Present Day
Nodran and his admirals were about ready to leave when a black knight came riding up to them. Nodran felt an odd aurora. He turned and looked at this knight. He was adorned in dark armor with intricate raised gold runes "Who are you?"
The horse came to a slow stop in front of the dragonborn. Redkin dismounted and knelt before Nodran. "I am Redkin Sire. I have been granted a set of armor by my mother so that I might fight alongside you."
Narissorian looked at the black knight and nodded, "I know not the origin of his armor, but that is indeed Redkin."
Nodran smiled softly. "I am glad to have you. Mount up and let's ride."
The four of them rode out to the edges of the South keep. For as far as the eye could see, mounted soldiers filled the fields.
Nodran dismounted his horse and stood before 100,000 dragon-born waiting for their King. He shifted into his draconic form. The sapphire dragon flew high into the sky. He soared above his army blowing fire lighting up the sky. The soldiers below responded with battle cries and support. Their horses began pawing the ground.
He landed and shifted back to his human form. He mounted his horse and the horns of war sounded. They marched toward the East Elvarian King's land. They rode hard.
Nodran frowned at the scene they came upon. There were monsters running rampant. The Elvarian's were scattering. What was left of the dragon-born were in small pockets batting fiercely but losing desperately.
Nodran growled, and they all spurred their horses' heads into battle. Their forces cut through the enemy lines like butter. The men he brought were his most seasoned warriors.
Xanther, standing upon the upper hillside, frowned when he saw the army successfully attacking and killing the horrors. "Haldor, How did he get that many Ethereal weapons!?"
"I do not know, father." Haldor crossed his arms.
Xanther growled. Call the next wave. Open the stargate!"
Haldor smirked. This was his favorite part. He did an ancient incantation and a cosmic gate opened, allowing three hundred thousand more horrors to enter the battle. The monsters tore through Nodran's lines.
Redkin dismounted his horse, separated from his comrades, he stood defiant and full of resolve. His sword danced, black blood staining its blade. His horse, unwavering, shared his resolve. Ten foes fell as fatigue set in. He was not a seasoned warrior. His strength waning.
"Talveran, I need your strength. I cannot do this on my own."
As Redkin finished his statement, his armor glowed with ancient power, drawn from the Ash Tree of Nexus, His sword blazed with green energy. A flash of green light overtook the battlefield. Rekin's eyes glowed with the fury of an ancient power.
The glow of his fight grew brighter with every horror they sliced down.
Three monsters attacked him at once. His astral sword cut down his foe, slicing right through his weapon and absorbed its soul.
Redkin used the momentum to jump into the air and twist at the same time, taking down two more within seconds.
A horn blew and more monsters circled him attacking him all at once. Talveran growled. The fierce sound resonated across the battlefield. Catching Xanther's attention.
Xanther narrowed his eyes. "Haldor, what is that!?"
"If I did not know better, that looks like a rogue Nexus Warrior."
Xanther growled hard. "Summon Angelo!"
Haldor only nodded and did as his father commanded. A man stood before Xanther. He fell to his knees, "My King, What can I do for you?"
"I need you to get your rogue soldier in line," Xanther scowled.
"Sir, I do not have any rogue soldiers. Angelo protested. "None of my soldiers would dare to defy me."
"Then what is that?" Xanther pointed to Redkin on the field as he took down monster after monster.
Angelo narrowed his eyes, "I don't know but I will find out." He walked with extreme confidence through the battlefield to where Redkin just slain fifty monsters with Talveran.
Angleo rushed Redkin from behind. A green pulse of energy knocked him backward to the ground. He stood up and shook his head.
Redkin's eyes glowed with green cosmic power as he turned to face Angleo. He spoke with a voice that was not his own. "You dare to attack your King?! Be prepared to defend your actions with your life!"
Redkin's sword changed, it widened and became the King's sword. Angelo's eyes widened, "but, the only one who could wear that armor is Relana's children."
"You are a fool Angelo, It could have been you, She asked if I would bond with you, and I agreed. But you turned on your Queen! You turned on NEXUS! My Host is your son. Child of Relana. Now meet my steel and fight me!"
Angelo growled. "She never asked me! I LOVED HER she betrayed me FIRST!"
Talveran ignored his words. His attacks came harder and with more force. The green glow pulsed with cosmic power. "You will fall to your king! I will have your head for betraying our Queen!"
Horrors attempted to divert Talveran's attention. The astral armor attacks slowed as he drew in magic. Like an EMP burst, a shock wave of Lumina's power took out 20 Horrors allowing Talveran to focus on the object of his fury.
Angelo's eyes filled with fear, he backed away, meeting every attack of Redkin. The Green sparks setting eldritch blood on fire.
The battlefield began to glow with green fire as it spread. The magic raw Trilot. The fallen soldiers of dragon born, stood their injuries healing. They picked up their swords and began fighting the horrors.
⚔️ ⚔️ ⚔️
Nodran's steel clashed hard against the lead Horror. It was a huge monster. He was a seasoned battle warrior, but his strength was waning. He saw his side was drastically losing. He growled. He could see they were vastly outnumbered. His anger could not be controlled. The huge horror attacked relentlessly.
Nodran tripped and fell to his back at the monster's mercy. He growled in frustration. His breathing became labored. He closed his eyes waiting for the creature's blade to take his life.
When the moment didn't come, he opened his eyes. His armor was glowing with orange magical energy. A power surrounding him brought the horror to its knees at his feet.
Nodran stood only to double over in pain as a forced transformation took over his body. Wings sprouted from his back. Horns erupted from his head. His heart was racing. A blue tail whipped and flicked until it reached a length of nine feet.
His ears became pointed and his whole body burst into flames of hell's fire. The horror hid his eyes to not be blinded by the light radiating off of Nodran.
With a hard take off the dragon born took to the sky. The arial view of the battle only enraged him. Hundreds of thousands of his men laid dead or dying on the battle grounds. Nodran's eyes pulsed with fury as he saw more Eldritch monsters advancing on what was left of his army.
Storm clouds responded to his rage and formed overhead. The skies opened with a fury of tornadic wind and lightning storm.
His heart cried out to all his men, and every ounce of his intense fiery anger became electricity striking the battlefield, focused attacks each one a kiss of death sending monsters in range to the underworld. Snow began to fall as the temperature plummeted.
Redkin's attack on Angelo didn't slow down. Nexus's admiral fell and his sword raised above his head, "I yield, My King! Talveran! Accept my complete submission!"
"You Betrayed our QUEEN YOU DESERVE TO DIE!" Their swords sparked.
Redkin's consciousness surged forward with compassion and power, taking back control. "Talveran! We do not need to kill him! If he will deny Xanther and fight with us!" Redkin's body shuttered with internal strife. He took a few steps back and shook his head. He closed his eyes tightly.
The emerald glow died down in his eyes as Talveran submitted to his new King. "Fine."
Redkin held out his hand. "My name is Redkin, Son of our Supreme Sorceress Queen Relana. Rise Angelo and join the ranks of Nexus. Assist us in defeating Xanther."
Angelo scrambled to his knees before his king. "I pledge my complete and absolute loyalties to you, my King. Shall I summon your army?"
"I have an army? Hell, yeah! Let's send these horrors back to where they came from."
Angelo stood. "Sire, you have so much to learn, young one." He took out a whistle and 20 Astral gates opened across the battlefield and an uncountable number of perfectly synced warriors marched out in droves. The soldier's armor matched that of Talveran.
The horror's had no chance in Lilith's Kingdom of survival they fell like flies between Nodran's cosmic kiss of death storm and the unparallel might of the Lumina's warriors.
⚔️ ⚔️ ⚔️
Lilith stood before Valdos. "I think it is time to wake the white dragon. Lilith. Xanther has gone too far, he is making an army of horrors."
"I don't believe he has the power to do so. He would have to have the assistance of Apocalyptica herself."
Valdos growled. "How can I prove it to you!?"
"Bring me proof." Lilith's eyes pulsed with red fire.
Before Valdo's could say more 10,000 eldritch horror monsters appeared before them. Sent to her by the Kiss of death.
Valdos smirked. "Is that proof?"
"Fuck, I am going to get to the bottom of this now." Lilith snapped her fingers.
A portal opened above the battlefield and an enormous obsidian dragon flew out of it. She lit up the sky with hell's fury.
"Father, ummm, Is that Lilith?" Haldor asked with fear in his voice.
Xanther's attention was on the battle. He couldn't believe that the armies of Nexus came to the aid of these mortals.
"FATHER!" Haldor hit his father, "LOOK UP!"
Xanther pulled from his shock, looked up and saw Lilith. "FUCK!" With a snap of his fingers him and Haldor fled the scene.
⚔️ ⚔️ ⚔️
Angelo burst through the door, his breath ragged and his eyes wide with panic. "Relana! I need you now!" He clutched a young boy in his arms, his expression filled with urgency and fear.
Relana stood in front of her open fireplace, where a large cauldron hung from a hook embedded in the stone above the burning wood.
In one hand, she held a large wooden ladle, and in the other, an open vial from which a murky smoke slowly wafted. A table next to her brick wall was covered in strange bottles filled with various liquids. Some contained eyeballs floating in fluid, others human fingers.
She was focused on speaking an incantation, her voice low and rhythmic, when the door burst open, interrupting her concentration.
She scowled and looked up, a flash of light and a puff of smoke rising from the cauldron as her potion was ruined.
"Fuck," she swore, her irritation quickly turning to concern when she saw the young man in Angelo's arms.
Her age was evident in the gray that had taken over her black hair, and the wrinkles under her eyes showed the strain of her years.
Her expression changed from irritation to extreme worry. "What happened to my son, Angelo?" Panic filled her voice as she rushed over to him, placing her lips on the boy's forehead. "He is burning up!"
"I know! He has been injured, and Lilith told me to bring him here. Only you can save him! He is dying, but what is worse, Talveran is poisoned!"
"Did you see what attacked him?" Relana inquired, her worry deepening.
"I did not. We were in the middle of a war; it could have been anything."
Fear ripped through her spine. "Take him upstairs to his bed now."
Relana scowled as she went to her closet, opening it to grab an ancient relic.
She rushed upstairs to his bedside, her son's soul slipping away. Relana placed her hands upon his chest, closed her eyes, and began a spell:
"Under the keeper's guidance,
The blood that courses through your veins,
Embrace the immortality you are encoded for.
Rise, my son, and become the king you should be."
Redkin's body glowed with a white, fiery light. She rushed to her washroom and grabbed a clean rag.
"Angelo, carry this water for me?" She pointed to a bucket of water on the ground. Relana returned to his bedside.
Angelo nodded and did as the old woman asked, grabbing the bucket and bringing it to the table beside the bed.
He watched in a panic worry as the old woman soaked the rag in cool water and run the excess out. She folded the rag and placed it on his forehead.
"There is not much more I can do Angelo. We will just have to wait now."
Angelo sighed as he sat next to his boy. He watched the young man's chest rise and fall, each breath a struggle.
"I must go get a potion from downstairs. I shall be right back." She hurried off to retrieve what she needed.
Angelo sat next to his son and sighed. "Why do I always find myself at your side, Talveran? Waiting for you to wake up?"
Relana came back a few moments later, a swirling potion in her hands. She walked over to Redkin and, in her aged voice, instructed Angelo, "Come help me. I need you to part his lips so that I can allow this drink to slide down his throat."
He did as she told him to. "Will he survive?"
"Do you refer to Talveran or my son?" Relana's expression held venom.
He growled softly but did not argue. "Both."
She looked at Angelo with a grave expression. "I do not know."
Angelo frowned. "I wonder, what creature would be able to injure Talveran?"
"I have a feeling I do," her gaze dropped to her injured son, "but Goddess, I hope I am wrong."
⚔️ ⚔️ ⚔️
"Angelo, will you take this and go out to the well to fetch me some water? I need more for the pies."
"Of course." He took the bucket and walked out the door, frowning as the stench from the pig pen filled his nose. "Nexus! How does she live so close to these vile creatures?" He shook his head as he continued walking. He paused and looked around.
He saw a strange building not far from the well. "What the hell is that?" he thought. He could not help himself and approached it. The door rattled and shook.
He paused. "What the fuck kind of pets does this woman keep?" He knew he should have stopped, but he could not help himself. He took a step forward, pausing just as his hand touched the handle.
"What do you think you are doing?" He turned to see Relana standing there with her arms crossed. "The well is the other way."
He scowled. "What do you have in there?"
She laughed, a wicked expression in her eyes. "Angelo, you lost the right to be in my closets many years ago." She pointed to the well. He hung his head.
"Fine." He obeyed her but when he got to her, he stopped. "Relana, I will make you mine again."
Her hand meeting his cheek echoed across the farmland.
"Fuck, what was that for?" His hand went to his jaw.
"So, you can get that stupid thought out of your head now. The water, Angelo."
Relana shuffled her way back into the cottage. Angelo felt the sting of her slap linger on his cheek. He scowled before turning back to the well. He sighed and, without any further delays, filled the bucket with water.
He entered the cottage; she was at her cauldron again. Without turning to him, she instructed, "Put it by the sink and leave me be."