"Voievod Orlatos, of the Orlatos Brigaton. The bulk of what remains of the 18th Order have rallied and regrouped around the farming village of Iriskia, a Neko village west of Virc'Veria. The Order has been setting up fortifications around the village in preparation for an Altaerrie counterattack; however, none has come after their capture of Salva.
My Command attempted to prevent the Altaerrie from recapturing the City-State of Salva. Fresh enemy reinforcements outnumbered my forces, and we were forced to retreat. Unless given new orders, my intentions for the 18th Order are to avoid combat until reinforcements arrive, as I do not have the numbers to launch an effective campaign.
I have, though, positioned healthy units to maintain observation over the enemy. The only detail to note so far is that the enemy is beginning to send search parties outside the City limits; however, they seem random. My Farrier believes that because they are from another world, they are directionless on the proper path to capitalize on their recent victory, allowing us to track and recover.
Until the rest of the Brigaton or additional reinforcements arrive, I will maintain this position and launch harassment attacks when possible. With the villagers, we are gathering food and other supplies in preparation for additional forces for the coming war ahead." - Field Commander Holstein, 18th Order
March 07th, 2069 (Military Calendar)
Fortress city of Forlace, Verliance Aristocracy
Nevali Region, Aldrida, Alagore
*****
Hearing the crackling of the large fireplace at the center of the sizeable cultural room, the slave girl Assiaya leaned back while on her knees, enjoying the warmth of the fire. It was the standard red-and-orange blaze, which she enjoyed most because it brought her the most relaxation. While it was unnecessary to warm or light this room, her master preferred the natural flames for aesthetic reasons.
The light came from the many crystal-based chandeliers and wall lamps spread across the large room, recreating the aura of when Tekali was raised above the skyline, which she also found beautiful. The heat came from the many gas pipes connected to vents throughout the castle walls, a wonder that only the elites and wealthy could afford.
The crystals' slight glow, casting a mix of colors across the ceiling, brought the slave girl a moment of joy. She couldn't help but close her eyes and enjoy the moment.
"Two Eye."
The slave girl heard the nickname and glanced around, trying to see who was speaking to her. Many other servants were working in this important room. Unlike her, who was a slave in Kallem's service, they were all motuias—a type of contractual indentured servant in which one gives up being a free person in return for work, protection, a pathway out of slavery or poverty, or a type of apprenticeship education. This was a typical arrangement among the elites: having these types of contracted servants, typically only in the countryside, or, more often, unethical leaders staffing full-blown slaves within their court, which made the girl's status among her fellow staff, for lack of a better word, a matter of acquisition.
As the slave girl looked around, she saw no one until she turned to the Head Maid and stared directly at her. "Oh, no."
The Head Maid was a gray, white-haired Kitsune who stood rigidly, her yellow eyes fixed on Assiaya. The woman's name was Roath, and she had been in the service of Lord Kallem Verliance as his Head Maid long before the slave girl was captured.
"Yes, Madam."
"You are the most unfocused slave I have ever seen," Roath said.
"I apologize," Assiaya said. "I was just staring at the crystal colors while my arms rested. It reminds me of the morning aura."
"Rest is for the dead or the brothels," Roath said. "You know what happens to the ones who slacken. Our Lord tolerates nothing but perfection, or you will be replaced and sent to a lesser station. If you do not learn to focus, you will be next. As a slave, you do not have the same protection within the Guilds as we do. Trust me, your pretty eyes will attract the unwanted."
Feeling the room staring at her, Assiaya felt embarrassed. Roath, Kallem's Head Maid, had always been harsh, but she knew it stemmed from her need to protect the motuia servants under her. Discipline was the key to survival within the royal chambers. Still, that didn't mean the harshness didn't bother the slave servant.
"Yes, ma'am." Assiaya knew precisely what the Head Maid meant. Their Lord was fair and non-abusive; however, his restraint came with strings. A motuia who did not uphold their contract could be punished or demoted to slave status if the violation was severe enough, stripped of any legal protections and of any ambitious intent or desperate soul the person initially had when they became a motuia. Roath's harshness was part of that protection; she was making sure the slave girl understood the danger before someone else could take advantage of her.
"That is not true," one of the other girls said.
The slave girl turned and saw a Neko named Priatos polishing a red-coated wooden table. She knew of this Neko, who had joined the Royal Servants three years ago after completing a contract with her former master. She had sold herself to Roath to serve under Kallem's court and gain the experience needed to become a head maid for a respectable house.
The two had never gotten along, as the feline always felt that the dual-colored-eyed girl had received special treatment from their joint master. Priatos found this offensive, as a slave was beneath her, and believed that key opportunities were being withheld from her by someone who was deemed inferior. In her mind, being a contracted servant should have made her more valuable to Kallem than a slave.
"Not now," Roath said.
"I mean it," the Neko said. "She is Kallem's favorite."
"Enough," Roath said. "Our master can favor whoever he likes. Now, focus on your duty."
"Just ignore them."
Hearing the slave next to her, she turned and saw a Farian girl named Irotoia—one of the many beast species of Alagore. She was a rodent-beast humanoid with long ears, short stature, and fluffy tail. Her fur was brown with black and white stripes around her body.
"I know," Assiaya said. "I just hate that everyone hates me."
"You must admit," Irotoia said. "It is strange. We are contracted, and yet, he favors a filthy slave? It makes people wonder why."
The Lat slave grabbed the scrubbing brush from the water-filled pail. Before scrubbing the stone floor, she gazed at her reflection within the pail. She had short brown hair and light skin. In her opinion, the only unusual detail she had was her eyes. Everyone else had the same color in both eyes except for her. The left eye was gold, while the right was blue. They had brought unwanted attention and only given people an excuse to hate her, making her feel isolated. She had only had a little shame until now because no one would dare cross her master's orders not to touch her. The only issue was that his eyes couldn't always be on her.
As the two scrubbed, Irotoia whispered, "Speaking of wonder, has he demanded your warmth from you? Is that why he favors you?"
Assiaya stopped with a disgusted look. "No," she loudly said before glancing around. She noticed all the other girls staring at her, including Roath, who gave a warning glare. Once she regained her composure, she turned to her friend, who continued scrubbing the floor. "He has never touched me like that. Not even a glance."
Irotoia's expression showed that she didn't believe the dual-eyed girl.
She then looked back at the floor and continued to scrub. "If you say so. All the other girls think that, though. It makes no sense to have a slave in the royal court and do nothing to her."
"I hate these people so much," Assiaya thought. "How much shame must I endure?"
"It would be wise not to share too much," the voice replied.
"I know," Assiaya replied. "Just, I wish not to be seen as a whore. Life is already hard enough without being treated as such by the other maids."
"Be strong."
"But I don't want to anymore. I want to cry."
"Not this day. Your friend is staring at you."
Glancing toward the right, Assiaya noticed her friend with a blank stare, as if she were delirious. Quickly looking back to the ground and scrubbing, she said, "For the final time, I have never given him my warmth. You can gossip with the other girls about that, but leave me out of it."
"As I said," Irotoia said. "It is all confusing."
"He is probably keeping me safe because of my eyes," Assiaya replied. "A lot of boys and men enjoy them, being exotic. I can see him keeping me pure and giving me away as a gift to some noble one day."
The truth was, Assiaya had no idea why Kallem treated her the way he did. Sometimes, she wondered whether his protection was kindness, ownership, or something she simply didn't understand. However, she knew she needed to say something to counter the gossip. Being sold off to a future noble or given as a diplomatic gift was the only option she could come up with for this status of servitude.
"Good response."
"It is probably true," Assiaya said. "Coming from a fallen kingdom. A dead father and no title."
After scrubbing this section of the floor, the dual-eyed girl picked up the heavy bucket and walked across the room to the next one. Hearing the crackle of the fire again, she stopped, feeling the sudden warmth. She could recall the feeling of fire from her old life. She couldn't remember much of that time. She had been too young, and too much time had passed for those memories to remain, leaving her unsure whether she had ever sat by a fire back then.
Her eyes then caught two other maids finishing the placement of a large oil painting against the wall. The slave girl hoped this painting would arrive from the capital city of Cornot. The oil painting depicted a man and a boy on a cliff edge, staring at Tekali above in the cosmic sea.
The painting had always been her favorite, even though it featured a boy instead of a girl. She always wondered what they were discussing. Was it about the meaning of life? Were they praying? Or was it just a father and son sitting quietly, enjoying the beauty of nature and their Goddess mother? For reasons she couldn't explain, the sight of them together made something inside her ache. It reminded her of a family she could barely remember having.
"It is best not to think of such depressing thoughts."
"I choose to," Assiaya replied. "I want it so badly."
"You should not want what you cannot have."
Feeling annoyed by the voice, she silently sat down and began cleaning the next section of the floor. After a short period, the large door opened, and a familiar voice echoed throughout the sizeable cultural room. Assiaya turned toward the entrance and saw the son of Kallem, Lord Ere-hian Verliance. Seeing his pink eyes stare directly at her, she felt a cold chill down her spine. "What did I do this time?"
"Congratulations, Head Maid Roath," Ere-hian said as he looked around the room. "Father will be pleased."
"As his will," Roath said as she bowed. "Is there anything I can do for you, my Lord?"
Ere-hian glanced around before settling his gaze on the large fireplace at the center of the room. "As a matter of fact, yes, there is. I want all of you to leave."
Assiaya saw the Head Maid look confused, but the Kitsune acknowledged the order. With two claps, all the slave maids gathered their equipment and began leaving. The slave girl held her bucket and started toward the door, trying to walk quickly without being noticed. She had learned that the safest way to survive was to make herself as unremarkable as possible, especially when one of Kallem's sons entered the room.
As she walked past the Vampire Lord's son, she thought she was safe, as he did not address her. But then she heard him speak.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Understanding who the Lord was speaking to, Assiaya stopped and glanced toward Roath for protection. However, the Head Maid only gave her a sympathetic glance as the Kitsune guided the other slaves to leave the room. Then, as the last of the motuia servants left the room, only two remained.
There was a long, awkward silence as the two remained standing. The dual-eyed girl slightly turned her head to see what the Vampire boy was doing. He was staring directly at the fire, almost as if watching a play at the theater, or as if he were deep in thought.
From the Vampire Lord's son's continued silence, Assiaya felt her arms tremble nervously. Her heartbeat was intense as she wondered what this boy had in store for her.
While the voice in her head told her to remain quiet and wait to be addressed, the fear became too overwhelming, and she had to speak. "Is... there something I could do for you, my Lord?"
"As a matter of fact, there is, there is," Ere-hian said.
Setting down the bucket of water, Assiaya turned to face her Lord. "I am here to serve."
"Are you?"
"I... I do not understand. I have always done what was asked."
"Whatever my father asks."
An unnerving silence returned as Ere-hian withheld his response, forcing the girl to respond.
"I sense that he is getting angry. Be careful."
"Of course. Your father owes me, so I must do as commanded," Assiaya nervously replied as she saw that her answer did not please the young vampire. "My Lord?"
"My father claims you, a Lat. He has a Lat as his personal slave. Do you have any idea how insulting that is? The dirt-grubbing runts of this world living within the greatest empire within these lands?"
"Yes, my Lord." Assiaya knew where this conversation was going—the typical hatred for her kind. My kind infest these lands. And yet, your father could defeat my people and claim their lands. One day, you will inherit a grand empire as no one has ever seen.
Ere-hian took a deep breath before responding. "And yet, your kind continues to ruin everything."
Assiaya looked toward the boy with confusion, sensing nothing but hatred. Fear struck again, preventing her from responding. Over the years, she had witnessed the once-close relationship between father and son become strained by the current war and Unity's intervention in domestic affairs. The Priestess had taken an interest in Kallem's son to prepare the next generation of Krata rule, which the Vampire Lord had protested. However, he had to keep the Aristocracy out of the Unity war across the continent, manage the newly annexed territory, and balance his people's sovereignty with the adjustment to vassalage to a superior power for the first time in the country's history.
She knew Kallem had to keep the Aristocracy out of the Unity war across the continent, manage the newly annexed territory, and somehow balance his people's sovereignty with their new position as vassals to a superior power—the first time in the country's history that such a thing had happened.
The young Lord turned to the slave girl, his eyes burning. He then blinked as he patted his chest, calming himself down. "I will grant you one thing. For a slave girl, you are not stupid. You know when to shut up and naturally know your place, unlike the rest of your race. That means I can conclude that you know about the Altaerrie?"
"Yea... yes, my Lord," Assiaya said, knowing better than to lie about the subject.
She watched as the boy's response angered him. His fist clenched as it shook.
The Vampire Lord's son took a deep breath and grabbed the Lat slave's arm, lifting her with one hand. While he was only a head taller than her, he was already strong enough to overpower her with ease, lifting her from the ground as though she weighed almost nothing. So, lifting her was easy. She placed her hands on his arm, trying to regain leverage while parts of her clothing ripped.
"Do you know what happened?" Ere-hian asked.
"I... no," Assiaya said as she struggled to respond. "You are ripping my dress."
"Your kind defeated my father," Ere-hian said with such rage. "The likes of you defeated my father. Your kind brought these Altaerrie to this world and humiliated my people. My Father!"
Staring at the young vampire's eyes, Assiaya could see the hate emitting from them. Over the years, he had always expressed his hatred toward her, sometimes violently. As a slave, she had no legal rights or protections; however, there was an unspoken rule about laying hands on her: if anyone touched Kallem's property in any context, it was considered a direct assault on the Lord of Verliance himself. This was why she believed that the son always targeted her despite his father.
This was why she believed the son always targeted her despite his father's protection. He knew she was untouchable by everyone else, yet he also knew that his father would never tolerate anyone else harming her.
However, this crossed a new line. Whatever happened around Salva must have been horrible for his people, and he felt the need to lash out.
He then slowly brought her closer until their faces were inches away. As she drew closer, she looked directly into his eyes, feeling nothing but terror.
"There are many things I hate about your kind," Ere-hian said. "You Lats are weak, always infesting our lands. Marching toward town after town, forcing your rule upon them. And all who do not obey are murdered."
Fear temporarily left her body as she stared at him. She grabbed his arm and said, "That is the Unity, not my people."
Ere-hian's eyes focused on her, and his grip tightened as he fell onto the ground. "You blame the Unity for your sins. I will never forgive you for what you have done. If it is not Father, I will finally bring your kind into the mud where you belong when I take the throne. I might not be able to kill your kind today, but I can punish you for shaming my family name."
The slave girl only saw rage in the boy's pink eyes. He opened his mouth, and she witnessed the famous feature that separated vampires from all other races on Alagore: their blood-drinking fangs.
Seeing that the vampire boy was going to bite into her neck and drink her blood, she struggled and began to cry as she felt helpless. He bit into her right shoulder, and a sharp pain jolted throughout her body. Still, at the same time, A strange surge ran through her body, followed immediately by paralysis. It was an ability vampires possessed while feeding, preventing their victims from struggling or dying while they were being drained-an ability that vampires had while feeding that prevented the victim from dying while being drained.
"No...!" Assiaya struggled to say. She glanced up, staring at the painting.
She then closed her eyes, feeling weak, and then grew angry and reopened them. The sensation of the vampire's bite suddenly became distant, replaced by something else—something she could not understand. A faint cyan iris emerged within her eye lens and faded away with a blindingly bright light.
Strangely, the dual-eyed girl's sight was blurred with bright spots breaking her vision—as if the image were a reflection from a broken mirror. Then, a female Kitsune appeared. At first, she thought it was Roath; however, the clothing looked similar. That was when she realized it was the Unity Priestess speaking to the son, explaining that his father was failing his people and that the future leader of the Verliance Aristocracy must step forward if he were to one day become ruler.
"A youthful male like you must find his place within this world. The only way to do that is to separate yourself from your father," the Kitsune said.
"But... I could never betray my father. He is the most stoic man I have ever met," the vampire boy said.
"Would a father abandon and be weak against those who have taken from his family? He protects your enemies while refusing to seek vengeance for what was robbed? You, of all, know that he is not loyal to his name," the Kitsune said.
"I do not know..."
"Strength comes from within, my young Kniaz. If you know what is right, a youth with a bright future must stand against what is wrong and seek change."
"The Unity wants the future ruler of the Verliance Aristocracy to be strong and loyal, one who upholds justice and progress. We only wish to bring prosperity to these lands. If you wish to be that, you must prove that you are a worthy man—not a little boy like yourself. Only then will you have a desirable story of being respected."
"I am respected; I am the Lord's son."
"And yet you whine like a child. A man captures what he wants. A man shows dominance in front of all, even to the ones who are closest."
The last image was of the Kitsune Priestess smirking before Assiaya's blurry vision started coming back. She saw that Ere-hian was no longer feeding from her neck. He stood there looking confused, almost dazed, with his free hand on his forehead as if suffering from a migraine.
"What happened?"
"I do not know. I saw memory."
Once Ere-hian regained focus, he looked toward her again, debating what he would do next. The hatred that had filled his eyes moments ago was gone. For the first time, Assiaya saw something else there—confusion, almost fear.
Before he could decide, the fortress-palace alarm went off, stating that Lord Kallem Verliance had returned from the front lines.
"Your master has returned. You are lucky, Lat."
Ere-hian angrily tossed Assiaya onto the ground, landing on her shoulder. She slowly sat up, feeling her arm in pain and noticing that the top of her dress was ripped apart, with parts of it still in his hand. Feeling exposed, she covered her chest with her arm. Her emotions took over as tears flowed down her cheeks.
Kallem's son rushed out of the chamber, tossing the fabric from her clothing in his hand away. Then, the slave girl found herself alone, crawling into a ball. She felt her shoulder and then stared at the blood on her hands. It was not much, but the fact that she saw the blood that her master's son was feeding off terrified her.
Hearing the door open again, Assiaya assumed it was the vampire boy but saw the Head Maid, Roath, entering the room. The gray-and-white Kitsune walked over in a disciplined manner, carrying a bag.
Once she approached, the Kitsune woman knelt beside the slave girl and set the bag on the floor. Without saying a word, she grabbed the Lat slave and looked over the wound.
The Head Maid reached into the bag and pulled out a small box. Taking off the top, she removed the cream and rubbed it over the two tooth wounds.
The dual-eyed girl felt an intense amount of pain from the wounds and tried to regain her composure in Roath's presence. She didn't understand what the Head Maid meant, as it felt like the teeth marks went deep into her body.
"It is not weak to cry," Roath said. "The wounds are not as bad as they look. He was just punishing you, not trying to kill you."
Hearing the Head Maid's words, Assiaya allowed herself to express her emotions as the Kitsune treated her wounds. "I do not know what I have done. I have only been a good slave."
"It is not what you have done," Roath said. "You are a girl and a servant. It is easy for the strong to take out their aggression on those who cannot defend themselves. I had to endure many things throughout my years. I had to endure many things throughout my years. It is what we sometimes must do to survive."
"Never let moments like this break you down."
Assiaya lowered her eyes. She had heard kindness before, but rarely from someone who understood what it meant to be powerless.
The slave girl looked toward the Kitsune, then toward the fireplace, understanding that this was a cursed world and that there was little hope. But for some reason, she knew she couldn't surrender now. She did not know why; however, seeing no path forward, she understood that she was a slave and that escaping was impossible. Assuming she could, where would she go, and who would aid her? Running around the countryside was dangerous on good days. She understood she wouldn't make it far as a little girl without survival training.
She allowed the Head Maid to clean her up, and once she was done, she stood up, holding what remained of her dress over her body. "Master Kallem has arrived?"
"Yes, he has," Roath said.
"He will be displeased if I do not prepare his meal," Assiaya said.
Roath then placed her hands on the slave girl's shoulders. "Good. The only way you will survive is if you remain strong. You will only face greater challenges and choices and need to embrace them. Never let moments like this break you down."
The Head Maid stood up and fixed her dress. "Now, go change. Your master wouldn't want to see you half-naked. And do not speak of this."
"I understand," Assiaya said.
*****
Kallem Verliance stood watching as the horse pulled his carriage away. Dozens of guards approached while the greeters stood ready and opened the door to the Fortress City of Forlace.
The Lord of Verliance entered the main hall of the fortress-palace and stopped, staring at the decorations. For the first time since the war began, he felt civilized.
Forlace was not the capital of the Verliance Aristocracy; it was a major military city on the border of the former Confederacy of Daru'uie. Captured by his grandfather five generations ago, it had played a significant role in the Hispana intervention into the Nevali Region and during the Templar War. While his kingdom had lost most of that fragmented region centuries ago, this city still stood thanks to Hispana. Now, the mighty city had evolved into a vital foothold for maintaining control of the region.
In the main hall of Forlace, statues of former fathers, heroes, and legends of the Aristocracy stood at the center of the hall, forcing anyone who wished to pass through to step aside and acknowledge their presence. The room's lighting was dim, brightened by shades of purple and blue that cast clear shadows. The lights allowed the many paintings, drapes, and banners to shine within the stone architecture.
While this place lacked the comforts of home, like Cornot, the servants had done a satisfactory job of recreating that feeling. With the recent failure to defeat the Altaerrie, he understood this would be the new home for the family and himself.
"My Lord," Verlcon said.
"Get yourself cleaned up and meet me in the war room," Kallem said. "We have work to do."
Watching his most trusted General acknowledge the order and leave, Kallem noticed Roath, his Head Maid, standing there with two additional servants. To his shock, he did not see his slave-servant among them.
Kallem walked past a statue holding a book representing lasting knowledge and headed toward the three servants.
"My Lord," Roath said. "I hope we decorated to your satisfaction."
"As always, you have lived up to my standards," Kallem said. "Now, where is Assiaya?"
"I apologize, my Lord. She is busy with female troubles and will be with you momentarily."
Finding the response odd, he decided not to press further. He had never had a reason to question Roath's explanations, even though his senses told him that something had happened.
"Fine. Prepare the War Room with drinks and food."
The maids curtsied before leaving to carry out their duties. Kallem then headed for the dressing room to quickly change out of his armor. With no time for a proper bath, he had to make do with scenting himself with perfume to mask the world's stench.
Soon enough, Kallem Verliance entered the War Room and saw the other generals gathering around the display table. The table had a smooth, light-blue crystal surface with a wooden border. These were typically used to view pre-recorded videos, live feeds from seekers, or display important documents. On top of it were paper documents and large maps of the region of interest.
One of the technical sages installed an information crystal—a thin, pencil-like object—onto the table, and the screen glowed softly. The video displayed the recent campaign against the Altaerrie, allowing the military staff to get up to speed with recent events.
Seeing General Verlcon Korva enter the room and sit at the other end of the table, Kallem said, "Study carefully because, let me be clear, the Verliance Aristocracy is at war."
He observed the reactions from his war staff. There was no shock, as everyone had already heard about the events regarding the Bridge, Salva, and these new humans. To his annoyance, many did not seem concerned about fighting a Lat-like human race, reinforcing the bias that Unity had beaten Hispana in the current war.
Based on his brief experience of the Altaerrie homeworld and the few battles they had faced, he understood that he needed his generals to avoid adopting the J'avais mindset. That was why he had kept Oralit'ee Kajia regrouping the army in Nevali. Everyone needed to understand the gravity of the situation if they hoped for victory.
"Generals and Nobles of the Aristocracy," Kallem said boldly. "You will not disrespect these Altaerrie. You will not think ill of them or deceive yourselves, as they will not be easily defeated." Seeing the confusion in their eyes, yet regaining their attention, he continued, "As you can see through the seeker feeds, they are not a conventional force, yet they are determined and powerful. An entire Group was defeated and routed after the recent battle, and that mistake will not be repeated."
"Our Lord is correct," Verlcon said. "Even when they were on the verge of defeat, they fought until they turned the tide."
"An annoying trait that all Lats seem to have," one of the vampire generals said.
Kallem moved his hand toward the city of Salva, which was displayed on the vision screen. Most people in the room had never heard of the remote town. Out of all the cities within Nevali—Toriffa, Affrooliea, Tarvass, and many others that brought wealth and culture to the Aristocracy—Salva was nothing of note compared to those City-States on the far west of a low-volume trading route.
"Salva will be their beachhead, and right now, they are fortifying it," Kallem said. "For now, our objective is to surround the city and the surrounding areas and contain the outbreak. We cannot give these Altaerrie breathing room to expand. If they do so, we could lose our annexation of the Nevali Region. Do you all understand?"
Kallem saw everyone acknowledge the emerging threat and begin taking the matter seriously. One of the generals asked about the Unity and whether they would join the containment.
The Unity of the Cordinlane had been a thorn in Kallem Verliance's side since their vassalage six years ago. As part of joining their crusade of world domination under the rule of the Katra, he had been allowed to annex their ancestral lands, Nevali. In return, he would deploy his armies to finish off the Thali'ean Fiefdom, Hispana Republic, and the Pamlinitie Kingdom. Since then, he had invested much of his political capital in avoiding dragging the Aristocracy into a world war. But now, with this new enemy, he would have no choice but to bring the Unity into his lands.
"I have yet to talk with the Unity," Kallem said. "However, I spoke with Priestess Erada on the journey here. The Unity will come to our aid."
"And all of your work to keep those zealots out of our lands was moot," Verlcon said.
Kallem saw a mixed reaction from his staff. Most were not thrilled about a foreign power entering their lands. As one of the original empires of this continent, it was not pleasant to be demoted to a second-rate power. However, this was how the world was, and he would have to push his traits to the extreme to maintain his sovereignty.
"Even when the Crusaders come, they will be limited," Kallem said. "The war is stretched on all fronts. Based on what I see, the Unity will prioritize finishing off the Lats and the Noble Elves. If we can hold the Altaerrie within Nevali, the Unity can finish off the rest of our enemies. Then we can surround these humans from all sides and crush them with overwhelming might."
Seeing that his staff understood, he dismissed them to prepare their Orders and Brigaton; however, he told Verlcon Korva to remain.
Once the room was empty, Kallem stared at his trusted General. "Now that we are alone and have time to reflect, explain how we lost."
Verlcon Korva pulled a tiny, clear crystal from his pocket. "I have wondered that myself. The enemy was able to open the Bridge, but we defeated their reinforcements—or so it seemed."
"That was my conclusion," Kallem said. "Something happened when we threw back their army, and yet, suddenly, our forces were overwhelmed."
"I believe I found the moment," Verlcon said.
He walked toward one of the significant Antikythera mechanisms, placed the crystal within a port, and turned one of the dials seven times until he found the recording he sought. He then pointed to a man on the screen.
Kallem was confused. As the recording played, he saw the same events unfold. While the resolution was slightly limited by the crystallization screen, the two vampires could see what they needed clearly enough. From what they had witnessed on the battlefield, the Altaerrie lines were crumbling. The screen showed the strange but horrific armored vehicles emerging from the Bridge chamber and firing their mighty cannons at their forces, taking out many of their soldiers and constructs.
He remembered witnessing such a machine and having no context for that weapon of war, so they had thrown everything against those tracked armored constructs. That tactic had worked for the moment, destroying one while degrading the others. The enemy counterattack had been a failure, and victory, while costly, had been within their grasp.
That was when he saw what Verlcon had seen. A man stood on one of the bunkers. While the other Altaerrie started falling back, this man suicidally charged forward. Behind him, other soldiers rushed forward, and suddenly, the enemy line flooded forward, pushing them back. The sight made no sense, as any such charge should have been easily cut down.
After careful examination, Kallem closed his eyes in frustration. He finally saw the enemy soldiers who had turned the tide of the battle.
"We allowed our fear to consume us in the middle of battle."
"That was my conclusion also," Verlcon said. "We overreacted to the enemy armor and lost focus. This man noticed it and exploited our fear. By the time we could react, it was too late, and the enemy infantry was on the offensive and had captured the momentum."
"We must be careful not to make the same mistake again," Kallem said.
As he spoke, his eyes remained transfixed on the Altaerrie who had led the charge. Something about the man seemed familiar.
"Do you have any more recordings of this man?"
Verlcon turned the dial multiple times until settling on one image. The same man stood by one of the many curved pillars at the temple. Beside him was a Templar who had recruited the Militia of Salva, Natilite. In addition, Rageal's daughter, Fraeya, soon joined them.
Then, it hit the Lord of the Aristocracy.
The man was the same one from their Altaerrie homeworld. He had fallen from the upper balcony onto his soldiers, stopping them from extracting the daughter. He had stopped Kallem from completing his objective, and now he was the cause of the loss.
Kallem felt his blood boil with rage; however, he forced himself to maintain his composure.
"Verlcon. I have a personal mission for you. I want you to assign our most elite warriors and capture this man. Bring him here."
"I understand," Verlcon said. "How are they supposed to find him?"
The Lord of the Aristocracy placed his hand on his chin as he recalled the few moments he knew about the man.
"Was his team the one who took Salva before we arrived?"
"I believe so."
"Then we know how. The Altaerrie are new here and must explore to seek resources and allies. The fact that they were the ones who stopped at their homeworld, took the city, and held the line leads me to conclude that the enemy will deploy these teams before the main army. They are probably contacting the nearby villages and other towns as they attempt to gain strategic depth."
Kallem then turned and walked toward the table. Seeing Salva, he pointed north.
"Based on the geology, they will either move south or north. More villages are north, so I would focus their efforts here."
"Understood, my Lord," Verlcon said. "I know exactly who to pick."
As the General left the room, Kallem stared at the large paper map. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, thinking about a simpler time.