Shardon's Guise Read online

  His deep green cape bellowed in the wind drenched with rain, mud and blood. He tried to approach him, only to change his mind the last second. His former student had his mind clearly elsewhere; the look that he had over a year ago. He stopped and helped in recovering the wounded and the dead soldiers, and figured that they might as well talk later.

  NIGHT FELL ON THE FIELDS of Termosad’s base camp. Tamiron sat inside his tent quietly trying to make sense of the battle that had just happened that afternoon.

  “This is no laughing matter now, Tamiron. Kaira’s intel months ago were right. We should have let her take her army towards the mining sites of Xerxecia to destroy their supply,” Glaivel said.

  “The Tigris army is already on its way here. Their mission is to secure the supply route first to the south then come here. Yours is to hold this position until we are certain that we can hold Termosad indefinitely,” Tamiron explained.

  “They have forged armory and weapons. Things of which we did not even expect they had. This is a game changer, and you know that. We need the entire army united now. We can’t butcher our way any further. We should take into consideration what Aderon had suggested and hit the Xerxecian capital. Kill the source,” Glaivel said.

  “We can’t. You know why we can’t. I told you, don’t you remember?” he said.

  “What? Is it because of that sorcerer you were talking about?” Glaivel said as he slammed his hands on Tamiron’s table, to which both stared, surprised.

  “Enough Glaivel. Be calm. We already have enough to worry about,” Sevidon said, somehow defusing the tension.

  “Tamiron, we know what you said. But we can’t afford to wait for too long. Because of this battle, the elven armies are already at half its strength when we first took this territory,” Sevidon said.

  “That is why the United Elven armies will stay here until the rest of the Unibelterasian armies arrive,” Tamiron said.

  “I’m not expecting anything from the Orderians,” Glaivel interrupted. “What are they even doing in the southern region of this forsaken continent anyway?” Glaivel said.

  “I don’t know. Evangeline requested it herself,” he answered.

  “Oh, she requested! Did you hear that, Sevidon? Evangeline requested it herself,” Glaivel said.

  “You know what, just get to the point. I’m getting annoyed with this,” he asked Glaivel.

  “Well. First off, these weapons and armors. They feel familiar. The design that I saw in the past are the same, the care that is visible through its craftsmanship that not even the Kra’ens could compare to, not even ours. They are man-made.” He was thrown off by what Glaivel said.

  “Man-made? You mean the Race of Men made them?” he clarified to which Glaivel nodded. He looked at Sevidon and he too agreed with Glaivel.

  “How is that even possible? You personally oversaw their extinction. Are you saying you failed?” Tamiron said and saw mixed feelings of disappointment and shame on Glaivel’s face. He did not press further.

  “Okay, man-made weapons. We need to have Kaira’s Arad-Assassins look into that. I’ll dispatch orders later,” he said, adding more things for him to be concerned about. “Is that all?”

  “No. As you may know, man-made weapons are the best weapons ever made. The Kra’ens’ only come second to them. Add to the fact that our enemy is more tactically intelligent and somehow stronger than your typical soldier,” Glaivel said.

  “And that their unity caught us by surprise,” Sevidon added.

  “This will change our plans,” Glaivel said as he faced Tamiron.

  “I will change the plan accordingly. For the meantime, we need to come up with a way to counter them,” Tamiron said and stood and laid the map of the region. “Glaivel, I need to ask. Is their formation familiar to you?”

  “It is. It was used against us in the battle of Great River of Jasmier. We barely won that day. Good thing Sevidon’s troops came to reinforce us,” Glaivel said and Sevidon suddenly kept silent and both of them looked at each other for a moment, to which he noticed. The feeling tensed among the three of them.

  “Because of that, it would be wise if we look into their old formations. We might be able to come up with a way to counter it. Right, Sevidon?” Glaivel said but Sevidon only nodded soundlessly.

  “Good. Make sure to update me with your new battle formations based on your past experience. We need it now,” Tamiron ordered.

  “Understood,” Sevidon answered.

  “What about the troops and the others?” Glaivel asked as Tamiron wrapped up the map.

  “While the elven army replenishes its resources and while we are waiting for the other armies, I’ll a send a message to Graveloth. Once he arrives, then we will proceed as planned.”

  “Tamiron, you may want to let the others know as well, and maybe the imperial queen of the current situation we are in,” Sevidon said.

  “I will be sending the message to the others then. I believe they have already noticed this change too. For now, we need to wait for the Kra’ens. As for her Highness, I don’t want to bother her anymore with this,” Tamiron said.

  “We need additional troops for the time being, besides the one that you already brought, Tamiron. You might want to reconsider that?” Sevidon said, but Tamiron wasn’t having it. His twin sister was already dealing with the empire’s economic fallout from last year.

  “Sevidon, let Tamiron decide what to do. Let us focus on re-organizing the battle plans. We need to somehow send another message again to the Kra’ens. Talking to them like this is hard enough. An entirely new battle plan to teach them will be another work,” Glaivel said.

  “He’s right. Listen to the Viris prince. Let me worry about politics,” he said.

  “What’s going on at the Iron Kingdom anyway? They are taking too long,” Glaivel suddenly asked.

  “The current situation in the Iron Kingdom is coming to an end. The consequence from last year made it clear. At least the Orderian lent a hand with the council system of governance. It should be any day now before we hear a reply from Graveloth. Once you send the message to him, everything should be fine,” Tamiron assured his generals. “Your current orders are to take care of the remaining elven army and wait for the reinforcements until further notice,” he said.

  Both of them saluted but Sevidon stayed behind.

  “Something is off about you,” Sevidon said to him.

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “Something, somehow is troubling you,” Sevidon said. Tamiron sighed and was about to drop the papers that he had.

  “The High army is way far in the north. I will send Aderon a message about your theory,” Tamiron explained and signaled the Orderian owl that was beside them.

  “And Evangeline?” Sevidon asked and he paused.

  “I’ll handle her.”

  “Are you certain?”

  “Yes. Now go ahead and proceed with my orders.” He brushed him off.

  “I need to ask you a question, what is she doing exactly in the southern regions? I believe the ruined citadel is there. Does that have anything to do with it?” Sevidon asked him but he only kept quiet.

  “Proceed now with my orders, Sevidon,” Tamiron said as he looked over the papers on his table.

  SOMEWHERE IN THE TERRITORY of the Trasidar Empire laid an undisclosed tomb with its name faded by time.

  Imperial soldiers lay lifeless on the tomb floor with one mysterious figure under a hood walked passed them. The lone surviving guard crawled to the exit as he dragged his bloodied self towards the doors. He was almost there when the hooded figure stood in front of him, blocking his way.

  “Please, have mercy! I beg you!” The soldier trembled in fear as he pleaded for his life. The figure paid no attention and extended his hand and the tomb shook with a sharp screech and red light.

  The soldier was no more.

  The figure walked past the dead bodies and towards the end of the tomb. He stopped in front of a stone door engr
aved with the insignia of the Trodonar Empire.

  End of chapter I

  II: Imperial Ores

  The wind blew gently with clouds ever thicker in the Mirror Realm. The ground reflected the skies above seemingly endless.

  “I have told you time and time again, I will not agree to that plan of yours,” Evangeline said.

  “Grand Sage, you have to remember that these things — these plans are not of my own making, they are from the Gods and the Animos – your Deities. Whether you like it or not, their will will always be done,” Lyo stressed.

  “I will not bow down to this kind of pressure when thousands of lives are at stake. I would like to make it clear as well that you — they, made it clear that I am the one who will be securing the stability and peace of their world. My call. And the plan the Gods and Animos’ have is clearly absurd and undermines the very responsibility they have put on my shoulders. I can judge and decide for myself to never follow that,” she said, silencing Lyo for a brief moment, “There must be another way,”

  Lyo lay silent as Evangeline became worried. If she was going to be honest, she already hit certain roadblocks just to find a better alternative.

  “You don’t have a choice. The Gods and the Animos doesn’t have a choice. This is the only way, Grand Sage.”

  Evangeline turned around and looked to her surroundings. “It’s not as bright as I remember it to be, Lyo,” she said.

  “This plain of existence is the reflection of the world. What happens there is reflected here and there,” Lyo said. She lay silent as she felt Lyo moving to her side. “And it means, what you are currently doing is not working,” the immortal being added. She looked at her, faceless just as before.

  “I will find a way. And if I don’t, then I will make sure the Gods and Animos’ plans will be realized,” she said, her voice shaking. She then glowed of maroon and her eyes opened, back atop the tallest tower in Sanctum.

  DARK CLOUDS LOOMED over Termosad’s base camp as Mystic King Ravaen Adevok and the Royal Falcon Battalion landed with him. As he walked towards the command tent in the middle of the camp, he saw soldiers’ tired and hopeless faces; faces that saw the most horrid of things this side of the world had to offer. He was about to go in when he met Glaivel and Sevidon by the entrance and embraced each other as friends.

  “I’m glad you two are safe,” he said to the two. “How are the men?”

  “To be honest, not so great,” Glaivel answered as he cleared his throat.

  “The elven armies suffered a huge loss. If it wasn’t for Tamiron’s army, we could’ve lost more men,” Sevidon added.

  He sighed with a bit of relief and disappointment. “Will you recover?” he asked.

  “Of course. Both the Venis King and Viris—”

  “That’s Grand Elven King,” Glaivel chided.

  “Really? Now?” Sevidon shook him off irritably. “The Viris King, as I was saying, are going to send more men from the respective kingdoms. It should take at least three months for them to get here.”

  “So that’s the reason why you are stuck here,” he mused.

  “The imperial army is guarding several openings because of the loss but only until reinforcement arrives,” Sevidon added.

  “Where is Tamiron? I need to speak to him,” he asked as he was about to enter the command tent but Glaivel stopped him.

  “He’s not there. He is currently in the weapons depot,” Glaivel said.

  “That’s good. Let’s go there. I have a proposition,” he said as he headed towards the depot.

  “Ravaen,” Sevidon called.

  He stopped along with two of his guards and looked at Sevidon.

  “It’s this way,” Sevidon pointed towards the other direction.

  “Right. Carry on.”

  They arrived at the weapons depot to find Tamiron still inside, as though inspecting something. “Good, you’re still here,” Sevidon said as he got Tamiron’s attention.

  “I forgot that you were arriving. My apologies,” Tamiron said.

  “No harm done. I am quite worried however about the fact that, the Xerxecians are this methodical. You did not tell us about this before we even set foot in this continent, Tamiron,” Sevidon said.

  He knew this affected everything – from the timing of their plans to the very movement and rotation of the armies as well. Not to mention the fact that the elven armies had already taken a heavy toll.

  “Believe me, I was surprised myself. Something new that I wasn’t made aware of when — well, you already know,” Tamiron said. He remembered last year of the things they had gone up against.

  Tamiron commanded the Xerxecian army last year – the year he thrashed the eastern territories of the empire, bringing it to its knees. The Xerxecians could not have advanced if not for him.

  “And the fact that their weapons are man-made is troublesome,” he added.

  “Again, I’m already aware, Ravaen,” Tamiron said as though he was a bit stressed. He asked the imperial soldiers to leave them. “I think I already have a way to counter that, at least,” he said.

  “I too, have an idea,” he said.

  They all looked at each other when Tamiron talked, “What is it?”

  “Your metal. The imperial army’s armor and weaponry are forged from holenshartz, the strongest metal in the realm. Kra’enite only comes second to it. Kra’enite, however, is more versatile because of its magical properties. We need weapons and armors that are made of it, Tamiron,” he continued to explain.

  A long pause came from Tamiron until he said, “That’s not going to happen,”

  “Why not? We are more united than ever before, might as well secure this now by opening up your holenshartz ores to us,” he said.

  But Tamiron did not bother to listen. He peaked outside the tent to call someone. As Tamiron went back, one elven soldier and one imperial soldier entered. Ravaen, Glaivel and Sevidon were confused as to why Tamiron did this. Both soldiers stood in front of them.

  “You, give me your helmet,” Tamiron ordered the imperial soldier. Confused, the soldier obeyed and handed it to him.

  “Where are you going with this?” Glaivel asked.

  Tamiron only looked at him and stood in front of the elven soldier. “Hold this,” he said to the elven soldier. He appeared to be confused as well, but went ahead and held it. Tamiron only looked at the confused soldier as he quietly watched what Tamiron was trying to prove. Then without a warning, Tamiron let go of the helmet and the elven soldier almost dropped it.

  “Too heavy for you?” Tamiron asked.

  “No, Sire,” The elven soldier answered but his face and shaky hands told otherwise.

  “You need to be honest. Is it too heavy for you?” Tamiron asked again.

  The elven soldier looked at both Glaivel and Sevidon and then answered, “It is heavy, Sire.” His face was washed with disappointment and so were Glaivel and Sevidon. He knew what was wrong. Tamiron handed the helmet back to the imperial soldier and dismissed them both. He quietly sat back to his chair.

  “Holenshartz, though it is the most durable of all metals in the continent, it is heavier as well. That is a normal imperial foot soldier helmet. Imagine our arrows, swords, spears, and armory. Other than the imperial army, the entire united forces would crumble on its own weight,” Tamiron said. “Trust me. I thought about it too. But Trasidian physique is vastly different from the rest of the kingdoms,”

  Silence fell when finally, Tamiron spoke again, “I already came up with a solution though, as I had mentioned earlier.”

  “What is it you propose then?” Sevidon asked.

  “I have already sent Graveloth a message of my proposal. That is to forge new weapons and armors from kra’enite,” Tamiron said.

  “Can kra’enite even come in par with the holenshartz?” Ravaen asked.

  “Yes. I tested it myself. It’s not as heavy, and is just right to do what the holenshartz can, though not as stronger. All we have to do is refit the e
ntire united armies with it,” Tamiron proposed.

  “But that could take weeks — even a month, Tamiron. Are you certain we will be getting them in time?” Sevidon said.

  “That’s why I already sent him a message to prepare it nonetheless,” Tamiron answered.

  “Why can’t we just make holenshartz-tipped arrows and weapons. Maybe that would help alleviate the heaviness of this,” Ravaen added.

  “Your soldiers will not have enough strength to hold it. With the helmet alone, an Elvish soldier was about to fall on his feet. Let alone a dozen arrows and weapons tipped with holenshartz. It will simply not work,” Tamiron countered.

  “Will the Iron Council even agree to such a proposal? We are already asking too much for just the United Elven Armies. But we are asking new weapons and armors for the entire Unibeltrasian forces!” Glaivel said.

  But Sevidon only looked at him and said, “Tamiron has got it covered. Tell us more about this message you sent, Tamiron,” He asked as he crossed his arms.

  “It’s something they can never refuse. It should help their economy once we get this design rolling. I’m just waiting for the answer right now,” Tamiron smiled.

  Ravaen shook his head. He’s one step ahead of us, as always, he thought.

  “Sire!” shouted a soldier as he entered the tent abruptly.

  “What is it?” Tamiron asked.

  “The Eagles — The High Army has arrived a day early!” the soldier reported.

  Tamiron sighed then stood. “I’ll deal with Aderon later. For now, all of you, brief your respective armies about the plan so they’ll know,” he said as he went back to his tasks.

  “Well then, I’ll go on my way,” he said as he bid farewell to Tamiron, Glaivel and Sevidon.

  As he left the tent, he saw High Prince Aderon Azure. This day couldn’t get any more complicated. He walked passed him when Aderon suddenly spoke.

  “How is your Quadrant, your Highness?” Aderon asked of him without looking. He stopped in his tracks and did the same.