Sages of the Hidden Lights: Chapters 11-13
#7 of Sages of the Hidden Lights
Here's chapters 11-13!
Sages of the Hidden Lights
Arki Darkwater
-Chapter 11-
Specter
Fort Regulus, Uthalia
It was a quiet wednesday evening. The offensive had been uneventful the past couple of days, and the general was enjoying a night to himself as he sat behind his desk in his small, dimly-lit office. The candles on his desk and the torches on the walls had been placed in very precise positions to provide him with an environment that optimized his clarity of mind. He sat and shifted through various papers and documents, lost deep in his work as he planned out the coming stages in the war and the political and militaristic ramifications that he held in his paws. His thoughts were disturbed by a light rapping on the door.
He took a sip of his tea. "Come in, Lieutenant."
The door swung open and was quickly shut by the dark-furred skunk. "Urgent news, General Uhruan," Bahrú reported sternly.
"Yes, what is it?" the general asked, putting down his work.
"It's the conflict in Aey'Áris. They're done for, Sir." The young lieutenant's head drooped and he let out an exasperated sigh as his dark, dismal eyes scanned the sprucewood floorboards. "News has it that their capital is completely occupied and that enemy forces have been seen as far south as Braza."
"Bloody hell..." Uhraun muttered, cupping his weary face in his paws. He let out a deep sigh. "What is the status on our forces?"
"Same as the last time I checked in with you Sir. They're holding their position along the Northwestern Theatre. Once we get our reinforcements there, we should be able to push the Wrothians back into their own territory."
Uhruan's ears perked up. "Excellent!" he remarked excitedly. "As soon as the reinforcements have been sent, round up all of our extra troops. Tell them that we're leaving to fight abroad."
Bahrú raised his eyebrow and shot the general a curious glance. "But Sir, Queen Marvhalien has yet to sign the alliance with either Aey'Áris or Bælan. Aren't we obligated to wait?"
"Frankly," the general began, pushing his chair out and standing up, "I don't give a damn. She may be queen, but I'm in charge of the military. Just because we still have a few days to wait before the alliance is official doesn't mean that we don't have a good reason to get our asses into gear."
The general grabbed his forage cap and coat from the hanger by the door and looked over to Bahrú with a sly grin on his face. "I think that it's about time that we provide our friends with more troops."
"More, Sir?" Bahrú asked, confused for a moment before he came to realize what the general had meant. He returned Uhruan's comment with a smirk. "Oh, yes. I suppose we already have a certain tiger of ours heading for the front lines."
The two of them walked outside together, and the lieutenant shut the door behind them. There was a moment of silence before General Uhruan opened his mouth to speak, his radiant green eyes glowing with confidence as they gazed out into the perilous oncoming night.
"Let's go kick some ass."
-Chapter 12-
Bodey
Meko, Bælan
The newspaper felt strangely dry in my paws, which were wet from the thunderstorm that raged outside. It had been raining and storming consistently over the past few days, and it wasn't until now that I finally made my way to a small village on the Bælanian shore of Rescuer's Lake. Although the atmosphere of the outdoors was still wet and chilly, the nice, heated temperatures from inside the tavern were perfect for warming me up.
"Another drink, mister?" said a soft feminine voice from in front of me. I looked up to see the bartender, waiting for my reply.
"Umm...sure, give me another of whatever I just had. Please." She took my glass and left for the other side of the counter, then returned a minute later with my beverage.
"Thank you, miss," I said, taking a sip of my drink and returning my gaze to the newspaper I had picked up earlier.
AEY'ÁRIS FALLS TO NORTHERN ALLIANCE
Reports have confirmed enemy occupation in Áriseil, Braza, Hakúmo, and the Mountua Strip. Military forces are still holding back against the invasion in the southern settlements of Lithgard and Ouroport. Meanwhile, Bælanian and Uthalian borders remain strong. Bælanian military reinforcements are reportedly on route to Aey'Áris.
UTHALIA TO SIGN ALLIANCE
After weeks of fighting, Queen Marvhalien of Uthalia finally has agreed to a military alliance with Aey'Áris and Bælan. The official signing of this treaty is scheduled to take place in one week's time in Urria Pal.
CONFLICT CONFINED TO MAINLAND
Leaders and citizens alike in Apala, Bodora, Suria, Sibia, Paya and other nations all publicly denounce the war in the Mainland and insist on staying neutral in the conflict.
I thought the conversation was over, but the bartender didn't leave, and her gaze was still focused on me intently, scanning me with a nimble curiosity. She leaned against the counter and asked, "You're not from around here, are you?"
I sighed. "I'm from Uthalia."
I thought about ignoring her for a moment. I didn't have the time or desire to get wrapped up in some petty conversation with a local. But a small voice in the back of my head told me not to be rude, so I reluctantly put the newspaper aside and folded my arms across my chest, now fixing my attention on the fox in front of me. "How did you know? Was it the accent?"
"It might have been," she replied, grinning at me. A small smile escaped my muzzle, despite my efforts to suppress it. I discreetly dug a sharp claw into my forearm, hoping the pain would discourage me from giving off any more positive vibes. I didn't want to talk to her, and I certainly didn't want to give off the impression of wanting to.
"Where'd you come in from?" she asked eagerly.
"I paddled a canoe through the heart of the lake," I answered, trying to sound impressive. "I just arrived here today."
"Wow, really?" she remarked ecstatically. "Through all of that weather? You must be tough fella," she said, winking at me.
Yeah, and it was living hell and all I wanted to do the entire time was die, I thought. But I did survive, so I suppose her admiration is well justified.
"I guess I am!" I responded, flexing my biceps and chuckling. "It wasn't even that bad, made it through that storm like a piece of cake!"
"That's amazing!" she said, smiling brightly. "Do you do this sort of stuff a lot?"
"What, solo missions you mean?" I replied. "Yeah, from time to time. I'm an experienced officer and I know how to hold my own, so this kind of work suits me." I leaned as far forward in my chair as possible, resting my beefy forearms on the counter. I couldn't suppress my grin anymore.
"Y'know," I said quietly, giving her as charming of a grin as I could muster. "You're pretty cute. I like your eyes."
A deep red blush spread across her face, but she giggled and smiled back at me. "Hehe, thank you. You're rather handsome yourself, tiger."
Her eyes were a curious color, a light shade of amethyst-purple. She had round ears, and a tuft of dark burgundy fur between them, which was spiked in such a way that seemed to play up her passion and energy.
Part of my mind was screeching in fury, Abort now! Get out of there, stop fantasizing, and shut your trap! But the other part of me had already drowned that voice out.
"So what about you?" I asked after telling her a brief story about being a proud warrior from the great nation of Uthalia.
"Oh, me? I'm not that interesting, to be honest," she replied with a nervous chuckle. "I grew up here in Meko. My father owns this establishment, so naturally I ended up working here. My mom wanted me to follow in her footsteps, but unfortunately she ended up passing away." A dour expression crossed her face.
"Oh...I'm very sorry to hear that," I replied earnestly.
She nodded and forced out a smile. "Thanks."
After a moment of silence, I spoke again out of curiosity. "What did your mother do?"
"She was a mage."
"Ah, that's...quite interesting," I said warily.
I hated mages. They were freakshows in my eyes, the way they bent nature out of shape to fit their wims. Not to mention a few bad experiences I had gone through with magic-using folk in the past. For a moment, my anger tempted me to speak up about the subject, but I ended up keeping my muzzle shut.
"Yeah, I guess it is, despite what some people say about them," she said. "Unfortunately, she died when I was pretty young, so I don't remember a whole lot of her using magic."
"Huh," I mumbled, glancing at the big clock on the other side of the room. "Well, it's been nice talking to you, but I should probably get going. I've got some duty to attend to."
"Alright Bodey, thanks for chatting. And, umm..."
I stood up from my seat but kept my feet firmly planted by the bar. "Yeah?"
"If you ever find yourself back in town here, feel free to stop by the tavern! I'll be here, like always."
I grinned and nodded. "I'll be sure to. What's your name again?"
"Sarah! Sarah Kohlar, and you?"
I bowed. "Sir Bodey Aráshvahr, at your service."
I stepped out of the bar, once again finding myself in the wet and cold exterior world. The brunt of the storm had finally died out, but light rain was still drizzling down, and the darkened skies still stretched far across the horizon, trapping the humidity to the ground.
I looked up to the grim visage of the horizon, and it suddenly occurred to me how much time I had wasted.
Dammit! I raged internally. What an asinine fool I had been! How could I have possibly gotten so carried away, flirting with the bartender in the local tavern of some lonely little town in the middle of bloody nowhere? I had a mission. The queen herself had given me my task, because she knew that I was the only one competent enough to carry it out successfully. I was chosen because I was strong and attentive and capable, and I wasn't a bumbling, babbling dumbass like everyone else in this godforsaken world. I refused to be anything like them. I refused to associate myself with them. For all I cared, they could all rot in hell and die slowly, cackling like the pitiful imbeciles they were. At least then I could finally be at peace with this world.
I had a duty to perform, and that was all that mattered. It was that simple for me, and that's how simple I was gonna keep it.
I needed a clear head to complete my mission. So I shook the jumble of thoughts out of my mind and raced off towards my destination: Tatego, the capital of Bælan.
-Chapter 13-
Specter
Alkilik, Wrothia
"Idiot!" boomed the deep thundering voice of King Polimatus. He stood up from his throne and stormed up to his servant, who, in his relatively diminutive size, stood beneath his king's towering form and trembled in fear.
Although the servant was greatly honored to work as a servant of Wrothian royalty, the great polar bear king had a way of scaring him for all that his life was worth. The worth of the servant's life, in King Polimatus's most noble and righteous opinion, was very little, and practically nothing when his poor servant failed to meet his requests with unsurpassable accuracy.
"I thought I told you to inform all members of the military council that I expect a major boost in efficiency!" bellowed the king. "Things have been moving at a dreadfully slow pace around here lately, and amidst this war we simply cannot have this kind of overwhelming apathy!" Glowering down at him, the king's eyes were filled with boiling rage, burning a hole through the servant's already limited supply of confidence. His glossy, impeccable white fur contrasted with his dark red robes of royalty in such a way that seemed to demand obedience and deliverance, should the servant wish to escape the night with his frail body intact. Every last detail in the polar bear's appearance was flourishing with intimidation.
"I tried to bring your c-concerns to General Protsier, m-my lord," the servant explained, stuttering through his words. "I figured that he would be able to p-pass on your demands to the h-high command at their n-next meeting."
"Imbecile! You think you can just take the easy way out of your workload? I want them informed NOW!" Polimatus shouted, turning around and sitting back upon his throne, undoubtedly annoyed with his servant's incompetence.
"Y-yes my lord! And, umm, m-my lord, I have a note from Agu Morra!" the servant pleaded. In his nervousness, beads of sweat were gushing down his flustered face.
"Oh, do you?" the king asked, a pinch of curiosity working its way into his apoplectic tone of voice. "Alright then. Speak up already!"
The servant gulped anxiously, then pulled the note out from his pocket and held it in front of him, and he began to summarize.
"Their espionage operations in Bælan have yielded some promising results for our war effort, as well as our search for the Artifact. General Rodlan, leader of Agu Morra's seeker program, has made some promising captures as of late. He plans to report the data from his interrogations directly to you and Agu Morra's own King Orrako as soon as he's finished and can safely return to Agu Morran territory."
Polimatus leaned back in his chair and placed a paw on his chin, lost in thought as he analyzed the news he had been given. He appeared skeptical--almost doubtful, if the servant was reading him correctly--but nonetheless, the king let out a grunt and nodded in affirmation.
"I'll be looking forward to seeing what the general has beaten out of those Liarans," the king said, "and then maybe we'll know enough to get our paws on the Artifact whose power I've been longing to have for so long."
"Yes, of course, my lord," the servant answered meekly. "And, if I might inquire, my lord...can the Artifact's power truly be split between our nations? I understand we fight this war together, but how will you share its power with King Orrako?"
There was a long pause. The servant observed his king, who sat completely motionless with his eyes closed and without the slightest trace of expression on his face. It was so utterly quiet, the servant could hear the sound of crackling fire in the torches lining the walls of the dimly-lit grand hall, hidden deep within the massive complex of Polimatus's royal castle. For a moment, the servant pondered if the king's old age had caught up with him, and that the man he served may have simply passed on, right then and there upon his throne. A silly thought, but one that almost seemed plausible amidst the infinitesimal beating of the king's heart.
But then, just a moment later, the king lurched back in his royal seat, and his mouth opened wide, and the sound that came out and echoed all across the grandiose scape of the castle was none other than laughter. Maniacal, wicked, malignant laughter, resounding around him in all its beastly glory.
He muffled himself with a paw over his muzzle, and the king's laughter quickly died out. But when he took his paw away, a smug grin was still present on his face. The king's eyes, each a small circular portal to a hellish place no sane man would dare venture, were glaring eagerly down at the meek form of the servant and the frightened complexion about his face.
"Your skepticism is reasonable, servant. The Artifact--and along with it, the infinite potential to conquer and destroy--can only be wielded by one," the king explained, "which is why when we have won this war, slaughtered all other enemies in our path, and have our paws on the Artifact...I will kill King Orrako right where he stands, and I alone will be this world's new ruler."