These chapters are unedited and rough, and none of them will appear in the finished product.
Chapter 1
Mons Rabe
*Three days following the Battle for Tulletine*
Mons Rabe stood upon the balcony of Amaranthe Keep, his raven feather cloak wrapped around him. Mons frowned at the sour smell of the air, as he scanned the city he was charged with protecting, paying close attention to the positions of troops, which were patrolling the drab stone streets of Amaranthe. All was well before his departure.
The city’s most important pieces had been repaired after the battle that had taken place here, but the repairs were harsh and utilitarian. Thick walls of wood or sloppily conjured stone filled the walls of the houses where Auxiliary Hunters lived, and Amaranthe’s city wall had been refilled with roughly summoned stone after the soul-ripper bow had blown a giant hole into it. The stone was sturdy, and that was all Mons cared about, but even he couldn’t help but feel like they should have tried to make it look a little more like the original design.
It was plain to see for any who cared to look, Amaranthe, the Gate to the South, would never be whole again. Its mythical beginnings as a city hewn from a single stone were now tainted by the harsh realities of the present.
The black feathers of Mons’ cape twitched and then split down the middle of his back. The two halves of the cape reached into the air as if they were the wings of a great bird. Black worms of light writhed between each feather as the emotion, his awe, that Mons had been storing within his cape flooded back into him.
Suddenly the city of Amaranthe didn’t seem so drab and depressing. Mons could now see it for the act of Fallendean ingenuity that it really was. The city’s mythical status may be tainted by the repairs, but these changes added to the city’s long history and represented the struggles and scars of the Fallendean people’s struggles against the Bluts.
Mons looked to the distance, past the wall of Amaranthe and the Blut Hunters who patrolled them. He looked towards the northwest, towards the Canton of Oranalone.
Mons and his troops had been the ones to clear the way to Amaranthe for his captain, the man he had apprenticed under, Mobiel Janoose, and they had been the ones to return to safeguard the city after Ulfbert’s treachery. His short time away from Ancestor’s Swamp seemed like a cruel trick of fate for him. Just enough time to be reminded of his life in Roserum, but barely any time to enjoy it.
How he missed the smell of that city, so wonderfully free of the scent of rotting foliage and carrion. However, carrion was not a smell Mons could ever hope to avoid for long.
He had heard the news that Mobiel was seeking Ulfbert’s replacement, a new second lieutenant whose ascension would finally allow Mons to retreat from this post and enjoy his well-deserved leave, but of course, there had to be a catch. It was a twist of the knife to see to it that Mobiel’s task was not quick and easy, but long and monotonous. A performance for the public as much as it was an act of recruitment.
The attack on Tulletine just days earlier had come as a surprise to Mons, he had been preparing his Hunters to defend against a similar offensive here at Amaranthe, but he was having trouble explaining the concept of the Coauglites to the younger Blut Hunters, and he had only seen one or two when he was younger, still he used the information that he had been given to train them as best he could.
There was a sense of impending doom surrounding the city. So many Hunters had fought and died to capture it this past summer, and now with the war heating up again, many here believe that reclaiming it will be among the Bluts priorities. That’s why the letter that Mons had received when he awoke today came as such a surprise.
It was from the Grand Kopf, Agape Weisrose, himself, and it was an order addressed only to Mons. He was to leave Amaranthe in the hands of his officers and make his way to Mums, a small village in Oranalone, as fast as he could. Amaranthe, he was assured, would soon be under the protection of the First Lieutenant of the Special Legion, Crippen Lisk, and that it would not be left without a solid command for long.
Mums had never been an important town, it was lost often by both sides of the way, a place to squabble over when actual targets were too well protected, a tiny victory to keep your soldiers happy while you waited for an opening. The Grand Kopf’s desire for Mons to abandon a place like Amaranthe, the Gate to the South, for a place like Mums disturbed him greatly.
Still, Mons trusted in the Grand Kopf’s judgment and would do as he was told. There was a scheme at work, one that if he could help pull it off correctly could give the rest of Fallende a golden chance at striking deep into Leiche.
Mons spread his wings and flew off into the morning light, leaving a fading trail of squirming black light in the sky behind him.
Chapter 4
Lingering
*Glorifirus of the Lavender, Born 215 ABE, Died 250 ABE, Deed: Sailed across the Glimmer Sea seven times.*
Isaac handed the gondolier a few coins, as Terrian and Curie settled into their seats on the small swaying boat. Following their example, and trying not to think about the possibility of another snake in the canals, Isaac sat down next to Terrian as the Gondolier pushed off the side of the canal and the gondola began to move.
Night had fallen but the work in Bluerise had not stopped. Braziers had been carried out and lit once evening fell so that those who were close to finishing their repairs for the day may finish whatever project it was that they were working on before retiring for the night. Though they wouldn’t be out for much longer, the flickering of the flames, the smell of burning wood, and the sounds of hammering gave this time of night a unique atmosphere.
“So,” Curie began. “When are you two being dragged away to Redfall?”
Isaac winced slightly at the question. He was not looking forward to returning to Fallende’s capital. He had a lot of bad memories there, and though Tulletine had recently undergone a trauma of its own, Isaac was not here to experience it. Mount Hark was a terrible experience, but it didn’t happen here. While Isaac was in Tulletine, even while surrounded by the aftermath of the battle, and helping to patch the city up, he could pretend that his life was something else. He could imagine a world where lived a semi-normal life instead of that of a Blut Hunter.
“My brother and the Captain are still working with Canton Kopf Ishtin on the aftermath of the attack,” Terrian answered. “But with captain Nadine here, I can’t Imagine that we will be staying much longer.”
“Are you going to miss us Curie?” Isaac asked. “Is that why you’re asking, or are you counting the days till we are finally out of your hair?”
Curie grinned. “A little of both,” she replied. “It’s been fun having you two around, but I have to admit you are quite distracting.”
“You’re saying this like you don’t seek us out?” Terrian pointed out.
“True,” Curie admitted. “Like I said, it’s fun having you around.”
“You’ll have plenty of time for your books when we are gone, Curie,” Isaac added.
“Well, I might not be the only one of us doing a lot of reading soon,” Curie replied, gesturing towards Terrian.
“Am I going to have to read a lot if I switch to Auxiliary?” Terrian asked.
“That’s only if they let you switch over at all,” Curie continued. “Even though your good-for-nothing brother didn’t teach you anything of note, you have still been in an apprenticeship under a Spearhead Legion hunter for over a year and a half. With that amount of time invested, I’d be surprised if they let you switch.”
Terrian’s face went pale. “So you don’t think there’s a chance?”
“There’s a slim one.”
“I’m sure things will work out,” Isaac said, giving Terrian a pat on the back. “Even If you’re stuck in Spearhead, I’ll be there to help you through it.”
The only thing that comforted Isaac about the idea of returning to Roserum was that Terrian would be there as well. Even if he were to go back to that place and face those memories again, He would have someone there who represented his new memories from Tulletine and the memories of Mount Hark. When Isaac didn’t fail those who needed him.
“Oh shit,” Isaac exclaimed as a realization dawned on him. “Terrian you’re going to meet Captain J’heno at some point.”
“The Monster?” Terrian asked.
“What are you talking about?” Curie asked him, slightly annoyed. “Do you know another person with a name that odd?”
“I-I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page!” Terrian said in his defense. “I’ve heard a lot of rumors about him and the things he does! They don’t make him out to be someone you would want to meet!”
“Calm down those are rumors, Terrian,” Currie replied dismissively. “You can’t believe everything you hear.”
“They’re true,” Isaac answered plainly. “Whatever you heard about him is probably the truth.”
Curie’s head whipped to look over at Isaac. “Isaac I heard he eats make-up for fun.”
“Curie,” Isaac replied. “How is that the rumor you bring up to me first? The man tortures people for fun, and half of his legion is missing, and you ask me about the make-up?”
“Well does he?” Curie pressed.
“…Yes,” Isaac replied. “But it’s not for fun he eats it for other reasons.”
“What do you mean?” Terrian asked.
“I’ll explain it to you after you’ve seen him up close,” Issac answered. “I don’t think I could explain it to you otherwise.”
“We’re here!” The gondolier interrupted, tapping his paddle loudly on the side of the boat.
The gondola came to a stop in the heart of Tulletine’s market, and the three apprentices got out.
The market was badly damaged by the flooding of the city, and many of the vendors and business owners did not have the time to save all of their stock before the deadline for the evacuation came to pass. The ones who opted to retreat into the Geohold rather than flee to other towns or cities to escape the violence were also the ones who had gotten back on their feet first.
Not only did these vendors have a head start on rebuilding what they lost, but their deadline to retreat into the Geohold was further back than the one for those who decided to flee, thus they were also able to save more of their supply.
Though most of these businesses were on the smaller side, their ability to bounce back quickly from the recent hardships would allow them to take the places of those who fled.
“Where do you two want to go?” Terrian asked.
“What’s even still around?” Curie asked.
“Don’t ask me where to go,” Isaac replied. “You two know this city way better than I do.”
“We’ll find somewhere to go and something to do if we just look around for a while,” Terrian answered. “I have time to spare, I don’t have anything going on tomorrow.”
“You don’t have anything to do,” Curie chimed in. “But we do, so you better find someplace before they put the braziers away.”
“Oh,” Terrian replied. “I forgot that you two were helping with the rebuilding.”
“You should really come out and help with us Terrian,” Isaac said. “No one is going to say no to an extra pair of hands out here.”
“But my Magic isn’t helpful with construction like the way the both of yours are.”
Isaac something moves on one of the rooftops, and Isaac whipped his head towards it.
Nothing was there.
Was he just getting paranoid? He had enough reasons to be worried, didn’t he? Or was this just the stress from going back to Redfall causing him to see things?
“Your arms work fine, don’t they?” Curie asked sarcastically. “Besides if you want a good look at what being in Auxiliary Legion is actually like, then helping with Tulletine’s repairs is a great example.”
“I thought it was more about helping people directly,” Terrian replied. “And making stuff for people.”
Isaac considered trying to feel around with his Magic and see if there was something on the roof. He couldn’t feel exactly what something was, or distinguish between different things based on weight yet, bar extreme examples like a person versus a boulder, but he could feel if something if anything was up there.
Curie let out a sigh. “Did you just tell me that you don’t think fixing people’s houses is the same as helping them?
“No, I-“
Isaac cast the paranoia away. This was one of the last times for a long time that he would see Curie and he wanted to have fun. The city was crawling with Blut Hunters anyway.
“Terrian,” Isaac said, cutting him off. “Curie’s right, this is your best chance at seeing what it’s like doing the kind of work you’ve been saying you want to do.”
Chapter 5
Possibility
*Dorian Ham, Born 500 ABE, Died 630 ABE, Wielded great magical ability and died to kill a king of Oranalone in the Hirupian Revolt*
Mobiel watched as Eltoi Ishtin dabbed his colorfully feathered pen into the inkwell beside him. The Canton Kopf’s single emerald eye was fixated on the complex symbol that he was crafting on the parchment in front of him surrounding him were several books filled with symbols and symbol lineages were laid out on his desk.
Pen met paper once again, and the Canton Kopf hurriedly began to scribble onto the page.
The two of them had spent the night working on this symbol. Mobiel looked anxiously out the window, he could see the sun beginning to creep over the horizon. Life as a soldier had left his knowledge of Symbol Magic painfully skewed toward combat, a fact he had begun to become increasingly aware of.
The room that they were working in was a small office, one that Ishitn claimed that he used when he needed to force himself to focus on an important task. A ring of failure surrounded Ishtin, the floor surrounding Canton Kopf’s desk was entirely covered by his failed attempts at creating the new symbol, each failure an intricate mix of lines and shapes drawn in black.
When the idea had come to Mobiel days earlier he had approached Ishtin about it in private, hoping the other Undling’s more refined mind would be up to the task of creating the sigil. He had some experience in symbol creation, the tattoo on the palm of his left hand was of his design, and its flames had proven a powerful tool in exterminating Bluts.
His “burst star” creation wasn’t complex however, he had originally adapted it from an already pre-existing design used in powerful furnaces, and he had also been able to forgo some of the more complicated alterations to the symbol due to the high amount of reinforcement symbols he already had tattooed onto his body. If another Undling attempted to use the burst star symbol as he used it, they would suffer horrific burns from the heat.
Ishtin slammed his pen loudly against the table, then slumped backward dramatically against his wooden chair, his head dangling from the headrest and his veil lifting to reveal the horrible burn scar that covered half of the Canton Kopf’s face.
“This one,” Ishtin announced, exhausted. “This one is the closest I can get to what you’ve asked for.”
Mobiel let out a small sigh of relief and looked at the symbol that rested on the page. It resembled a spiraling pattern of arrows, connected by a series of small lines, all pointing towards a central sun-like pattern and scattered throughout the design, were smaller geometric shapes filling the internal spaces of the sigil.
“Will it work?” Mobiel asked, continuing to study the symbol.
Ishtin flung himself back to a normal sitting position and shrugged. “We need more eyes on it.”
“You are not confident in your work?”
“Oh, Mobiel.” Ishitn said with a shake of his head. “Just Because I understand the intricacies of Symbol Magic better than you does not mean that I am a lauded scholar of the craft.”
Mobiel studied the paper harder, plumbing the depths of his memory for any knowledge that might help him. “It seems to have all the basics,” he finally said.
“That’s all it has!” Ishtin replied. “It is the groundwork for something at the very least. Whether it can do what you’ve asked for though, is still up in the air.”
“Will it do what you want it to do?” Ishtin continued. “No. Will it do something? Yes.”
“What do you suggest?” Mobiel asked, rubbing his hand over the pommel of Clematis.
Ishtin grinned. “Don’t get yourself so worked up, Captain, hope is not lost just yet.”
“As I said,” the kopf continued. “We need a fresh perspective on this. Preferably an older and wiser one.”
“Griven,” Mobiel stated, understanding who it was that Ishtin was alluding to.
Ishtin clapped. “Yes!” he exclaimed pointing at Mobiel. “Griven Evlar is your best bet!”
Mobiel smiled, looking back out towards the window, the sky was beginning to turn purple. How fitting.
“Are you sure that Canton Kopf Evlar will be able to finish the symbol?” Mobiel asked.
Ishtin yawned before speaking again. “He’s your best bet,” the Undling replied. “If he can’t help you, then I think that you’re out of luck on this little project of yours.”
Chapter 6
Flames and Change
Isaac followed Mobiel up the trail as the two of them hiked up Mount Monsechia. His master had come to him unexpectedly, early in the morning, and asked Isaac to accompany him up the trail. Though Isaac did not know why Mobiel had wanted him to do this, as his apprentice he was duty-bound to obey.
The surprise was bitter-sweet, as Curie and himself had managed to bully Terrian into helping around town the night before and now Isaac wouldn’t get to see Terrian get a taste of the exhausting monotony that he had been experiencing since his return to the city. On the other hand, Isaac hadn’t been personally trained by Mobiel in months and he was eager to begin learning again.
“We will be leaving for Redfall in two days,” Mobiel announced to Isaac, as they hiked up the trail of Mount Monsechia. “The recovery of Tulletine is proceeding smoothly and with Cinq here, we have no reason to extend our visit further.”
“I understand,” Isaac replied.
They walked past some of the stones that Soljum had raised out of the ground, and Isaac felt a sharp pang of sadness.
“I plan that soon after our arrival, once all the formalities are taken care of, Lani will be head to Amaranthe to replace Crippen, and we will finally have the correct lieutenant with the correct company stationed in that accursed city .” Mobiel continued.
“What about Terrian?” Isaac asked quickly, more of his worry seeping into his words than he would have liked.
“Their relationship is detrimental to Lani’s potential as a Blut Hunter,” Mobiel stated. “It is for the best that it is annulled, at least in the professional sense.”
“What does that mean for Terrian? Isaac asked his panic now fully audible in his voice.
Despite the amount Terrian has grown since Isaac met him, his skill with his Magic is still abysmal by the standard of an apprentice, especially the apprentice of a ranked office. Without Lani there to shield Terrian from being sent to the front lines, he would likely be sent to fight and die just for the sake of efficiency.
“Are you aware of Falora Luna?” Mobeil asked
“No, sir,” Isaac replied, his voice no longer showing the panic he allowed to spill out.
Why is he asking about some random woman? Why is he avoiding my question?
“She is the Second Lieutenant of the Auxiliary Legion,” Mobiel replied. “I had asked around to see if there were any Blut Hunters currently seeking an apprentice, truly it was nothing more than a formality, a normal action taken when an apprenticeship is annulled for abnormal reasons. I did inform the Hunters of Terrian’s lack of skill, but Falora has taken an interest in Terrian’s choice of Magic and wishes to take him on as her apprentice, so there is no need for you to worry yourself about the boy’s safety.”
Isaac let out a deep sigh of relief. “That is very good to hear.”
Wait.
“Sir,” Isaac began. “Forgive me, but I may have misheard you earlier due to my personal feelings, but did you say that it was Crippen who was stationed in Amaranthe?”
Was this a test? Did Mobiel plant that info into his statement about Lani to see how much Isaac would allow his emotions to cloud his judgment? If so, he had definitely failed.
“Yes I did,” Mobiel replied, “First Lieutenant Mons Rabe has been restationed on the direct orders of the canton Kopf, First Lieutenant Crippen Lisk is currently overseeing Amaranthe until Lani is ready to take the reigns.”
“Restationed?” Isaac asked. “Where could be more important than Amaranthe? Is it down south in Purpleshine?”
Purpleshine had always had the most trouble pushing back against the Bluts, but with hostilities just starting up again, Isaac hadn’t thought that they would already be in such peril. However, Mons’ relocation could be a precautionary measure.
“Oranalone,” Mobiel answered. “The Grand Kopf is looking for a way to give us a leg up on the Bluts, while we figure out what to do with this Natra business, and he believes that he has found an answer on how to do that there.”
“It is a shame that you were not present for the Battle of Tulletine, Isaac,” Mobiel continued. “It would have been such a good learning opportunity for you.”
“Where would you have had me stationed, Sir?” Isaac asked.
“It was still far too soon for you to be directly engaged,” Mobiel answered.
Was?
“So, I would have had you stationed within the Geohold, guarding the Canton Kopf and the civilians inside.”
“That being said,” Mobiel continued. “The events that took place on Mount Hark were quite unexpected as well.”
“They were quite shocking to live through as well, Sir.”
“Do you have any idea what that collection of Bluts was after?” Mobiel asked. “Their presence on the mountain has been a puzzle for me ever since I heard your account.”
“I have no idea why they were there,” Isaac replied. “My best guess is that they wanted to form an enclave of some sort up there, in case their main offensive failed.”
Mobiel nodded. “A similar strategy to the one they used to attack Roserum,” the captain noted. “Soljum’s failure to slay the Knight sadly means that they might still succeed in this matter, despite the success of you and the other apprentices in slaying the Commoners.”
Isaac’s eyes widened. Everything had been so busy that he hadn’t realized the obvious implication of Soljum’s defeat. The Knight who had been leading those Commoners through Bluerise was still out there doing who knows what.
The duo approached a large clearing on the mountain trail and standing in its center, his armor gleaming brightly in the morning sun, was Cinq Nadine.
“You certainly took your time, Mobiel,” Cinq began jokingly.
“Forgive me, Captain Nadine,” Mobiel replied. “It was too nice of a morning for me not to enjoy it.”
Cinq approached them, and the large red ribbons tied around his shoulders trailed in the breeze.
“I’m ready when you are,” Cinq stated, his voice echoing slightly from within his helmet.
“Isaac,” Mobiel began. “Out of all the things you could have learned from during the siege, it is witnessing Cinq’s mastery of Elemental Magic that is without a doubt the most important.”
“Oh stop, Mobiel.” Cinq raised a gauntleted hand over the front of his helmet, mimicking the gesture a child would make when hiding their blushing cheeks. “You’re embarrassing me.”
“Although it is no substitute for seeing Auxiliaries’ Captain in a combat scenario,” Mobiel continued ignoring Cinq’s display. “I found it to be a complete and utter waste if we were to leave Tulletine before you had a chance to see his mastery firsthand.”
Cinq walked between Mobiel and Isaac. “I’ll take it from here, Mobiel,” he exclaimed, turning on his heel to come face to helmet with Isaac.”
“Before we proceed further,” Cinq announced. “I believe that I have some overdue congratulations to offer you, son, and an apology.”
“I am sorry that I was unable to oversee your sparring match with my daughter, and I am impressed that you were able to best her.”
“Sh-she was holding back the entire time,” Isaac replied, not expecting Cinq to have remembered this event from months prior. “And there’s no reason to be sorry!”
“On the contrary!” Cinq responded. “I failed to live up to a promise, and I am indeed sorry. As for Velonia, she lost to you on the front of creativity before her raw power could snatch her the win. So be proud of that accomplishment.”
“Now onto the task at hand.” Cinq placed a hand on Isaac’s shoulder and looked into the distance.”
“What if I were to tell you,” he began, before snapping his head back towards Isaac. “That you have been lied to for your entire life.”
“What?” Isaac exclaimed confused.
Cinq removed the ribbons from his shoulders, handed them to Mobiel, and then clasping his hands behind his back he began to walk back into the center of the clearing.
“Oh, yes,” Cinq said, nodding as he walked. “Your whole life.”
Possibilities ran through Isaac’s head as he tried to discern what the captain was talking about. He began to raise his gloved false hand towards his mouth instinctively to bite his nail. What horrors had been hidden from him? What horrors could be worse than what he has already seen?
Cinq ignited.
Flames wrapped around the armored man like writhing snakes, and then he rocketed into the air, leaving only a trail of light and a wave of heat behind him.
Cinq turned in midair, flying back down towards the clearing and flying in a circle around its borders.
Cinq circled the clearing two more times before he flew back towards its center and extinguished the flames.
“As you can see!” he proudly shouted, arms held out to his sides like a showman. “Elemental armoring is perfectly possible with non-solid elements!”
Chapter 8
New Horizons
*Marny Holz, Born 340 ABE, Died 368 ABE Deed: Led a dire bear away from the town on horseback.*
Manticore stared out of the ruined building, pulling ragged brown bandages down from her glowing eyes, as the boy, Isaac as she now knew him to be called, walked towards a waiting carriage while waving goodbye to the young mortal girl she had often seen him spend time with.
Terrian, the other mortal boy from the mountain had already said his goodbyes and entered into a separate cart with his elder brother, a Blut Hunter Lieutenant, and another obstacle in her path.
Isaac entered the armored carriage along with another man, a tall dark-skinned Undling. Manticore of course knew who the Undling man was. Mobiel the Captain of the Blut Hunter’s Spearhead Legion.
His presence in the city had been a constant thorn in her side since she arrived. Her Artifact could kill with a single cut, so she had not feared the man despite his reputation, but with direct orders from the Blood Mother herself to not harm Mobiel in her quest to capture the boy, Manticore could not help but worry.
She had been hiding in Tulletine for a little under a week now, and the city was crawling with Blut Hunters. Too much could go wrong if she tried to capture her target here, and enough went wrong during her last attempt to dissuade her from any further rash action.
She was glad that Isaac was leaving this place as she was required to follow, and each day she had to stay in this town where so many of her fellow Blutsaugers were killed sickened her. It was still an astonishing thought to Manticore that General Siegbin was dead. She had served under him for so long, and he was such a powerful Blut, even by the standards of a Noble.
Despite the danger of discovery that the act risked, Manticore felt compelled to visit the scorched stone where the General was killed, to pay her respects to her now deceased liege. She had served as one of General Siegbin’s most trusted Knights for many years before the return of the Blood Mother. Siegbin was the favored son of Aswia, and as sad as it was for her, Manticore could not ignore that his death left that position of high honor vacant.
It was hers to fill.
Keeping herself hidden while inside of this nest of murderers wasn’t an easy task for her. She had to demean herself and crawl across the streets like a haggard worm to avoid discovery.
She had to keep her eyes covered, so she acquired her bandages from some cloth garments she found inside one of the flooded homes and feigned an identity as a blind beggar whenever a Mortal drew too close. Manticore had also discarded her teeth, ripping them from her jaws before she entered the city and casting them into the dirt, lest their sharpness give her away.
It had been hard, but she had figured out how to will her body to not repair a wound. A skill she didn’t even know was possible. As time went on, however, she found it increasingly easier to prevent her body from repairing the damage, now it was just an inkling in the back of her head.
Worse than this was the fact that the place those carts were going was Roserum, the city that the floundering mortals claimed to be the new capital of Fallende after Aswia’s children claimed the heartlands and Bathory for themselves. The city was long thought impregnable, at least that was until a small squadron of Blutsauger neonates was led by two Knights into the city a little over a year ago.
Despite the technical notability of this event, it was nothing more than a stunt. Any Noble could have orchestrated it if they were as happy to throw away valuable Knights for political gain as the former Solomonar Cabra was.
What the Commoners that speak so proudly of this charade of an attack fail to mention was the slaughter of the Bluts that invaded the city, including both of the Knights, and the failure of all Bluts involved to kill a single person of note while within the city. The only reason this stunt is known about at all is that Cabra’s Knights had sent Commoners running back into Leiche upon reaching Roserum just so that they could tell stories of and confirm the truthfulness of the event.
The political squabbling between the Aswian and NeoAswian factions within Leiche had plagued their great nation for years before the return of the Bloodmother. For Manticore it was not a surprise that Cabra was among those destroyed upon Aswia’s return. They, her children the Bluts, had failed to uphold the world that she left to them. They had failed to proliferate her blood across the world and put an end to the reign of the idiotic Mortals who still believed that Mekebe belonged to them. Aswia had returned to her flesh both to punish them for their failures and to lift them to their rightful place at the top of all that exists.
Finally, the armored carriage that Isaac was riding in began to leave the city, and Manticore slowly and carefully began to follow.
Author Site of Timothy Dempsey 