EdgarFig

97. Where’d my Trolls go?

Mark sat in attendance as Mohan and his priests readied for trial. The people had elected the jury and judge. While Mark maintained control in most things, it had been the commoners who had suffered when the cultists abducted their children, and he believed it right that they chose their punishment.

Venjimin had risen to high prominence within Winterclaw, not just because of the station provided to him by Mark but because of the wisdom he regularly passed down to the people. For this, h...

96. Hunters in the North

“I was looking forward to a little rest,” Clay moaned as they loaded up the throne ship. “Now they want to send us chasing after wargs? Why did I, of all people, get dragged into being a knight.”

“Quit whining,” Erin said, pushing past him and dropping a crate of supplies on the ship. “You came out here to be an acolyte, didn’t you? At least we’re getting somewhere.”

“Ha, the little girl has more balls than the skinny kid,” Radic mocked as he placed two cra...

95. Homecoming

The people of Winterclaw were out in force to welcome home their heroes. Over a week had passed since Mark had returned, and the land had been almost eerily quiet.

He had no illusion that his enemies had fled to their lands entirely. Scouts had confirmed much of the warg armies had scattered and broken into fragments. He wasn’t entirely sure why none had ventured into the lands around Winterclaw, but it might have been as simple as they were hunting down the easiest prey first.

...

94. A Legend is Born

Despite the cheers and celebrations flooding through the camps, Mark knew all was far from well within his fledgling kingdom.

He had united the clans and was the undisputed king, but many of the strongest clans had been promised all kinds of things by Dothran for their allegiance, and they weren’t about to just forget that.

However, Mark wasn’t about to take from the loyal to give to the newcomers. He would have to find new avenues to reward the clans pledging their allegiance...

93. Forming a Real Kingdom

Crowds gathered despite the freezing winds whipping up around them. Half stood groggily on uneasy footing, battered from two long nights of celebrations.

Mark’s elite soldiers stood in a line of shields with their spears pointed toward the sky, separating the crowd from a makeshift podium that had been erected, pretending not to be in equally poor shape as the spectators.

Yelinda and the leaders of the strongest western clans were the first to step atop the stage, making a line ...

92. Creating Ties

The line of people wanting to speak with Mark following the battle seemed endless. Everyone wanted to secure themselves something. His people even spotted several making their way to both camps, trying to secure deals with the both of the opposing kings.

Undoubtedly, people felt they had risked enough already having fought in the battle and surviving. Now, they just wanted to be confident that they would be rewarded for all their hard won efforts.

Weedy Eye and several other yarn ...

91. Confrontation

Warriors pushed to the front, led by a dozen spearmen who formed a loose shield wall around Mark.

With their leader dead, the warg's appetite for battle was fading, but against such a powerful enemy, one couldn’t be at ease.

Through the thick of the carnage, a squad of six spearmen led a figure toward the shield wall as the enemy army evaporated around them.

Reaching the defensive wall around Mark, they split, and Mira stepped forth, a healing glow emanating from her hands...

90. Slaying the Beast

“Can you get me over there?” Mark said as Biscuit just got done mauling another warg to death.

“I can get you close,” Yelinda replied, ripping off a piece of her cloak and waving it above them.

Her Warmaster and his elites immediately reacted, either slaying or breaking free of their engagements to assist.

Thankfully, Mark’s army's layered approach had resulted in the wargs being more hesitant to attack since every time they did, there seemed to be another trick up...

89. War of the Wargs

“My Lord, the warg armies remain surrounding the hillfort. However, we have lost a few of our own scouts to their scouting parties. The problem is, we can’t outrun them, so if they catch us, it is essentially a death sentence.”

“I understand,” Mark said to his kneeling scout. “Call off the scouts and regroup. We have a good enough idea now. It isn’t worth losing any more people over.”

“Thank you, my lord,” the scout bowed to the ground and left the tent.

...

88. March South

Marching out through the gates of Winterclaw, Mark led his troops. The troops of Winterclaw marched in rhythm and held an overall air of discipline that the Western Clans were lacking, but Mark wasn’t foolish enough to believe that meant they were the superior fighting force; maybe, one day, their combat skills would mirror their discipline.

It had been thanks to Imperial mercenaries being woven into the training regimes that this level of discipline had even been possible to train. 2024-10-20 20:56:08 +0000 UTC View Post

87. Legion Gathering

Returning to Winterclaw with a tenuous alliance in hand, Mark sent Callum and his knights out to recruit the lords and their warriors from his vassal fiefs.

Thankfully, Winterclaw had never ceased its wartime production; all he needed to do was order the arrows, weapons, and armor packed into wagons. Along with food, camping, and support supplies, they filled all the wagons they had available.

There were no second chances. This battle had to be won. Once they marched out, the wall...

86. Reinforcements

Flying low across the endless forests of the Frontier, Mark sped toward where his scouts had placed the clan encampment on his map.

No other Imperial forces had been seen in the area in over a week, but he still took care. If the wargs had empowered warriors among their army, like the priest who had attacked the fort, remaining low would make him a harder target.

In the distance, he spotted it. The hill fort the barbarians retreated to. The land around the hill was cleared—recen...

85. Calm before the Storm

“You think he’s going to say anything?” Erin said, staring at the ceiling of the knights’ shared accommodation.

“Don’t ya think we would have already?” Callum said from the bed across from her.

“Maybe he’s just waiting for the right moment,” Clay added. “And once King Atlas has decided, then—”

“You three weaklings are gonna give yourselves ulcers worrying so much. What’s done is done. We’re alive, aren’t we?” Radic shrugged.

“He’...

84. New Powers

Mark could hardly believe his eyes as he watched wounds evaporate under the power of Mira’s blessing. 

He had seen similar power before from the priests of the Archbishopric but not from Mira. He wondered where this power had come from and why now.

From his understanding, Star Maidens were numerous within the Imperium. He learned that they once possessed god-given powers like those Mira displayed but had disappeared hundreds of years ago. Thus, the order became glorified he...

83. Spreading Wings

Dozens of wagons set out early the next day for the four fiefs. Mark could have dropped his people and some of their gear off with his throne ship, but he wanted them to take the task upon themselves. It might have seemed unnecessary, but his lords were picked because he believed they were people who could work and succeed autonomously and aid his kingdom in its growth. The first challenge to achieving that was making their own way to their new settlements, and if they couldn’t do that, he ...

82. Promotions

Walking the muddy paths of Winterclaw, Mark took a moment to inspect his town's progress from the tiny outpost he had found when arriving in this world.

The Low District was a sprawling mess. Any space large enough for a proper cabin behind the walls had long been taken, and now many alleys were filled with shanty shacks squeezed together and overflowing with the closely huddled families that took refuge within them.

There was still plenty of room outside the walls to build a hut ...

81. Return to Winterclaw

As usual, the crowds were out, bustling against one another, when Mark brought the throne ship down into Winterclaw. The people of Winterclaw knew why he had left, and despite there being differences between the West and East, they were eager to hear they had gained allies in their struggle.

Despite all their wins, the dire situation of the Frontier wasn’t lost on the commoners, and even the diehards knew that allies were needed to free the lands of their warg invaders.

Stepping...

80. Swear Fealty

Bare-chested men and women danced across the far end of the great hall, reenacting legendary scenes from the Igmani Sagas as they swung axes and blew on horns. 

As the performative dances filled the room with cheers, clan leaders and elders quietly approached Mark and Yelinda to bow and swear fealty to their union.

However, the clans' words of allegiance were only an acknowledgment of the union taking place and Mark’s new position within the Warmandy, not a guarantee that t...

79. Uniting the West

Despite what seemed like a successful call to arms, the moment the hall calmed down, the clans returned to bickering among themselves as a constant line of people approached the table where Mark and Yelinda sat.

Internally sighing, Mark nodded as two men spoke, barely hearing the words that they said.

“Please, do me this favor. See that the hunting grounds on the west bank of Arges River be recognized as Jamindi land, and you will have my clan warriors when you travel east.” 2024-10-04 04:20:34 +0000 UTC View Post

78. Alliances

Mark’s entourage went to and from the steam spas without pause, returning to their shared accommodation with satisfied grins.

Well, at least I’ve provided them with some relaxation.

Mark glanced back to the mirror he stood before and slid on some simple gold rings he had looted from the cultists. Their craftsmanship was lacking, but that wasn’t what was important. At least they made him look a little more like a real king.

“Come on, darling, just a little mo...

77. Clean up

Calling off the slaughter, Mark allowed the remnants of the mutant army to flee. He wanted them to spread the word about his decisive victory. Without people knowing what happened, the victory would fall hollow.

Once the butchering and looting were done, close to a hundred prisoners were taken back to Winterclaw. Housing a hundred prisoners was an issue, so he placed them in the cellars they had dug out for the new keep, deciding that they would make good cells. 

The two gian...

76. Creating an Image

A line of shields and spears ran straight across the snowy clearing between two patches of trees at the top of a slightly incline. The position was perfect for what Mark wanted. The incline was subtle enough that the enemy would either underestimate it or potentially not even notice there was an incline. Still, when charging through shin-high snow, it would make itself noticed by the enemy as it sapped their stamina.

The army Mark had put together wasn’t a call-up of every able-bodied...

75. Draw them Out

Mark meticulously reviewed his army’s formation and orders, selecting points to distribute his best warriors. 

The idea was to have veteran mercenaries, and the most competent commoners dotted around the formation’s center and flanks, hopefully ensuring that there were no obvious weak points that could collapse their ranks in battle.

At the rear of his force, Mark organized the archers into rows, ordering them to fire volleys in intervals designed to keep constant pressur...

74. First Encounter

“To your right!” A man yelled in the darkness, shifting the group’s attention. They couldn’t see much; the moon's silvery light was shrouded by the forest canopy, but the yellow glow of their enemy’s eyes pierced through the darkness.

“Wargs,” Radic said, stumbling backward.

“Defend yourselves,” Callum shouted, his sword already in hand.

“Too many,” Erin said, raising her crossbow and firing toward the glowing eyes as they worked their way through the f...

73. Putting Things in Order

Mark eyed the financial reports handed to him by Elowen in his office while she watched in muted silence.

Land sales have been a great success; however, our funds won’t last long with these deficits.

Unfortunately, Mark couldn’t just reduce expenditure, nor did he have anybody to borrow from. The main problem he faced was that any spending reduction could cause their tiny but growing economy to churn to a halt. With war around the corner, he needed to keep them speede...

72. Party of Knights

Payon’s mastery of metal was on display as the four young knights crept into the temple, the joints of their plated armor moving fluidly and smoothly. Their leather boots were iron-capped, and their steps pressed silently across the stone tiles.

Callum led the group, using a mixture of waves and hand gestures. They hadn’t worked out a real communication system, but Callum managed to impart most of what he meant naturally.

The thick, foggy cover that clouded most of the land fo...

71. Temple

“I’m pretty sure it’s this way,” Radic turned the map he held out in front of himself while twisting his head to follow it.

“What are you doing?” Erin grimaced.

“What does it look like? I’m reading the map.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to do it like that.”

“Gimme that,” Callum snatched it from his hand. “Now, let me see.”

“Like you’re an expert,” Radic snapped. “I was doing just fine.”

“You were about t...

70. Important Meeting

“What’s that?” Erin said, eyeing the small clay pots Radic pulled from a bag as they gathered in the forest a few hundred yards from the fort.

“Our new King’s special fire,” he replied, handing each of them a pot. “Just a little backup.”

“How’d you get a hold of these, Radic?” Callum said, eyeing the pot that filled his palm. 

“Got them from Dober,” Radic grinned. “He’s not so bad… just needs a little convincing.”

“Convincing? W...

69. Followers of the Goddess

Standing by Winterclaw's main gate, several of Mark’s guards surrounded him—not that he felt in danger by the small troop moving toward them.

The soldiers marching toward him were dressed in heavy armor with well-crafted weapons, were draped under thick furs, and looked like fierce warriors, but between his power and the archers and crossbows on the wall, Mark wasn’t too worried.

“I’ve always wanted to meet the western clans,” Venjimin said, standing at Mark’s side. ...

68. Expanding Horizons

A row of miners sauntered out from the cave tunnels, pushing mining carts along the old tracks they had cleared up when taking over the place.

As the tunnel opened up into the main chamber, Rudez, the mine chief, stood tapping his foot against the ground by a large bucket.

“Don’t forget your donations, boys,” he shouted. “Beer ain’t cheap no more in the Frontier.”

“Like it ever was,” one of the miners sneered.

“Well, yes, you’re right. But it’s mo...