Virion Eralith POV
"Is this the monthly casualty report?" I asked as I looked over the paper in my hands.
"Yes, our defenses are stretched thin. The Alacryans gain more ground every day." Buhnd said, clenching his fists in frustration.
I sighed as I looked over the paper. More than five hundred were killed and seven hundred wounded. The Lances were putting up a good fight, slowing the Alacryan advance. They were even able to achieve a few victories.
However, those damn Retainers are proving to be a bigger problem than we anticipated. The worst part is we haven't even encountered a Scythe yet. I don't even want to know how strong a Scythe is.
"Maybe we should send in the rest of the Lances," Pricilla suggested.
"If we do that, we will have no Lances in Sapin or Elenoir," Alduin said.
"Sapin and Elenoir aren't under attack. Darv is." Buhnd argued, with his eyes narrowing on Alduin.
"We can't leave Sapin and Elenoir defenseless. We already have four Lances in Darv. If we send in the last two, the Retainers can and will wreak havoc in Sapin and Elenoir." Merial said, giving Buhnd a sympathetic look.
"What about Elion? Send him to assist." Buhnd said.
"Elion is in charge of the wall's defense and the Beast Glades. I cannot send him to Darv. If anything, we can send more troops from both kingdoms." I sighed.
"Damn it! We have four lances in Darv, and they haven't been able to kill one single Retainer! What exactly have they been doing?!" Blaine yelled.
"These retainers are far stronger than we anticipated. The Lances are giving it their all. But, if you think you can do a better job, then why don't you join them." Alduin said as Blaine glared daggers at him.
"Enough! We can't afford to argue amongst ourselves." I said sternly.
Blaine sighed in frustration, "I just don't understand why the Lances are having such a difficult time with the Retainers. What makes them so powerful?"
"Their Vritra blood, the blood of an Asura." Our heads snapped to Lord Aldir as he entered the room. We all stood up, and he stopped in front of us.
"Lord Aldir, it's a pleasure to see you again," I said with a slight bow.
"Where have you been?" Blaine asked rudely.
My eyes snapped to Blaine, glaring at him for his rudeness.
"In Epheotus. We were discussing the recent events of the war. I also checked in on Lady Sylvie. Please, sit." Lord Aldir said, and we all took our seats.
"How is she? When will she come back?" Merial asked curiously.
"She is doing fine. Her training is coming along quite nicely. Lady Myre and Lord Kezess have been training her together. Her power has grown exponentially. As for when she comes back, it is unknown." Lord Aldir said.
"Well, the sooner she comes back, the better. We could really use a dragon on our side." Blaine said.
Lord Aldir looked at Blaine, "Lady Sylvie cannot fight in this war without Arthur Leywin with her."
"What? Why not?" Blaine asked rudely.
"Blaine," I snapped, tired of his attitude.
Lord Aldir motioned with his hand, waving away my concern before looking back at Blaine, "Because it will break the treaty."
"What treaty?" Bund asked.
"The treaty between the Asura. We made it to protect all of you. The treaty states that no Asura shall participate in the war. However, because Lady Sylvie was bonded to Arthur before the war began, she is an exception. As long as she fights alongside him, that is." Lord Aldir said.
"What? But the Retainers and Scythes have Vritra blood! They already broke the treaty!" Blaine retorted.
"No. Although they have the blood of the Vritra in their veins, they're not Asura. They're also an exception to the treaty." Lord Aldir explained.
"So the Scythes, they're free to join the war then?" Alduin asked shakily.
"Correct." Lord Aldir nodded.
The room fell silent as we processed this information. I thought about these Scythes and how they're supposed to be incredibly powerful. If Alacrya did send them, how could we even hope to defeat them if we can't even kill a retainer?
"Virion. Virion!" I looked up to see everyone looking at me. "Virion the scroll," Buhnd said as he pointed next to me.
I followed his gaze and saw the communication scroll next to me glowing. I hurriedly picked up the scroll and opened it. I watched as an image of Helen appeared.
"Captain Shard. Do you have a report for me?" I asked.
"Yes, Commander, and I'm afraid it's not good," Helen said as she looked down, and I could feel my stomach drop.
'What happened? Is Tessia ok? Did she lose a large number of soldiers?'
I took a breath, as I needed to stay calm.
"Tell me what happened," I said as calmly as I could muster.
"Commander, we were able to find the dungeon boss and defeated it with minimal casualties. However, once the boss was defeated, a Retainer appeared." Helen said.
I could see Alduin and Merial's faces pale. My grip on the scroll tightened in nervousness, and I did my best to keep my composure.
"Continue," I said, pushing down the lump in my throat.
"We engaged the Retainer, but we couldn't defeat it. They wielded some type of decay magic that blocked our attacks. With Caera's insight, we were able to counter her attacks successfully. However, we still lost fifteen soldiers. We were able to escape thanks to Tessia Eralith. She unleashed her beast will and caught the Retainer unawares, giving us the opportunity to escape. We are now on our way to the wall for resupply." Helen reported.
Pride swelled within me, hearing how Tessia protected her group.
"Very good. Get to the wall, resupply, and regroup. Provide General Elion with the casualty list." I ordered.
Helen nodded. She stared at me for a second before she gave a soft smile. "Tessia is fine. She's currently with her friends." Helen said as she could probably see I was worried about her. I could also see Merial and Alduin sigh in relief.
I gave a soft smile and a nod. "Thank you, Helen," I said. Helen gave one last nod as the communication ended.
We all sat there silently for a few seconds before I heard Buhnd speak.
"Well fuck. Now what?" Buhnd sighed as he sat back in his chair.
"You heard them; they're fine. They will get more supplies and head back out there." Blaine shrugged.
"That's not what he meant," Alduin said as he looked worried.
"What?" Blaine said, confused.
"Did you seriously not hear anything she just said? A Retainer attacked them." Pricilla said irritatedly.
"So? We've had multiple reports of Retainers," Blaine said with a raised brow.
"Not in the Beast Glades," I said, rubbing my temples.
Blaine had a look of realization as I said this. He sat back in his chair, looked down, and paled.
"Do we send a Lance to Beast Glades?" Pricilla asked.
"We can't. We have four Lances in Darv who are fighting Retainers. The others two are holding the defenses in Sapin and Elenoir. At most, we can send one Lance from Darv when they find the boss, maybe. But, we can't have a Lance assigned there." Alduin said.
"Then that's what we'll do. We will send a Lance to assist in the Beast Glades when needed if we can spare one. We must assume the Retainers will appear more in the Beast Glades now." I said.
Everyone nodded in agreement. I looked down at the papers in my hand and sighed. I knew there was one way to assign a Lance to the Beast Glades. But it wasn't an option, not yet, at least. I closed my eyes as I took a breath.
'Please, Arthur, come back soon.'
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Tessia Eralith POV
After a few hours of traveling, we made it to the wall. As we entered the wall, we were approached by several emitters and soldiers, who were making sure we were ok. The supply carriage I was riding on came to a stop, and I jumped off.
"Tessia, over here." I looked at the voice and saw Jasmine calling me over.
I walked over to Jasmine and saw she was speaking with Claire, Theo, Lilia, and Caera. Jasmine began to talk as I joined the group.
"Alright, everyone, we will be here for the next two days. Go ahead and assist with supplies, then rest up. We will meet at the inn later and discuss further plans. Sound good?" Jasmine asked.
"Sounds good." We all said.
"Good, I'm going to speak with Helen. I will see you later." Jasmine said as she began to walk off.
As she walked off, I watched as Aaron came up behind her and pinched her side, scaring her. Jasmine jumped with a yelp and playfully punched Aaron in the side. Aaron just laughed as he pulled her into a side hug and kissed her on the lips. I smiled as I watched them, feeling a little sad.
'I wish Arthur was here.'
I felt someone gently grab my shoulder, and I looked to my right. Claire gave me a sympathetic smile as she motioned with her head.
"Come on, let's get this done. Then we can relax." Claire said.
"Alright," I nodded as we all walked over to the carriage.
We began to unload the used supplies from the supply carriage as soldiers assigned to the wall brought us new supplies. Claire and I stood on one of the carriages as Theo, Caera, and Lilia were on the ground. They would hand us the supplies as we set them inside the carriage.
Once we were finished loading the supplies, we made sure we locked up the carriage. Other members of the trailblazers were finishing up their tasks as well.
"Alright, we still have some time before the day is over. What do we want to do?" Claire asked with a smile.
"How about we get some food? I'm starving." Caera suggested happily.
Lilia and Claire gave Caera an annoyed look before looking away, seeming to ignore her, causing an awkward silence. Caera's smile faded as she signed and looked down, awkwardly grabbing her left arm with her right hand.
I looked at her sympathetically, as It hadn't been easy for Caera ever since she joined our squad. I looked at my squad mates seeing Claire and Lilia not giving her the time of day. Theo, like me, looked at Caera sympathetically. I took a breath, knowing what to do.
"Ya, I'm hungry too; what did you have in mind?" I asked with a smile.
Caera looked at me, surprised, with her eyes growing slightly watery. Claire and Lilia's heads snapped toward me, and they gave me confused looks. Theo nodded and smiled as if he supported what I was doing.
"Oh, um, I don't know. What's good around here?" Caera asked with a small smile.
"There's a delicious restaurant with some good stew. We can go there." Theo suggested.
Claire shot Theo a narrowed-eye look, but Theo just glared at her. Claire flinched a little and nodded, relenting at Theo's gaze. "Ya, the stew. It's good." Claire said flatly as she looked down.
"Come on; we can go there," I chirped.
Caera gave a gleeful smile as she nodded. We all began to walk off toward the restaurant. I noticed Claire and Theo walking behind us as Theo was talking to Claire, who was looking down like she was being scolded. I could only assume Theo was telling her to give Caera a chance. Lilia walked in between us with her arms crossed, and I noticed she wouldn't look at Caera. I sighed, knowing it would take some work, but I'm sure we would all get along.
"Thank you for that," Caera said sincerely, looking at me with a small smile.
I gave her a warm smile and patted her on the shoulder, "Of course. We're friends, after all."
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Arthur Leywin POV
"I hope you slept well, prince Arthur." The Djinn said in a male voice as Mom, and I entered the palestra.
"I did, and I'm looking forward to the training," I said excitedly.
"Before you start, we have something for you." The Djinn said in a male voice.
"What is it?" I asked curiously.
"A weapon to aid you in the war." The Djinn said as he waved his left hand.
I watched as an amethyst portal formed in the center of the palestra on the ground. Aether chains shot out from the portal and attached to the ceiling. The slack was cut out of the chains as they pulled an amethyst cylinder from the portal.
I watched intently with interest as the portal closed once the cylinder was clear of the portal. The chains and cylinder dissipated, leaving an obsidian sword. The sword had a cross-guard, with aether flowing in the blade, and the cross-guard. I could feel immense power flowing from the sword. I looked the word up and down, admiring how cool it looked.
'Ooooooooooo, shiny!!' I heard Regis say mentally.
"Prince Arthur, this blade is known as despair. It brought fear to our enemies on the battlefield. It is imbued with aether and will amplify your mana-based spells. Take the sword, for it is yours." The Djinn said in a male voice, gesturing to despair.
I nodded at him as I approached the blade. I grasped the handle with my right hand and felt the power flow through my body like an electric current. I felt a burning sensation on my left wrist and looked down, seeing the tattoo of a sword appear on the bottom of my left wrist.
"The sword is now bound to you. Should you lose it in battle, it will reappear in your dimensional rune. Now, store the sword." The Djinn ordered in a male voice.
I did as instructed and stored the sword in my dimensional rune.
"Now, for your next gift. Armor to protect you." The Djinn said as he waved his left hand.
Aether formed below me as it flowed over my body, leaving my head exposed. The aether solidified, creating a black and gold scaled armor.
"So cool!" I expressed, noticing the armor looked similar to the one Mom wore.
"This armor will allow you to absorb ambient aether faster. You can summon and disperse this armor at will as it is bound found to you. Concentrate on the armor, and will it away." The Djinn said.
I did as instructed and focused on the armor coming off. I watched with excited eyes as the armor disappeared. I willed the armor to return, watching it reappear on my body.
"This is so Awesome!" I said as I willed the armor away again.
I could hear Mom snicker, "Arthur, you need to focus."
"Oh, sorry," I said, looking back at the djinn, focusing on the training.
"Now, we will begin." The Djinn said in a male voice.
The Djinn walked to the center of the palestra and signaled me to sit down. I did as instructed, sitting cross-legged, and the Djinn sat across from me.
The Djinn waved his arm, creating the aether circles and dome around us. I was suddenly blinded by the bright amethyst light and blinked to let my eyes adjust.
I looked around and noticed I was in the center of a colosseum. I was standing on a large cement stage surrounded by sand along the perimeter. Regis jumped out of my body and landed in the stands.
"Just going to enjoy the show?" I asked with a smirk.
"I have a feeling this is going to be good," Regis said, taking a seat.
"It will be." I heard a male voice say. I turned to face the voice and saw my opponent standing before me.
He was a tall young man with pale, short blonde hair. He had a large muscular build, probably from years of training, and wore a full suit of beautiful black and gold armor. He waved his hand as an aether sword formed in his right hand.
"Prince Arthur, I will be your next opponent. Get your sword and armor ready, and prepare yourself." The Djinn ordered.
"Wow, not going to tell me your name or anything?" I said jokingly.
The Djinn just stared at me with an expressionless look.
I nodded, "Ah-em. Ok then."
I summoned my scale armor and took out despair. I was about to get into a fighting stance when the Djinn suddenly dashed forward.
I went wide-eyed as he brought his sword to his right. He swung his sword at me in a horizontal slash. I quickly brought my sword up and parried his attack.
However, almost like it was all one movement, the Djinn spun on his heel. He moved to my right, and he swung his sword in a horizontal slash as he turned. I moved my sword to parry his attack, but he was too quick as his sword severed my neck.
"Ahhh!!" I yelled as I appeared under the aether dome.
"Again!" The Djinn yelled as the amethyst light appeared.
I was suddenly back in the colosseum, and Regis jumped out of my body and back into the stands.
"Hahaha, I knew this would be entertaining!" Regis exclaimed as I shot him a narrowed-eyed glare.
"Get ready!" I heard the Djinn yell as I turned to face him.
I could feel myself shake a little, as I conjured my armor and despair. Yet again, the Djinn didn't hesitate to dash forward. This time I was ready.
I dashed forward to meet him as I thrust despair forward. The Djinn used my momentum against me as he parried my sword to the side and spun behind me. I stumbled forward and didn't even get the chance to turn, as I felt a sharp pain in my back and watched the aether blade stab through my chest.
"Fuck!" I yelled as I reappeared under the dome.
"Again!" The Djinn yelled as the amethyst light enveloped us.
Regis went back into the stands, "I'm loving this!"
"Fuck off!" I snarled.
The Djinn stood before me, conjuring an aether blade, "Get ready!"
This time, I got into a defensive stance as I summoned my armor and despair.
"You can give me a second to get ready!" I hissed.
"The enemy won't give you a break. So neither will I!" The Djinn yelled as he dashed forward.
The Djinn brought his sword above his head, and he swung it down at me in a vertical slash. I brought despair up and parried his attack. The aether blade collided with despair, creating a buzzing sound that reverberated around the room. The Djinn pushed his sword against me as I pushed back in a test of strength.
I smiled as I knew I was stronger with my dragon body, while the Djinn had an expressionless face. I pushed forward with all my might when suddenly, the Djinn stopped his attack and spun to the side.
I yelped as I lost my balance, stumbling forward. I turned around just in time to watch the Djinn stab the aether blade in my chest.
I opened my eyes under the aether dome, breathing heavily. I could hear Regis laugh, which just fueled my irritation.
"Again!" The Djinn yelled as the light blinded me again.
I blinked as I reappeared in the colosseum. Regis jumped back into his spot as I faced my asshole of an opponent.
"Get ready!" He yelled.
"No!" I yelled, causing him to raise a brow. "Not until you tell me what the fuck is going on!"
"I'm training you." He retorted.
"By killing me over and over!" I growled through gritted teeth.
"The best way to learn is through combat." He said.
"Well then let me get ready so I can fight properly!" I said with irritation clear in my voice.
"The enemy will give you no such chance. You must be ready to fight at all times. The enemy is skilled; you are not. Your sword skills are pathetic and atrocious." He said in a disgusted tone.
"I resent that. My gramps trained me. He is one of the best swordsmen I know." I snarled.
The Djinn scoffed, "Well, now you know me. I am your new teacher, and I am the better swordsman."
The Djinn got into another fighting stance as he spoke again.
"I am Grey."