Trees dots the forest, greenery all around. Skeletons and corpses fill the fields of the evergreens.
But still they marched.
The troops look at the corpses and gulped.
These corpses, these skeletons are those that cos before them, that walk the sa path they did and died because of the Darkly Things.
But the troops are not afraid.
Fifty thousand n united by a single man is marching through the forest like a divine army, cutting through any obstacle without flinching.
Their armors, theirs shields, their blades and spears are drenched with the red dark blood of the Spawn of Darkness.
Like the story of Old, they are a band of honest n, of mortal descent, travelling the path of Darkness, praying for Light at the end of the journey.
Like a beacon of light that seems to shine away the Dark, these n march through.
The battle is done and now they are marching out of this large forest that separates them from civilization.
Between the cold crisp air and the dew covered ground, the forest feels almost magical and alive
If not for the overgrown bodies of the dead, the troops would likely want to stop here. But the Fog is spreading and Darkness chases them all.
Blood dripping from their boots and clothing making them look like they crawl out from Hells Below, yet they did not stop.
There is a pathway, a trail left by the people who have managed to survive this forest and erge alive on the other end.
The trails acted like a guide for these band of warriors.
Because of this trail the troops steel their heart and they could bravely move forward.
When night cos they stop and raise their tents and lit the fire to ease their fear from darkness.
When morning ca, the faint mist will shroud the tree trunks, making it difficult to see what awaits.
So Eradites who has affinity with illusion could point out the way making them valuable scouts.
In the morning when dawn breaks, before they went scouting, they will kneel and weep the Sun rises.
They then lant their fates and pray to Lord Ashkenael to give them a worthy death before they scout the land
While most Eradites pray, the other Tribes rarely prays anymore.
Not because they don't believe in their Gods but because they believe that this fog would even blind the Gods.
The Gods could not see them here, far from ho, no blessing could be given.
The Thirteen Tribe feared the Shadowlands primarily for this reason. Their Gods could not see beyond their lands.
They are cut off from their Gods here. Here is where Man reigns. Where the Will of the Gods do not affect the fates of Man.
They bathed in rivers when they had the chance and for a while, they are clean. No blood on their body.
And then the Darkly Thing appears when one least expects it, looking like a beast that cos out from the tales of nightmares.
Horns on their heads, large sharp claws, red eyes that seems to shine in the dark and each ti, these bands of warriors would then slaughter them rcilessly and blood is sared onto them again.
When afternoon ca the mist disappears and the scouts would be allowed to rest, usually resting on so fallen trees which appears nice enough to sit on.
When evening ca, the feeling of death perates the woods, and they will stop, open their tents and open their fires and wait till dawn co.
For a week the troops move across the large forest.
The reason why the troops is not afraid is because the person leading them.
A young man with long snow white hair and piercing blue eyes is leading them. Behind him a chariot pull by four horses seems to carry a glaive of seven feet high.
The glaive is so heavy that it would require ten n to hold it steady yet on that man hand, it almost seems like the glaive is weightless.
Their leader is Arial Vermont.
Riding his warhorse, he sits on the back of his horse majestically, like a general that could cut any obstacle in front of him.
He has a muscly appearance and his dragon armor glint dangerously when blood bathed it.
His face is flawless like a statue of the Old Gods. He is not beautiful man but manly and rugged, possessing a certain kingly air about him.
He does not emit the air of a jovial or approachable man but emitting the kind of air that is forceful and intimidating.
His will is imperious and must be exercised.
When the Darkly Things appears, with his glaive he cut them down like they were leaves, easily splitting any of those beast into two.
When he leads his n to battle, majority of the Darkly Things would be beheaded or split apart by him, leaving the scraps for his n to finish off.
Even now, there is only one casualty after days of travelling. It is because of this that the fifty thousand n behind him marched on.
General Ragar promises that the mont they arrived at the Three Kingdoms, the people here would be offered a choice.
To leave Lord Arial and live among the Three Kingdoms inhabitants or follow Lord Arial to battle and conquer the Shadowlands.
Arial and Ragar did not hide the true reasons they recruited these many n and rescues them.
Yet the choice is theirs.
Many follow Lord Arial because he was strong and as their journey continues many more believes in his strength.
So who only wanted to follow until the borders of the Kingdoms began changing their minds.
To live like a slave under the Three Great Tribes or to gamble their life and attain fa and wealth?
Lord Arial in this journey through the forest has beco the protector and guardian to these fifty thousand n, as a pillar of morale and strength.
When he spoke, his voice calms the populace.
When he acted, his will is accomplished. There is a certain specialness about him that makes people want to follow him.
He inspires people not only to fight for him, but to die for him.
A born leader.
Arial was on the front sitting on top of his warhorses looking calm, as his eyes scans the surroundings.
Sporadic thick oak tree and little undergrowth makes the forest look as though it goes on forever and Arial is bored of looking at trees.
It has been days.
On his left, is Ragar, riding closely around him, keeping an eye for Arial and sotis relaying orders to the back.
Ragar is even muscly then Arial, bulky and large with a height of six foot five, tall for a man, and only a few ters short than Arial.
His hair is short and his beard is bushy. His face seems to always be scowling and rugged. He wears a bloody armor and iron boots.
With black hair and hazel eyes, he looked like most of the horse riders of a tribe.
Most of the tribesman has black hair and hazel eyes and many of the Tribes shares this characteristic.
'Ragar. how many more days?' Arial ask as he keep looking forward.
'A few more days, Lord.' Ragar answers
'That's what you say a few days ago.' Arial said sighing.
'Hehehe' Ragar chuckles
Ragar on the other hand was thinking about sothing else. He looked behind him and then he asks in a whispering tone
'My lord will you really let them go if they want to?' Arial looked at Ragar and he looked behind him and then with a pondering expression he releases a sigh and nodded.
'Yes. I do not need an unwilling army.' Ragar sighed and then he also nodded.
'As you wish.'
He did not really think this is the right decision but the value of the people outside the New World has always been a little different than the values of the Tribes.
Since Ragar spends a lot of ti outside the New World after his banishnt, he also picks up certain culture of other people races.
For example, slavery. In the Human Continent the Caelum race abhor slavery while most continent either supports it or ambivalent towards it.
Even in this army, there are a lot of slaves who ran from their master house after the Horn was sounded. These slaves would surely follow Arial into battle and ask for freedom.
Like Hippolia, if they render rits to Arial, they believed Arial would reward them with freedom.
That day they march until the evening and then night ca. That night Ragar inform Arial that they are near the mountain.
After they pass those mountains the Three Kingdoms would appear. Ragar was in Arial tent, overseeing the supplies with Arial.
When it is ti for him to return to his unit, Ragar decline. Ragar was sitting on the ground looking at Arial and pleading to Arial
'My lord, I urge you to speak so words to the troops to persuade them to follow you after we reached the Three Kingdoms. These n will be important if we wanted to form a strong base on the Three Kingdoms.'
Arial did not response the question with an answer but his face was solemn. For a while there was silence in the tent. Arial looked at Ragar and he could not help but sighs.
Either way, Arial also had to enter the battle to reach the Ancient Gate.
'Which territory would we arrive at?' Arial asked changing the subject.
'Balhae' Ragar answer.
'Then that is the place we need to conquer.' Arial said and Ragar nodded
Reviews
All reviews (0)