Chapter 36: Fort Carrano

The beast people were far removed from what I originally thought they’d look like. I’d imagine they be reminiscent of the various anime races I watched back on earth. With humanoid-looking people with animal features such as cat or dog ears and tail. I was wrong. The beast people were actual furry humanoid creatures with black fur sprouting various shaved patterns within them. They were smaller than the average human and could walk on all fours or shift to a two-legged stance as needed. I would say they were like a larger version of a baby bear. Now I understood why the Priman language translated them to beast people.

In the wild, you could easily mistake them for a beast, but they spoke the language all the same. I believed I saw a few in Artress but mistook them for large pets of some sort. The misunderstanding was only cleared once I saw the large number of them by Fort Carrano looking ragged and downtrodden. Each carried large packs on their backs bringing what little belongings they could.

“That’s a Nox.”

My people moved to the individual I pointed out. Apprehending them and bringing them before me. My perk was activated, and I looked around pointing out the Nox disguised as people. I would not let these creatures have a single chance of infiltrating as they did to Princess Karla’s forces. Soon we had ten, then twenty, then a hundred and more increasing, and I hadn’t even made it inside the walls of the fortress yet.

By the time we finally arrived before the gates of the fort we had a little over two hundred disguised Nox held captive. They looked around uneasily and pleaded to know what was going on. Many have been wrenched from what was most likely the previous owner of their body families.

“Aegis are you sure?” Amaya asked looking in my eyes for confirmation. I nodded. My perk hadn’t let me down in showing illusions from reality and as I confirmed I felt my eyes change slightly and a new notification appeared in the corner of my vision.

I opened it checking its contents before I whispered.

“Aspects.”

Yet right as my aspect page appeared before me a vision appeared within my eyes.

*

“It’s a pleasure and I thank you for joining us at Fort Carrano, I am General Isenberg the last commander you’ll see before the front lines.”

Red eyes glared back at me as I reached to take the hand of the commander just as my senses screamed danger and the fortress erupted in chaos. The Nox poured into the room and General Isenberg's features morphed. My cousin as well as the ten great families slaughtered one by one as fire consumed the fortress. The Crimson Army had fallen.

*

Aspect: Starlit Harbinger

(40) %

Effect: Increase in all stats which include but are not limited to endurance, vitality, speed, magic, and strength. When under starlight gain a 20% greater increase. Gain the skill Perfect Recall, allowing you to recall special moments with perfect clarity. Increase combat damage output by 15%. When calling upon your bloodline all powers and effects are concentrated and strengthened within a range of 20ft.

Perks:

Ashes Fall [Beyond] (Max): Summon ashes from [Beyond] which will drain vitality/mana and sap mental endurance (Major). Only affects living objects. Those who fail to extricate themselves from this ability in time will begin to build stacks upon themselves. Once an enemy reaches five stacks’ users may harvest these stacks returning health/mana and mental endurance to themselves. Enemies that have been harvested once are inflicted with [Transcendent Dawn]. Harvested target’s soul shall take the damage instead of the body. Damage is doubled for each new stack upon the target.

Starlit Eyes (Tier 3): See in the dark without light interference. Can see through illusions. Cast an illusion through your eyes that can hamper the senses of allies and enemies alike.

[Beyond] Gaze (Tier 2): This is a permanently activated ability. Allows users to see into the Beyond glimpsing events that will happen shortly.

Dragon’s Health (Passive) (Tier 2): Passively regenerates vitality and mana (Average). Increase mental endurance (Average).

Prelude of Ash (Passive) (Tier 1): When in combat surrounded by ashes a Dean of Ash shall be summoned as a physical construct.

Aspect: Adventurer

(40%)

Effect: Fortification of all stats which include but is not limited to endurance, vitality, speed, magic, and strength. This allows users to draw more upon their physical bodies without using as much resources as before.

Perks:

Adventurer’s Insight (Tier 3): When activated allows the user insight on all viewable items within sight. Providing detailed information based on the knowledge user already has and making structural weaknesses more obvious. Any weakness hit has a chance to inflict the skill Tundra’s Grasp slowing the enemy by 25%.

Adventurer’s Grit (Tier 3): When activated fortify and turn your physical body as tough as steel. Damage taken during this period will be negated by 15%. Once a month block all incoming damage for a period of five minutes.

Seed of Hope (Tier 1): Plant an idea within yourself or a single target. Then allow the Seed of Hope to blossom.

Survivability (Passive) (Tier 3): Increase regeneration of physical and mental state. You can now regenerate limbs and extensive damage taken to the body.

(New Passive Available!)

My page appeared in front of me, and I paused in my steps. It would take several minutes to open the large gates for my several thousand force to enter.

‘Shit.’

‘Shit.’

‘Shit.’

The word repeatedly ran through my head as I skimmed over my aspects. Noticing several new changes.

My perk Starlit Eyes was the first to draw my attention from the notification. It had risen a new tier. Alongside Adventurer’s Grit and Survivability my gains from fighting Koama Lionheart.

“Aegis?”

My cousin called to me, and I turned towards her and began speaking in Imperial.

“The fortress has fallen, and this is a trap. As far as I know, we’re surrounded by Nox. If we go in there, we all die one by one. The frontlines are already here.”

“Are you sure of it?” Amaya looked worriedly at me her grip tightening around her spear-like staff.

Next to me, Gloria looked on in confusion. Not knowing what we were discussing.

“Very sure,” I said, and the two new lieutenants of my cousin swallowed loudly.

“What do we do?” Loani blurted out in panic. I sent a sharp glare in her direction. Gloria began to speak having picked up on the panic tone of Loani even if she didn’t know what the woman was saying.

“Young Lord, Lady Amaya is something wrong?”

“Fort Carrano has fallen, somehow the Nox have bypassed General Irvon. If we enter through those gates we die. Overwhelmed one by one by the Nox.”

“Young Lord, forgive me but that should be impossible. Fort Carrano is under-”

“General Isenberg is a Nox, Gloria if we go in there we will die.”

I looked directly at the older lady. Showing the seriousness of the situation.

“What do we do?”

The voice came from above and I only now noticed the flying Aisha who gave me a tight worried smile. In her hands was another orb she was using to record our exploits.

The gates were rising slowly, and my mind moved to wonder how we could get out of this situation. Just as I was about to deem the situation hopeless, and we just take a chance at running away. I remembered the new effect of my perk. My eyes glowed brilliantly but no one besides myself saw what was happening.

“I will stay here. Amaya have the Crimson Army begin to retreat I have activated one of my abilities. Which should by us enough time to get out of ambushing range. Once you see me prepare to fight for your lives. Aisha alert the rest of the great families and Princess Moriah.”

“Aegis I can set down a law…” Amaya began but I cut her off speaking in Imperial.

“Amaya, you must trust me inside those walls are thousands of Nox. That would ambush us unprepared. They would turn the men who haven’t been converted against us as well. Use your mana to prepare my spell and activate it the moment you see me come running.”

“I trust you; we’ll head to Carrion’s Ridge and move through the forest alongside it setting traps along the way and preparing for the battle to come.”

I spoke in our native language because I could tell Gloria was having a hard time believing that the entire fortress could have fallen. But I know what I saw. If my army goes through those walls, we’ll be slaughtered. Thousands of the creatures lay in wait. I didn’t believe all the people inside the fortress were converted into Nox but enough of the chain of command was that my people would be led into a trap.

“Young Lord there must be some type of mistake. Fort Carrano is the closest to the front lines and if the Nox were here surely, they would have long since pushed hard into the territory of the Last Kingdom.”

I didn’t bother a response to Gloria still working on my illusion as the mana drained from my body in a vast amount. The moment Amaya turned around to start directing the Crimson Army she seemed to split, and another Amaya took her place standing beside me. The same happened to the flying Aisha who now raced off to tell the great families and Princess Moriah. Fortunately, the pathway was clear, and the refugees only crowded around the road but not on it. The gates opened and Gloria went forward while the illusion of myself followed. She seemed to be relieved that I followed her and still was speaking trying to convince the illusionary me that I was mistaken.

My illusion seemed to cover the entire army and I now understood the rapid drain of mana as the illusionary Crimson Army followed behind. I could not move, nor could I blink as the illusion would end if I did. It was unfortunate Gloria didn’t listen, but I had long since stopped my distrust of the system and the aspects and perks it provided to me. My abilities showed results time and time again. Gloria was tier nine hopefully she would survive what is to come.

Through the eyes of my illusion, I watched as my forces were split. They were to be housed in several different directions while the commanders would be meeting with General Isenberg. Yet I paid little attention to it as my illusionary beings constructed from my magic seemed to make weird sounds and noises the people took for words. I was amazed at it all. The people taking the sounds for conversation and responding in kind.

I couldn’t hold this ability up much longer already I only had less than a quarter of my mana remaining. The gates closed just as the illusionary version of me reached out to shake General Isenberg’s hand. The illusion dispersed in the same moment the Nox took my hand and began to transform. The last thing I saw through the eyes of my illusions was a horrified Gloria surrounded by Nox.

Was what I had done right? No, but I would do what was necessary to return to Nia a champion and conqueror. The expectations, the training, the resources provided to me would not go to waste. A guttural cry rang out loud enough to be heard across the fortress and outside of it as well.

I was already a distance away swiftly moving to the retreating army in the distance. Thousands of lives depended on me. I told myself. I made the right decision abandoning Gloria and allowing my troops several minutes of a head start. The people we originally apprehended were still huddled together but once the cry was heard they two began to morph causing panic amongst the refugees who scrambled away.

Was I a hero? The Empire deified heroes. It is why so many kids of the new generation were named Alex or Alexander. Named after the hero Alexander Fross and my father’s right-hand man. There were plenty named after my father as well a few even belonging to my army none were notable for me to interact with, but they existed. Was I a hero?

My father and mother all had their tales perhaps exaggerated at some points and perhaps not. Yet one pattern I noticed about the Empire was its glorification of heroes.

Was I a hero?

Was I a hero?

Was I a hero?

Was I a hero?

Was I a hero?

The question powered its way into my skull and thrashed around my brain as I ignored the screams and pleas of the civilians dying at the hands of the Nox. I wondered why it persisted through my mind as the people are being slaughtered and others are being turned. I knew what was happening. Their soul was being consumed as a catalyst for the birth of a new Nox.

Was I a hero?

The large gates began to open and out bounded black figures with red veins and a few of those figures had gold veins crawling through their skin. Barking orders at their lesser kin as they chased after the fleeing people. People who couldn’t defend themselves. People who held no power and walked no paths. Was I a hero?

I had the power; did it mean I had the responsibility to help these people I had no relations with? They weren’t my citizens or people I pledged to protect. I came to the world of Prima to conquer. Was I a hero?

I glanced back only to see a mother of the beast people trip injuring her ankle in the panic. She grabbed the basket from her back and out poked the head of three tiny cubs. Their eyes were wide with fear. Begging, pleading, the woman tried to thrust the basket into the hands of another only to be ignored as they scrambled in their own madden haste to get somewhere safe. The Nox gaining on them.

WAS I A HERO?

The voice my voice seemed to roar at me as I was far in the distance able to arrive in only a moment to save her and return to the position I was currently at. Yet there were many like her on the brink of falling to the Nox. My mana was spent but my physical body was at its peak, and I could fight against multiple Nox of my tier and escape to safety. I knew it.

WAS I A HERO?

The question reverberated through my head, but my feet did not stop as I moved swiftly to catch up with my army. Would I stop and help these unknown people with a threat that consumed their world. Already I agreed to have my army participate in this war against the Nox. Many of them would die in the process. My body pulled in essence. Trying to restore me to my peak in this essence starved world. The mother of the three cubs gazed around in horror and despair as the darkening tide of Nox came ever closer.

Was I A Hero?