TheSequelReturns
Faithful Crusader
~ Capitol City of Kadessa ~
- High Throne Room -
Melbu Frahma was most displeased.
All the news lately had been of human uprisings, escaped slaves, and that wretch of a creature Diaz. It looked like their entire system was in jeopardy, but Melbu Frahma knew it was only a matter of time. Even if Diaz didn't make a mistake, then he would grow old and die before too long. And then he would simply clean up the mess that human had left behind.
"With the numbers from last cycle, that makes a total of four thousand and twenty nine escaped or unaccounted for humans in the last three lunar cycles." Faust was saying, brandishing a collection of various papers and scrolls. "Diaz certainly knows how to effect the numbers."
Faust was Melbu Frahma's right hand man, a powerful magician and wielder of many arcane magics not the least of which was the Curse of Eternity that was keeping Melbu Frahma alive and well for these five hundred years. The spell was still imperfect though, and Melbu Frahma looked like he had seen every one of those years, with a bald head, wrinkles, and a dark absence in his eyes. Still, the Wingly ruler retained his strength and was not one to be judged on appearance. Faust meanwhile looked better for his age. Having not tried the curse on himself yet, he was simply nearing his hundreds. A large white beard spilled from beneath his face, and a tall white and gold hat adorned his head. Both Faust and Melbu were dressed in the elegant white robes that befit Wingly nobility.
"As much of an annoyance as Diaz is," Melbu said, "He is a problem that will soon resolve itself. He cannot keep his rebellious masses waiting in line forever. Soon, he will make a mistake, and when he does we will simply crush him and his rebellion back into the dust they crawled out of."
"Remember the heavy cannons at.. what was it they renamed it... Gloriano? We can't very well launch a full on attack so long as the artillery is still active." Faust shuffled his papers, searching for something particular. "It would seen that stealth tactics would be best, should you consider an attack."
"Patience Faust." Melbu said, and the fact that he had an eternity to wait wasn't lost on the magician, "As I said, Diaz will soon take care of himself. We need not do anything but prepare. He will have to risk an attack soon, and when he does we shall deal a defeat so crushing, no human will ever rebel again. I am confidant that Diaz shall breath his last breath before the end of the year."
A call from the outside guards signaled the arrival of another Wingly. The young man flew down and into the open-air room, his wings of light shining bright and blue like those of all Winglies. He carried a scroll, sealed with a wax seal. As he landed, his wings disappeared and he went into a formal bow to show respect to the two who were by far his superiors.
"My liege," the messenger said, "I have news from one of the intelligence teams. It seems that a large gathering is taking place in Gloriano. We have captured Intel from a human who attempted to escape, and based on our evidence, it seems that the humans are preparing for war."
Melbu Frahma simply smiled at the news. "You see Faust? It is as I told you. Unable to keep his bloodthirsty followers in line, he will be forced to take the offensive in a battle he will surely lose."
Faust still seemed uncertain. In was in his nature to examine every detail and fact. Overconfidence was not something he took lightly. One could never be too prepared.
"If this is the case," Faust said, "Then I must prepare Flanvel immediately. The humans will surely target Deningrad or Mayfill. It can't hurt to be prepared for the event."
Melbu dismissed the messenger with a wave of his hand, and the young Wingly flew off once more. "Do what you wish. Regardless of what happens, Diaz cannot win. Not with 'human' strength."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~
~ Imperial Holy City Gloriano ~
- Fort Magrad -
Fort Magrad was one of the first things any visitor to Gloriano would see. Its tall, magnificent arch was the first sight of many a weary escaped slave as they first stumbled towards the city. The ancient fort had once belonged to the Winglies, back when this city was called Vellweb, but like the rest of the city, it had been taken by the humans in that first bloody uprising.
In the time since, Gloriano had become something of a legend. The splinter cell agents that were sent in to slave camps spread the word of the city before escaping themselves or striking up discord in the camp, and the legend spread. Now, humans who had once been slaves of the Winglies were coming in from all over the northern lands.
Now, Emperor Diaz has called a council to gather here, in Fort Magrad, where he first proclaimed his war against the Winglies.
Two humans approached the crowd already gathered at the fort, one a tough looking guy with an eye-patch, the other a skinny young woman with bandages all over her arms. The man was Jonah, a rough and tough fisherman who looked after the new arrivals. Whenever a new human found their way to Gloriano, he was the one who gave them the tour, showed them their first bed, and shoved a plate of food at them. The woman was Nilah, one of the scout party leaders. She was a common advisor of Emperor Diaz, and it was one of her scouts that usually welcomed new arrivals before shoving them at Jonah.
"Another one of those damn Wingly scouts ambushed us again today." Nilah said, "Nearly burned Knola half to death, the poor kid. We managed to scare him off, but I think he knows what's up today. He had to have been listening to the chatter before he struck."
"I'd like to know what's up today myself." Jonah replied. He eyed the crowd, scanning for someone who looked like they might know the answer to that question. "Have you heard the rumors?"
"The ones that say Diaz has some big secret weapon to reveal or the ones that say we're preparing for a full-fledged attack?" Nilah grinned, but rubbed her bandaged arm nervously.
"Both. Either way, I like the sound of it. If the rumor's are true, and Diaz really has found a weapon that can give us the edge, then I wouldn't mind killing a few Winglies."
"Remember what they did to your eye, you want to give 'em a shot to pluck out the other one?"
Jonah grinned. "Heh, I wanna pay them back. The'll be a lot of one-eyed Winglies left behind when I'm done with 'em. You know what they say, 'an eye for an eye' and all that good stuff."
Finally, the crowd began to quiet down, and whispers began to spread. A few moments later, and Diaz himself appeared on the main platform, flanked by his three personal bodyguards. The guards wore their stark black cloaks and hoods like always, and Diaz himself was dressed in his usual garb, his long red and white hooded robe that coved nearly all of his body save his hands and the lower part of his face. Despite his reclusive nature, their was no mistaking his voice. When he started taking, everyone in the crowd fell silent.
"Welcome my people." Diaz began. "Today, is a glorious day. For today, I have come to tell you that the power to win this war is finally in our hands."
Many in the crowd erupted into cheers and shouts, but Diaz quited them with a simple motion of his hand. "Five years ago, I stood on this very platform and declared to the Wingly rulers of this city that I and those who followed me would no longer stand for the insufferable cruelty of the Winglies. Later that same day, those rulers were dead and this city became Gloriano, a true human city where we are free to choose our own destinies and live out our lives how we choose to live them."
A brief pause. At this point, the entire crowd is practically hanging on his every word. "However, there are countless others out there who do not share our freedom. Countless brothers and sisters, young and old, are forced to work themselves to death at the hands of cruel oppression and slavery. But today, I stand before you to declare that we now have the means to strike back at the Winglies, to repay them for the horrors and atrocities they have committed, and to free human kind from their rule once and for all."
More cheers, though many in the crowd remained silent and attentive. Diaz motioned, and two other humans brought over a long, but thin table. They placed the table directly in front of Diaz, and whispers about what could be coming next began to spread like wildfire. Another of attendant brought over an ornate box, and opened it for Diaz. The Emperor took the contents from the box, and carefully placed them out onto the table, in a neat row, leaving plenty of space between them. The items were little more than dull, colorless gems, each perfectly round, and each about twice the size of a marble. The whispers were practically everywhere at this point.
"The tiny orbs you see here are much more than they seem." Diaz said, and the crowd once again fell silent. "These orbs are the result of a Dragon's undying power. Each gem you see before you contains the essence of a mighty Dragon. And with these gems, it is possible to use that power to fight for our cause. To fight the Winglies."
There were a few confused comments in the crowd, but Diaz persisted. "However, the Dragon's pride is simply too much. They will not obey anyone's commands, but only those whom they deem worthy of inheriting their spirit. That is why I have called you all here today. Surely there must be those among you whom the Dragon's will deem worthy. Those who are chosen will become Dragon Knights... Dragoons, and using the power of the Dragons, they will lead humanity on our course to freedom."
The confusion seemed to have died down a bit by this point, and cheers erupted again. Those gathered here knew little of the working of magic or Dragons, but they trusted Diaz enough to take his word for it, at least until they saw for sure what those gems would really do.
"I would like you all to approach, one at a time, and stand near the gems, the Dragoon Spirits. If you are deemed worthy by the Dragon, the Spirit will shine brightly for you, and you will become a champion for human kind."
When they heard that the offer was open to anyone, the crowd rushed for the line, each person eager to try and claim this power that Diaz spoke of for their own. But as fate would have it, the seven chosen Dragoons were already assembled in the crowd, and what they would do with their power and the choices they would make would not only affect the outcome of this war, but it would affect the future of humanity for centuries to come.
- High Throne Room -
Melbu Frahma was most displeased.
All the news lately had been of human uprisings, escaped slaves, and that wretch of a creature Diaz. It looked like their entire system was in jeopardy, but Melbu Frahma knew it was only a matter of time. Even if Diaz didn't make a mistake, then he would grow old and die before too long. And then he would simply clean up the mess that human had left behind.
"With the numbers from last cycle, that makes a total of four thousand and twenty nine escaped or unaccounted for humans in the last three lunar cycles." Faust was saying, brandishing a collection of various papers and scrolls. "Diaz certainly knows how to effect the numbers."
Faust was Melbu Frahma's right hand man, a powerful magician and wielder of many arcane magics not the least of which was the Curse of Eternity that was keeping Melbu Frahma alive and well for these five hundred years. The spell was still imperfect though, and Melbu Frahma looked like he had seen every one of those years, with a bald head, wrinkles, and a dark absence in his eyes. Still, the Wingly ruler retained his strength and was not one to be judged on appearance. Faust meanwhile looked better for his age. Having not tried the curse on himself yet, he was simply nearing his hundreds. A large white beard spilled from beneath his face, and a tall white and gold hat adorned his head. Both Faust and Melbu were dressed in the elegant white robes that befit Wingly nobility.
"As much of an annoyance as Diaz is," Melbu said, "He is a problem that will soon resolve itself. He cannot keep his rebellious masses waiting in line forever. Soon, he will make a mistake, and when he does we will simply crush him and his rebellion back into the dust they crawled out of."
"Remember the heavy cannons at.. what was it they renamed it... Gloriano? We can't very well launch a full on attack so long as the artillery is still active." Faust shuffled his papers, searching for something particular. "It would seen that stealth tactics would be best, should you consider an attack."
"Patience Faust." Melbu said, and the fact that he had an eternity to wait wasn't lost on the magician, "As I said, Diaz will soon take care of himself. We need not do anything but prepare. He will have to risk an attack soon, and when he does we shall deal a defeat so crushing, no human will ever rebel again. I am confidant that Diaz shall breath his last breath before the end of the year."
A call from the outside guards signaled the arrival of another Wingly. The young man flew down and into the open-air room, his wings of light shining bright and blue like those of all Winglies. He carried a scroll, sealed with a wax seal. As he landed, his wings disappeared and he went into a formal bow to show respect to the two who were by far his superiors.
"My liege," the messenger said, "I have news from one of the intelligence teams. It seems that a large gathering is taking place in Gloriano. We have captured Intel from a human who attempted to escape, and based on our evidence, it seems that the humans are preparing for war."
Melbu Frahma simply smiled at the news. "You see Faust? It is as I told you. Unable to keep his bloodthirsty followers in line, he will be forced to take the offensive in a battle he will surely lose."
Faust still seemed uncertain. In was in his nature to examine every detail and fact. Overconfidence was not something he took lightly. One could never be too prepared.
"If this is the case," Faust said, "Then I must prepare Flanvel immediately. The humans will surely target Deningrad or Mayfill. It can't hurt to be prepared for the event."
Melbu dismissed the messenger with a wave of his hand, and the young Wingly flew off once more. "Do what you wish. Regardless of what happens, Diaz cannot win. Not with 'human' strength."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~
~ Imperial Holy City Gloriano ~
- Fort Magrad -
Fort Magrad was one of the first things any visitor to Gloriano would see. Its tall, magnificent arch was the first sight of many a weary escaped slave as they first stumbled towards the city. The ancient fort had once belonged to the Winglies, back when this city was called Vellweb, but like the rest of the city, it had been taken by the humans in that first bloody uprising.
In the time since, Gloriano had become something of a legend. The splinter cell agents that were sent in to slave camps spread the word of the city before escaping themselves or striking up discord in the camp, and the legend spread. Now, humans who had once been slaves of the Winglies were coming in from all over the northern lands.
Now, Emperor Diaz has called a council to gather here, in Fort Magrad, where he first proclaimed his war against the Winglies.
Two humans approached the crowd already gathered at the fort, one a tough looking guy with an eye-patch, the other a skinny young woman with bandages all over her arms. The man was Jonah, a rough and tough fisherman who looked after the new arrivals. Whenever a new human found their way to Gloriano, he was the one who gave them the tour, showed them their first bed, and shoved a plate of food at them. The woman was Nilah, one of the scout party leaders. She was a common advisor of Emperor Diaz, and it was one of her scouts that usually welcomed new arrivals before shoving them at Jonah.
"Another one of those damn Wingly scouts ambushed us again today." Nilah said, "Nearly burned Knola half to death, the poor kid. We managed to scare him off, but I think he knows what's up today. He had to have been listening to the chatter before he struck."
"I'd like to know what's up today myself." Jonah replied. He eyed the crowd, scanning for someone who looked like they might know the answer to that question. "Have you heard the rumors?"
"The ones that say Diaz has some big secret weapon to reveal or the ones that say we're preparing for a full-fledged attack?" Nilah grinned, but rubbed her bandaged arm nervously.
"Both. Either way, I like the sound of it. If the rumor's are true, and Diaz really has found a weapon that can give us the edge, then I wouldn't mind killing a few Winglies."
"Remember what they did to your eye, you want to give 'em a shot to pluck out the other one?"
Jonah grinned. "Heh, I wanna pay them back. The'll be a lot of one-eyed Winglies left behind when I'm done with 'em. You know what they say, 'an eye for an eye' and all that good stuff."
Finally, the crowd began to quiet down, and whispers began to spread. A few moments later, and Diaz himself appeared on the main platform, flanked by his three personal bodyguards. The guards wore their stark black cloaks and hoods like always, and Diaz himself was dressed in his usual garb, his long red and white hooded robe that coved nearly all of his body save his hands and the lower part of his face. Despite his reclusive nature, their was no mistaking his voice. When he started taking, everyone in the crowd fell silent.
"Welcome my people." Diaz began. "Today, is a glorious day. For today, I have come to tell you that the power to win this war is finally in our hands."
Many in the crowd erupted into cheers and shouts, but Diaz quited them with a simple motion of his hand. "Five years ago, I stood on this very platform and declared to the Wingly rulers of this city that I and those who followed me would no longer stand for the insufferable cruelty of the Winglies. Later that same day, those rulers were dead and this city became Gloriano, a true human city where we are free to choose our own destinies and live out our lives how we choose to live them."
A brief pause. At this point, the entire crowd is practically hanging on his every word. "However, there are countless others out there who do not share our freedom. Countless brothers and sisters, young and old, are forced to work themselves to death at the hands of cruel oppression and slavery. But today, I stand before you to declare that we now have the means to strike back at the Winglies, to repay them for the horrors and atrocities they have committed, and to free human kind from their rule once and for all."
More cheers, though many in the crowd remained silent and attentive. Diaz motioned, and two other humans brought over a long, but thin table. They placed the table directly in front of Diaz, and whispers about what could be coming next began to spread like wildfire. Another of attendant brought over an ornate box, and opened it for Diaz. The Emperor took the contents from the box, and carefully placed them out onto the table, in a neat row, leaving plenty of space between them. The items were little more than dull, colorless gems, each perfectly round, and each about twice the size of a marble. The whispers were practically everywhere at this point.
"The tiny orbs you see here are much more than they seem." Diaz said, and the crowd once again fell silent. "These orbs are the result of a Dragon's undying power. Each gem you see before you contains the essence of a mighty Dragon. And with these gems, it is possible to use that power to fight for our cause. To fight the Winglies."
There were a few confused comments in the crowd, but Diaz persisted. "However, the Dragon's pride is simply too much. They will not obey anyone's commands, but only those whom they deem worthy of inheriting their spirit. That is why I have called you all here today. Surely there must be those among you whom the Dragon's will deem worthy. Those who are chosen will become Dragon Knights... Dragoons, and using the power of the Dragons, they will lead humanity on our course to freedom."
The confusion seemed to have died down a bit by this point, and cheers erupted again. Those gathered here knew little of the working of magic or Dragons, but they trusted Diaz enough to take his word for it, at least until they saw for sure what those gems would really do.
"I would like you all to approach, one at a time, and stand near the gems, the Dragoon Spirits. If you are deemed worthy by the Dragon, the Spirit will shine brightly for you, and you will become a champion for human kind."
When they heard that the offer was open to anyone, the crowd rushed for the line, each person eager to try and claim this power that Diaz spoke of for their own. But as fate would have it, the seven chosen Dragoons were already assembled in the crowd, and what they would do with their power and the choices they would make would not only affect the outcome of this war, but it would affect the future of humanity for centuries to come.
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