New Horizons (Emerilia Book 4)

by Michael Chatfield

  Want a bigger map of Emerilia and the continents? Check out http://theeternalwriter.deviantart.com/

  Character Sheet is located in the back of the book for reference.

  Emerilia

  New Horizons

  New Horizons

  Emerilia 4

  Chapter 1: Six Months

  Anna looked out of the keep’s tower and saw Devil’s Crater. She had been there nearly every other week, with Induca or Malsour coming with her to speed up the travel time between the Aleph’s hidden teleport pad and the Demons’ home.

  Malsour and Fornau had started the basics of the valley. Fornau had marked out an area for the city that would rest in the middle of the crater. Fields had been created and a lumber mill sat in the middle of the northeastern forest, with a number of mines opened. Homes made of polished stone had been raised near the farms, the hunting forests, and the lumber mill.

  While Malsour had repaired all the keeps, Alkao's was still the only one which had been covered with metals.

  He’d also built an eighth keep to distance them all apart and watch over the surrounding lands. Unless you knew where the keeps were, they were hard to see; Malsour’s work made them look like part of the cliff they grew from.

  Anna looked into the crater, watching as farmers were working their fields. Fornau had been gracious enough to bless the ground, ensuring that it would remain fertile for a long time to come. His touch could be seen across the crater and while he had to return to Quindar and their hatchlings, he promised to return.

  Anna heard a flap of wings. She looked over to see Alkao swoop down toward the balcony she stood on.

  He landed easily, walking as soon as he touched down. Wearing simple clothes and caring less about appearance and more about form, he wore the weapons Dave had gifted him with pride.

  “Anna, I did not know that you would be here today.” Alkao smiled.

  Her chest tightened. Over the last six months, they had worked long nights and longer days to make sure that Devil’s Crater would be ready for the return of their people and to make sure that their alliance would work.

  She had come to see him as not only a brilliant warrior, but a man who was coming to understand his shortcomings and was looking to do the best by his people. She saw the stress that wore on them both and they’d become close. Often, Anna had thought about becoming even closer. She put her feelings down to the stress weighing on them and pushed them aside.

  “I was able to get the day off from raiding,” Anna said.

  “One day, I hope that you tell me how you get here so fast,” Alkao said.

  “Maybe one day.” Anna shrugged, continuing to look out over Devil’s Crater while watching Beast Kin and Demons who were working together at the lumber mill and checking on the growing orchard and planting fields. They had been getting reports, sent through the incoming villagers and supporting Demons and Beast Kin, on the progress of both sides.

  As the stigma of being a non-combatant disappeared, several demons had left the Army. Having been shown by their Beast Kin allies that a farmer was a necessary component for any community. The Beast Kin had shown them that a farmer was as useful, if not more useful, than fifty Demon warriors.

  They had taken the Demons and turned them from a fighting rabble to a semblance of a military. Order was created; duels for advancement were banned; medical treatment and fighting tactics were adopted. Although on Emerilia, six months had passed since Kala and her Beast Kin had started to teach the demons, it had been nine months for the nameless planet Bob had placed them on.

  “It is almost time,” Alkao said after a few minutes.

  Anna looked at her friends list. A number of names of her Beast Kin friends were there, but she couldn’t call them up directly. The distances were too great for her private messaging system to reach.

  “I’m looking forward to seeing how the Demons have changed,” Anna said.

  “So am I.” Alkao paused, as if thinking something over. “After they arrive, will you continue to come back?” He looked to her, his face stony. While he was prepared for her to say no, he really hoped she wouldn’t.

  “I will.” Anna smiled at his relief.

  “Good. My brothers might be good Demons, but there is something refreshing about having a female member on the council.”

  “I will take that as a compliment.” She laughed and moved for the keep’s door.

  Alkao followed her into the barely furnished command center. The Devil’s Crater map had been updated and there were also maps and information off to the side, detailing the advance of the Dark Lord’s Demon Horde. They had decreased in numbers as they moved toward Devil’s Crater. In-fighting and their constant hunger made them more rabid after a few weeks of not killing.

  By their rate of advance, they would arrive in two months. It didn’t seem that the Dark Lord knew that his rebelling first Demons had already returned to the crater.

  Something that Alkao and Anna were going to take advantage of.

  Anna and Alkao stepped out in front of the keep and looked over the expansive interior. A handful of DCA guards kept watch. Alkao had requested villagers and non-warriors first to give the warriors more time for training and allow the Beast Kin to beat more information into the Demon warrior’s heads.

  Anna and Alkao stopped at the entrance, Anna took the opportunity to check her interface’s clock. She looked to the open area once again.

  Five hundred Demon and Beast Kin warriors appeared, their leaders standing in front of each square formation.

  Anna’s hand went to her blade at the suddenness of it all and the eerie quiet of the five hundred men and women in front of her.

  A big bear-human walked out of formation and came to stand in front of Alkao and Anna. “Captain Kala. Prince Alkao, I present the First Regiment. The other regiments are being moved to the different fortresses with their commanders. The rest are being placed down within the city. We await your orders,” Kala said.

  Anna and Alkao looked out over the forces in front of them. They wore a variety of weapons and clothes, looking like a rabble. However, the way they were formed up, the look in their eyes—it spoke of hardened fighters who had been formed into a singular disciplined fighting force.

  “Captain Kala, have two companies remain here to take over duties of the keep. As for the rest, we have a number of fields that need labor.” Alkao’s eyes flickered to the battalion behind her.

  “As you command.” Kala nodded her head slightly before she turned and headed back to her battalion to issue her orders.

  A slow, hungry smile passed over Alkao’s face, seeing that not one of the Demons looked annoyed or voiced their anger at being used to help on the farms.

  “Something funny?” Anna asked.

  “No. I’m proud—proud that my people were able to come this far. If they can handle being treated like simple farmhands, then they’ll have the discipline in battle to fight together. I thought that two months might not be enough time to get the crater ready. Now, I don’t feel so nervous. I feel excited. In two months, we’ll show the Dark Lord and his minions the true power of the Demons and Beast Kin.” Alkao looked at her with a proud expression.

  Anna turned to watch as four hundred Demons and Beast Kin turned and marched out of the keep, headed into Devil’s Crater. The remaining companies came together for a quick briefing before heading about their newly assigned duties.

  Kala walked back over to Anna and Alkao. “I was thinking at the rate Bob was going, it would be two years before he told you he had us out of the ice.” Kala clapped forearms with Anna before they brought each other into a deep hug. They hugged for a moment before pulling away.

&
nbsp; “It was only a few days, you big complainer.” Anna laughed.

  “He didn’t tell you?” Kala scratched her head awkwardly.

  “What?” Anna asked.

  “Uh, well, we’ve been awake for a few months longer than the Demons.”

  Anna closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Daaa-ad, you damn forgetful Gnome!” Anna yelled at the sky.

  “So you must be Alkao.” Kala ignored her outburst and clapped wrists with the Demon prince, one of the few people who was taller than her.

  “Captain Kala, I have heard good things from my brothers and so far, I have been impressed with how you have turned my Demon Hordes into a true fighting force. I think it is about time we talked about getting them proper weapons and armor,” Alkao said.

  “I like him—can we keep him?” Kala looked at Anna, who was muttering to herself.

  “Kala, he kind of rules this whole place.” Anna waved at Devil’s Crater.

  “Seventy percent,” Kala countered. As per their alliance, Alkao was part of the ruling council, which was made up of the seven Demon princes/princesses and three representatives of the the Beast Kin, Anna, Kala and Edwin. Alkao, Malkur, Kino, Lena, Ishox, Efri, and Goula made up the Demon side. Lena was Vrexu’s new wife. Both Vrexu and Lezar had become generals, each leading fifty thousand soldiers. Malkur, Efri, and Alkao were also generals. Kala had denied the rank of general, but Anna had been named as the sixth general.

  “Congratulations are in order!” Alkao said.

  “Oh?” Kala asked.

  “On your new promotion,” Alkao said.

  “Well, I’ve been a captain for a while now,” Kala said dryly.

  “But now you’re a major general, General Anna's second in command.”

  Ignoring Kala's glare, Anna said,“Look, you’re the best qualified for it. I don’t know why you didn’t take the damned position already. So shut up and take the second spot,” Anna said.

  “Well, you get to go off and deal with other matters! It’ll be like I’m in charge of it eighty percent of the time!”

  “Well, it’s a good thing that I have such a competent second-in-command,” Anna said, making it clear that there was no way Kala could get out of this.

  Kala snorted, still not happy but going with it. “Fine.”

  “Good. Then you can take over talks with Alkao about kit and weapons. I have somewhere I need to be,” Anna said.

  “Just saw each other for the first time in centuries and you’re off again?”

  “Lots to do, not much time to do it in!” Anna smiled and hugged her friend. “I’ll be back soon enough, then we can start seeing what this lot are capable of.” Anna nodded toward the demons and Beast Kin.

  “I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised,” Kala said with a confident smile.

  ***

  “Hmm, feels like someone is cursing me.” A shiver went down Bob’s spine.

  “What would make you think that?” the Lord of Water asked as they sat in the Mer capital, playing three-dimensional chess.

  “No reason.” Bob made a quick move to get past the comment. “So, how are your people liking the mage’s guild and Emerilia in general?”

  “I was not sure if Fire would accept my alliance. I also thought that she would have used the power to improve herself. I did not think that she would feed it right into the Mana pools of the college and mage’s guild. The more my people and I interact with her, the more I realize how blind I was. I knew that we were conditioned from birth to become the lords and ladies of the Affinities, yet each of us comes to the task in a different way. Dark and Light crave power above all else. Earth demands respect from all. Air wishes to create mischief, while I just wish to see my children thrive as Fire does with her dragons and those who attend her schools. My anger and drive for more power made me hide under the seas and create the merpeople. Over time, they changed me more than I changed them. I didn’t wish for more power; I wished to help them grow.” The Lord of Water moved his piece. “Checkmate.” He smiled.

  “What have you been doing down here, playing chess the entire time?” Bob complained, using the Gnome form he’d started using nearly two years ago.

  “Among other things.” The Lord of Water smiled. It was hard for him to find a good opponent. Fire was his best by far, but Bob was also rather good at the game.

  “So, what do you think of Fire’s offer?” Bob pushed his king over and admitted defeat.

  Water looked thoughtful as tendrils of water moved the pieces back into place. “Become a teacher within the mage’s college? I must say I am interested and after a brief look at what information they have, I must say that I am interested to read more of their books.”

  “If you are to join the college, then you will have to accept the contract. It will bind your power to the mage’s guild as well as the merpeople. You will no longer be able to access your divine pool that holds the mana devotions made by your followers. With only your personal power, your power will be greatly limited. The knowledge the mage’s guild has will assist you, but you will need to work on your levels and stats to increase your strength,” Bob warned.

  “It is only recently that I have come to realize how much of a father you are.” The Lord of Water smiled, making the first move.

  “Yeah, with some of the biggest and most powerful brats in the universe.” Bob sighed and moved his pieces out.

  “I still haven’t decided yet. I would like to, but I fear for the safety of my people and my person. Fire takes a great risk with walking across Emerilia. If one of the other affinities’ paladins found out where she was, they could kill her. It would be hard, but it would also be possible,” the Lord of Water said.

  “Well, at least you recognize that you can die,” Bob said. “Few in the Pantheon believe such a thing is possible after living for so long.”

  “They have never left the Pantheon or their various hidden strongholds. They don’t know the affect their games have on Emerilia. To them, it is a game, though recently I have felt new forces at play on Emerilia.” Water moved his pieces, watching Bob closely.

  “Things are changing in a way that even I can’t predict,” Bob said, following up Water’s move.

  Water moved his pieces in silence. Bob had given him much to think on.

  Chapter 2: End In Sight

  “You damn cart!” Dave yelled. The wrench in his hands doubled in size, looking nearly as large as Steve's axe, and used it to hit the cart. It jumped slightly as Dave shook his head, seeming to give up its fight and shuddering slightly before moving backwards."

  “Hah! Take that!” Dave let the wrench go. It turned to smoke, revealing two rods that flew back to either side of Dave’s belt.

  He tiredly rubbed his head. It had taken them two months to clear out the first phase/stage of the facilities and three for the second, leaving them with just the final one to be completed. Based on the difficulty of getting the previous facilities working, Dave knew it was going to be a challenge.

  Deia walked through the refinery’s catwalks, finding Dave sitting at a nearby empty workstation.

  “Hey, babe.” Dave looked to her with a weary smile.

  “What did the poor cart do to you?” She smiled, making Dave feel a little less tired as she gave him a side-hug.

  “Got stuck.” Dave shrugged.

  The other crafters who had been sent to learn from the impressive Dave snorted and shook their heads, working on the varied maintenance issues that plagued their latest forge facility.

  “So you hit it with a wrench?” she asked, exasperated at her fiancé’s antics.

  “No, I hit it with a bigger wrench.” Dave smiled, clearly pleased with himself. “First lesson of engineering" Adding quietly to himself, "although that's more mechanical than rocket…”

  “So other than beating the forge’s carts into motion with a massive wrench,” Deia gave him a pointed look, the corners of her mouth twitching, “how are we looking on repairs?”

&
nbsp; “Well, the main smelting furnaces are back online, thanks to my runers.”

  “Runers? Do you mean runners?” Deia said, giving him a confused look.

  “No, Runers, I’m still working on the whole naming thing alright!” Dave sighed.

  He might have come up with a new way of making Magical Circuits by writing it out like lines of code instead of magical formations—it made the whole process more refined, increasing the effectiveness of the magical coding and also reducing the necessary size that a Magical Circuit took up—but there had been a number of real-life coders who had taken the idea and gone nuts with it. Dave had dangled his book of magical runes and now there were a number of them who tried to follow Dave everywhere to talk magic coding.

  “I think I’ll keep to magical coding for now,” Dave said.

  “So, progress?” Deia asked.

  “Those damn metal munching rodents messed this place up pretty bad. We fixed the metal plating that opens into the magma chamber, regulating the forge’s heat. Fixed and filled the coolant tanks, which were either cold as hell or boiling hot. I actually gained Vitality points just for doing it!” Dave shook his head. Josh now only sent Deia and her party to where the worst damage or creatures were. Mostly, it was damage. With Dave’s abilities, he could quickly diagnose and fix what would take several other people days or even weeks to do.

  “The multiple different components on the factory side of the forge is messed up. We’ve put the repair bots on it and we’re shipping most of our materials out to the other forges. I hear that we’re having trouble with raw ore supplies?” Dave looked to Deia.

  “Yeah, Shard and Josh have asked us to go and take a look at one of the mines. The crafters are having a rough time of it. There is a large concentration of those ore extracting machines in the mines’ area. They’ve been extruding materials for decades but there hasn’t been anything to cut it back. The mine looks like it’s half caved in,” Deia said.