dodged its every move and to try and crush him. Since it was stone, his pure chi''s and ferrochi''s didn''t work against it. He tried punching the being, but it was as if the God they worshipped was blessing the being entirely. Despite the problem, Polaris had one more trick up his sleeve. "KARN!" he yelled, who then leaped on top of houses and structures, avoiding any wooden things he could while dashing across rooftops to get to his Lord. Polaris quickly commanded him to strike for the Prophet as he handled the golem, fully knowing that the prophet heard this plan. But to the prophet''s dismay, Karn just.. vanished. As Polaris "struggled" to fight the golem, Usaine felt safer each minute Karn never showed up, until Karn leaped from the top of the temple, crashing down onto the prophet as Karn was saved from damage by Polaris'' indigo''s causing for the battle axe to lodge out of the prophet''s hands, which was then quickly grabbed by Polaris, and after one strike, the beast crumbled into rubble. "You fool." Usaine said, until Polaris felt a weird shock and jolt within his limbs. Immediately, he flipped around to the side, as a dirthound was charging straight towards him, but ended up ramming Usaine onto the outer walls of the temple, deeming him unconscious. "Huh, so it was these things that were truly causing trouble for our regiments?" Polaris scoffed in disbelief. "Indeed, my Lord. They didn''t have any more socalls, but there were five of them already here guarding the temple." Karn replied. "Hm, let us show them who they truly work for." Polaris then said. Immediately, Polaris jumped onto the one that tried ramming them over, slitting its throat with his Icarus. "That''s one." Next, they climbed roofs, slashing druids and nymphs that they met on the way. They then saw the second dirthound fighting against a group of 5 Instacks. "Karn, let''s see how much you''ve been training as a captain." Polaris said to Karn. With blazing precision, Karn flung himself off the roof, landing right in front dirthound. The dirthound then charged right at him, which he then avoided by gliding on the walls, causing for the beast to ram into the building he was next to. "One." he said as he landed behind the beast, delivering his first blow to the rear end. "Two" the second on the hind legs. And right as he was about to deliver the third, the tail of the best, like a whip, snapped at him, which could have incapacitated him as soon as possible if he hadn''t blocked it with his blade. Feeling embarrassed in front of his men and God, he jumped onto the beast, slitting its nape, and finally, "Three." "Hm, quite impressive." Polaris said as he applauded Karn. "But you still have so much to learn" Soon after saying this, he felt the rumbling and cracks of a dirthound behind him, just to find one struggling to climb on the roof. Feeling sympathy for the poor thing that couldn''t even get itself up, causing for it to whimper, Polaris used his Icarus like a bat to not kill, but incapacitate the dirthound by slamming it onto its head. "Karn, keep that one. I''d like to have it." "Yes my Lord." Eventually in the distance, the pair heard the shrieks of the final two dirthounds dying. Making their way back to Usaine, they saw him finally regaining his strength. "Hm, this''ll finally be fun." Polaris exclaimed. "I- I''M NOT DONE!" The prophet exclaimed. ----------------------------------------------------------- "VINEFERUS TITANUS!" ----------------------------------------------------------- Almost immediately, loud bursts of sound and vines smelted from both titanium and steel busted through the pathways and grounds, capturing the feet of all the soldiers including Polaris, and holding all of them captive, restraining them, as Polaris'' men all groaned in pain, as some woodland creatures took their chances and slaughter numerous soldiers. Polaris could feel the vines wrapping around his limbs, ever so slowly pulling them at high tensions, ready to pull them off on Usaine''s command. As this happened, Usaine started murmuring, speaking, which then in turn became yelling, which halted any further ambushes of the woodlands to the restrained soldiers, as they all looked at his direction. It was as if he was being possessed by their God Sirius in real time. "Fw-WAAHHAHA! YOU CALL THIS A GOD?? A DEITY? WHEN HE ISN''T EVEN HALF A QUARTER STRONGER THAN SIRIUS? WHEN HE NEEDS THE SUPPORT FROM HIS FOLLOWERS? WHEN HE CAN''T EVEN DEFEAT ONE MERE PROPHET! YOU FALSE, YOU HEATHEN, YOU BITCH! I SHALL FIRST DISMEMBER YOU, AND PUT YOU INTO STEW WHICH I SHALL FEED TO YOUR OWN PEOPLE, YOUR OWN FOLLOWERS! THEN I SHALL SKIN EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM ALIVE AS I SEE THE BLOOD FLOWWING FROM THEIR BODIES FILLED WITH YOUR NUTRIENTS SEEPING THROUGH THE CUTS OF THEIR SKIN! I SHALL END YOU AND ALL YOUR PEOPLE-" Usaine was in his feeling, until he was interrupted by the crashing and whirring of flaming arrows and torches from the skies. As he looked up, he saw the smirks of the now 15 person-manned recombinant division smirking and taunting the prophet high up in the temple where they fell. "Did you forget about us?" they yelled. Filled with anger, filled with rage, Usaine was ready to smite them down, until one of the arrows hit his chest, puncturing his heart, causing for his spell to lose grasp, letting all its victims go. "Karn! GO!" Polaris immediately cried as Karn jumped from Polaris'' back, holding his blade high ready to deliver the final blow to Usaine as he yelled "PERISH YOU INTERLOPER!" But Usaine had already perceived this move, using his vines to whip Karn away, throwing him out of the battle. Usaine filled with anger and agony, turned his gaze to Polaris, but realized that his fate had already been decided. Karn''s ambush was nearly a front.. a front for Polaris to prepare. With a great aura pushing all those around him, Polaris then chanted his final trump card. ----------------------------------------------------------- "SHEPHERDS COME THROUGH SHEPHERDS'' MIGHT, GUIDE US THEE TO NORTHERN LIGHT. FOR THOSE IMMORAL, FOR THOSE WHO''RE DEAD, SHOW US ALL THE SERPENT''S HEAD!" ----------------------------------------------------------- In an instant, a larger beam proving the power of Polaris and his follower''s faith came crashing down from the heavens, as Usaine hopelessly summoned vines to protect himself from his demise, before submitting to the heat. As he burnt, so did the hearts and faith of his followers to their God. This move had proven that their God had fully perished decades ago after the prophecy of the one Born of Ursa Major, and that they had already sealed their fates by choosing to repel against their God''s wishes. Their God had already left them, but they could not let go. As Polaris approached the burning body, he realized that Usaine was still alive. "Me-mercy.. ''O Lord.." Usaine pleaded. Polaris was a forgiving God, but after all he''d done to his people, to his soldiers, to his apostle, and the threats he made, he could no longer hold his patience. Without a single moment of hesitation, he showed Usaine why Polaris held the title born of Ursa Minor. "I was born from the star, and my blood is blue because it rivals even the boiling point of water, billions, trillions, quadrillions of times hotter, really." He said as he pulled out his Icarus. "n-no, please.. mer¡­cy" Usaine begged. Polaris then stood on top of Usaine, slitting his wrist with his icarus. And with each burning drop of blood that fell, the grass around him wilted, as his already exposed flesh burned. Polaris couldn''t help but laugh during the scene, a scene so gruesome even Karn couldn''t bare to look while in an injured state. "M-MERCY! MERCY!!!!" Usaine cried in pain. "P-PLEASE! I APOLOGIZE, HAVE MERCY ON ME OH LORD! LORD!!!" He cried even more. "G-GOD!!!" He cried. Until he didn''t anymore. ----------------------------------------------------------- Author here! Thanks so much for your support, and I apologize for this really long final chapter to close the end of the first arc! i hope you enjoyed it as I really wanted the best for you guys, and I shall be dropping the start of the next arc: Odyssey very soon! Please keep on supporting me as I continue my compassion for writing!