Chapter 2: Part 1 - The news
"No one expects an angel to set the world on fire."
The Prisoner...
"Are you ready? We got some good hunting to do." A man clad in black armour barges in an armoury with a happy grin on his face. The dark spacious room with stacks and stacks of different sized weapons lining its walls is currently occupied by no less than twenty people just returned from their morning practice. The man himself has a burly body, shaped more like a bear then a man towering over two meters high.
"Don't let Airee or Aldrik hear ya, or you are risking to get in some serious problems there, brother." Another responds while measuring reactions of his other perplexed comrades. Airee, their lord's adoptive daughter and also the academy's prodigy, became the youngest mage-knight in history and now she is personally overlooking their training progress as a stuff member. The academy itself is located father from city and consists of several massive stone buildings. There are no walls or fences surrounding it and with its deep location in the woods, students constantly skip their lessons or chores to go hunting. They are perfecting their countless skills after all. But it seems the stuff here doesn't approve of such methods. None of the room's occupants wanted to be caught by Airee again when they were supposed to study in the library for next several hours due to their teachers being absent cause of some important meetings. On the other hand Aldrik is The Royal Captain, the highest power figure short of only the General and blood-keeper. So better not mess with him.
"Actually, she is coming with us, courtesy of our lord," bear-man kept grinning like an idiot. "And it's not just any hunting, you brainless peasants, we are going on convicted! "
The room was engulfed in silence.
"So that's why you are especially loud today, Morgen?" An annoyed voice sounded behind the man now called Morgen.
"Cap-captain A-aldrik, I -"
"Stuttered like a fool," confirmed Aldrik. "Now everyone, get ready, Morgen is indeed a fool, yet he was right. We are hunting the family of convicted. Our target priority will be a mother who is pregnant and, as our source says, is soon to give a birth to daughter with all the intent of giving her the forbidden name." A round of astonished gasps fills the air. Captain pauses, letting the young mage-knights in training process the severity of situation. "We do not have much information about whereabouts of family house except that it is located in the Yellow Forests - "
"But it's huge!"
"No way we're going to find 'em there!"
"And not to mind creatures that live -"
"Silence!!!" Roared Aldrik. " You are here to become mage-knights, for Antares' sake!!! And I will personally execute every single one of you if I so much as feel even a hint of doubt or hesitation in any of you!"
Again the room became quiet... After a short pause Aldrik continued in calm reserved voice: "We will split into groups of eight, each will have at least two knights in them. This is a large scale mission, so the knights and trainees from neighbouring regions will be joining us in our search. They have already moved out and on their way here. Now get ready, everyone is expected on the training grounds in 30 minutes. Did I make myself clear?!?"
"Sir, yes sir!!" Shouted trainees after the departing form of their captain.
***
"Royal Captain Aldrik, I expect preparations are going smoothly?" Father asked the man kneeling in front of us. We were currently in a throne room of his castle with me standing to the right of his sitting figure as a bloodred cloak neatly hid his strong build of a warrior. As most of the cities of this era, the massive and prosperous capital of Hidian Region, also named after it, was located in plain field with only thirty minute walk to reach the forest and depleted into three sections: an outer and the biggest part, built around the defensive walls where poor and commoners lived in one and multistorey different sized houses of both the stone and wood. Located inside the oval shaped walls is almost five times smaller inner section with clean streets of stone paved roads and equally well-kept buildings where higher rank, more important and rich people lived. And finally the actual castle: a huge building which looks like someone actually put the two next to each other and removed the line in-between in the process merging them together into one. It's divided from the other part of city with a large perpendicularly positioned wall, completely isolating the forth of inner section for their lord's own private use. This part of the city is mostly empty with only a few other buildings for servants and guards. Otherwise except for the marble pavement and intricate designs of the fountains nothing special is around. The pace itself is usually used for some kind of performances or tournaments.
From castle windows in the distance where the forest is located one can see the tip of conus like roof belonging to the main building of mage-knight academy. The throne room positions itself right at the centre entrance. With its large size of nearly twenty eight meters in width and forty four in length it reveals itself to be a simple forty meter path to the steps leading to the throne of pure silver. On each side the four meter way is surrounded with four rows of fourteen, meter thick white columns decorated with golden picture like design. The man kneeling in front of steps to a small podium where the throne is located was clad in dark grey leathersteal, a special material produced by fusing together the steal and leather in favour of obtaining a toughness of the former and an ability to easily hug one's body as any other clothes of the later, coat with several pieces of gold-metal armour strapped to his shoulders, forearms, legs from knees and below as well as across his chest. He also wore a metal mask covering his nose and mouth and a leathersteal hood which both were removed. On his back two swords were hidden in their scabbards.
"Yes my lord, the trainees were already gather for briefing. With all the organisations done, we can depart in less then hour." Answered a man in his mid forties. He has a short black hair, several scars covering his face and a look in his eyes. The one that says: "the job will be done." A scary opponent to face of in battle. He surely had his fair share of stories to tell, enemies and monsters he slaughtered for the sake of our god. Of course, most men here are willing to abide the rule of their Father-emperor as if they were blind puppies, and those who don't: convicted, deserters, rebels, etc; are willing to shed if not as much but even more blood.
That's the world I was raised in. Where we are told to keep a non-existent peace, fight for nothing in particular and cherish a Prisoner.
"Airee, dear, are you listening?" Her adoptive father, Ajax, one of 93 remaining blood-keepers and lord of this land asked. She nodded in answer even if she still was wandering limitless fields of her mind. Her father scrutinized her with his black eyes giving her a silent warning to pay more attention. "As I was saying, your uncle Agamemnon will be arriving today with his own hand-picked strike force. No trainees, only the best. I'm letting him run this mission and I expect Agamemnon will want to have you within one of his units. Aldrik here will join you in one of them so it is more comfortable for you to have someone around that you already worked wit - "
"Apologies for interruption, father, but if what I heard before is true, I shall better go prepare myself before uncle arrives. I guess he will be coming in advance to organise everything?" Rhetoric question, yet her only parent still gave her a stiff nod. Yes, she snapped, but her beloved uncle coming here will never be a part of good news no matter how you look at it, and especially more so for her.
"I'll be waiting for you near the gates to greet your uncle when you are ready, lady Airee, may Antares bless you." See? Blind puppies. I hope Antares will bless you the same way as he surely will greet me.
"Which means two hours, and not a minute later, daughter. Did I make myself clear?" Her father reprimanded her and her habit of 'pretty often', as he so loved to call it, being late.
She smiled sheepishly at being caught. "Of course father, may Antares bless us all." And with a small curtsey and polite smile, concealing all her disgust, she descends the stairs and leaves the throne room.
Walking the halls of this castle still amazes her even after living here for so long. All the intricate designs and fascinating paintings where everything practically screams of its owner's unlimited wealth. Her father definitely developed a good taste and a fair share of capital in his millennium-long life. He could definitely allow himself such an extravagancy. Continuing to wonder limitless corridors covered with the finest and most expensive carpets and passing countless hidden passages of her home, her mind goes back to the recent news.
Thinking back, the fact that Aldrik will be with her is quite the relief, and not cause he is capable in the art of fight, in which he most certainly was, after all not just anyone gets the position of Royal Captain. Second only to each lord's general there usually are two of them per region. It will be much easier for her to not be surrounded by Agamemnon's dogs during this mission. Her father knew her well. Unlike her parent who, even though had a criminal past, wised in centuries of his life, becoming somewhat caring and more compassionate then the outlaw he was, Agamemnon didn't learned any human decency at all. He always remained cold, blood-craving bastard. And so were his subordinates. He was one of the main Generals during Celestial War and still didn't see all the wrong things that his emperor had done. Agamemnon is all too happy to follow in his footsteps just to receive a sliver of their god's attention. Yet there was nothing to be surprised about, after all practically all of blood-keepers were like that, gone crazy from their immortal existence. Human life basically has no value in there eyes except the means to the end.
Blood-keepers, a word feared and equally respected all around the world. Soldiers and priests, the ones who succumbed to darkness within the walls of their temple ages ago and were turned into immortal beings, the puppets whose only mission is to help the last of Celestials rule the earth. His blood runs in their veins making them much stronger then average mage since they have a direct access to their God's magic as well as his magical pool from anywhere.
Entering her suite she starts to change into her armour which, already set and prepared, was carefully lying in one of room's armchairs. A simple silver-plated set light enough to suit her fighting style with the leathersteel clothes beneath.
Her living quarters consisted of a large living room decorated with several very comfortable looking red couches before a fireplace, dark green walls hidden behind wooden bookshelves, an occasional painting, several desks full of scattered around unfinished paperwork lying on them, a pristine chandelier up above the centre and a large glass window, right now almost fully hidden behind red curtains, taking the full length of a wall facing the entrance with two big chairs overlooking the beauty of a landscape before them. To the right a single door hiding the confinements of a bedroom while on the left are two others. One leads to a huge pool-like bathroom and the second to a toilet.
Her mind kept wondering back to the name of a person they all have to thank for what is happening right now and how grateful she is that Ajax was the one who found her all these years ago, or twenty one to be precise, and not one of other, more twisted and loyal blood-keepers.
Zara's laughter filled the room. "Can they really be loyal? If only their was a way to set these dogs free of their chains... I'd really like to enjoy the show of how their master is being shredded by his oh so loyal followers."
She leaves her room fully dressed and ready, a calendar on one of her work desks showing 28th of June, 1317ABM...
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone