~ The Sea of Blades ~

  [The Year 9840 in the Age of Heroes]

  THE LUSH PLAINS, famous for their vibrant green colours in the summer months, gradually transformed.

  A sea of darkness glided over the grassy fields on the horizon. The Sea of Blades were slowly transformed into a monochromatic scenery devoid of any colour. Even the low hanging clouds suddenly appeared darker - menacing - promising violence to those helplessly placed under them. This disquieting change heralded the arrival of their foe.

  Steadily, the whole plains in front of the assembled army were filled by advancing enemies. Then, as if receiving a silent command, the unimaginably vast force began to slow and stopped. No sound had been created by the enemy’s arrival. The silent approach of the outnumbering force had visibly rattled the waiting soldiers. Witnessing an impossibility, which materialised right in front of them, had taken aback even the most courageous and seasoned warrior. Only the lucky veterans of earlier battles had known what to expect. The silent hordes had been the talk of every gathering since the first sightings a long time ago. The newly gathered soldiers however, weren’t prepared for this at all. Listening to something mentioned in stories around the campfire againstexperiencing it for the first time was a whole other matter.

  Every army created its unique sound backdrop. Magic was known to dampen or even cancel out most of the produced sounds, but it came along with a steep price in mana consumption. Only great talismans or artefacts, very rare commodities nowadays as they could only be produced by the most powerful of artificers in the once omnipotent Order of Eldris, had the required abilities imbued into them. Armies didn’t use these objects as the strain on their resources would become too great. Not that any artefacts had been seen in the last years anyway. The secrets of the order, the ability to imbue mana into objects, had been lost along with its fall.

  An army which possessed these valuable tools however, had a powerful advantage on their side. The orderly ranks faltered for a moment, mutterings got louder and rattled soldiers looked into each others faces. In contrast, the enemy faced them in silence. Unblinking black eyes observing their every move.

  ***

  Right before the enemy’s arrival, a final gathering in the command tent had commenced. The generals and commanding officers had called a meeting for one final time. Representatives of all races and elite functionaries from religious institutions and guilds had followed the call and were also in attendance. The armed forces made up the biggest part of the “One Army”. However, various church forces had rallied here as well and numerous squadrons had been augmented by a vast number of adventurers. The Adventurer Guild had put out the call to arms right at the beginning, immediately after the first sightings of the hordes had been confirmed. The offered payment and promise of loot had been very enticing then and many had flocked to different banners creating respectable armies just by themselves.

  A somber atmosphere had enveloped the stuffy tent. Grim and battle-hardened faces observed each other silently, occasionally a few snippets of meaningless conversations between officers and small groups of famous adventurers could be heard. Smaller clusters of peoples stood around a massive wooden table spanning the whole width of the main tent. A large map with many figurines and markings on top was pinned on it. Usually, the mobile war-room offered a sizeable number of chairs around the table. Today they had been taken away,making room for the unusually large amount of attendees. Messengers and aide’s entered and left the command tent in irregular intervals. Every now and then, new information was passed along to the nearby groupings of officers and generals or were directly placed as a note upon the central map for further consideration. The tension was palpable and everybody was only waiting for the final members to arrive.

  A sudden shift at the entrance and the appearance of three distinct figures drew the attention of everyone in the tent. The three individuals slowly stepped through the tent flaps and into the dim light. One of them was clearly the leader and was flanked on each side by the other two arrivals. These two offered an imposing figure. They were clad in golden armour that shimmered in the mana-lanterns light. Although their pose was non threatening in appearance, nobody in the tent assumed for a second that both of them weren’t capable of sudden and overwhelming violence in a moments notice. The attendees recognised the inconspicuous sigils and runes traced upon their armour. Armour made out of the best materials and alloys and crafted by the best artificers the world had offered once. Now, the number of existing armour such as these could be counted on one hand. The creators lost to the world.

  Usually, the appearance of Eldris Sentinels was a cause of uproar and immediate notice in any place. After their arrival, drastic change usually followed. However, this time the crowd harboured no such feeling. Instead they visibly seemed to calm down, feeling assured in their chances of victory. Some showed rekindled hope in their eyes, nodding encouragingly to each other. As a result, all of them stood straighter around the table. Surely, the representatives of the famous Eldris Order would have something up their sleeve.

  The trio arrived at their designated place, on the long side of the table in-between the generals. The crowd shuffled closer together and the assembled officers in the front leaned expectantly towards them laying their hands on the tables edges. All eyes rested on the third member of the Eldris representatives. After a short pause the individual lifted their hood and an older woman with short cropped grey hairs was revealed. White streaks of hair framed an angular and stern face. Her gaze slowly wandered around the assembled people, taking in their distressed and yet hopeful expressions. Meanwhile, the tent fell into silence.

  “Gentlemen, it gladdens me to see so many gathered here. We all know what is at stake. Scouts report that the arrival of the enemy is imminent. Nearly upon us … at last. This moment will not only be a decisive one in our lives, no… This moment and the precious next hours will decide how all our futures will unfold. Will we succumb and let the world turn into a desolate mindless place? Or will we finally emerge victorious, slaying the Devourers hordes and usher in a new Age? A new Age of peace and prosperity?”

  The Eldris representative paused for amoment, looking expectantly into the gathered crowd. A supporting murmur had started, many had nodded along at the end. However, she wasn’t satisfied.

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  “Never before have we gathered so many in one place. Never before have all races gathered together in such a spectacle of force. The “One Army”, the bards have begun calling it, so I have been told. And I agree wholeheartedly. People will speak with pride of this gathering in the future.They will speak of courageous soldiers. Of a rare breed of soldiers that came together to save the worlds.”

  The woman had begun to slowly pace around the table while addressing them.Although she spoke to them all, people felt personally spoken to. She threw herself into their midst, establishing eye contact and patting others on their shoulders. Although most were members of the many nations aristocratic circles, some had never been in such close proximity to such an important person. Everybody knew and had heard of the Eldris Order. Many had listened to the tales of their feats that were told by bards on regular occasion. And at the same time all of them had heard the unbelievable news that the Order had fallen in the first years of the conflict. Whispers of treachery had reached them all. How else could have such a powerful entity been defeated so quickly?

  Their inner turmoil was plainly visible to the Eldris woman. She had expected it. Even her, having access to more information then the assembled officer here, had received the shocking news years ago that her own order had dissolved into chaos. And yet, the truth behind those events was kept secret by the Eldris survivors. The Five had decreed it so.

  “Soldiers, know this. I see the confusion and fear in some of your eyes. And yet I see great determination in them as well. Know that the Eldris Order isn’t lost and the most powerful of us have also gathered here. Furthermore, I can tell you that Alvar Sotaris still walks among us and their arrival on the battlefield is assured. Harbour this knowledge in your hearts. The Five will bring the fight to our enemy and will lay waste to them all.”

  Her words had their intended effect. Even more so than her earlier arrival, she noticed. That the arrival of the most powerful individual that had ever walked the earth was imminent was the greatest boon she could give to the attended officers and therefore to their respective squadrons and the men at arms in general.

  The legends of Alvar Sotaris were manyfold. Every living being on all the worlds had heard of the hero foretold.Myths about their feats existed aplentyand whole nations feared their power. The figurehead of the Eldris Order had played a big part in the orders historical dominance throughout the ages. The ultimate powerhouse to deter direct conflict with the Order and to act as a neutral party in the conflicts of nations. But that had been the past.

  Nowadays, Alvar Sotaris was the spearhead against the Devourer and its mindless hordes, supported by four individuals known as the four elemental monarchs. Individuals that embodied the pinnacle of elemental magic and had almost reached transcendence in their paths. Together they were known as the Five.

  The Eldris woman had circled the whole table while finishing her speech. After she had arrived at her original place between the sentinels, she nodded towards the assembled generals in turn and took a step back. The most decorated general took it upon himself to address the crowd one final time.

  “I thank the venerable Eldris Elder of imparting such encouraging and hopeful words onto all of us gathered here. To know that the Five will lead us into battle is of utmost importance. For all of us! And especially for the troops outside! Their heart will rejoice hearing this and they will march towards those blasted foes with pride and determination. You, who are assembled here, heralding from every corner of this world, will lead them into a glorious battle. A battle that will be sung about long after your bones have turned to ashes. Know this, the losses will be tremendous. I won’t insult you with any kinds of lies. However, know that your sacrifice will not be in vain. Know that your sacrifice ensured the continuance of this worlds and its inhabitants existence!”

  “Hear, hear!” the crowd emotionally voiced back. The General looked at their expectant faces and nodded with pride.

  “I like what I see! And I take pride in what I see gathered in front of me, knowing that the One Army outside resembles you in every way! I, and all my fellow generals, salute you and your commitment!!”

  The general shouted the last part with palpable force and saluted his subordinates by forcefully hitting his armoured chest twice with his closed fist. He finished his salute by moving his arm in a wide horizontal arc, stopping at a right angle in front of him and letting the outstretched arm and closed fist hover there for a moment. After everybody in the crowd had mirrored him while shouting their heartfelt support over the table, he let his arm fall and sent the officers on their way.

  “Remember my words. And let those words be heard by everyone gathered outside. Be proud of what you will be doing and victory will be ours! Dismissed!”

  The assembled officers gradually began to disperse. Some left right away and others formed small groups before exiting the confines of the war-room. The groups made up of young adventures and officers fell at once into heated conversations. The impressionable young minds needed to loudly exchange their views and thoughts after all. The natural fear that emerges before a battle, seeded in the depths of everyone’s soul, was especially present in those young officers and aristocrats.

  In contrast, the more veteran and experienced officers walked out in silence, deep in thought. The older generation of fighters knew, after having experienced many battles in their lives and especially in the past years, how to handle such fears before violence erupted. Even so, the youthful officers would have been surprised in knowing how many old veterans hearts were actually beating slightly faster than usual. After all, such a tremendously large confrontation like the upcoming one against the approaching hordes had never taken place in history until now.

  The last officers left the tent and hurriedly passed the guards standing at attention around the command tent. They briskly headed for their respective squadrons that had gathered right next to each other. This had been on purpose as the two officers were brothers heralding from a very respected family on another continent. The younger brother had insisted to accompany his older brother when he had announced his intend to answer the call of the assembling “One Army” in front of their parents. Heralding from a family that had established themselves in their past through merits on the battlefields for their kingdom, their parents support had been assured. The Androvak House wouldn’t shy away from their noble duty. This had been just months ago and now both brothers were visibly shaking in expectation.

  “Dear brother, do you feel the same? As if everything will be possible once the horns call the charge? I can’t wait to march along with Alvar Sotaris and the Monarchs themselves!” the younger brother exclaimed. He had always dreamed to live through the stories that visiting bards had recounted at their families feasts.

  “Of course brother. I know what you mean. But don’t forget your duty and responsibility towards your men. You have been given a great honour for leading such a great number of soldiers at your age! Make our house proud, but don’t overestimate your prowess and that of your men. Keep your mind focused on the task at hand and don’t loose yourself in fanciful stories. Promise me this, brother!”, the older sibling replied and clasped the younger brothers shoulders firmly.

  They had stopped for the moment in-between the gathered columns of soldiers. Suddenly, the brothers noticed a stirring traveling through the ranks, nearly all of the soldiers had stopped what they were doing and gazed towards the horizon. This was closely followed by a call echoing from the forefront of the army.

  “Soldiers! Prepare yourselves! The enemy… is upon us!”

  Both young officers stared into each others eyes and immediately jumped into action, running towards their men.