There’s something heavy in the air tonight. It presses on the shoulders of every soldier present and nips at the tips of their red ears. Forces unknown to them flush out solemn clouds that are seconds away from pouring rain on the tops of their uncovered heads. They tense at the very thought of it. No one is aware of why the night’s dinner was pushed aside for such an impromptu meeting, yet everyone knows better than to start asking questions.

Row upon row of stiff-backed and white haired warriors stand in perfectly straight lines as they await the announcer. Not one dares to open their mouth, and if their bellies rumble, they do everything within their powers internally to silence it.

Shoulders go rigid and spines snap straighter when they see who exactly has called the meeting. “Evening everyone.” Her voice is steel and water all in one, and her eyes hold a darkness that has yet to become reflected in those that stare up at her. “I know that you all are hungry, so I will make this quick.” The empress of Velshlind is flanked on both sides by her most trusted mercenaries, both of which are sporting matching eye patches.

Anyone that knows of the two would recognize that they both had excellent eyesight before the empress had arrived.

The empress wears her usual dark gown, with fabric that could be made from tiny pieces of the night sky. Her silken snowy hair is pulled back in a series of harsh braids and there is an absence of her crown, though anyone with eyes can tell that she is the embodiment of power and authority.

Across her back a quiver is strapped. The empress has not come to congratulate the soldiers on their latest victory. It seems that she is here for more serious reasons. “In a few days time, the great king of Trind will touch ground in Barigremoy. He brings with him a fleet consisting of merely three ships.” The empress's right eyebrow quirks up at the end, as if mocking the foreign king’s navy.

“I intend to cut his journey short.” Her long fingers clasp together. “I’ve spoken with General Ragen and he has assured me that you all are strong enough and motivated enough to capture those ships, contain those men, and transport the king back to his land. I want as few casualties as possible, as few disruptions to the land as possible, and I want the king kept alive.”

A wave of uncertainty ripples through the crowd. Why would their empress want the rival king kept alive? Hasn’t the goal always been to destroy the kingdom of Trind, the land of biggots? Why would they not start with its king?

The wave is halted with just one look from her canny and all-knowing eyes. The empress knows best.

She turns from her audience and whispers something into the ears of her companions. They nod in union. “By the end of the week, we vacate the coast of this land. I expect all matters to be attended to before then. I’ll bring our General up to speak now.”

General Ragen, a man so rugged and sharply angled that one risks being cut just from the sound of his voice alone, approaches the empress. He bows deeply, taking her hand into his. “Great Grace.” He greets, his voice softening just enough to not be interpreted as disrespectful. The general rises only when she allows it. She takes her hand back, folding her fingers together. The empress faces the crowd again, her lips pursed delicately.

He then turns to his soldiers, his inky eyes scanning the crowd calculatingly. His voice is harsh when he speaks, “We will split into three groups. Team a, team b, and team c. You will see your current team leader to get your new assignments, and orders will be given out on a need to know basis, starting tomorrow. For now, you’re all dismissed.”

The crowd drops to a knee, their right hands going to dig into the dirt beneath them while their left goes to their hearts. “For Velshlind,” They chant, and if anyone had been looking, they might have seen the empress pulse in response.

Their steps are unhurried, almost as if her Great Grace only wishes to take a delightful stroll through the camp. The empress's arms are draped through those of her companions as they navigate her around puddles of mystery liquid and through the throngs of the hastily set up base.

The tip of her nail taps gently on the arm of the man at her right. “Care to deliver your progress report boys?” The words flow from her mouth in a tone that would derive no suspicion from anyone that just happened to hear as she passed by.

Heads bow in her presence and she nods in response, not bothering to even look in their directions. Hunts leans in, “We believe that we’ve found what you’re looking for, Great Grace. Trige felt a pulsing of power deep within the forest about twenty miles east of the base.” It was good that they had made some progress since the empress's arrival a few days ago. Her fury had been a physical being, and the pair had no intention of summoning it again.

From the night she had arrived and delivered their swift punishments, they had been scouting, only returning today to escort her to the base. She dips her chin. “That’s good." The empress hums as they continue their walk. "You know… I love it here. My father used to let me come along with him on his business trips, and this was always my favorite place.

“It stands beautifully with its vegetation and mystical life, don’t you think?” The pair nod. On this they agree. The mission that they had been assigned had led them here, and they were struck stupid when they arrived.

Never in their life had they seen land so full of nature. There were forests with bountiful trees and animals that had not been mutilated beyond repair. There were plains filled with tall and green grasses and flowers with blooms so bright, they could barely register the colors.

How had this continent survived the disasters that had ravaged most of the rest of the world? Was it the magic that the inhabitants were said to possess long before smazers came into being? Why had they left the rest of the realm to rot?

“My father used to tell me stories of the people of these lands. They were so wild and far fetched that even my little child’s mind wrote them off as tales. But then we came here, and I saw them with my own eyes. The ones I met were primitive and obeyed the rules of a time far before us. But their worshiping of life and their gods is what gave them power.

“At least that’s what they told us.” She stops walking, her eyes glazed over and pointing to the sky. “Just before the smaze devoured the capital, during our last trip here, I was given a powerful gift. Though I made the decision to sell it in order to bring our nation back from the ashes.” She looks to Trige, her pure black eyes capturing his own. “Now I want it back.”