Chapter 96

Chapter 96

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Unnamed Cove, Medea Island, The Kalenic Sea

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Haythem stood and stared, stunned, when the group of guilders following The Voice came upon the gathering army in the jungle. There were a dozen different kinds of 'Children' milled about. Each of The Voice's guards proved to be representatives of their species, rather than one-off monsters. He didn't see any like The Voice, but he supposed she was one such one-off monster.

Apart from those he'd already seen, there were some normal-looking monsters mixed in with the armor-wearing and weapon-wielding 'Children.' Three different kinds of rabbits hopped about; The kind with antlers worked to widen clearings by causing the trees themselves to shift in place, the single-horned ones seemingly postured amongst each other, and the winged rabbits flew between branches. There were rats everywhere, like a living tide that moved and breathed. He worried about stepping on one at first, but they proved aware enough to move away from his path.

There were Tigers, of course, with their Kobold handlers. But there was another cat-like creature. These ones were golden, and practically glowed whenever a beam of sunlight struck one. They had tear-drop like markings across their fur. They were just as large as the tigers, but these creatures had no handlers, and Haythem was therefore far warier of them.

Then there were the manabeings.

Most of the basic elements were represented with the notable exception of Water. Earth, Wind and Fire had a sizeable contingent, with only Metal and Shadow representing the second tier elements. Each Court was represented by an Elemental. The Earth elemental was composed of black granite, a common rock found on the island. Its smooth, featureless face turned slowly. The Wind Elemental was huge. It stood thrice the size of the other elementals, and was composed of thick grey clouds that circled and cycled around its body, giving it shape and definition. A feminine shape, but he wouldn't be fooled. Manabeings had no genders.

Haythem realized the Air Elemental must have been one of the names The Voice had said were directing the storm. That this manabeing could control such a storm, even with two others aiding it... He felt a thrill of fear run down his spine. The Fire Elemental was familiar to him, but the female-shaped bonfire had seemingly changed its color palette. Where it'd once been composed of yellow and orange flame, now it was a deep blue, with a white core. He noticed that the leaf-covered jungle floor was uncharred beneath it.

The Metal Court was represented by five beings, each reminiscent of the Fifth's Guardian. Smooth, gleaming metal bodies that morphed and warped into a variety of limbs and weapons. There were two whose skin was akin to copper, and had a feminine shape. The other three were gleaming silver, though one had a slight glow to it. The Shadow Court, Haythem was well acquainted with. He could barely see them, but they lingered in the deep shadows of the trees around them.

The Guilders were assigned to squads of Children, rather than being left in a group on their own. Haythem and Bertram were grouped with a reddish-brown 'Drake-kin' named Rustclaw, a Capriccio called Baanarama and a 'Sunlion.' Those were the golden cat creatures, and he found the name appropriate.

They'd quickly been shuffled into a formation and positioned by the jungle's edge. From his position behind a tree, Haythem glimpsed Bahrain transport ships sailing directly at the beach. About thirty of them, with a similar number hanging back. When the Bahrain had fully committed, their soldiers dismounted from their transports, the signal was given; the Fire elemental launching itself into the air, chasing the flying enemy mage.

They charged, and the melee was... frantic. He couldn't remember much of those first few minutes.

Haythem cut down another Bahrain with a diagonal slash, then backed up as the dead man's vengeful fellow soldiers swung back at him. Their strikes were intercepted by the red-brown scaled Drake-kin beside him, quickly followed by a trio of bright orange beams which cut the remaining enraged invaders down. Haythem nodded to Bertram and the Drake-kin as the next group of Bahrain rushed forward.

Before the Bahrain could close the full distance, they sunk into the sand to their hips in less than a second. Haythem stepped forward, and with a cleave he beheaded the front three in one swing. The Capriccio in their group bounced on the head of a fourth, while Bertram crushed the head of another with his mace. The Sunlion burned a hole in the sixth, while the Drake-kin swung its claymore-sized sword to cut the seventh and final soldier vertically in half. Certainly unnecessary, and extremely gory, but Haythem found himself not particularly caring.

These people had killed Flasa. They'd robbed him of her. Of her smile. Of the life they could have spent together, If he'd just seen what she meant to him, earlier. Though he'd long relieved her killers of their lives, he found the void in him... unfulfilled.The source of this content nov(el)bi((n))

The mixed group of monsters and guilders pulled back, and a fresher group of fighters moved into their place. Haythem took the moment's rest to observe the battle. By far, the majority of beings on the beach were monsters. Children, he thought he'd heard The Voice refer to them; The Children of the Creator. Given their new... political situation, it was probably best to stop thinking of them as 'monsters.'

Children, Court and Guilder fought together that day, and Haythem found it not as strange as he expected.

The corpses were gathered and carried off to a side-entrance hidden in the jungle, eventually making their way down to the experimental chambers on the Fifth. Children returned to their homes, and any humans who checked the beach would find no evidence a battle had even taken place. I couldn't do the same to Obsidian beach without raising questions I wasn't going to answer.

And that was that. The invasion, thwarted. All that was left was to declare the island under my protection, independent of any other polity.

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The Fortified Mansion, Medea Island, The Kalenic Sea

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Kata stood before the ex-lord's throne in his audience hall. It was well-decorated, more than she'd have expected of the throne of a mere baron. Carved of the same black granite everything else on the island used, this was far more worked. It gleamed, polished to a reflective shine. On its seat was a plush cushion, one which looked incredibly soft and well-crafted.

Kata turned, and sat.

It was incredibly comfortable.

Gathered in the hall were the most powerful Guilders on the island, the Platinums and the Guild's high-level staff, as well as the most powerful Children on the surface. Kata recognized most of those present, though the terrified-looking well-dressed woman was new. Kata took a breath, and felt The Creator's presence bloom in the back of her mind.

"With the invasion repelled, and no immediate threats to the island extant, agreements and statements were made this morning which need addressing," Kata began. Mumbled conversation quickly stopped, and the crowd turned to face her. The Creator felt pleased at the Guilders and Children standing amongst each other, rather than standing against the walls in separate groups.

"The Phenoc Kingdom is defunct. While heirs no doubt exist, they'll be the descendants of third sons and daughters, propped up as the legitimate heir by Dukes vying for power and control. As of today, Medea Island is independent. The Creator has claimed the surface for his own, and the former Lord Medean was unwilling to work with Him. The former lord has been removed from power, and will be returned to his father when a ship is available." She stopped as the unknown woman stepped forward. The Creator whispered in her ear that this was the Lady Medean, and that she'd been quite reclusive in the last month.

"What is to become of us?" The noble woman asked, hands cradling the small bump on her belly. Well, that was... something.

"You have a choice. You can follow your lord husband to the mainland; I am sure the Count Medean will be glad to receive you, carrying his son's child as you are. You could return home to your father, though I'm sure that'll cause friction with the Medean family. Your final option is to stay. As a new nation, we will be opening relations with the mainland duchies. You could act as an ambassador for your father. The Dungeon produces a bounty I'm sure he'd be pleased to have beneficial tariffs on."

Lady Medean seemed overwhelmed. "I must beg my leave, Voice of The Creator. I will have my answer within a day." Kata nodded, and the woman left, escorted by a few awkward-looking guards. As one of the few normal humans in the room, Kata had no doubt they were feeling powerless. She gathered herself, then made her declaration.

"As this island is no longer ruled by the Medeans, I hereby rename this island Atlantis, after an ancient island kingdom of the same name. As our nation will not be a kingdom, since our ruler is not a king, it will be known as The Creator's Dominion!"

The Children in the court burst into cheers, and there was more subdued clapping from the Guilders.

But they still clapped.

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