Writer: Henet
Proofreader: PervySageChuck
Overlord Ascendants Arc 1 Second Coming
Overlord Book 1, Chapter 6: Prelude to Invasion
Part 1
A group of horsemen were traversing over the remnants of a paved highway. Percy was riding at the front, flanked by his trusted knights. Riding along at his right was his confidant and partner, Hilda.
The group was following the path of the highway. Not a single person in the group dared to stray from its path. On several occasions, they had to slow down to check for the stone slabs that formed the old highway.
The reason for their actions was simple. They had been forewarned by their host to stay within 20 meters of the road, unless they intended to challenge the local fauna. In their travels, they occasionally heard the snarl and growls of monstrous beasts, hidden within the thick forest lining both sides of the highway. Sometimes, they caught a glimpse of those creatures that made those sounds. From the brief sighting and by the sounds of the crashing of nearby vegetation, those creatures were humongous as surmised by their own rangers.
When they stopped for rest, Hilda studied the properties of the stone slabs using her magical skills. She found that the stones contained a type of magic that repelled any creature that strayed nearby, protecting any would-be travelers from being attacked while travelling within the Forbidden Continent.
Percy was smiling to himself. His generous ‘host’ had revealed to him an easy route to travel within the Forbidden Continent. During the journey, they encountered a few forks along their path. As they had received strict instructions from Azrael to keep moving straight and not to take a detour, they did not dare to stray from their intended path. The road itself would directly take them to Ravenhallow Pass with two days of hard riding, from there they could return to the territories of the Empire. During the journey, Percy was sorely tempted to take a detour just to see where those paths would take them.
Eventually, he dismissed his own curiosity and focused on that single urge after leaving the R'lyeth Manor, which was his intention to conquer that manor and use the numerous artifacts within to bring the world under his dominion. His thoughts moved towards those happy memories that fueled his ambition.
The day after signing a treaty with his host. He and his entourage were given a personal tour of the R'lyeth treasure gallery by Azrael. Within the treasure gallery of that single mansion were numerous artifacts with enough power to surpass the weapons of the heroes of old. Their properties were confirmed and screamed out by Hilda as she investigated them one by one. Percy had known of her intentions of seeking the powerful magical knowledge and relics of the past. But he never once experienced such zeal from her.
The vestige of her sanity almost broke when they were brought before a red crystal arcane staff. The entire staff was made of blood red amethyst with a large shining black pearl nested at the top. A crimson like aura swirled within the glass display that held the staff. Hilda looked as if her wildest dreams had come true and was practically sticking her face and panting against the glass display. If not for the efforts of Percy’s knights, Hilda would have spent the day and night staying within that treasure room in order to sleep underneath all that treasure. The soldiers had to put out quite an effort to pull her out of the room at the end of the tour.
Afterward, when Hilda was served tea by the head-maid, she managed to calm herself down in the end. After realizing her embarrassing conduct, she apologized profusely to their host. Recognizing her enthusiasm, the owner of the mansion relented to allow Hilda to stay and return to study the artifacts under supervision and Hilda happily accepted the offer. She spent the entire night in the treasure room while observed closely by the head-maid.
That arcane staff was one of the many treasures stored there. From Percy’s memories, he saw other impressive weapons as well, a large claymore forged from a type of rare metal that radiated the rainbow prism. A golden longbow with the figure of a dragon carved on it. Twin daggers separately decorated with either a large red or blue sapphire at the hilt and many more. All those weapons were forged with rare metals and gemstones which he had never encountered before. Furthermore, all those weapons on display were radiating overwhelming auras, as if the power of the world manifested itself in the weapons. By his estimation, the worth of those treasures in that room had far surpassed the combined wealth of all the countries in this world.
Percy once read of such weapons that existed in the age of heroes that contained unimaginable power, such as the legendary Hammer of Dawn that could flatten the tallest peaks with a single strike, Matahari’s bow that could rain fire from the sky, burning entire cities to the ground in seconds, or the magical staff Subzero that could create a blizzard that could blanket an entire country. Many of these legendary weapons faded into myth as they disappeared with the passing of history. Many believed that such stories were greatly exaggerated and were used to entertain the masses. They could never imagine that such overwhelming power could exist. After touring that gallery, Percy realized how wrong those thoughts were.
From that moment, he resolved to take over the mansion and use the relics there to fuel his ambition. Percy had discussed his plans with his close confidant Hilda. Hilda’s antics in the treasure room was a clever ploy that allowed her to gather the necessary information that Percy needed. Throughout the time she spent there, Hilda had been researching all the weapons, armor and sealing crystals stored within the gallery. Although Percy had no doubt that those relics were genuine, he wanted to find out what other trump cards that his host could have hidden. He was elated when Hilda told him about the sealing crystal that stored the spell which was used on them during their initial encounter.
In other words, their magic spell was not derived from their ability. Instead, they rely on the power of their treasures.
Percy trusted Hilda as she had been one of his closest supporters during the days of the civil war. Back then, she was just a magic caster that graduated from the Empire’s magical academy. Due to the high regard for her talents by others and her own personal ambition, she applied for a position as an Imperial Magic Caster. There, she attracted the attention of Percy and he himself took her under his wing. She provided her talents in magic and in other more intimate indulgence, while Percy provided all the benefits she desired, access to restricted knowledge, wealth, and status. Needless to say, she threw in all her effort in the days of the civil war when Percy’s father initiated the coup d’état against the reigning monarchy.
Percy briefly thought about his brothers back in the capital. His full name was Percy Windon Lockmyer, ranking fourth among five half-brothers. Prior to the civil war, the Lockmyer family headed by his father, Oswalt Windon Lockmyer, was the one of the strongest and oldest Noble houses in the Empire.
Since the attack by the Deathwyrm 30 years ago, the losses to the country had further exacerbated the power decline of the ruling monarch. In response the king back then, decided to increase taxation, in order to obtain enough funding to rebuild the ravaged cities. But, with an administration riddled with corruption, power abuse, and excessive spending, the people revolted. Many of the stronger noble houses, with the Lockmyer family at the forefront, used the opportunity to dispose of the ruling monarch and to pursue their agenda for dominance. With their calls to dispose of a corrupt and inept government, many heeded their call. Counting today, this resulting civil war had lasted almost 10 years, with the loyalists and the rebels fighting over the country. The rebels had taken over the majority of the country after six years of hard fighting.
Now, the civil war was now reaching its end, in favor of the rebels or using the more preferred term ‘revolutionaries’, securing most of the Empire’s territories. It would be a matter of time before the loyalists would be defeated. Sensing their eventual victory three years ago, Percy’s father, Oswalt ascended the throne and declared the Lockmyer family as the new Monarch of the Empire. Although his family stood at the pinnacle as the ruling family of the Empire, Percy did not expect himself to have the slightest chance of inheriting the throne. By rules and tradition, the king would naturally be succeeded by the eldest. While, he himself ranked fourth in terms of succession. None the less, Percy had not given up and strived to obtain power and money. He did not intend to go down without a fight. Naturally, his brothers, whom were also fighting in secret for the throne, got wind of it, and plotted his downfall first.
They succeeded with Percy, making him lose most of his supporters. He was given the position as a governor and sent to the Far-East, far away from the capital under his father’s order. This was the extent of his father’s love where he prevented his other siblings from claiming his life.
However, Percy got the vague sense that his brothers, and even his father were betting on the slim chance that he would be caught in another attack by the monsters of the Forbidden Continent, so that they would have one less person to worry about when it came to the fight to succeed the throne currently occupied by their father.
But after spending two years at the Far-East, Percy still never gave up on the dream of sitting on the throne. After reminiscing about his past, Percy could only smile bitterly.
From what I heard, my old man has no intention of giving up the throne. Damn him! Damn them all!
As fate would have it, this chance encounter was his turning point. One that he was sure would change his destiny altogether. That little mansion had everything he ever wanted, legendary spells and weapons, unimaginable wealth, and world class beauties.
The joke’s on them now. Soon, they will burn under my wrath and everything in this world would fall within my grasp.
Percy licked his lips as he imagined himself savoring the fruits of his schemes. After experiencing living in that mansion. He had already hatched a plan to devour everything in the House of R'lyeth. Once that was completed, he would exact his revenge on his brothers before launching his campaign of conquest. The key to his ambition was placed inside the little leather case tied to the side of his horse, the summoning crystal that could summon twenty Death Wyrms, gifted to him by Azrael.
Part 2
Hanna was sitting on a single wooden bed as she massaged her hand. She had bloodied her hands as she had been banging on the wooden cell door for hours at a time since she was locked up here. When she could not withstand the pain anymore, she continued to shout until her voice became hoarse, hoping for one of her friends to hear her. But no reply came.
Now as she sat dejectedly, she looked over the condition of her cell. Considering what she and her companions did, she expected herself to be thrown into the deepest and darkest dungeon here. Instead, she was confined to this small but clean room, furnished with a wooden bed, table and a small chair. At a corner of the room, was a chamber pot that she could use to relieve herself. The room was illuminated by a single magical light, hanging in the middle of the ceiling. Hanna had no control over the light as it turned on and off on its own. Hanna presumed that it was following the day and night cycles outside and used it to estimate the duration of her stay. Her day began with the lights switching on and ended at night as the light went off on its own. Hanna estimated that she had been here for at least three days.
For three times a day, an Ushan maid would bring her food. Thankfully, it was not some moldy bread and cold watery soup, the common meal served in the dungeons of the Empire, but instead she was given a hearty meal of soft bread added with meat loafs, with added egg salad.
Like a routine, after bringing the food, the maid would promptly use magic to clean everything, including emptying the chamber pot and collecting the utensils from the previous meal. They were careful not to give her anything remotely sharp, not even a fork. Everything inside the room was made of wood, including her utensils.
Hanna tried to think of a way to get out of here, but each of her plans seemed unlikely to work. Even if she might be able to arm herself with a butter knife, Hanna did not believe that she could even overpower the maids that entered her chambers. For now, she gave up on the thought of escaping from here.
Hanna decided to change her approach. she did not do anything else other than to ask the maids for the whereabouts of her friends or beg for the chance to meet with her host, Azrael. Her attempts however did not bear any results, as the maids continued to ignore her pleas and requests while they worked.
Her days in the room were spent uneventfully. During lights on, she usually paced the room, worrying about her friends or trying to distract herself by reading the few books placed on the wooden table. When the lights turned off, she would lie on her bed as she pondered about the situation back west. With her current mission reaching critical failure, she could not imagine what would happen to her family back west. Poisoned by worry, she did not sleep well.
On the fifth day however, something unexpected occurred. It started with several distinctive knocks on her cell door. The maids would usually announce their arrival with several knocks before entering. But this time, the knocks came moments after Hanna had finished her lunch. She promptly stood up from her bed due to the sudden arrival of an unexpected guest.
Then, the door opened.
“Pardon me.” Serene announce as she stepped inside the cell while carrying a tray with a tea set on it. She remained standing to the right side of the door.
Behind the head maid, a 15-16 year old beautiful girl with braided brunette hair followed her inside. She was wearing a simple yet well-made amethyst colored dress that revealed her shoulders. Her dress was decorated with shining gold threads with the majority of it forming an emblem of a dragon on the right hip. To Hanna, the mysterious guest’s beauty rivaled that of Azrael’s sister. Where the sister’s radiated sensual bewitching beauty, hers was more of an elegant graceful beauty.
For an inexplicable reason, Hanna had a strange feeling that she had known her before. Hanna studied the expression behind the bright amber eyes that gave the strong impression of an intelligent yet kind persona. Her warm expression gave out a friendly and reliable feeling. Hanna unconsciously lowered her guard towards her mysterious guest.
“How do you do?” her guest greeted her warmly.
“Have we met before?” Hanna asked up front, trying to find the answer to the question that had been nagging her.
“No, but I have inadvertently seen you during your stay here. I did not have the chance to properly introduce myself.” The mysterious girl replied smiling warmly.
“I see…….” Hanna uncertainly. From her memories, she did not recall seeing such a face during her stay here. Yet, she cannot shake that gut feeling that her mysterious guest was not lying. There was no point pressing for more answers.
“I am sorry, where are my manners. I have not introduced myself. My name is Arilde. One of the ladies of House R'lyeth.” Arilde introduced herself in an elegant curtsy.
“I am Princess Hanna Nobel Adlia, third princess of the true monarch of the Empire. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Hanna responded in kind. She remembered to practice her noble etiquette that had been drilled into her since she was young.
As Hanna introduced herself, she felt her own title as a princess rang hollow while being confined to this dungeon. Then again, she had mostly lived her life in isolation by her mother’s will. Being confined was not really a novel experience to her.
There was a brief moment of silence between them as Serene prepared the tea. With a snap of her fingers, the Ushan maids brought a small table and two chairs that fitted snugly in the cell before Serene promptly revealed the menu for the day’s tea. After she finished everything, Arilde proceeded to thank Serene for her work before she took her leave.
The silence was broken when Hanna began to speak.
“Lady Arilde,…….”
“Please call me Arilde. You do not have to use honorifics to address me.” Arilde interrupted her.
“……Arilde, you are…..?” Hanna asked her visitor timidly.
Although Arilde introduced herself as a lady of R'lyeth, Hanna was unsure of the relation of Arilde to the lord of the house. Considering the actions of the head-maid, she undoubtedly held an important position here. Hence, it would be beneficial for Hanna to create a good impression in hopes of improving her current situation.
As if sensing Hanna’s intention, Arilde answered her.
“Ah, my apologies for not being clear on that. Well to put it simply, I am betrothed to Azrael-sama.” Arilde answered Hanna as she was holding her face with both hands, closing her eyes in happiness while trying to hide the blushing on her cheeks.
Hanna herself was not unfamiliar with the aspects of political marriage since she was a member of the Empire’s monarchy. Due to her mother’s many efforts, she was spared from being used as a tool in the family’s political power play. Her sisters however had been promised to others to secure support for the reigning monarch from the other noble houses back in those days.
Looking at Arilde’s expression, Hanna felt that she would not be surprised if little pink hearts started to appear by the side of Arilde’s head. It was obvious she happily accepted the arranged marriage.
“Is there a particular purpose for your visit, Arilde-sama?” Hanna asked cautiously.
“Oh, I am here just for a friendly visit.” Arilde replied good naturedly. Her bright smile would have put the shrewdest people at ease.
However, Hanna willed herself not let her guard down.
“Ara-ara, you don’t have to be so alert with me. I am here to assist you.” Arilde winked at Hanna.
“Why would you consider helping me now?” Hanna asked.
“Hmm……if you want me to give you a reason. Then, it’s just that I sympathize with your predicament.” Arilde spoke as she gave Hanna a sympathetic look.
Hanna herself got the feeling that those amber eyes directed at her were not lying. However, she could not bring herself to fully trust her. It stemmed from her personal experience when it came to dealing with people. Emotions and expressions could be faked. She did not truly believe that a stranger would unduly help her without expecting something in return.
Could she be playing both sides? Hanna wondered.
“What can I do to change Azrael’s decision?” Hanna asked, hoping for some leads to salvage the mess she’s knee deep in. Right now, she cannot do anything but to play into their hand.
“Ara, if it’s like that. Then, I shall get to the point. Do you have anything that you can offer us? A deal that could trump over Percy’s terms…..” Arilde asked Hanna as she calmly took a sip of her tea. All this while, she maintained a friendly disposition.
Hanna remained silent. She was biting her lips to think of a better counter-offer but nothing came to mind.
“Is this the extent of your resolve…..”
The words sent a jolt of electricity through Hanna’s heart. A sudden realization came into her mind.
She knew. They knew about my ability. But how?
Hanna’s hand began to tremble. Her biggest secret was likely to be revealed.
Would it be better to feign ignorance?
“Oh, we knew of your power over the control of life and death. To the point, that you can use your ability to the extent of greatly extending the lifespan of normally mortal beings. It is a rather curious ability. Naturally, Azrael-sama’s interest was piqued.”
“How did you know?” Hanna asked. Few people knew about this particular ability of hers, not even Leader and the others knew about it. Moreover, the ring given to her by her grandma granted absolute immunity against any form of information gathering magic.
“Oh, we have other more subtle ways of finding out. Trust us.”
“Trust? Isn’t that a rather vague answer? I doubt you would place that much expectation when you know almost nothing about me nor me of you. Should I place my trust in someone who simply gave out powerful relics that could change the course of history for a country on a whim and fancy? I do not doubt it that everyone would make use of my ability for their selfish needs including Azrael. Knowing my ability, do I really have a choice?! Tell me!”
Hanna retorted angrily. She failed to conceal her anger especially at those whose machinations would destroy her mother’s legacy, those who would cause all those deaths to be meaningless.
And they expect me to place my faith in them, to be shackled again?
Hanna started to clench her fist tightly, suppressing the urge to lash out. She hoped that the pain caused by her fingernails digging deep in the skin would overcome the emotional pain for the lives lost during her journey. What made it worse was that the events a few days earlier had made their sacrifice for naught.
She tasted the salt in her mouth. A short moment passed before she realized that it was the salt of her own tears, streaming down from the side of her cheeks.
Hanna moved her hand to wipe off her tears. But Arilde had already withdrawn a piece of handkerchief and proceeded to gently dab the tears dry off Hanna’s face.
“Please do not take this the wrong way. We have nothing against you. I am truly sorry that things have come to this. But, we have no reason to enter into an alliance with your people since they do not control any territories at the borders of the Forbidden Continent. Secondly, helping you would have instead created problems for us. Considering that the current reigning monarch of the Empire would choose to invade us instead. I believe you could not refute that this is the logical decision chosen by Azrael-sama.” Arilde calmly responded to Hanna’s emotional outburst.
Arilde’s gentle treatment and sympathy soothed the pain in Hanna’s heart.
“What other possible things could I possibly do?! My people are reaching the end of their rope and I am the last hope for them to gain the victory which they sorely need. What else can I do………” Hanna held her head dejectedly.
Her tears gushed out from the utter desperation and despair clouding her heart.
“Well, I have already given you the answers that you seek. What is left is for you to make a decision.”
Seeing her silence, Arilde understood that Hanna needed time to consider her options.
“I will be taking my leave then. Please consider my words carefully. The herbal tea I prepared is a perfect brew for the anxious mind.” Arilde smiled gently.
Hanna remained silent, conflicted about the choice she had to make.
As Arilde exited the room, a figure in a white cloak emerged from the shadow of the corridor.
Arilde smiled brightly as she saw the person standing there. It was Azrael.
“How was the meet and greet?” Azrael asked as Arilde walked along by his side.
“Ara, Azrael-sama, didn’t you listen into our little chat?” Arilde teased him.
“I find it rude to eavesdrop on such private moments. Plus, I trust in your ability to handle things.”
Arilde used both her hands to hold onto Azrael left arm, moving her head closer to his.
With this, there was a gradual change to her previously human-like appearance, as a pair of horns suddenly appeared on her head and a pair of leathery wings appeared from her back.
“The final piece is at play now, just as you had predicted, Azrael-sama. Now, we just have to wait for the other pieces to move.” Arilde whispered into his ears playfully.
Azrael nodded after listening to Arilde’s report. They continued walking in silence like a couple taking a casual evening stroll through the park. Arilde was practically beaming with happiness as the two walked together.
Part 3
At the eastern edge of the Empire, was the Fortress City of Ambat. The city acted as the provincial capital of the Empire’s eastern territories. Unlike the other provincial capitals and large cities within the Empire, the fortress city was built for the purpose of being a fortification and also to fill the need to house a sizable military force, for the 30,000 soldiers, stationed in the city.
The large amount of troops stationed there was for one reason and one reason only. The protection of the Empire’s eastern borders against any monster intrusion from the Forbidden Continent. Ambat acted as the provincial military headquarters for the Eastern Army, tasked with management of the numerous smaller forts that dotted the eastern borders. The soldiers within those forts kept a lookout for any monsters that crossed into the Empire’s territory.
Once, they discovered any dangerous monsters, depending on the situation, the forts would dispatch messengers back to the city to seek for reinforcements. But in most cases, the defenders were well equipped and had sufficient manpower to deal with those monsters themselves.
The soldiers in those forts frequently patrolled the area between the fortress and the Fortress City of Ambat. Numerous walled settlements and frontier villages were established in between, producing food crops to sustain the rest of the Empire. The eastern province contained some of the most fertile land within the Empire. Not surprisingly, many people called the east as the breadbasket of the Empire.
That is why the Empire placed a large military presence here. Losing control over the eastern territories would undoubtedly affect the food supply of the country for the long run. It was estimated that up to 40 percent of the food supply of the Empire came directly from these lands.
The fortress city of Ambat was protected by four layers of walls, separating the city into four distinctive zones. The outermost zone was the residential district, where the citizen dwelt.
The second layer consisted of the warehouse district, which stored the many resources required by both civilian and military. The resources stored within were sufficient to last at least two years without external resupply, allowing the city to stand against any long term sieges.
Passing through the third wall layer would be the military zone where the barracks, workshops, stables and airfield were located. Needless to say, the bulk of Ambat’s military forces were housed there.
The provincial administration could be found within the fourth zone, the heart of Ambat, Most of the important government officials of the eastern territories, including military leaders, trade leaders and various administrative heads could be found there.
They conducted their work within the most prominent building there, the Fortress Castle of Ambat.
Within the castle, in a small meeting hall a discussion was being held between the top officials of Eastern administration in lieu of recent events.
“What do you mean their tracks disappeared entirely?! How could 30 people just vanish into thin air?!”
The man’s booming voice reverberated throughout the entire conference room. The speaker retained a physique that matched his voice. At a glance, he possessed a thickset body, his belly was bulging, stretching the immaculate red coat that he was wearing. Many would assume that the person lived a sedentary lifestyle, gorging himself on food and would balk at the thought of manual labor.
But the people seated at the table knew better. Hidden underneath that pudgy mass, were the steel like muscles of General Cuvier, head of the Empire’s Eastern Forces. Everyone seated at the table were well aware of his infamous ‘iron grip’ where he could single handedly crush the skull of his foe or anyone that vexed him. That terrifying strength was further matched with the sharp, angry look of a 50-year old bald man with a black moustache.
He was livid after reading the report from the scouting team, who went to search for the missing Prince Percy. The prince had gone missing after going on the hunt for the third princess of the former monarch. The general had sent his people scouring for the prince when his group did not report back at the stipulated time.
As of today, the prince and his entourage had been missing for almost a week. Initial reports from the scouting team indicated that Prince Percy had chased the former princess and her band of rebels into the Forbidden Continent. But the strange thing was that the group’s tracks disappeared entirely at a grassy knoll, as if they flew off somewhere.
The search team had exhausted all avenues to search for clues for the prince’s whereabouts in the surrounding area. In the end, the scouting team retreated after two days of further searching had yielded nothing. Furthermore, it was dangerous to stay too long within the Forbidden Continent although the search area was confined around the border.
The Forbidden Continent was infamous for the hidden dangers within. Hence, unsurprisingly, the scouting team suffered several casualties with the survivors barely escaping with their lives when exiting the continent as they were attacked by the dangerous monsters that dwelled there.
The marble table shuddered violently as the general slammed his fist down on the table. Even the people seated seemed to jump at the display of his strength, except for one person. Where the rest were dressed in the usual red and white military uniform or luxurious coats. That man’s fatigues set him apart from the rest. He wore a body hugging jet black body suit. At a glance, his torso, arms and thigh bulged out disproportionately as if those parts of his body swelled. On closer inspection however, the swelling was due to the armored coverings adorning those sections of his body.
The armored sections did not contain the shine of metal nor the feel of tempered leather but contained the gloss of a black precious stone….Obsidian.
The area wrapped by the obsidian armor dimmed as the light photons were absorbed by the armor. At night, it would not be be surprising that the person would appear as one with the shadows.
The figure wearing the obsidian armor belonged to a youth about 20-years of age. His long black hair tied to a ponytail along with his sharp black eyes, matched well with his outfit.
While everyone else on the table were showing signs of anxiety and fear, his was the only face displaying a strong sense of boredom. Even his attention was focused on the window outside, at the birds flying past the windows and to the warm, sunny mid-morning sun beams, rather than paying attention to the speaker, General Cuvier.
Normally any other people would have personally experienced the general’s ‘Iron Grip’ if he or she did something similar within his presence. But not a single protest was uttered about the youth’s rather rude behavior. The reasons were simple, ability wise he could kill everyone in the room in the blink of an eye. Even Cuvier who was a veteran of the East, who survived and emerged victorious over numerous encounters against the terrifying monsters that came out from the Forbidden Continent, would have been treated like a child by the youth sitting there.
The second reason was that the young man was bestowed a status equal to that of the general, a Hero. He was one of the elite ten acting under the orders of the Heroes Council, an organization established to deal with extraordinary threats that cannot be handled by the efforts of ordinary people.
And his name was Valamere Shadowstroke, the assassin. Many of the elites of humanity could trace their bloodlines to the heroes of the past, where the progenies of those heroes continued their lineage up to this day. Valamere’s family, the Shadowstroke clan was one of the many ancient families that inherited their ancestor’s ability. In the case of the Shadowstrokes, it would be the ‘Shadao’ technique of assassination. In his family, he was considered as a prodigy, mastering all the Shadao fighting-styles. Their doctrine centered on the mastery of stealth, where their top fighters could erase their presence from the most potent detectors known, killing their enemies with a master-stroke.
The Shadowstroke were much feared especially by other assassins as they had a notorious reputation as assassin killers. They were the ones to hire to take out other expert killers. In the family’s history, they had never ever experienced failure and only a few could truly rival them at the field of assassination, such as the Deathbells.
Valamere’s presence in this meeting was for one reason only. General Cuvier requested his assistance to lead his group of assassins to locate the missing prince. The rationale for sending assassins in a search may not seem practical. But, one could not argue that their ability to hide their presence and their superb detection abilities would improve their odds of survival in the deadly wilderness of the Forbidden Continent. Their skillset would greatly improve the chances of success for the coming search mission.
Of course, they would not be alone as they would be supported by the Eastern Army. Henceforth, this meeting was held to plan and go over the details of their rescue mission.
Cuvier took a deep breath, trying to regain his calmness from the sudden outburst earlier.
“Valamere-dono,…..”
Before he could finished sentence, a sentry came inside the room. He walked briskly to the general. Everyone in the room turned their attention towards the sentry. Even Valamere, who was bored, focused his attention on the unexpected turn of events. The sudden interruption meant the sentry was delivering important news. Everyone in the castle knew better than to barge into Cuvier’s meetings.
The sentry whispered to Cuvier. His annoyed expression changed into that of a frown.
“Understood, please bring our esteemed guest inside.” Cuvier waved the sentry away.
The sentry promptly exited the room.
Moments later, the door opened. A group of people walked inside, and leading them was the missing Prince Percy.
The people seated inside the room had their sense of curiosity replaced by a flood of relief. They were glad that they did not have to send more people into the Forbidden Continent to search for the missing prince, which was the reason why the meeting was being held in the first place.
Everyone in the room stood up and bowed as Percy moved towards the head of the table.
“Percy-sama, it is good to see that you are well and alive.”
“Thank you, general. It’s irregular to see all the higher ups of the eastern administration gathered here.”
“As you would have already known, Percy-sama. The meeting was held to organize a search and rescue party for you. Now that you have returned, I think we can dispense with the agenda today.”
“On the contrary, it is convenient for me now that everyone is gathered here in this room. Now then…… Gentlemen, I intend to launch a campaign to claim the Forbidden Continent.”
Percy’s sudden bold declaration was met with silence. Then, the room erupted with a huge uproar.
“Impossible!”
“This is preposterous.”
“Lunacy!”
Most of the councilors and the military officers were shouting.
“ALL OF YOU BE QUIET!!!”
The room became silent instantly under Curvier’s booming voice.
“Please proceed, Percy-sama.” Curvier calmly told the prince as if his angry shout earlier was just a façade.
“B-b-but g-general, what the prince proposed cannot be done.”
One of the officers protested feebly as Curvier glared at him.
“Ho, I for one, am interested to hear what Percy-sama has to say.”
For the first time since being in this room, Valamere spoke.
“Thank you, Valamere-dono. Gentlemen, I now have the means and plan to take control of the lands that dreaded the Empire’s far east, the Forbidden Continent.”
With a confidant but mysterious expression, Percy addressed everyone in the room, drawing their attention closer to him.
“Ahem, what is this means you mentioned when you said you intend to subjugate the Forbidden Continent, Percy-sama?” Cuvier was the first to ask the question.
“I am glad that you asked, general. What I am about to say here must be kept secret between us. I am confident that my plans will work towards everyone’s favor. On my trip there, I have met a group of interesting people that unwittingly gave me the means to control the lands. Now behold, gentlemen, the key to conquering the Forbidden Continent….and also… the world.”
Percy whipped out the sealing crystal that was given to him by Azrael.
Instantly, everyone focused their attention at the crystal itself. Percy could not help himself but to grin a little as he captured everyone’s attention, even a person like Valamere.
“Now then, please listen carefully, esteemed gentlemen.”
Part 4
Percy was currently standing over the ramparts overlooking Ambat’s military staging grounds.
“Gentlemen, you shall be embarking on a campaign that will be recorded in the annals of Empire history. For too long, we have been looking in terror towards the distant Forbidden Continent, fearing the destruction that it would bring down upon us. But now, I, no……we have the means to conquer that fear and make it bow before us. Now, I implore all of you present here to lend me your strength and together we shall build a better future for our children. A future that will mean they do not have to live under the threat of constant death.”
Percy addressed those assembled before him, the entire corp of 30,000 soldiers in Ambat. Standing beside him at the city’s ramparts as he made his speech were the councilors and military commanders of Ambat, the willing co-conspirators of his schemes. The few who went against him were secretly put down by Valamere.
There were no cheers erupting from the assembled men after listening to Percy’s speech. Their faces were grim with determination to complete their job. Heading into the Forbidden Continent was akin to a suicide mission. It would be a lie that they were not afraid. But many trusted in their commander, General Cuvier’s orders. He may have an explosive personality. But he knew what needed to be done. Furthermore, the presence of Valamere shored up the soldier’s morale.
Percy looked at the soldiers standing in formation, preparing to board the grounded airships. The airships were the pride of the Empire’s army. The Empire owed its military advantage to its vast airship fleet. Historians wrote that the first appearance of airships forever changed the history of warfare, where armies do not have to surround an entire city to siege it and send in a vast number of men to die before the castle ramparts to storm the defenders. A fleet of airships could easily deploy soldiers behind fixed fortifications, or be used to rain down cannon fire upon the defenders.
In history, the airship was the brainchild of one of the heroes about 200 years ago. Many in the past dubbed him as the “Mad Mage” for all the strange ideas and unbelievable concepts proposed by him. But after seeing the culmination of his idea, a ship soaring through the sky, many began to recognize the merits of his proposal and began to adopt it.
In appearance, the airship looked like a 17th century galleon. The only difference, as implied by its name, is that airships soared through the sky instead of sailing through the sea. The airship also lacked the sails of sea faring galleons but instead it had a pair of triangular wings attached to the hull. The airship measured about 100 metres in length and 20 metres in width. At the back of the ship were propellers that carried the ship forward. The decks of the ship were lined with rows and rows of cannon, ready to rain death on their targets.
Each ship was capable of ferrying up to 3,000 men including the crew. On this expedition, there were a total of 30,000 men, and eight airships. The 24,000 foot soldiers and sailors of the air corp would travel by air while the remaining 6,000 men consisted of the mounted cavalry and the magic tank corp and would travel by land. Together, they would proceed as a single formation as they journeyed into the Forbidden Continent. The airships would serve as the eyes and provide covering fire for the men on the ground.
The magic tank, with a design similar to the American’s Liberty Tank, deployed during World War 1, was another technological marvel proposed by the Mad Mage and adopted by the Empire military. The first magic tank model to appear was christened as the Mk I. It was a revolutionary vehicle that acted as an armored mount for magic casters, where they could safely fire their spells while protected within the confines of the tank’s metal body, during frontline combat. Gone were the days where the magic casters needed to be shielded by a war party of footmen, firing their spells from the back.
The first time the Mk I was deployed was during the Empire’s conquest wars. Historians wrote of the tremendous sight back then, when those armored monstrosities bulldozed columns of enemy spearmen, crushing their enemies under their iron treads. Spears, arrows and swords could not pierce its metal hide. The only thing that could go up against them were spells deployed by magic casters. But even then, the enemy magic casters were routed before they could put up an effective resistance. The magic tank could take quite a beating with Tier 1-2 spells raining at them.
It was quite a sight, seeing those armored rhinos shooting fireballs and lightning arcs at their enemies, courtesy of the magic casters carried inside. In the subsequent battles, armies fled and surrendered just at the sight of magic tanks. Since then, the design of the magic tank had improved with the newest model, the Mk X augmented with extra defensive magic barriers, better armor, and a stronger magic core that powered the tank.
The mana reactor was the key component of the airships and magic tank, supplying the necessary amount of mana to power the spells that propelled the airship and magic tank. For example, to make the airship fly, the frame of airships were imbued with a flight spell. The mana needed for the flight spell was supplied by the mana reactor.
Looking at the assembled force, it would not be an understatement that the forces under Percy’s command had sufficient firepower to level several large cities. With the mobility provided by airships, tanks and horses, Percy surmised that he could complete the first phase of his plan before anyone back in the capital got wind of it.
By the time they got wind of it, it would be too late.
Percy smiled as he imagined his father and brothers kneeling in front of him while begging him to spare their lives. He vowed to repay the debt of humiliation in full to all those who had slighted him and he would begin with the prince of this little kingdom in the Forbidden Continent.
Authors Note
Dear readers, sorry for the delayed release of the current chapter as I had to rewrite quite a bit of the story. Once again, do let me know what you thought of this chapter, especially the introduction of airships and magic tanks.
