The Afari Emperor, Usagaki II, continues his father's efforts to regain the eastern territories. The Chiruwa rebellion is in its tenth year, and the Maravi and Akano regions are tardy in their supply of troops. To compensate for the shortage, The King of Kings has won 3 of the last 4 victories via single combat with Chiruwan Sword Lords. However, these gruesome duels have taken a toll on the aging warrior king. Ras Sha Razakis has taken command of the army with the objective of obtaining surrender from the rebels or removing the territory from the map.
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A gentle breeze swept across a series of plateaus known as the Steps of Kozana. Right in the center of the highest plateau, a beautifully adorned red pavilion encircled by a lengthy mudbrick wall contrasted the grey surroundings. Over 100 men, draped in maroon clothes, white pants, and long-sleeved shirts, armed with rifles and long curved blades known as Shotels, patrolled the surroundings. Those in purple robes stand guard around the entrances of the enclosure and the pavilion itself.
Outside of the occasional flare-up of noise from the livestock also barricaded on the plateau the scene was mostly serene.
Inside the regal pavilion lay the
He ran his hand through his wild bushel of black hair, it resembled a mane in its untamed state. Then ran his index finger and thumb down the contours of his face to the end of this overgrown beard.
This face massage would repeat itself a couple of times as if it were a surefire way to dispel the malaise. Hands still plastered across his face obscuring the vision in his right eye. With his only available eye, he glanced to the left.
To his left stood a rich wooden table that gleamed in the dimly lit pavilion. An ebony hilt and scabbard encrusted with brass and gold plaques on the ornate tabletop stood on black stilts. The scented candles, beads, and manuscripts neatly arranged around the sword only served to complement its grandeur. And grand it was for the sword was 'Teniko's Tail,' the legendary blade passed down the Usagaki bloodline for three generations.
Usagaki's less sullen but still labored eyes closed momentarily before he shifted his gaze to the right.
To his right, stood an ornate portable minibar complete with all the best spirits from Frocania and beyond. Despite the variety, It would be a bottle dressed in interwoven thatchings smeared with the emblem of a goose that caught the King's attention.
Resolute, he motioned to the right.
'Greetings, Your Highness,' pleaded a soft buoyant voice.
Usagaki jerked, visibly startled by Safo, the royal eunuch, and personal guard who stood at the feet of the bed.
He was a tall slender figure dressed in black velvet attire with a young face despite being in his thirties. The three slash-like scars across the bridge of his nose did little to diminish his boyish charm. He carried a silver tray with tea and all possible complements aboard with one hand and the other firmly tucked behind his back.
'16 years later, still the jackal in the den, huh boy?' Usagaki chirped as he settled himself, legs firmly planted on the ornate carpet beside his bed. As he did so his robe slid open to reveal his bandaged body, signs of wear and tear from the gruesome duels.
'Tchadai suggested the Honey Lemon Digaroni Tea for your ailments, sire,' Safo softly announced as he poured the hot greenish liquid into a white golden trimmed cup.
'Well… The holy grail suggests wine,' Usagaki grunted as he put both hands on his kneecaps, clearly attempting to begin his journey towards the wine.
'Got to get up before he-'
When Usagaki lifted his head, Safo obstructed the view of the wine with his tray. He handed the King of Kings a cup with a brimming smile.
Usagaki begrudgingly took the cup and sipped.
A purple crow flew into the pavilion and onto a perch.
'Greetings, old man. Thank the ancestors for their hatred of you,' the crow spoke telepathically to all in the room.
'No worries, twerp. They will see me soon if I keep drinking 'Dragoni Piss',' Usagaki mocked as he sipped the tea.
'How goes the battle, Tchadai?' Safo jested resolutely.
Usagaki spat out his tea in a most unkingly manner.
'IT STARTED,' He cried.
'Cannons sounded for close to an hour; we all tried to wake you. Your Highness was in the deepest of slumbers.' Safo responded calmly
'BUT HOW…' Usagaki still in shock
'They are sheep, and our wolves are hunting,' Tchadai said.
'WHO IS IN COMMAND?' Usagaki asked in a panic.
'Razakis has taken command, per your orders.' Safo consoled him.
'When did I do that?' Usagaki inquired
'Right before you took your rest your Milord' Safo responded yet again
'Have the cavalry crossed the field?' Safo inquired
'No, the men are pressing their advantage; they should give in soon enough,' Tchadai responded
'So no Swordlords have entered the fray?' Usagaki inquired
'It certainly appears not to be the case,' Safo responded
'Hmmm...Then this battle is far from over,' Usagaki smirked as he took another sip of his Dragon piss.
'Continue to watch, beloved. Report back in an hour,' Safo commanded.
The purple bird flew out of the heavily guarded tent and towards the plateau's edge. It perched on the left side of a cross atop an ebony staff. Sitting cross-legged beside the staff was the young Tchadai. At the tender age of 13 she was the youngest war priestess in the history of Frocania. She was adorned in priestess regalia; a dark blue veil that covered her hair and draped across the rest of her body. Her milky eyes stared off into the distance.
Beneath the towering plateau lay the usually tranquil Kezzene plains. But not on this day. On this day the plain was flooded with bodies crashing upon one another. One side was dressed in white with trims of yellow and green, the other beige with red and maroon trims. The former was the imperial army, the latter being the Chiruwan rebels.
At the far left end, arms and feet flew through the air as double-ended shotel sliced through them. The perpetrator was Jeba the Brave, Commander of 500 infantrymen, and leader of the left-wing infantry units. The tall lanky figure wore a blue and green headwrap and a light brown tunic, encrusted with brass stars. A proud indicator of his rank.
'Show them no mercy, my darlings. God almighty has forsaken them,' he shouted as he ducked between attacking Chiruwa and relieving them of their legs.
'Who's he calling darling?' one of the men behind him asked. Another clearly panicked man shushed the apparent newcomer as if to say 'We don't ask that around here.'
Some leagues away, the sounds of skulls being cracked echoed through the chaos. A bald brawny man with black paint slathered across his eyes and mouth wielding two mace axes had his way with the advancing rebels. A decorated green scarf clung to his chiseled upper body as he waded through the dusty battlefield. Zeleke 'The Smasher' was his name. He was the Commander of 500 infantrymen and leader of the right-wing infantry units. His actions always spoke louder and clearer than he ever could.
In the middle of the field, the Infantry commander of 1000, Sabaris 'One Hundred Arms' led the charge. He wore a headband with horse hair on the edges that swayed with every movement. A green shawl covered his nose and abdomen, leaving only his slender eyes apparent.
He sliced, speared, or shot through his opposition with great speed and grace. All his weapons seemingly disappeared and reappeared in when he needed them.
Four Chiruwan soldiers surrounded the commander with muskets. Sabaris stood in place and lifted his cloak, revealing two jet-black revolvers holstered on his hips.
As their musket shots fired he blew holes through all 4 of their skulls. He spun both guns back into their respective holsters before the lifeless bodies hit the ground.
His black gecko-shaped earrings started to chime, and after some static, a voice came through.
A voice erupted 'Done by dawn, you said, Sabby.'
Sabaris quickly jested, 'These are the most stubborn mules in Frocania, but we will break them'
'Perhaps another volley would save…' Sabaris tried
'You and your cannons will bleed my ears no more. I am sending the princess,' the voice shouts.
'Yes, my Shalaqa. Only she will be too late for glory,' Sabaris shouted as he ducked under a spear and cleaved his opponent's face in two with a shotel as he came up.
After a loud click sound, Sabaris put his men on notice
'Our Sha Takkonen is sending a princess to save us.'
The men gasped in outrage and pressed on.
Some distance away from the frontlines, entrenched within a series of wooden fortifications, a tight formation of Imperial Kanamayan cavalry surrounded by a respectable amount of infantrymen lay in waiting. Two heavily guarded men sat on stools in front of a chessboard.
A heavily armored man wearing a golden helmet with a white plume jutting out of the centerpiece sat on one side. A large green velvet cape dressed his large frame, green feathers covered his shoulders and surrounded the winged emblem on his chest.
He held a knight in his left hand as he grazed his bare chin with his right. The man in question is Sha Takkonen Razakis of Kanamay, the Commander of the Imperial Army.
'They are buying time,' he says to his opponent, an elderly man dressed in priestly robes. The elderly man was Alulat, Vizier, and one of the advisors to the Negus Negast.
He took a gentle pull of his humble pipe, let loose a deluge of smoke, and asked
'What will you do about it
The commander looked up at the old man with a tinge of annoyance
'Call the princess' He ordered as he finally made his play on the chess board. Smacking one of the pions off the board with prejudice.
A young boy with light blue silk robes holding a box embalmed with a golden lizard closed his eyes.
A short distance away from the battlefield, nestled between two midsized mountains, a lightly armored woman sharpened her spear. The woman in question was Princess Sawat , the heir to the throne of the kingdom of Kaduna, a minor vassal that was subsumed by Usagaki II.
Her brass Gecko earring sounded 'Your riders are required.'
'Hmph, you should be ashamed of all the lives lost,' Sawat exclaimed as she blew off her spear tip.
Sawat continued 'Next time send in the Kudu of Kaduna to vanquish the ene…'
'What was that, Princess?' Razakis interrupted
'Hmph, I said…'
A loud click ended the communication.
A fuming Sawat stood up, she was surrounded by at least 1000 horsemen—some with spears, some with rifles, some with crossbows. All were lightly armored with some even shirtless. They each wore their natural hair in their various forms,
She mounted her lightly armored horse with haste and spun it towards a clearing between the mountains.
'Let's show these mountain dwellers how true warriors fight.' exclaimed the warrior princess as she charged into the clearing.
Her men erupted in support as they inundated the open plain.
The beleaguered Chiruwan infantry's entire left flank was showered with spears, arrows, and gunfire as the Kuduna cavalry spilled onto the plain. Sawat led the direct charge. a couple of panicked infantrymen raised their spears to deter her. She twirled her spear above her head before slashing in their direction mid-ride.
A gust of lethal wind sliced their spears in half. Their heads followed. Her steed leaped over their falling bodies with the utmost elegance, charging the visibly horrified but still-game Chiruwans.
A purple bird continued to fly over the battlefield, witnessing the Chiruwans crack under the combined assault of infantry and cavalry.
Almost abruptly the clear sky quickly began to cloud. The bird was shot down with a large black arrow.
Tchadai's body jerked forward as if she had awakened from a bad dream. She grabbed a Gecko box from inside her robe and shouted 'He's coming'
The dark clouds quickly enveloped the entire battlefield. The Imperial army looked up in astonishment. The voice came through with significant static, and Sabaris could barely hear.
'They… coming… Domain… SWORD LORDS.'
The last word resonated deep within his soul.
Sabaris turned to his men and called out 'Pull BA…'
A tirade of lightning strikes washed the advanced imperial forces . The simultaneous gust of wind bulldozed the remaining infantry, catapulting bodies into the air. Only The fearsome trio of commanders were able to keep their footing.
When the smoke cleared hundreds of charred bodies were spread across the blackened field.
Not a moment later, a single lightning strike branched into five, eviscerating the charred bodies. Out of the light emerged a mounted cavalryman with maroon clothes tucked between wooden armor. His wooden gauntlets and chest pieces were decorated with intricate carvings of beastly figures. Even his face wore a wooden mask that covered his eyes leaving his shaven chin open for all to see. He was Ras Takkonen Umeza 'The Dreadful' Commander of the Chiruwan Army. Appearing from behind him like ghosts were 500 heavily armored cavalrymen.
The Chiruwan infantry cheered.
'Where is your King ,heh ?' Umeza shouted as he twirled his spear beside his
'The Negus Negast would not emerge for the likes of you, Ras,' uttered Sabaris.
Jeba glanced at his superior with a bemused look that read 'Why are you like this?'
'Is that so?' jested the Chiruwan as he lifted his right hand.
The mounted horsemen strung their bows. Each arrow glowed with an electric aura.
'Shields up!' shouted Sabaris as he removed a rather ornate shield from his cloak.
'That won't help much,' said Jeba as he prepared himself to deter each arrow with his weapon.
'MAKE IT RAIN' Shouted Umeza.
Within moments hundreds of arrows flickering with streaks of lightning pierced through the air.
The imperial infantry raised their shields and braced for impact.
But alas, not one arrow landed.
The sound of air being swallowed up was followed by the faint sound of gentle galloping.
Sabaris peered over his shield to see a thick mist flooding the breach.
Umeza moved forward with his steed as peered in measured curiosity.
Through the thick mist, he could see a tall figure approaching.
The shadowy figure became clearer as it approached Umeza and his men. The galloping sound grew as the figure came closer.
Out of the thinning mist emerged, Razakis. Gently swaying on his white steed as it trotted to a halt 10 meters away from the Chiruwan cavalry.
'I see they finally decided to let loose the Chiruwan dog,' Razakis said.
'I was never on a leash, mutt. Chiruwan men are free, something you slaves would know nothing about heh,' Umeza responded.
'Uh huh, I let my men have their fun;
seems like they got a little carried away.'
'But now that you're here,
what say you to a duel?' Razakis suggested with a smug grin on his face.
A Chiruwan cavalry commander took offense to the request.
'Fret not, commander; we will stomp out this impudent rat,' he shouted and proceeded to order the rest of the cavalry forward.
Razakis unsheathed his saber and slashed firmly into the air. The missing arrows rained down onto the oncoming charge with shocking speed, injuring some and killing most. The blizt completely cleared the mist revealing the scene to the imperial army.
Sabaris erupted ' Who is our Shalaqa?'
The Imperial army burst into cheers of 'RA - ZA - KIS.'
The Chiruwan cavalry was now half its former size. Umeza stood undeterred, arrows all around his person as though he had been shielded by an umbrella.
'Very well, half-breed. I shall bring your sword to my home and send your lifeless body to your mad king heh' Umeza proclaimed as he pointed his spear into the sky.
A lightning bolt struck the blade point. A white explosion engulfed the entire spear revealing a larger blade with various points on either side of the spine.
Moments later, hundreds of snakes gathered some distance behind the Chiruwan general and formed a female figure, a priestess of a Djudai.
Out of her ebony staff splayed some type of purple force field. The translucent force continued to form around Umeza like a large net.
Various purple birds flocked behind Razakis; Tchudai emerged and did the same only with a lime green aura. Both auras would meet in the epicenter of the breach, intermixing like chemicals.
Back at the royal pavilion, Safo finished changing the king's bandages. He placed them in a bucket of water wiped washed his hands again.
'Things seem to be getting serious out there,
Your Highness. With your permission, I will send the masseurs for you-'
Safo was interrupted by the sight of the king fast asleep on his bed.
Safo took his bucket and bowed out of the tent. Some moments later, Usagaki opened one eye to scan the tent. With no Safo in sight, the King of Kings leaped out of his bed with blistering speed.
'Whoa… that Dragon piss did wonders,' Usagaki said as he marveled at the state of his recovered, albeit still bandaged body.
'But the taste was horrid,' Usagaki motioned towards the wine once more.
'Must rinse my palate.' The bottle was grabbed, cork pulled out with teeth,
'With some wine.' The wine poured into the golden goblet. He gawked left and right as if his moment could be ruined in an instant. Finally, he took a gratifying sip of the wine.
Outside the tent, an unseen presence bypassed the guards outside the royal encampment walls. The shrouded figure entered the premises just outside the royal pavilion, attempting to shadow the walls to find a way into the tent. He was discovered by one of the guards but made short work of him and his companions.
Usagaki, still standing by the bar, finished his first goblet of wine. Satisfied but not sated, he poured once more, this time more generously.
He took another sip and paused, grunted in satisfaction before taking another.
'Your snooping is impressive,' Usagaki uttered.
The shrouded figure now stood in the pavilion, guarding what used to be the entrance to the pavilion. 'But your domain manipulation even more so,' Usagaki continued as he turned to face his intruder.
Inside the pavilion looked the same at first glance, but some parts looked different. For instance, the entrance was missing, and the left side of the pavilion seemed to mirror the right.
'But I guess if they sent only one of you for me,' Usagaki continued as he peered through his intruder's scowl. The intruder removed his cloaks to reveal a mask, most peculiar as it had six eye holes and no conventional mouth.
'You must be the best they have,' Usagaki murmured before he took a final sip from his goblet.
The masked figure now unsheathed two curved blades from his black robes.
'The question is,' Usagaki said as he gently posed his goblet on the bar table,
'Are you good enough?'
Usagaki's eyes now flared in the dim light of the pavilion as he revealed rather unceremoniously that he had the unsheathed 'Tenikos tail' in his hand. The sword in question resembled four double-ended axes welded onto one other with extreme finesse.
The masked assassin paused for a moment. His domain manipulation should have done away with that.
'To Defeat the King of Kings.'
Back on the battlefield, all fighting had ceased as is recent tradition; all battles must stop when two Swordlords engage in battle with one another. Now the only weapons being wielded are spiteful insults and taunts from both sides.
In the middle of the two armies, a dome embalmed in mystic energy. Inside the dome, Umeza and Razakis encircled one another on their battle-ready steeds. Both their auras wrestled for dominion over the newly formed domain.
'What's wrong, half-breed? Why do you not release your first form?' Umeza taunted.
'At least give your men a good story to tell your wench of a mother,' Umeza continued.
Razakis took a good look at his sword, a curved blade with an unusual hilt that joined directly with the pommel. No doubt evidence of foreign influence.
'No… I don't think that will be necessary to put you down,' Razakis said rather calmly.
'Haha… Oh Djudai,' Umeza started as he twirled his spear around his entire body.
'Witness me fell your enemy.' He continued to twirl his weapon, dust now encircling him and his horse. 'Accept this sacrifice, Oh lord.' The trans-like twirling had initiated what could only be described as a tornado within the dome.
Chiruwan men couldn't help but jeer. 'It's finished; you guys are finished. It's time to bow.'
The Imperial army led by Sabaris, their most notorious speaker, 'Watch this, Watch this, Just Watch'
'Are you ready to meet your ancestors, boy?' Umeza jested as he wielded his spear which now brimmed with dreadful lightning. Three tornados of dust and lightning encircled him incessantly.
'All bark from the Chiruwan dog, I am ready for the bite,' Razakis responded, now pointing his blade directly at his opponent. They locked eyes for an instant, both poised and ready for the other to attack.
The same sentiment was echoed in the pavilion where Usagaki stood not 4 feet from the masked figure. The king was unable to hide his excitement as his grin grew more spiteful.
Back in the bubble, both horses neighed as the two mounted Swordlords rushed towards one another, letting loose slashes simultaneously.
At the same moment, a loud boom bellowed across the dusty battlefield
Sabaris' keen ears made him the first among the men to gawk back in the direction of the highest plateau.
What he saw would mark the history of Frocania forever.
SWORD LORDS OF FROCANIA CHAPTER 1 NEXT.