by Asher, Yarid
Just as he stopped talking, shadowy figures began emerging from the mist. They were tall and pale and when the mist moved away, they were the Nephilims. These were the warrior Nephilims who protected their community from intruders, which Leosher and his men were considered right now. Leosher saw that the situation was serious therefore he stepped off of his horse and walked ahead to talk to the giants. He was incredibly short compared to the Nephilims. He had to look up and talk but he still kept his pride and arrogance “We wish to pass through your land,” Leosher said with authority “We neither mean any harm nor do we wish to cause any trouble, we come in peace.”
The Nephilim smirked and clenched his right fist “That is what they all say but once they get in the town, they drag us out to their lands, pick us apart and make us work.”
Leosher smirked and stepped forward a little bit and got closer “I do not wish to harm you, for you have not threatened me. I am the king of The Empire, the ruler of these lands and I do not wish to be restricted from doing what I wish to—you may try to stop me but let me tell you something,” Leosher’s eyebrows cocked and there was a grin on his face “I will bring hell upon whoever touches me.”
When he finished he sentence, he took his weapons off of him and hung them on his horse and he was armless now, no protection at all.
He looked at Virgil “Brother, stay here and wait for me. I shall go and talk to the leader.”
Virgil smiled and encouraged him “Do not go too hard on them brother.”
Leosher laughed and walked through the Nephilims who blocked his path. They were shocked, for he did not seem to care if he was alone and without any weapons and he was walking through a huge colony of Nephilims.
“You did not ask to go through,” said one Nephilim “You have no right to go through.”
Leosher smirked “I do not need permission to go through.”
This statement provoked the Nephilim and he moved forward to punch Leosher but his fellow Nephilim stopped him, for he was a little skeptical about a man who decided to walk in without any preparations “We should let him talk to our Leader, after all he is harmless, for he has no weapons.”
Leosher now knew that he had gotten in their heads and they were a little intimidated by him. He continued walking inwards with his hands behind his back, with his cloak dragging behind him and soon, the Nephilims followed him too but one of the last one saw Urey and Usere with the corner of his eye and told the rest but they seemed to be calm and did not react to it and escorted Leosher to their leader. This was their plan, to take Leosher and after they were done with him, they were going to come back and take those brothers and kill them.
The town was shabby and all of the older Nephilims had abuse and whip marks on their backs and legs and arms. The women of the clan were abused a little more than men, but their children, who looked a lot like human children, just a little bluish pale, did not have any at all, for they were not born into slavery.
Nephilims had big, almond shaped, blue eyes and had big and sharp yet yellow teeth and pointy ears just like the elves. Their main diet was raw, rotten meat but they cooked it over fire on certain occasions. The town was very shabby with broken down houses and rotten fruits and vegetables on the ground which the children picked up and ate at any time they wanted. There was poverty all around and the atmosphere of the town was sad and grim. The roads were gravelly and there were no other creatures except the Nephilims, for none could cope with the harsh conditions except them. They were probably the only creatures who might survive in the northern mountains if introduced there.
Leosher walked with his cloak dragging on the gravel and the Nephilims walked with their bare feet on the gravel, behind him and soon, they reached a dead end “Where is the leader?” Leosher asked and out of a house made of wood and straw, just like the others, out came the leader.
He was wearing a loincloth just like the others but there was something different about him. He had small, thumb-like horns on the sides of his chin because of old age. They were black and contrasted with his bluish pale skin. His eyes were also fully black and no other color and he was about 300 years old.
“What brings you here?” He asked.
Leosher saw himself surrounded with many Nephilims and when he looked back, there were even more. The entire road was now filled with them, for they were ready to fight against any threat.
Leosher stayed calm and did not get intimidated “I come in peace, I only command you to let my men and I to pass through your town. There will be no harm done as long as you do not attack my men first.”
The old man growled “Who are you to command? You have no authority here.”
Leosher was now a little annoyed “I am tired of explaining, but I will do it this one more time, I am the king of The Empire, the kingdom whose lands you all live on.”
When the old man heard Leosher say that, he began paying more attention “You have no proof—and Geluna is the queen of Gelus.”
“She’s dead, and Gelus no longer exists.” Leosher moved his hand forward to shake the leader’s hand and to give him a vision with the help of his godly powers, but just when he moved his hand forward, a protector of the leader grabbed it, which gave Leosher a reason to get mad about.
“Let go of my hand!” Leosher said furiously, “Do it or I will rip that arm right off.”
The Nephilim still did not let go and finally ended up losing his hand. Leosher had warned him. Leosher swung his other hand and grabbed the arm. He crushed it and ripped it off, in front of everyone, as a lesson so they knew not to stand up or act up against him. The Nephilim cried in pain but none helped him, for they were too scared of Leosher.
Finally, Leosher brushed his anger off and moved forward to show the vision but he no longer required a proof, for he had seen Leosher’s audacity and power, which made the leader believe that he was the king. The leader kneeled before him and let him stand in front of the crowd and stepped down from the high chair.
Leosher, who was now acknowledged in the town, addressed to the people “Do not go against or rise against The Empire, for you will end up just like your brother did when he touched me. I do not wish to do any harm and my intent is to pass through this land with peace. I do not plan to take over you all, for you all are worthless peasants, slaves, who have no purpose but to serve greater people.”
He was a bit offensive and some were offended by the way he talked about them but they let it go because Nephilims were humble people.
Just as he was done talking, some of the Nephilims brought Usere and Urey from outside the town. Their hands were tied behind their backs with vines and strips of clothes.
“Hello!” Urey yelled out joyfully when he saw Leosher standing in front of everyone “Looks like they are still angry at us.”
Usere pushed him with his shoulder “Shut up, are you trying to get us killed?”
“Relax, brother, our king sits above them. There is no way they can harm us.”
Just as he said that, the Nephilim who was walking behind him kicked him in his back. He fell in the garbage on the ground with his face in rotten fruit. His brother tried to help him but the Nephilim did not let him, and instead, all laughed at them. They all laughed in their heavy voices and soon, Urey lifted his head up and laughed with them sarcastically. He got back up on his feet and started walking again and when they finally reached Leosher through the crowd, Leosher freed their hands
“What is the meaning of this?” The old Nephilim asked “Why did you free them?”
Urey looked at him and laughed “Because he is our friend—that is why.”
Leosher pulled the leader back, aside from the crowd and confronted him “They are no longer to be hunted by your kind,” He then turned to the tall crowd “They were only bounty hunting and according to the Empirion law, bounty hunters shall not be persecuted.”
After he finished, there was a prolonged silence, but then soon, that was broken when his brother, Virgil came in the town
too. He had all the soldiers behind him, ready to fight. The archers had their arrows in their bows and were ready. The spear men had their spears above their shoulders, ready to shoot and the swordsmen and horsemen were in the front, ready to fight.
They did not know that the Nephilims did not mean any harm but instead were only after Usere and Urey.
Virgil yelled at them “Surrender the men or perish!”
There was a huge laugh from behind the tall Nephilims and when they moved apart to let Virgil see who it was, it was Leosher laughing at his brother,
“Brother,” he said while swaggering forward towards him “Brother, I have got everything under control. I do not need your help.”
Virgil was relieved to see his brother, even though he was a little disappointed for his brother’s tone was a little off “I thought you might need help, after all they had outnumbered you and would have out powered you.”
Leosher finally reached him and looked at Azar who was standing right beside him “Get me some rum.” Azar handed him a leather bottle, a pouch rather and he took a big gulp out of it and wiped his face with his sleeve “Brother, let me tell you something,” He put his hand on Virgil’s shoulder and moved closer “I am a god, I give help, I do not need help—I was sent from Aseroth to this mundane planet, to provide help, not receive help.”
Virgil simply nodded but did not feel good and Azar tried to calm his arrogance “It is not you who talks, it is your pride and arrogance my lord,” said he “Please return to the original Leosher, the one you started like.”
Leosher took another big gulp from the bottle and turned to Azar. The rum had now begun working and he was drunk. He put his dirty, darkened with dirt, index finger on Azar old yet perfect lips “Shhhh,” said Leosher “I do not permit you to talk when we brothers talk. It is disrespectful to talk when your king talks—and it is very rude to tell him what or how to act.”
Azar stood there humbly and said nothing, even though he did not like the way Leosher acted. He stood with his staff in his hand and looked down at the muddy ground.
Then he turned to his brother and smiled again, though his smiled was of a drunk’s and his mouth reeked of rum,
“Let us leave these petty grounds and make our way to the lands of Strinthius. We shall kill Colossus tonight.”
Virgil tried to console his drunken brother “We cannot kill him tonight, for he is in his castle and we are still in the lands of The Empire. And even though we can continue the journey, we should not because our men are too tired.”
“I do not care—let us move.”
Virgil nodded, for it was out of his power to deny and ordered the men to get ready. Urey and Usere were released and the town was given back to the old Nephilim to govern, for Leosher did not care about the strip of land they resided in.
The men and their king left the shabby village of the Nephilims of the west, and continued their journey towards East, towards the lands of Strinithius. They traveled along the shore of the North side of the strip and traveled on the sandy beaches and jungles that mostly consisted of Palm trees.
“Brother,” Leosher looked at Virgil from his horse, “I think we should take a rest now.”
Virgil laughed and nodded “I think we should, for we have been traveling for a long time, without a rest. We have traveled non-stop since the middle mountains.”
Virgil ordered the men to stop and take a rest, and they all acted upon his orders quickly. They all set up their camps and set the fire. It was a dark night and they were on the shore. The cold water from the Northern Mountains rustled on the white sand of the beach and the moon peeked over the light clouds. The wind made Leosher’s cloak flutter and the fire fluttered as well and wood popped and sparks jumped out of the fire.
The camps were now set and they all sat around the fire and had meat to eat. The soldiers had hunted the deer and rabbits from the jungles and killed them and now they all ate. They had kegs of rum and booze that they drank in big wooden mugs.
“Why are not the Nephilims accompanying us on this journey?” asked Urey.
Usere spontaneously made funny remarks “Because of us troublemakers.”
The group laughed but then Azar got serious “My lord, why are we not being accompanied by the Nephilims? After all, they would have been a significant help.”
“What do they know,” Leosher laughed and gnawed on a cooked, brown leg of the deer “They are a slave race, what do they know about fighting. They would have been a drag on us.”
They all did not agree but none dared speak against Leosher, for they had seen his brutally and how none could do anything against him.
Leosher soon got so boozed up that he could not even sit up and he fell on his back and fell asleep. His companions, Virgil, Usere, Urey and Azar were in the same condition. What made the condition worse was that they all had pipes and they smoked which made them get knocked out faster.
It took not more than an hour after eating for the entire army to fall asleep, even the animals could not stay awake any longer because they all were too tired.
The fires slowly died down and the rustling of the water and the whistling of the wind slowly became a song. They all synced together and came in a perfect harmony that kept everyone asleep.
CHAPTER 14
It was about 11 in the morning when the boozed up men woke up on the sandy beaches. One of the suns was right above their heads and the winds were gentle and cool. The sea was calm and the sky was crystal clear. The trees fluttered slightly in the cool breeze and created a harmonic rustle that soothed the ear of the listener. There were ashes from the woods from last night and empty kegs on the shore and many animals such as crabs, turtles and rabbits roamed around on the beach—Crabs and turtles on the beach, and the rabbits in the jungle.
“Let us continue,” Leosher got up while rubbing his eyes “We shall continue our journey to Strinthius.”
Azar nodded and got the men ready. Meanwhile, Leosher went and dove in the icy cold waters of the sea. His clothes did not get wet although, the cold water woke him up and got his mind alert. He got out of the water and dried his cloak by squeezing the life out of it but somehow, it did not get wrinkled, at all.
Soon, the horses were lined up and the men as well and the group was ready to leave. The horses had their armors on and the men had their own armors on. Leosher stood in front of the infantry and the horsemen and spoke to them
“Men, tonight we shall approach the lands of Strinthius and arrive in the elf land. You shall enjoy as much as you can, while you can, for after we attack the Strinthiun castle, Katos will probably lead his forces to fight us and he would not wait at all and trust me, once we go against Katos, many lives will be lost.” His men looked down upon the ground until Leosher continued talking “But we do not have to worry, for you all have me at your sides.” The men had a smile on their face and now began cheering for them and when Leosher saw that all were happy now, he slightly waved his hand to give Virgil a sign to begin moving.
The huge army began moving in four rows, in a highly organized manner. There was a huge trail behind them and could be seen at a long distance. They all wore their dark, knight-like armors however there armors were not as thick as their opponents’ because the Empirion army was meant to be faster rather than to last longer, for they could finish battles faster and with Leosher on their side, they did not need any strong protection.
They soon swam through the little lake that connected the North Sea with the Great Sea. It was about 10 feet deep and 70 feet wide and was very easy to swim through and just as they did, they now they stood upon Strinthiun land and Leosher sat on his horse and stood in front of them to address them,
“My men, you now stand upon the Strinthiun land which shall be called The Middle Empire after we take it over. We will reach the elf land by the end of the day, at midnight, if we do not stop, therefore we shall not stop because I plan on getting there at midnight.”
His men were getting tired o
f this journey, for their master was harsh on them but they stayed loyal and did not say a word, for they were proud to be a part of the Empirion army and a part of a revolutionary force. They all kept walking and marching and followed their king and the General of the Army, Virgil…
It was a dark night again, with the moon not showing. There was no moonlight and the men had to walk with lanterns in front of them. It was one of the darkest nights of the year, the night of Amavus. This night only came around once a year, in the sixth month. There was fog everywhere and though it was summer, it was chilly and very cold, for this night brought this cold forth.
The men arrived at the walls of Elf land and now knew that they had finally reached the end of their journey and could now rest properly until moving further.
The whole city was surrounded by walls made of wood and the gate was situated between two giant towers. These gates were put up recently, for now, everyone who was civilized around the globe, knew of the resistance, The Empire and the thought of someone defeating the evil ruler, Geluna had pumped new courage in everyone and had rejuvenated the fear stricken warriors of all kinds and small battles were being taken place, everywhere.
The Elves led small battles against the Strinthiun army from time to time, and were often joined by Dwarves even though races didn’t like each that much. Some of the residents of Strinthius acted up with the courage but some did not and remained in the same, pitiful state. Elves and the Dwarves were one of the ones that acted up and although Werewolves of Strinthius were brave, they did not seem to care.