The Aspect: The Cessation's Harbinger

by Ajax Lygan

  Once on the ground, Tempest, Ella, and Riika slid off of Kasta’s back, approaching the IRC members who’d gathered around a large, out-of-place table. Each of them were dressed for war, covered in full plate, hardened leather, or a combination of the two. Shockingly, Chieftainess Wildfang was dressed in armor, wearing fur-lined leathers.

  Tempest frowned as the number of attendees was less than he had predicted, but quickly smiled when Alfonso shouted a welcome.

  “The cavalry is here!” he shouted, slapping the edge of the table. “We’re all saved!” The man approached and clasped Tempest’s forearm with a firm grip.

  “It’s good to see you again, Alfonso.”

  “You too, your Eminence. We’re ready for anything.”

  Tempest took one look around the table before asking the question on his mind. “Where is everyone else?”

  Alfonso quickly looked back, before turning his head and letting out a sigh. “Unfortunately, this is everyone. I’m not going to lie, I never expected Verve or Belaphama to send anyone…”

  Chieftainess Wildfang clasped Alfonso’s shoulder, interrupting him as she pulled him aside. “Of course not. What are they going to do? Send their slaves to fuck the enemy to death?”

  “No, Chieftainess Wildfang, I don’t believe they would,” he said chuckling. “At least the Queens were kind enough to allow us to use their infinity mirror to bring everyone close.” Wildfang reached out and grasped Tempest’s arm.

  She turned her head up, taking a deep breath of air. “You know what I smell?”

  “No, what do you smell?” Tempest asked, curious.

  She leaned in close with a cheek-to-cheek grin. “I smell victory.” She leaned back, letting out a barbaric howl followed by a rich belly-laugh as she slapped Tempest on the shoulder.

  Tempest couldn’t help but chuckle as he watched her move beyond him and begin chatting with Riika. “As I was saying, I was hoping to at least see Wulvenson and Van Jütenheim.”

  “I spoke with both of them,” Kasta said, her voice echoing above him. “Both committed to being here before we left Halairim.”

  “Viktor is a snake,” Vatia hissed. “If he sees no benefit in doing something for his own personal gain, then he won’t, and King Wulvenson is his own personal lap dog who does nothing without his master’s say so.”

  Tempest furrowed his brow as he peeked up at the Queen. Something about her seemed...off. While it was no lie that she and Viktor did not get along, she was usually cordial. Her voice was full of disdain… bordering on hatred.

  “I understand you both have history, but I do not believe Viktor would ignore our plea,” Tempest said, looking up to eye Vatia. “Everyone here understands the gravity of the situation, with many of us having already fought the horrors that will spill out of that portal. Now, if someone would be so kind, I’d like to be brought up to speed on our strategy.”

  Vatia’s lip fluttered before Tempest looked down at the table. Alyndra was moving pieces around the board until a claw nearly the size of the table itself pointed out the different strategic positions.

  “Halairim, Ubi, the Firegrove, Aerlanthir, the minotaur clans, Twin’s Crossing, Ashwreath, and Ungroth’s Path have all brought forth resources to today’s engagement,” King Orum stated. “The portal appeared in the center of Obovna, destroying the city entirely. From what we can tell, there were no survivors. Much like what we reported at The Academy, the portal is protected by a translucent barrier, only much stronger than what we have seen before.”

  “I’m guessing you tested it?” Tempest asked, looking up at King Orum.

  “Yes. King Häguin suggested we test his magical siege instruments against the barrier once they were assembled.”

  “We shattered the first mirrors and crystals, pouring magic into them beyond their working capacity,” King Häguin added. “The shield wavered for a moment, but the siege engines shattered before we could punch through.”

  He shook his head. “Nothing should be able to withstand those beams. They’ll cut through an entire forest in a matter of seconds. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

  “You should have brought men, Häguin, not toys that shatter like glass,” Chieftainess Wildfang snorted.

  “I’ll have you know, when working properly, those... ‘toys’, as you so gauchely put it, are worth ten thousand men a piece, and I brought five!”

  “Yet one of my spinethrowers launches a single shot at your eyeglass and the whole thing isn’t worth the ground it sits on.”

  “Enough! Both of you!” King Orum shouted, nearly knocking over everyone standing below. “You’ll both need to get along, as the orcs will be in charge of the perimeter defense around Häguin’s machines.”

  “King Orum, you can’t possibly…” The King retreated into himself as King Orum brought his snarling maw within inches of the elf’s face.

  Chieftainess Wildfang walked over and grabbed King Häguin on the shoulder, causing him to nearly whimper as she squeezed. “Don’t worry,” she said. “We’ll get along just fine.”

  King Orum snorted a blast of hot air out his nostrils before bringing his claw back to point at the table. “Behind them, Ashwreath’s cavalry of marehund will hold back in reserve, and will be deployed depending on what happens with the frontal defenses.”

  The massive red dragon looked up briefly with pride at his own nation’s forces. “Halairim makes up the brunt of our forces. We have four groups of twenty thousand each on the front line. They have been armed with full plate, melee weapons, as well as ranged gear. The front two groups of twenty thousand will be there for the initial attack, while the rear groups of twenty thousand will provide ranged support. When relief is needed, the back two groups will shift with the troops engaged.”

  “Seems like you’ve done this before,” Tempest joked, clearing his throat after Orum’s grunt for a response.

  “Halairim will hold the middle, but it’s up to the other two groups to secure their flanks. On the right is the Firegrove. Queen Maileath is commanding her group of fifty earth elementals, two hundred fifty Firegrove ents, and one thousand dryads and sprites. It’s my understanding that the elementals and ents will take the front while the dryads and sprites provide support. However, if it comes down to it, the dryads are more than capable in melee. She also mentioned something about having a group of mercenaries with her.”

  “Uncle Bram and the boys are here?” Riika asked.

  “Sounds like they couldn’t leave those dryads behind,” Tempest said, chuckling.

  “I need to see him, Tempest.”

  “Okay, okay,” Tempest said, holding up his hands. “I’ll take you there once we’re finished.”

  “Or you can take one of our spare marehunds saddled over there,” Queen Alyndra said, turning and pointing to a nearby hitching post. Without hesitation, Riika sprinted toward the marehund, untied its reins and jumped onto its back, charging off toward the Firegrove.

  “Now, back to the map,” King Orum continued. “On the left flank, Chief Thunderhoof and the other eight Chiefs will hold themselves. They have one Chief and one shaman per one thousand minotaur. They also have one thousand volunteers helping, as well.”

  “What about, you, Alfonso?” Tempest asked.

  “Twin’s crossing is a fishing village, your Eminence. Outside of a small city guard, there’s not much we can do when it comes to combat, so my men and I will be running supplies and logistics. We’ll be transporting wounded, ammunition, food, and whatever else is needed.”

  The man looked for Tempest’s other companions. “Speaking of which, Lady Ella, I brought the reagents you asked for by the cartful. I don’t know what you need all of that stuff for, but it’s at your disposal.”

  “Your majesties, if I may,” Ella said, stepping forward and pointing on the map. “The ingredients that I asked Alfonso to acquire will be used for two things. First are the reagents I need to prepare large quantities of alchemist’s fire. My thought was that we ca
n place barrels along this front line if we’re quick enough, establishing a barrier of flame, funneling them into a kill zone, should the need arise.”

  “What does this fire do?” King Orum asked.

  “It burns indefinitely, until a counter reagent is applied.”

  King Orum thought for a moment, scratching at the scales on his chest. “While it could be effective, it sounds risky. For example, what would happen if the fire were to get on a member of our troops, many of whom will be standing shoulder to shoulder.”

  “It would spread through them, unopposed.”

  “We have oil deployed for now. That has a better chance of not spreading to our own men. We can save the alchemist’s fire as a last resort, should things get dire enough.”

  “Very well, your majesty. The other ingredients are a lot more positive. My plan is to create massive batches of my healing potions. Should the men have water skins or any container, they could drink a swallow or two and it will save their life.”

  “If this healing draft is as good as you say it is, let’s prioritize its creation before anything else.”

  “Trust me, your majesty, it’s unlike anything your men have had before,” Tempest said, wrapping his arm around Ella’s waist.

  “I’ll get to work immediately,” Ella said, giving one more long look to Tempest before joining Alfonso; the two heading to the nearby carts.

  Tempest was sad to see her in a mixture of plate and leather, so different from the multi-pocketed leather vest she’d designed herself. It made him feel out of place, as if he was looking over his own shoulder from another dimension, watching as the world changed, and not for the better.

  “One more thing,” King Orum said, pointing off to a nearby group. “We’ve gathered all of the flying races into a nearby group to provide aerial support which myself, Vatia, and Kasta will support.”

  Like a light switch flipping in his brain, Tempest was reminded of his brown feathered lover. “Is Lead Investigator Windcatcher here?” Tempest asked.

  King Orum furrowed his brow and shook his head. “No…why would our Lead Investigator be on a battlefield?”

  Kasta noticing Tempest’s frown interjected. “Tempest, we can talk about that later. I have some information in regards to the lead investigator.”

  “Thank you, Queen Kasta,” Tempest said with a smile. He turned and looked back up at King Orum. “What shall you have me do, your majesty?”. The members around the table looked at each other, wide eyed, shifting uneasily in place, wondering who was going to deliver the bad news.

  “We want you to stay safe,” Alyndra said softly, walking over to him as she spoke. “You’ve already been captured once, and our fear is they will prioritize your capture again.”

  “Wait,” he said, taking a step back. “You all just want me to sit back here and do nothing?”

  The silence that fell over the group gave Tempest his answer.

  He began waving his hands as he spoke. “There’s no way I am going to sit back as those things attack our world. There are only a few people here who have fought those things before and killed them. I will not watch our people die, if I can do something about it.”

  “Your Eminence, I have no intention of leaving you completely idle,” King Orum said. “This is war, and every commander must use everything at his disposal to win. You are no different, though you are a trump card we shouldn’t play until we absolutely need to. The risk of losing an Aspect is too great at this point. It would destroy our soldiers’ morale, causing us to lose the battle should you fall early in the conflict. All we’re asking, is that you be patient and not rush into battle until you’re absolutely needed.”

  Tempest let out a groan and pinched the bridge of his nose. “All right, but I will be the one to make the call to enter into combat, should I determine the need is there.”

  “I think that’s a fair compromise, your Eminence,” King Orum agreed. The two shared a nod as everyone relaxed around the table with warm smiles. A sudden blast of war horns brought everyone’s attention to the battlefield. The floating pieces of Obovna were no longer spinning in circles. They had taken position diagonally from each other, becoming stationary.

  Everyone watched as bolts of purple electricity connected the floating islands to the force field that surrounded the portal, creating smaller force fields around the islands.

  “Everyone to your positions, now!” King Orum shouted. Alyndra grabbed the front of Tempest’s chest plate and kissed him, hard, before pulling away.

  “For good luck,” she said, smiling before turning and sprinting up the sand dunes to her nearby marehund.

  Before he could move, Tempest noticed Ella sprinting back from the carts with her hands full. She slid before stopping in front of him.

  “I barely got anything made,” she said, handing Tempest four corked bottles. “Give two to Riika when you see her. I’m going to stay back with Alfonso and heal as many as I can.”

  Tempest tied the bottles to his belt before grabbing Ella and pulling her close. A metal ting echoed as they held each other tight. Ella let out a soft giggle as he buried his face in her neck. As they pulled away, he left a small kiss on her cheek.

  She responded by giving him an aggressive one of her own. “I lo…” Ella hesitated as he pulled away.

  “What’s wrong?” Tempest asked, grabbing her hand.

  She glanced away, looking off into the distance before looking back up and smiling. “Stay safe out there.”

  “You too.”

  Her hand slipped from his fingers as she turned and sprinted back toward the carts, wasting little time shouting orders at the few helping her as she began crafting more of her potions. The sounds of the nearby orcs’ pounding war drums sent a spike of adrenaline through his body. He jumped in place, shaking out his limbs, as he took in a deep breath.

  It was hard not to be in awe at the size of the military might before him. Almost a hundred thousand souls were in attendance on land and even more at sea. Everyone was ready to give their lives to save their homes. The heads bobbing along the sea reminded him of pebbles in a stream.

  The patch-work sight of each nation’s colors rippling in the breeze, neatly segregated into their individual squares, reminded Tempest of how Riika had once described Meadow’s Crest. He’d expected the colors to be an ocean of beauty, defining the individual crops along the horizon, but much like they found in Meadow’s Crest, a sinking feeling in his gut told him pestilence would find its home among the sands, too.

  He walked his hands over his armor, making sure every clasp and fitting was tight and secure. His hands slid along the hilts of his serrated blades that he’d clasped together on the backplate of his armor. The approaching sound of galloping hooves, and a building cloud of dust alerted Tempest to Riika’s approach. Without stopping, she jumped off the marehund and smacked its bottom in one smooth motion.

  She landed in front of him with childlike laughter.

  Tempest smiled and shook his head, pulling off the two healing potions, holding them out toward Riika. “Ella wanted you to have these.”

  “I won’t need them if I have you,” she said, bending down and tapping him on the nose.

  “We may get separated.”

  “Not on my watch,” she said, crossing her arms. “I’m going to stick to you like a fly on shit.”

  “Would you just take them? It will make me feel better.”

  Riika rolled her eyes before grabbing the bottles and tying them to her belt.

  “Thank you,” he said with a smug smile.

  Riika stuck her tongue out at him, waving her hand dismissively before another blast of horns sounded, instantly grounding the two.

  “Tempest, Riika, you two can ride with me,” Kasta said, rolling her body down towards them. “Orum is getting ready to give his speech.”

  “Can’t you just fly us up there?” Riika asked Tempest. “Kasta rides like a marehund in heat.”

  “I can, but it will eat up
my stamina. It’s better I save my strength for when we need it.”

  “Fine,” she said, giving an exaggerated sigh. Riika mumbled a number of creative obscenities to herself as she climbed up onto Kasta’s back.

  “Tempest, about that thing you mentioned earlier,” Queen Vatia said, beckoning him close to her head.

  “You have news of Sophia?” he asked.

  “Yes, when I went back to Halairim to request assistance from the other members of the hydra, I met with Lead Investigator Windcatcher and the other members of The Umbra. Based on the information that was brought back from The Cessation’s fortress, we were able to identify a handful of individuals that we deemed as high target threats. Due to her intricate knowledge, I asked her to join The Umbra and help end this once and for all.”

  Tempest turned and crossed his arms. He looked off into the distance before turning his head back with a smile. “Knowing her, I bet she jumped at the opportunity.”

  “Initially yes, but then she hesitated.”

  “Really? Why?”

  “Because of you.”

  Tempest’s smile grew as big as the moons. A spark lit up inside of him as Queen Kasta confirmed his suspicions. He had grown on Sophia and she on him. While their journey together was far from ideal, the feelings they had for each other were enough.

  “Thank you for telling me, Queen Kasta.”

  “Oh, she did ask that I tell you that she’ll find you when this is finished.”

  “I look forward to the day,” he said before turning and climbing up onto Kasta’s back.

  With Orum taking off first, Vatia and Kasta followed as the hydra rose into the sky. After ascending several hundred feet in the air, the three stopped and maintained their position. Tempest watched as the airborne infantry ascended into three distinct groups, following their assigned leaders.

  “Hey,” Riika whispered, gently tugging on his back plate. Tempest looked back and saw her patting her big thighs. He leaned back, second guessing himself once he realized her thigh plates were not as comfortable as her smooth blue skin.