The Storm King

The Eye of Tyrus was a terrible thing to behold. A hole in space that promised such untold destruction that even Terris shuddered at the mere thought of it. He’d seen the profane thing lay waste to entire cities, end wars, and convince even the most recalcitrant foe to yield.

The thing that opened upon the brat’s leashed monster was only a pale imitation of the true Eye of Tyrus—the real thing was a weapon wielded by the Ocean King, and such was its power that no one else was allowed to even touch it—but Terris still felt a chill run down his spine as the enormous eye-like portal opened on the skin of the jellyfish.

He was in public, though, and he could feel not only the attention of his enemy but also his own people, and showing fear in public and in the face of such an august guest was unconscionable. He made up for his anxiety with decisive action, diving into the portal as soon as it was opened despite his every instinct screaming at him not to.

He went alone, though not entirely by choice. Had he not been ordered to come alone, he would’ve brought at least one of his Strategoi, but when the brat gave orders, there was little else to do except follow them.

The journey through the portal was mercifully brief, and Terris emerged standing on the sandy shore of a small tropical island. His feet sank into the soft sand, and the sound of the waves gently lapping at the shore soothed his frayed nerves—given the maintenance of the ocean wall, he’d not heard the waves in far too long.

A few dozen feet in front of him was a marble pavilion, tall columns of polychromatic marble holding up a roof with gilded roof tiles. In the center of the pavilion stood a marble statue several times larger than life-size, showing a man of spectacular physical strength wrestling a leviathan emerging from the sea.

‘Ocean King Ahndhas Gargan, seizing his position as Ocean King,’ Terris thought as he beheld the statue. His attention soon turned to the three young women standing at the edge of the pavilion, staring down at him on the shore with neutral expressions. Each one was seraphically beautiful and dressed in the finest purple sea silk, gold embroidery of krakens, sharks, and more eldritch leviathans making it clear who they worked for. None were post-Apotheosis mages, but not once did Terris consider showing them any disrespect.

Without a word, Terris advanced to the pavilion, walking up a flight of marble stairs from the shore to meet the three women.

Once he drew close, the strongest of the three said in melodic tones, “Follow us, Despot Terris. Her Highness awaits.”

Terris gritted his teeth at the thought of the brat and followed the woman along a path of sparkling stone along the shore of the island, followed closely by the other two. The path was winding and longer than it should be, as far as Terris was concerned. It didn’t lead further into the island but rather followed the shoreline over several nearby hills. Only once over them did Terris finally lay eyes upon his destination.

A magnificent palace built mostly of sea green marble and cool-colored coral sprawled out before him. Enough space to house hundreds of people, yet Terris knew it to be almost entirely empty.

‘The brat thinks to enhance her prestige by removing herself from view,’ he disparagingly thought. All he saw when he looked upon the mostly empty palace was a colossal waste of space and resources.

And yet, he also felt pride in the strength of the Ocean Lords for being able to build such a place and so casually leave it nearly empty.

He steeled himself as he was led inside, through gilded corridors and stately chambers. Finally, he reached the deepest section of the palace, the doors to which were guarded by a pair of ferocious sea dogs with the equivalent power of eleventh-tier mages.

The dogs growled through shark-like teeth, their webbed paws and heavily muscled limbs tensing in preparation for a deadly lunge, but a single word from the leading female attendant quieted them both.

Beyond the doors lay a hall of such magnificence that Terris felt like a pauper despite the ostentatiousness of his own seat. Off to the right was a wide opening, in which he knew lay a covered seat upon which the brat would be reclining. He didn’t spare the alcove a glance, knowing such a thing was deeply frowned upon, an attitude reinforced by enchanted sheer curtains that allowed one to only perceive a few vague shadows beyond.

Terris advanced through the hall until he reached a large cushion on the floor in front of the alcove. There, he went to his knees, his eyes fixed straight ahead. From his right came the brat’s spine-tinglingly pleasant voice.

“Despot Terris…”

The two words, so delightful to the ear, nearly had him questioning his antipathy for the brat.

“Princess Miuna,” Terris responded. “By the Tides of Fortune, your presence honors me.”

Hardly acknowledging his statement, the Princess said, “Several days ago, my Despot, I visited the court of Basileus Triton, who told me of the endeavor you have embarked upon.” ṛ𝔞ＮŎ₿Ë𝙎

Terris scowled at the mention of Triton. A conniving man of dubious loyalty, on the few occasions that Terris was reminded of him his gratitude to the Ocean King for enfeoffing him beneath Basileus Numitor increased.

“The Honorable Basileus Triton lies distant from this place,” Terris stated noncommittally.

“Your actions have sent ripples through the King’s Ocean,” Miuna said, her pleasing voice neutral, but carrying with it a note of judgment. “In a time of war, those who provoke other powers will always draw attention.”

Terris fought not to audibly scoff. “The Storm Lords are no great power.”

“Yet you expend such blood in attempting to subdue only one?”

Terris’ fight not to react was hard, but he won in the end. “My foe has fought hard,” he said.

“So hard that you have mobilized your entire Despotate? I confess to great curiosity in seeing what foe has pushed you to such measures.”

“Get a good look, then,” Terris half-growled. “He will not last much longer. Once that barrier comes down, I will rush into the valley like a river through a burst dam, and show the Storm Lords why defying the Ocean King is so perilous.”

“My Divine Father thanks you for the service,” Miuna responded, hardly sounding like she meant it. “Do you know why I visited the court of Basileus Triton, Despot Terris?”

“I do not.”

“My Divine Father has decreed a new levy upon his Lords. The Mountain King is tenacious, and the war in the west drags on. More soldiers are needed in that theater.”

“Soldiers are needed here in the east, too,” Terris argued, suspecting what point she was making. “The influence of the Ocean King must be felt even amidst the chaos of the Storm Lands!”

“Your Despotate was not to be levied,” Miuna stated. “Though, perhaps it should’ve been, if you are so willing to wage war without my Divine Father’s leave?”

“It is my prerogative to enforce the will of the Commander of the Tides,” Terris said through gritted teeth. “The Storm Lords encroached upon the buffer zone and had to be taught a lesson!”

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Miuna sounded like she clicked her tongue, though, with the curtain in the way and Terris’ eyes staring straight ahead, he couldn’t tell if she had or not.

“What is the nature of the foe you face, Despot Terris? I would not have thought merely enforcing millennia-old whims of my Divine Father would have taken such force.”

Terris held his tongue a moment despite the risk of perceived disrespect. He wasn’t sure how much he should tell the brat, or what her reaction to the information might be. She was known to be… tolerant of the abnormal.

Finally deciding that truth was better than lying to the favored daughter of the Ocean King, he explained, “The Strategos who sought to settle in the buffer zone wields powers and artifacts that betray a bestial inclination.”

“An Ascended Beast? Or one who bears a bloodline?”

“The former, I believe, though his true nature is difficult to discern. He wields lightning of a like color with the Storm Kings of the Thunderbird Clan, and yet… And yet, he also wields Doomfire, or something very much like it.”

“Doomfire?!” Miuna exclaimed, her cool and somewhat distant demeanor shattering for the briefest of moments.

“I fought against him myself. My Ebon Glacier, forged by the Universe Fragment of Anax Selachi, proved insufficient to killing this monster. His black fire and white lightning are wondrous and terrible powers. He even displayed affinity for black lightning.”

Silence fell when Terris finished, stretching on long enough that he thought it prudent to add additional details.

“He possesses several arks of Thunderbird origin, claims descent from the Thunderbird Clan, and his army is infested with Ascended Beasts in staggering quantities. The Canticles of Hormizd are clear on how to respond to such monumental threats.”

Returning to her usual neutral, almost sing-song tone, Miuna said, “I am curious about the strength of this Strategos. What was his name?”

“Leon Raime,” Terris said, pronouncing the syllables almost like he speaking around ground glass.

“I will act,” Miuna stated, sending a shiver down Terris’ spine. “Return to your ark, Despot Terris. And prove to me the veracity of your claims.”

Terris immediately pushed himself to his feet and sped out of the hall as quickly as dignity allowed. Though Princess Miuna was hardly the most powerful of her siblings, the Ocean King had furnished her with powers and artifacts enough to ensure that she could not be threatened by anyone save perhaps an Anax. If she was going to act, then it could only shorten the time required to destroy Leon Raime’s pathetic Kingdom.

Or so he hoped. The brat was also known for flights of fancy and acting on whims. There was no way for him to predict what she truly wanted or why she was choosing to act in his favor—if this even was in his favor. Regardless, he had to be with his people if he were to respond properly to whatever she was about to do…

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“It’s just been floating there,” Alcander whispered in mild confusion. “What even is it?”

Leon sympathized with his confusion; he hardly had much of a clue what the jellyfish’s appearance meant, but he doubted it was good for Artorion.

He stood on an observation platform of the southern Talon, much of the remaining command staff of the valley defenders with him, too. Alongside them were some of the commanders of the Seventh Iron Order, including Carver.

“That, King Leon,” the Second Warden said as he took a couple steps forward, “is the personal mount of Princess Miuna, favored daughter of the Ocean King. We should prepare for a fight.”

Leon gave Carver a long, searching look, and then turned to the Jaguar and ordered, “Do it. Sound the alarms. Raise all defenses. Everyone to your stations!”

The Jaguar bowed slightly and began barking orders, while Alcander did the same for the few Tempest Knights around Leon. Carver, meanwhile, spared Leon a grateful look before heading back into the fortress so that he could better coordinate between the Iron Order and Leon’s remaining warriors.

As they left the observation platform, Leon turned his eyes back to the strange jellyfish floating in the air, his eyes narrowing as he noticed its skin parting again to reveal the portal beneath. A moment later, Terris came peeling out of it like his Ancestors themselves were on his tail trying to drag him to his personal hell, while throughout the valley, Leon heard alarms start to blare.

The jellyfish then began to swim through the air in the direction of the southern Talon, and his blood ran cold. He took to the sky with Valeria, Maia, Cassandra, and a handful of Tempest Knights.

“Prepare for battle!” he shouted as the jellyfish continued its almost lazy advance, more and more power emanating from the portal in its skin with every undulation. “Spread out!”

The jellyfish halted about half a mile south of the southern Talon, though tremendous power continued building within the portal. In the distance, Leon noticed the Diluvian arks start to scramble from patrol formations into something more aggressive, as if in anticipation of the shield coming down.

A deep frown spread across his face as some measure of dismay filled his heart. He almost conjured Iron Pride in grim determination to resist whatever was about to happen, but he paused just as he reached into his soul realm. Instead, his frown faded slightly as he conjured his new bow. He was excited to try it out, but that excitement paled in comparison to the dread he felt at whatever this jellyfish was about to do.

He didn’t have long to wait; the magic building in the jellyfish peaked, and a beam of steam glowing like a star shot from the portal and slammed into the shield. The golden light flexed, holding for but a moment before shattering. A hole was blasted through the shield, and the effect cascaded outward, the shield crumbling as the light rippled and flexed, trying desperately not to fail, but to no avail.

In less than a minute, the shield protecting Artorion was gone, and the jellyfish turned and floated back to Terris’ base camp. At the same time, Terris’ arks moved like a school of fish, letting loose with deadly blasts of steam and exploding bolts of ice. Leon’s Lances responded, the upgraded Aurichalcum Lances proving their worth by immediately downing several Diluvian arks.

Leon brought his new bow up and channeled his power into it. ‘All right, let’s see what you can do…’ He drew the ‘string’ back as far as he could, and an arrow of darkness appeared. Lightning flashed across its surface, almost drowning out the blue halo around the projectile, but Leon had eyes only for his closest target: a Diluvian destroyer that seemed intent on charging into the misty veil. The power of the bow was tremendous, and holding onto the string took far more of his strength and concentration than he’d thought after his test with Nestor. The bow greedily drank of his power, too, and he knew that he couldn’t hold the string back for long even with all the power he had within him.

He loosed the arrow, and it flew straight and true, unaffected by wind or gravity. Truly did it strike, slamming into the ark’s prow so quickly it was almost lost amidst everything else that was happening.

The effect was immediate and unmistakable, however; for a moment, cracks in space appeared around and through the ark, and a moment later, vanished. The ark, however, exploded with such violent power that the destroyer was almost completely vaporized.

“By the hells…” Leon murmured, having not expected that much power. It was just one shot, but he was left panting and awed. Other arks plunged into the misty veil as some of the larger ones tried to bombard the valley from a distance, so he immediately began looking for his next target.

He spied a light cruiser immediately start listing as it entered the veil not far away, but before he could bring the bow to bear, lightning flashed amidst the veil, striking the cruiser a thousand times in a matter of seconds. Armor was peeled away and the people within were burned to ash. The ark swiftly lost power and, trailing fire and smoke, crashed amidst the mountains around the Artor Valley.

Throughout the misty veil, Leon saw similar scenes playing out—Mir’s doing, he knew, and he couldn’t help the smile of satisfaction that spread across his features. Five minutes after the shield went down, a dozen Diluvian arks had been wrecked.

‘A good start,’ Leon thought, his excitement faltering a second later as he cast his gaze about his defenses. The valley was being hit from all sides, and lucky shots were still hitting the walls and towers. Already, two towers had been destroyed, representing a greater proportion of his defenses than the arks that had been shot down did for Terris.

He couldn’t just exchange shots like this, and he was somewhat gratified to see that the Jaguar likely felt similarly, as the few arks he had remaining flew into the misty veil to contend with the Diluvian arks there. Bright Intent and the Iron Order arks, meanwhile, were close enough to join the battle in the next few hours—assuming it lasted that long. Another of Leon’s towers melted under the weight of superheated steam, which had been fired with such accuracy that Leon couldn’t believe it had been an accident.

‘They’re tracking Lance shots!’ he realized, noting that many of the other arks bombarding the valley were growing more accurate, blasting holes in the wall and getting closer and closer to the other towers.

Leon grimaced, but right as he was about to plunge into the mist and aid his people, Terris’ personal ark accelerated forward, the man himself leading the way, his mace of black ice in hand.

The man raised a pale blue crystal in his other hand as he charged, and magic poured from it so thickly that Leon almost lost track of Terris within it. When this magic suddenly shot forward, his blinded magic senses became less problematic as the magic pushed the mist of the veil aside, boring a hole through the defenses right to the doors of the southern Talon and revealing Terris to Leon’s physical sight.

Terris’ eyes immediately locked onto Leon hovering over the southern Talon, and he roared, “FACE ME, MONSTER BIRTHED FROM THE BLACKEST WOMB! THIS IS YOUR END!”