by Aaron Oster
Hell, no one would think she, a petite elf girl, had the raw physical strength to lift a two-ton boulder, yet she could do so with ease. Judging anyone by appearance would be a foolish mistake.
The god finished his scan of the gathered rulers, then turned to the center of the clearing and began to speak.
“My name is Morgan. As you may or may not yet know, the god of this world was killed some few months ago…”
The soft gasp that ran through the clearing made it clear that none of them had heard. They’d known that something had to be off, as their restrictions on surpassing a certain rank had been removed, but no one could have imagined something like this. Elyssa was shocked that a god could even be killed, which made her wonder as to who had done it and how they managed to do so.
“The rules of this world have begun to crumble, as are the borders that once held the most terrible and horrific scourge ever to walk the face of this world — the humans.”
This time, there was no gasp. Morgan’s statement was greeted with complete and utter silence. The simian scourge, or humans, as they referred to themselves, were a warlike race of monsters who had only one goal — to rid the world of everything they did not deem worthy. Children were told stories of them to stay in line, and the scourge was generally used as a threat. However, they hadn’t been seen in millennia, not since they were driven from the continent and locked away for their violent and destructive ways.
In fact, most people believed the scourge was just made up. It had been so long since they’d ravaged their continent that they’d faded into myth and legend. The fact that they were real and returning was almost more than Elyssa could handle.
“Since the god of this world is no longer alive, and he did not entrust his position to anyone, none of us have the power needed to assert rule over this world. However, should you succeed in wiping the scourge from existence, we will. We will be able to assert our dominance over this world and assure that the scourge will never return.
“You have one year before the barriers are fully destroyed. I recommend you begin training your armies, sending scouts, and eliminating their strongest fighters. We can help, of course, but our involvement will only come to those who are willing to help themselves. Do not think we will defend you, should you not raise up arms to do so yourself. The enemy is vicious and powerful, and on top of that, they are cunning as well.
“The savages who once ravaged your lands have evolved. They’ve grown stronger and wiser. They even have supermages among their ranks.”
Elyssa, as well as the other rulers, sat up straighter at this claim. According to their history books, supermages had been the only difference between victory and defeat the last time. The scourge had lacked that particular power and had eventually fallen. As royalty, she was a supermage, as were all the other rulers. It was passed down through the generations, proving their right to rule. The supermage ability was even passed to a new troll chieftain when he bested the old one in battle.
“Yes, I know it is quite shocking. But rest assured, as it stands now, your power vastly outstrips theirs,” Morgan continued. “Still, they are training, even now, preparing to come across your oceans and destroy you all. They are closer than you might think, so take our warnings to heart and prepare.”
Morgan then reached into his strange black coat and produced five golden amulets. He tossed them to the ground before him and turned to leave.
“You may contact us with these, but please make sure to only use them when absolutely necessary.”
He then walked through the still-open portal without so much as a backward glance. The women followed shortly after, each giving them a smile, wave, or dead look before stepping through. The portal slammed shut as soon as the pink-haired woman stepped through, leaving the clearing in total silence.
“What does this all mean?” Elyssa whispered, heart racing as fear began to set in.
“It means,” Gilderon said, his voice grim, “that we prepare for war. The scourge is alive once again. We should count our lucky stars that these gods saw fit to warn us in advance.”
Elyssa couldn’t help but agree, though even as Gilderon went to collect one of the fallen pendants, a small nagging feeling in the back of her mind told her that these gods had some ulterior motive.
The queen of the elves had no idea just how right she was.
1
Katherine, Queen of the North Kingdom and the most eligible bachelorette in all the Five Kingdoms, took a long, deep breath, savoring the first scent of spring. All around her, flowers were coming into bloom, the trees showing their colorful wares before their inevitable change to their summer colors. This was her favorite time of year, when the cold of winter faded away, heralding the warm weather to come.
The attempted takeover by the Pinnacle King, Octagon the Bitter, nearly two years ago, didn’t help in her general hatred of colder weather. Not for the first time, Katherine wondered if she should just hand the kingdom off to someone else and move to the East. Her closest ally since the war, Queen Le’vine, had invited her more than once, and though she’d been tempted, Katherine knew she was needed here.
Despite the time that had passed since the war, her Kingdom was still mostly destroyed. Even with as much time as they’d had, nearly half their cities —mainly the ones further north — were still in ruins, unoccupied and abandoned. And while there had been a baby boom, they’d still lost over nine-tenths of their population. Now more than ever, the North needed a strong ruler.
“Would you like to head inside, my dear? This weather is dreadfully chilly.”
Katherine’s musings were shattered by the high-pitched, nasally voice of her current companion.
“Is it?” Katherine replied, turning to Bell’s latest attempt at finding her a husband. “I think it’s rather pleasant.”
The man, if he could even be called that, sniffed a couple of times, bringing attention to the line of clear liquid running from one of his nostrils.
How classy, Katherine thought bitterly, before turning back to the splendor of the garden.
This area had been built as a memorial to all who had fallen here, a vast section of flower beds, trees, and flowing streams. It would be open to the public in just a couple of hours, so she was taking the time to explore now, while it was still empty.
“I think I’ll just go back to the palace then,” the man said, wiping as his nose. “I’ll wait for you there.”
Katherine didn’t even bother replying, already making a mental note to give Bell a good tongue lashing for setting her up with this moron. Sure, he was from a wealthy family in the South whose funds and support could help in the rebuilding of her Kingdom, but Katherine preferred not to marry for convenience. Besides, she was still holding out hope…
How much longer can you do that for, though? she asked herself. This was the same question that she’d been asking since the day of his disappearance.
She remembered that day well. Everyone who was still alive did. The day when the Pinnacle King made his final move against the North was deeply engraved in their memories. For most, it was a day filled with pain, loss, fear, and eventual elation. For her, it was the day she’d nearly lost everything. Many of her friends and allies had been killed, but the most painful image was of Morgan, the man she loved, taking off to the skies, the limp form of Sarah in his arms.
For nearly eight hours, she’d been convinced he was dead. Morgan had implied as much when he’d left her. Of all her losses that day, that one had hit particularly hard. Not only because of her personal feelings, but for what Morgan was going through as well. After all he’d done for them, he’d simply lost too much. His mentor, his mother, and the person he loved most were all gone. Even now, Katherine felt a pang of sadness over Sarah’s demise.
She’d seen the woman encased in a glass tomb in the Ruined City. Her body was whole and unblemished, looking the same as it had at the moment of her death. If one didn’t know better, they might only think she
was asleep. Katherine knew she was dead, though. She’d seen the blood, the pale skin, the pain, and defeat on Morgan’s face. It had all been too much.
However, even as she sat in the great hall of the palace in what had then been known as City Eleven, the cheers and celebration drowned out by her misery, she’d been offered a lifeline. A stranger, one whose features she could no longer remember, had come with some news. Morgan was alive and would return in just a few short years.
It wasn’t all good news that he came with. He’d brought dire warnings of an invading force, one that was far more powerful than anything they’d seen thus far. A force of strange creatures from across the sea, living on a continent called Faeland, were coming for them. It had been hard for Katherine to believe, but the stranger had been very convincing.
As soon as their celebrations were over, Katherine had called another meeting between her, Le’vine, and Herald. She’d told them of what she’d heard, of what was coming. Neither had been happy to hear that despite their victory that day, they would be facing yet another threat. However, with that knowledge came the ability to prepare, something they hadn’t had the last time.
They’d reached out to Beatrice, Queen of the South, and Hu Kiln, the new King of the West. This time, they both answered the call. Kiln, because he wasn’t as big an idiot as his cousins, the previous rulers, and Beatrice, because she didn’t much feel like losing her power. Both of them had witnessed the Pinnacle King’s might firsthand and were willing to heed the warnings this time around.
Training had begun immediately. They recruited supers and mages of all types, and sent them to train rigorously inside Beast Zones. A lot of changes had occurred in the world since that day. Among them were some small changes in everyone’s status, the permanent opening of all Beast Zone keys, and the fluctuation of power among beasts.
Despite the initial chaos, things had pretty much settled down. The beasts inside Zones were no longer growing in power, seeming to maintain a general level of strength. Outside of the Beast Zones, they continued to grow. Every other month, the North would have to marshal their forces and go off to take down some rampaging Advanced Beast that had grown too powerful or quell a herd of previously tame Beasts who’d evolved and grown carnivorous.
Thankfully, people were adaptable and were slowly growing used to the strange new world. Sure, it was weird that an open cave-mouth could lead you straight into a Beast Zone, and that the flat discs previously used had ceased functioning. It was also strange that anyone could keep growing forever, and that the only way to strengthen one’s attributes was through rigorous training. Still, overall, everything was running as it should.
Katherine let out another long sigh, a light breeze catching her long blonde hair and blowing it about her face. Despite all this beauty, she knew it wasn’t going to last. The time of the supposed invasion was nearing, and she was beginning to grow worried. There had been neither hide nor hair of Morgan. She had been looking, despite the assurances that he would return.
For months, she’d sent search parties far and wide, even including Le’vine in her efforts. However, they’d had no luck whatsoever. Now, she’d simply resigned herself to leaving a scout in the Ruined City. If she knew Morgan, he would come back to visit Sarah eventually, and the moment he did, she would know about it.
Pushing off the railing, Katherine shook off her melancholic mood. Today was a beautiful day, and she would enjoy it, no matter what. Strolling down the cobbled path, Katherine took in the beautiful colors of the garden. Behind her loomed the shadow of her palace.
City Eleven, now renamed Pinnaclefall, had been made the new capital city of the North after the defeat of the Pinnacle King’s army. The palace had been fixed, and the city was rebuilt. It was now larger and more prosperous than ever, as were the surrounding cities. Thus far, they had rebuilt five of the nineteen cities and were working on four more. They had plans for the rest, but until the new threat was dealt with, all construction had been put on hold.
“Enjoying the sights, are we?”
Katherine turned to see Bell, her previous general and now personal aide, walking towards her.
“I am, indeed,” Katherine replied, leaning over to sniff at one of the nearby flowerbeds.
“And without Lord Pomp, I see,” Bell noted.
“Was that his name?” Katherine asked, cocking an eyebrow. “I don’t understand why you keep trying to set me up. I don’t need a husband.”
“You do,” Bell said flatly. “If I may be frank, Your Majesty, continuing to pine after a man that will never have you is hardly healthy. A Kingdom, especially one in a position as precarious as ours, needs a strong ruler.”
“I’m plenty strong,” Katherine said, feeling a hint of annoyance creep into her voice.
She didn’t like what Bell was saying. At all.
“I’m not talking about physical strength, and you know it,” Bell replied in exasperation. “This Kingdom needs a line of succession, and you’ve bucked against every person I’ve tried to set you up with. Plenty of rulers marry for political reasons, yet you seem determined to reject every eligible man in all the Five Kingdoms.”
“I’m not planning on having children now anyway,” Katherine replied. “So why bother?”
“Because,” Bell said, fighting against the annoyance in her own voice. “This Kingdom needs a king! Everyone knows how strong you are, but who will rule when you’re off at war? You have only five nobles, and none of them were given any real power other than to govern their cities! You even gave them new titles to cement that fact!”
“I think Governor is a far better title than Lord,” Katherine responded. “This way, people may approach them without fear of having their heads removed. But I do see your point.”
“Does that mean you’ll at least try and make things work with Lord Pomp?” Bell asked.
“No. That man is an idiot and completely incompetent,” Katherine replied, causing Bell to throw her arms up in their air and storm off.
Katherine knew the woman meant well, but she simply didn’t want to get married. Perhaps she could find someone she trusted enough to run the North in her absence and name them as Viceroy. Someone who could rule in her stead when she was away. In truth, she didn’t even want a line of succession. Those were the old ways, where rulers were made, not chosen.
She had a plan, one that she would begin implementing once this entire fiasco was over. She didn’t know if the people would be receptive or not, but the idea that they could choose their own rulers, rather than have one be foisted upon them, had appealed to her for quite some time.
There were a lot of logistics to work out. For example, they had to make sure that a crime boss couldn’t terrify people into voting for him, or some incompetent moron wouldn’t end up on the throne. Perhaps a training program for children who showed some political acumen, those who, like her, trained to rule all their lives, but would then need to be chosen by the people? It was a good idea, but Katherine dismissed it as something to worry about once their country was safe once more.
She walked around for the next half hour, admiring all the work that had gone into making this garden, as well as the memorial that stood at its heart. The sound of clacking boots reached her ears before she could look for too long, and Katherine turned at the familiar sound of Bell’s gait.
“Come back to chastise me some…?” Katherine trailed off as she noted the look on her aide’s face.
Bell wasn’t normally all that excitable, but right now, she was practically buzzing with excitement. For just a moment, Katherine had a wild notion that Morgan had returned. However, that thought vanished as soon as it had come. She hadn’t heard anything from her scout in the Ruined City, nor would Bell have come running to inform her. Her aide did not look kindly upon the man with whom she was smitten, so she’d be the last to come to tell her about him.
“Well?” Katherine asked as the woman stopped before her.
“Shul, Le’vine’s
Captain of the Guard, just arrived. He’s got…Well, you’ll have to see it to believe it.”
Katherine cocked an eyebrow, but Bell simply grabbed her hand and turned to run back to the castle. She resisted the urge to laugh but couldn’t stop a smile from spreading across her lips. If she had to pick one friend she was glad to have, Bell was definitely at the top of her list.
2
“Your movements are still too obvious!” Gold snapped as the massive winged lizard sent Morgan through twenty feet of stone.
The side of the mountain cracked, then exploded, as he rocketed out, boulders the size of houses raining down to demolish the forest below. Morgan streaked through the air, a staff of violet energy clutched between his fingers as he shot towards said lizard. The beast twisted, avoiding Morgan’s attack and slamming him with its tail.
“Too linear! You’re basically screaming where you’re going to move!” Gold yelled as the body of his student created yet another crater in the ground with the force of his impact.
Morgan shot into the air once again, staff whirling as he attempted to land a telling blow on the massive beast. Despite its size, the creature was extremely nimble, its hide glittering and dazzling as it twisted and contorted its sinuous body. Sweat poured off Morgan as he struck, the purple staff moving so quickly that it appeared only to be a streak of light, yet he was still unable to land even a single blow.
Gold continued yelling insults at him about his mother, his siblings, and even the clothes that were unfortunate enough to have been worn by him.
“Come on! Even an epileptic tortoise is faster than that!” Gold yelled as Morgan tore through a copse of trees, leaving a furrow nearly five hundred feet long.
As Morgan rose into the air once more, Gold noted that he was glad to be inside a Beast Zone. Had they been training anywhere else, they’d have exhausted things to destroy long ago, and would likely have permanently damaged that part of the world. That kind of noise would also definitely attract attention, and right now, the last thing Morgan needed was to be distracted.
