Interlude: Last Kingdom

Karla took the information Gloria delivered in stride. Plans and ideas changed in her mind as the seconds ticked by.

“Let us return to the castle. Some things need to be discussed and our new friends have given us what I hope is a solution to our infestation.”

She looked over to her long-time mentor, friend, family and so much more that Karla knew she wouldn’t be able to express with words. Gloria was taken aback. Noting the new light that seemed to fill the eyes of Karla. Then she finally took stock of the members of the squads that followed her lady. Roughly sixty men stood in formation with a pillar of some sort carried on the shoulders of a few of the men and women. Gloria sent a questioning glance to Karla who only smiled in return.

Gloria then proceeded to lead the company to the waiting airship. The Spymaster’s mind already formed its thoughts and conclusions based on what she observed.

***

A few days later the company arrived back in the capital of the Last Kingdom, Artress. Karla immediately took command ushering the troops of Aegis to guest quarters after they secured the monolith within an open but guarded area. The troops insisted they be the ones to personally guard the thing and Karla had no objections as several of her men were compromised.

Her next action was to summon the royal guards. She would do this silently, and privately to not provoke any more hidden intruders. Karla had a feeling in her gut that told her things would not be as bad as they seemed during her initial meeting with Aegis. Over the course of several days, the royal guards were each inducted into the system underneath her and Gloria’s overview. Gloria herself was skeptical of what Karla told her. Describing how a change had been made in her mind, body, and probably her very soul. Although she could not be sure her intuition pointed her in that direction, she was rarely wrong. One thing needed to be addressed. One thing that Karla and Gloria did not know if they were prepared for.

Only a few people knew exactly what was occurring in the Endless Mountains and the one to set up the guard detail was Captain Pattani and one of the few guards she hadn’t alerted to what was going on. A difficult maneuver as Karla was ordering his men to switch locations and come to the guest quarters one by one but a necessary one as the guard captain was just as strong as her. The man had several decades of experience on her, and Karla thought of him as a close friend, but her suspicions didn’t point anywhere else, and Karla would not allow herself to falter. Not now and never again now that she had a way to secure the souls of her people.

Karla stood in the center of the yard near the monolith and waited silently for the arrival of Captain Pattani. The moment he entered it was no longer just Karla, but the Warrior Princess. The sky was darkening and becoming heavy with rainclouds. She stood ready with a longsword stabbed in the ground in front of her. This was a tradition of the Last Kingdom when a ruler or someone in a position of power was to be put on trial. She watched as Pattani’s eyes widen for just a moment before his gaze returned to normal. The man stood around 185cm and was in his standard armor. He drew the blade at his side and stabbed it into the ground signifying his acceptance to the challenge on his honor and authority.

For a few moments, the Warrior Princess and Captain Pattani stood in silence and stared at one another then as both blinked once Gloria stood between them.

“Captain Pattani you have been called here today on suspicion of treason. How do you answer to this crime.”

Captain Pattani’s eyes widen in surprise, and he let out a small grunt. His straw-colored hair waved idly as a breezed picked up. The silence was deafening but the party stood strong.

“NOT GUILTY!”

His voice thundered putting his might and conviction into the words. The wind picked up in speed and a drop of rain descended on the Warrior Princess.

“I call of the Truth and so I shall have it.”

The Warrior Princess eyes suddenly gave off a golden shine and the light that radiated from her eyes washed over Captain Pattani. It seemed to pierce through him then go deeper, deeper, until it was on the prefaces of his very soul. A projection appeared allowing all to see it. A small brightly glowing orb appeared and for the briefest of moments, it seems pristine. It reminded the Warrior Princess of the bright summer days when she was a child, and her father would train her, and afterward, they would get something to eat and drink. The days her mother was still around and alive. Her days were happy then but what Karla didn’t know was the looming darkness that threaten their kingdom on a daily. The illusion dispersed and the truth of the matter was revealed for all to see. An inky black creature reveals itself. A bug that appeared similar to some type of tick or flea may be a combination of both. It grew bigger as it absorbed the light of the soul, and it began to morph.

The Warrior Princess and Gloria looked on in shock it was not absorbing it was combining. With the now Captain screaming as if he was being murdered. The Warrior Princess reacted before the change could complete and in the next moment, all was quiet. More drops fell from the sky and a thunderstorm began. Summer was ending. Winter was coming.

*

Gloria paced around the room her eyes looking over the map of the Last Kingdom while Karla did the same. To the west was the Endless Mountains and territory of their new lord. It was also the buffer of the free lands. Lands that were given to refugees and non-citizens and combatants of the Last Kingdom. Currently, it was being flooded as their neighbor's territories had fallen. Mobilization had already been called for and several nobles responded. Including Count Caccula who was still looking for a meeting with Karla. He arrived earlier in the day with a bit over 7,000 troops and a supply line. Currently, they were stationed five miles outside of Artress as no force besides the royal bloodline could be within five miles of the capital. Part of her army was already getting itself ready. Roughly a thousand of her men were off from being stationed at the frontlines and would now be returning. Already these men were in the process of receiving the power of aspects. The magic had shown to have some hold over souls as it revealed tens of Nox spies within her forces.

Her mages were fascinated by the monolith itself and requested to conduct studies on it, yet Karla only had one of a few she’d seen of the objects was still within Aegis’s territory. One thing she did have them do was observe the process of when a Nox was revealed. It was similar but different from when she used the power of her first perk. The bodies became corrupted as the creature tried its strongest to hold onto it and the red veins that signified the Nox showed themselves as they began to transform. Each was killed before they could complete the process.

This was why Karla never left half-dead troops behind. A gruesome process but if a soldier was dying and far from the reaches of the safety of their fortresses, they would at least go out with a bang full rights and honors.

“We’ve yet to receive a response from the northern nobles. The south and west are already on the move. Estimating around 150 thousand from each area. The east has always been in a rotation since they’re the frontlines but if we mobilize everyone and call for militants, we can easily support a million troops.”

“What is the situation of the fortresses? Fort Carrano, Deiya, Caivon, Lorric, what is our current station and numbers?”

Karla knew from the previous reports the number of men stationed at these few named fortresses but wanted another confirmation just to strategize and reorganize her thoughts and how they would maneuver.

“With our last census, there is an estimation of 150-200 thousand combined within these four. Most of these are people who’ve barely hit tier one.”

That right there was the main problem of her kingdom. Ever since the Artis Empire was lost, the now the Last Kingdom had struggled to raise the level of their troops. A tier one was worth at least ten regular men and most of the troops were just buffed-up commoners. They just didn’t have the resources to lift every soldier to a reasonable level. Even her ability Way Finder had limits. Another reason why nobles and their private armies were so important to this war. A war many wanted nothing to do with.

A shame but with tier rising in power came to their lives extending. This was why Gloria who was in her seventies appeared like a middle-aged woman. A lot of their traditions and values had been lost when the Artis Kingdom collapsed, and Karla knew they were on borrowed time.

Another reason why she didn’t force or demand anything when meeting with Aegis and Amaya. The people in the Crimson Army were a minimum of tier two with plenty being tier three and even through that when Karla explored the city without being limited, she could feel plenty on the verge of breaking into higher levels of power. An army of tier threes could never be defeated by those who were beneath them. Plus, with their features being like nothing ever described in the history of the continent and her Way Finder pointing to Aegis as the hope of the situation Karla chose to dive in with these strangers who appeared human. Perhaps they had some type of troll or perhaps they were a new breed of humans entirely. Karla did not care what she cared for was the lives of her kingdom. Only ten million of them were left and their numbers dwindled every day.

“The west will march to Fort Carrano and Fort Deiya while the south shall head to Fort Caivon and Fort Lorric. The Crimson Army should be arriving shortly. I trust your men are already ready to report the situation to them?”

“Yes, Princess, I’ve dispatched a few mages to make sure there are always real-time updates. I’ve sent a few runners to discover what the situation in the north is as well.”

“Within a few days, we should receive the report.”

Karla nodded at Gloria’s words and returned her attention to the map. Her eyes light with a new but burning passion.