Generals

Rachel stood in her uncle's office, eagerly awaiting his return…

She now wore the Thousand Eye uniform, complete with the same style as her uncle.

Countless books lined the walls of her uncle's office, overflowing with knowledge that had been claimed by their faction over the generations.

Below a portrait of her uncle that hung across his desk was a sword.

Its blade curved menacingly like a demons claw. Faded symbols which were very hard to see under the gaze of the naked eye were carved into its center. The metal it was made out of was darker than the night sky, giving off a sinister beauty with it's hue. The hilt that the blade was attached to looked as if it were crafted using the spine of some ancient creature.

The display case that it sat in had a plaque with the words "Soul Stealer" engraved on it, displayed proudly.

Rachel approached the glass case, eyeing the sword with great interest. Behind her, the doors to her uncle's office were suddenly thrown open, startling her.

"Rachel, what do you think you are doing!?"

Stepping into the room, her uncle quickly approached her and stood in front of the case.

Six individuals followed her uncle into the room and stood by watching. They all wore serious expressions which softened a little upon seeing Rachel.

"I was just looking at the sword uncle, where did it come from and why do you keep it inside your office? Why not place it in the armory?"

"It is because the very nature of this weapon. That blade is a cursed object, one that idly attracts monstrosities to whatever location it is in. We managed to figure out a way to seal it via this custom made case. If you would have attempted to open it, the security measures we set would have kicked in!"

Sheepishly, Rachel swallowed, knowing the thought of holding the sword had crept into her mind as she approached the case.

"What about the name on the plaque? Did you name it yourself uncle?"

"No…when we found the sword, it was embedded into a wall that was inscribed with an ancient language. The text we were able to decipher contained the sword's name and mentioned an ancient battle that took place during the time when mortals first ascended. Based off what else we managed to translate, there are apparently countless other weapons and objects that once belonged to the beings who fought in that battle."

Interrupting Horus, one of the individuals whi came with him chimed in.

"Scholar Amethea was the first to grab hold of the sword, sadly she was torn apart by some unseen force and absorbed by the damn thing. Before the rest of the team could glean anything more from that wall, a massive horde of beasts descended upon them. The only other general there managed to hold off the horde while the remaining scholars wrapped the sword in a special cloth and escaped."

"Who was the general? And did they make it out alive?"

"It was General Grim and we have no clue if he made it out alive. When we sent a recovery team back to that forsaken place, they reported that not even a single trace of a battle was there, let alone Grim's corpse. We have been searching for him ever since, but we haven't managed to find any leads."

Everyone's face became very solemn at the mention of the disappearance of Grim who was known to be one of their strongest generals.

A woman gracefully approached Rachel and suddenly extended her hand toward her.

"I am Triss, i take it that you are Rachel? It is nice to finally meet you."

Taking her hand, Rachel shook it.

Triss was very beautiful, with long flowing blonde hair that flowed at shoulder length. Her eyes were dark brown, and even though her body was more stocky than an average woman's, it was still shaped in a way that didn't betray her feminine traits. Her snow white skin was soft but covered with scars that silently announced her role in many battles.

"Aye, I forgot you hadn't had the chance to meet any of our generals. I have brought her, Sobek, Harro, Roth, Derin and Baulder with me."

"I had heard there were 10 generals under your command uncle, so that means there are 4 missing, including Grim."

As Horus nodded at Rachel, the rest of the generals took the opportunity to introduce themselves. Their appearances were all mixed, like a melting pot of different ages and styles.

Sobek was a tan, elderly man. He was bald headed and wore a smooth set of scholar's robes. Even though he was blind, he still managed to move around very easily despite this disability. Upon his forehead was a small diamond shaped tattoo.

Harro was an average looking young man and the youngest of all the generals. Being 18 years old, he wore his spiky brown hair with pride. His face was as smooth as a newborn, with no facial hair in sight save for his sharp eyebrows. His dark blue eyes shone with confidence and playfulness which complimented his outfit. He wore a black sleeveless vest and a pair of matching cargo pants.

Dillon and Derin were twins. They looked to be in their mid 20's. The only detail that allowed anyone to tell them apart were their hairstyles as well as their scars.

Dillon had a buzzcut hairstyle with a part along the left side of his hair, he also had a scar that formed a small X upon his cheek.

Derin's curly hair was tied back in a short man bun and he had a single scar that ran horizontally along his face, splitting his lip at the corner.

Together, they both wore the standard thousand eye uniform that came with silver armor and the choice of a red cape which signified their status as a general.

Baulder was of a similar build to Rachel's uncle. His eyes were grey, and he wore a set of silver armor that was adorned with a lion's mane. He had a tall mowhawk, and on the sides of his shaved head were tattoos of countless eyes. The long black beard that lined his face was tied with a cloth, making him look like a viking warlord.

"With all the introductions out the way now, let us come up with a plan to protect the city."

Horus walked toward his desk and sat down before them all.

"We need to find Grim, he would be vital in our fight against this dragon. Azel is one of the primordial dragons that has lived for decades. Killing him is going to be extremely difficult if not impossible."

Triss and Rachel spoke up.

"Yes, that is true. With our combined power as it stands, we should have a chance even without Grim. That being said, we are both willing to put it all on the line for you all that stand here alongside us today."

The twins boldly stepped forward, saluting Horus.

"I believe that we need to use our technology and knowledge to our advantage. With the radar and dome shield, we should be able to protect the city from Azel, but the game plan is what is most important."

Sobek looked toward Baulder as he spoke. Acknowledging what he had said, Baulder nodded back in agreement.

Nodding with them, Horus closed his eyes in thought for a moment. A grim look crept onto his face when he finally opened his eyes and looked upon them.

"All of you are formidable in battle, but don't get a big head here..."

Horus said, surprising everyone in the room.

"For those of you who may not understand the power we will clash against, I have studied ancient beings that existed before us. Azel can summon his brood at will and has the potential to create a gateway that would allow more primordial dragons to enter this realm once he has regained his strength. In the event that he does so, it would bring mankind as a whole to it's knees! He is powerful, cunning and ruthless. I personally want every single general available to defend this city."

He said, rubbing his chin in an attempt to calm himself.

Every general aside from the twins agreed and nodded their heads, leaving them there to grit their teeth in annoyance.

"Together, we have faced armies of the undead as well as ascended gods, can we not hold up against the likes of a primordial dragon?!"

The twins asked of Horus.

"Take a look upon this sword that lies beneath my painting. This sword was held by one if the same beings who managed to beat Azel into submission. This sword, despite years of research, still doesn't make any sense. It defies the very laws of physics within our realm. For christ sake, it ripped apart one of our scholars like they were a piece of shrimp after just being touched. Azel, based on lore, is one of the dragon kings. Odin himself who ascended to godhood was one of the only men capable of sealing him, and in this case that seal has been broken."

Upon hearing Horus's words, everyone donned a grave look upon their faces as realization sunk in.

"So what exactly is going to be the strategy uncle?"

"I have spoken with the council and they will bring the strongest of their mages forward to strengthen the barrier that protects the city. Temper your weapons, pray to whatever gods you believe in, and train to the highest possible level you can achieve."

Nodding, all of the generals began exiting the room to begin training.

Before they could though, her leave her uncle stood up and called for their attention.

"Is there anyone else who may be able to help defend the citidel?"

After a moment of silence, everyone except for Sophia shrugged their shoulders.

"I might be able to contact a childhood friend of mine. If he can make it here in time, he would be a valuable asset."

She was confident in the people she knew, even if they weren't thousand eye.

"Alright, we will test your friend when they come to make sure they can provide support. We can't risk any liabilities."

Nodding, Triss understood Horus completely. Liabilities brought with them the risk of getting others injured, or even worse, the potential of death.

"Let's begin training, we all need to become stronger! Together we will overcome any challenge that faces Thousand Eye!"

Horus cast his fist to the sky while he roared with confidence.

Everyone cheered in agreement with newfound fire ignited deep within their souls…