“That’s good to know I guess. So, I don’t really like the sound of this mission. Sounds like a suicide run. I don’t think I wanna do it!”
“Well listen here, sailor.” Morra locked eyes with him. “I have volunteered myself for this mission as well. I have my reasons for putting you up to it. The rewards will be vast, and you will play a pivotal part in the history of our nation should we succeed. But you can’t be any geek off the street. You need to be handy with the steel, if you know what I mean. Earn your keep!”
“But—” Naurus tried to object.
“As if you have a choice.” Lucht stated in no uncertain terms. “If you want to be absolved of the curse you have acquired, then this is the only option. It will kill you eventually, and very few can help you directly with such a hex. For now, we must steel ourselves for a likely incursion by our former friends and partners. Those traitorous bastards want a fight, so they will get one. Morra, you are dismissed. I still have more to discuss with this young man though.”
Morra bowed in a gracious curtsy and made her way back through the doorway whence she came, winking at Naurus as she turned around.
“As for you,” Lucht put his large hand on his guests' shoulder. “I think you’ve been confused long enough. It’s time for you to meet the Immortal King himself. We will need to teleport to an area more suited for this. This time, take a big breath and hold it in.”
Naurus did as he was told, and just a moment passed before he felt the familiar spin and all the air was forced out of his lungs in a harsh, long cough. He was standing though, and it didn’t take him long to get his bearings. He was in some sort of a massive room. Ionic marble columns lined the chamber, splitting it down the middle for its hundred-yard length. Down the middle of the rectangular room chandeliers holding dozens of candles each burned far brighter than candles possibly could. Naurus felt the hair on his arms and neck stand up, his palm started throbbing. There was powerful magic in this room, a room that he soon noticed had no doors, no entryway, nothing to speak of besides the smooth basalt walls sharply contrasting with the marble floor. He also noticed at the far end of the mostly empty room was a pile of something shiny. Looked like a pile of some sort of metals or ores, but he wasn’t sure.
“Do you know where you are?” Lucht asked softly.
“No idea, but it feels...electric in here. My skin is crawling too.” Naurus glanced around anxiously, suddenly feeling a bit short of breath.
“You're in the royal vault. Many magickal wards and hexes are the eternal guardians of this vault. In fact, if you were here without me you would instantly be smashed, burned, mutilated, eviscerated, and dissected. No need to worry about that though, as only I can teleport into here. Back in the days of the empire, this vault was full to the brim with valuable artifacts, ores, gems, and coin. Come, walk with me.”
They made their way to the far end of the room, and it became clear the pile that was there was composed of gold and silver bullion mixed with some coins, gems, and even some ingots and ores. The pile was huge, easily the size of a two-story house. Naurus was awestruck by seeing so much in one place and could barely imagine the entire vault being that full.
“So, this is it? You brought me here to show me this?” He looked at Lucht with some confusion.
“More than this, actually. Now I want you to turn around. After a few seconds, you’ll know when you can turn back around.” Lucht said cryptically.
Naurus obeyed, even though he felt like questioning it immediately. Soon though, he felt everything. A heavy gust of air washed over him from behind and nearly knocked him prone. A strange hot and cold draft welled up around him as a few coins and gems shot past him onto the floor. He took that as his cue, and spun around to see something he only ever saw depicted in drawings and paintings. On top of the pile of precious metals sat a massive dragon, shimmering with iridescence across its triangular scales. The long neck ended in a broad snout with prominent whiskers jutting out from the chin and jowls. Electricity crackled with no rhyme or reason between these whiskers. The massive dragon flapped its wings for a brief moment and shifted the mountain of valuables that he had dug his four thick, clawed legs into. The tail was wrapped around him much like that of a cat, but thickly armored with iridescent scales. Every movement was dazzling with golds, greens, blues, reds, purples, and all hues in-between shimmering off the light. Naurus froze in place, simultaneously experiencing awe and raw fear all at the same time.
The dragon took a deep breath, exhaling steam whilst sparks arced off his whiskers. The large golden orbs that were its eyes pierced with a fearful gaze.
“A-are you.....w-what is....how...” Naurus stumbled for words, his voice quavering. “You’re...a dragon?”
“Yesssss.” Came a drawling hiss in reply.
“A-and...uh....you’re the Immortal King?”
“I aammmm!” The hiss was almost a roar, sparks crackled and steam billowed forth.
“How the...? Why do you hide this? Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Does anyone else know?
The Immortal King shifted on his house size pile of coin, stretching his neck out towards his petrified charge.
“Toooo mannnyyyyyy questionnnsssss. I musttttt returnnnn....” Was the last drawling hiss that was replied.
Another sudden gust of wind pelted Naurus with more coins and bits and baubles as he covered up his face. When it stopped, he looked to see little more than a wisp of smoke where the dragon once was and Lucht stepping down towards him.
“What the hell was that?!” Naurus asked in exasperation as he rubbed his eyes, thinking he might be hallucinating.
“Your eyes don’t deceive you, young man.” Lucht smiled a perfect smile. “I am a dragon in my natural form. And here is a token to remember that by.”
He outstretched his massive, pale hand and in it was an iridescent, triangular scale. Naurus took it and it easily filled up the palm of his hand and had to have weighed several pounds. It felt impossibly dense.
“Wow...” Naurus was still in shock. “So, if you don’t mind me asking, what is your real name? Your highness...?”
Lucht chuckled. “Don’t try to butter me up with that royal title bullshit. I’m way too old for that. You see my real name is in draconian, and thereby is impossible to pronounce with humanoid physiology. In this form I don’t even have the lung capacity for a single syllable. In much the same vein, speaking the common tongue for dragons is quite laborious and awkward without the use of telepathy or illusions like ventriloquism. I could go back to my dragon form and say it, but it will be utter gibberish to you and sound more like a roar than a word.”
“Well okay then. So why did you show me that?”
“I have shown very few people that side of myself. It’s not just you, but I deigned to keep it a secret for a very long time. I’m considered immortal merely because the average lifespan of my kind is around a millennium. Currently, I’m around sixteen hundred and fifty years old. Not even your father or Morra know about this side of me.”
“What about Recht?” Naurus piped up.
Lucht smiled. “Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.”
“You summoned me?” Came a chilling voice from behind him.
Naurus spun around and Recht was there. He turned his head back around and Lucht was still there. No matter how he turned or how fast he tried, he could never seem to get either of them out from directly in front or behind him.
“I am the right hand.” Came from behind him, he turned around to see Recht.
“I am the left hand.” Came from his blind slide, and there stood Lucht. He fixed his unerring gaze on Naurus, clasping his hands behind his back and slowly walking to and fro with heavy steps.
“We are one in the same, you see. My natural form is beastly, some would even say hideous. This is my nice side, my public face, the benevolent ruler of my subjects who must bear the weight of the crown. Recht is the cold hand sliding down your warm shirt. He is the monster under your be
d. He is what goes bump in the night. My natural form is ungainly for such tasks. Fearsome indeed, but I’d rather not set off a panic over my subjects you see.”
“I see.” Naurus said softly. “So why are you showing me this?”
“That's quite simple. It’s because you deserve it. Your life has been mostly lived as a lie due to forces outside of your control, but that ends now. As of now, you are under my charge and Morra is your handler and field commander. After the general mobilization, after we repel the incursion we are expecting, this will all make more sense.”
“When is it being called for?”
“Very soon.” Lucht said calmly. “As for now, you are dismissed. Let me key your amulet to take you back home.”
With that, Lucht cradled the amulet and with nothing but the tip of his finger made an indent that was exactly the same size as the other one that was on the opposite side. Lucht simply let go and nodded at him when he was done.
“Remember, take a deep breath.” He smiled.
Naurus did just that, and before he knew it the uncomfortable spinning and twisting sensations had ended and he was back in his room, startling his cat awake with a rather hoarse cough. As he caught his breath, he realized it was still the middle of the day. Just then his room door burst open and his father walked in brandishing the same derringer that he picked up off the thug in Kaladore.
“For the love of the gods, I thought someone had broken in up here.” His father was a bit exasperated.
“No, I uh...had an appointment.”
“Really?” His father cocked an eyebrow. “Pray tell, who with?”
“The King.”
“Come downstairs, tell me more.”
New Beginnings
It was a pleasant heart to heart that was cut short by a sound only Naurus knew was coming. A deep, roaring echo tore through the air as a great many horns were sounded off in a line starting from the keep at Arx Fatalis all the way on down the coast. This, simultaneously with the repeated ringing of the muster bells, wasn’t an ordinary occurrence. This wasn’t a call for a practice mobilization as everyone was used to doing annually, this was the real deal this time. His father’s eyes went wide as he locked eyes with his wife. Naurus pretended to be surprised but ended up not needing to bother with that endeavor. It wasn’t long before his parents emerged back down the stairs in their old uniforms from the days of the Astranian Empire.
His father’s uniform was noticeably different, being a forest green duffel coat with toggle closures and matching linen pants. His toothpick was tucked away faithfully into the well-worn leather belt. It was obvious his mother was in the medical corps during her tenure many years back. The golden caduceus sewn in the lapels of her white smock were a dead giveaway, as if the faint blood stains still visible therein weren’t proof enough of lives that may or may not have been saved in a time long since passed. They made their way out to the parade grounds and were packed shoulder to shoulder with throngs of other citizens, young and old, both active service and retired.
Active mobilization was a mandatory muster for all able-bodied citizens. If one was not infirm or lame in some way, then they were deemed useful for some function in the defense of the homeland. As they made it down to the parade grounds, throngs of people were already there, and the mixture of current uniforms interspersed with old empire uniforms was quite a sight to see. Naurus and his family were packed shoulder to shoulder with countless other citizen soldiers. As far as he could see on the gentle uphill slope of the coastline were more people than he had ever seen in his life in one concentration for one singular purpose. Some movement from the dais caught his eye, and there Morra was scanning over the people who were utterly surrounding the dais and backed up all the way into the streets that connected to the parade grounds. She took out a horn and blew it long and loud, hushing the fervent crowds that were abuzz with rumors and tense whispers.
“ATTENTION!” She shouted out.
Thousands upon thousands of boot heels simultaneously snapped down in a deafening roar that echoed up and down the coast.
“Attention all citizens, this is not a drill!” She started out. “There is an attack imminent on our homeland and everyone here will need do their duty to the kingdom to protect not only your homes, but your neighbors as well.”
Waves of murmurs could be heard bouncing around the crowd as those too far away or hard of hearing were relayed the words by those closer to the source.
“Operation King Breaker is in effect. Martial law has been delcared. A mass of enemy ships is reportedly in route and it is here on these shores we will break them. Report to your nearest armory for gear and instructions. Neat and orderly now! You are dismissed!” She finished, but not without looking directly at Naurus and winking as she walked off the dais.
Operation King Breaker was a code name for a defense in depth of the coastline from an incursion. Everyone knew the basics thereof, but first all had to be armed and assigned stations by officers at the armory. The armories were massive warehouses chock full of weapons, armor, ammunition, explosives, and other military equipment therein. The idea of this particular plan of defense was not to meet the enemy in open sea and risk losing valuable ships and sailors. Instead, all ships were moored towards the edge of the bay and the idea was to lure the enemy into the city to pocket them into kettles via barriers and chokepoints to destroy them using the elevation and cover that defenders were offered by the urban environment. The coastal batteries were fully manned and would deal with any ships that were simply going to try to bombard the city from afar.
At the armory, officers scanned over each and every citizen, quickly assigning them based on how able bodied they appeared and took previous enlistment experience into account. Children, pregnant women, the infirm and elderly were all ushered into so called ‘red zones’, which were essentially fortified multistory buildings that were widely used as community centers and sports pavilions during peacetime. The aforementioned vulnerable were herded into the center of these buildings, with teenagers and older children given a hodgepodge of slingshots, spears, crossbows, and swords as a last line of defense if any of the enemy were to make it past the snipers on the roofs and the main line of defenders holding the streets outside. As it was, Naurus was assigned to ‘yellow zone’, wherein the kettles would be formed and most fighting was expected to take place. His father was assigned to be a sniper in the red zone and given a box of ammo and an old rolling block rifle, prized by snipers for its dead simple reliability, excellent radius peep sights, and massive conical lead slug that stopped most any threat with one shot. His mother was a no brainer for the medical corps and she was sent to a field hospital.
Naurus was handed a garden variety needle fire carbine and a siege jacket, which was rather hot and heavy but provided excellent protection to the bearer. It consisted of a chainmail undercoat that was stitched to a layer of leather with Aeronite alloy plates layered over that. Another layer of leather was stretched over this and studded down for extra protection. It was hot, heavy, and thankfully only worn by those who weren’t expected to do much running around. The same couldn’t be said of those responsible for the ‘green zone’. This zone was the purview of the Battalion of Coastal Rangers, a highly trained skirmishing unit that specialized in small unit hit and run tactics with arms and armor that emphasized speed above all else. Their job was to harass and goad enemy combatants to chase them deeper into the city, where barricades and chokepoints would corral the enemy into kettles where they could be surrounded and picked off from easily defensible positions.
As soon as he stepped outside the armory, he felt a warm hand clasp itself on the nape of his neck.
“And just where do you think you’re going?”
Naurus turned around, somewhat surprised that Morra was waiting for him.
“Just uh, to the yellow zone ma’am! They told me to report to Commodore Cais over at the brewery by Smokey Road and—”
“Hah! You can tell old
Cais to blow it out his ass if he comes looking for you. Remember, you’re in my charge now on order of the highest authority and I have a slightly different plan.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Deep down inside, Naurus was unsettled by Morra’s newfound cavalier streak, but decided this was not the time to argue and went along with her. She weaved deftly through the throngs of people, sidestepping all manner of swords, polearms, bayonets, and other weapons that endeavored to draw blood on them with the speed they were moving. Soon though they found their way into side streets and alleys, and it became apparent where they were heading. He found himself at the crest of a small hill on top of which was built a church, which now lay abandoned and had been since the collapse of the empire sent the believers fleeing back to their homelands. Southview Church, as it was known, was a favorite haunt of street urchins and beggars alike, who sought shelter and like company under the great stone buttresses supporting the gabled roof.
They walked inside, and he realized that all the usual denizens had been kicked out and it was converted into a strongpoint and already stocked with ammunition, weapons, food, and a good number of soldiers already milling around.
“So, what are your orders, commodore?” He was too restless to be quiet any longer.
“That’s simple. We work together or die alone.”
“Uh…ok then.”
“Are you confused?”
“Yes. I was expecting something a little more specific, ma’am.”
She looked at him and snickered. “Well first let me get settled in, then I will go over specifics.”
Morra began rifling through a barrel full of guns that was in the center aisle between the pews that were in the process of being chopped up and thrown into a fire onto which pots of food were being cooked. This barrel was full of weapons that did not look to be military issue at all, but Naurus realized it was probably pilfered from a local smithy as martial law allowed for such provisions. She grabbed a lever action shotgun from seemingly nowhere and took it out, admiring it up and down but then scowling.
Shadow Kingdom Page 20
