5 Chaos Rising

It was still early in the morning, and the weather seemed like it could bring a modest amount of rain for later.

In a vast, open plain of grass, damaged from winter's harsh weather, there was a small camp that Aubade warriors had been inhabiting for the past few days. Right now, the camp was almost dead. A few guards stood motionless at the only entrances, in their ramshackle wall of wooden spikes. Inside, there were a few large, sturdy tents secured shut, except for one with a map, weapons, and armor.

In the partially-closed entrance of a grander tent, nearby, Corelia was looking out over the gray sky above. Despite looking royal, with her crown and violet-streaked chestnut hair, she couldn't have been more underdressed. It was basic attire that would be worn under a suit of armor, such as a black long-sleeved shirt and black form-fitting pants.

'It may rain soon, though I hope not.'

When she heard another sound, her attention was drawn to the other thing that brought her amusement.

Out of the way from anyone else, two early-bird lieutenants, a set of brothers, were sparring with each other. Neither of them had their violet armor or any weapons, though, just basic gray and black attire and their fists.

One of these brothers was younger-looking. He had wavy, shoulder-length brown hair and olive green eyes. The other was clearly a little older, with a lighter build and swifter movements. He had dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes.

The younger green-eyed brother stepped back, panting. "Honestly, Ryu, this is just sad. Did you wake me up this early just to be disappointed?"

The older one, Ryu, smirked at that. "Shut it, Surei."

As Ryu rushed forward, and Surei braced to block, he ducked and rolled around him, kicking Surei down as he regained his footing. However, Surei very easily recovered. As Ryu came at him again, Surei forced him to lose his balance from a failed hit, shoved him down, then dropped down and kept him pinned there.

Surei chuckled mockingly, "Here I expect to learn a thing or two from my older brother, and yet it seems you could learn a thing from me, first."

"You've always been the better one, don't rub it in," Ryu muttered.

"Hey, I just kidding," Surei insisted, loosening the pin.

Suddenly, Ryu elbowed Surei in the gut; not full-force, as this was just sparing. Then, he grabbed his wrist and threw him over and down, pinning him under him.

Ryu taunted, "How's that for learning a thing?"

Surei looked unamused, laying in defeat. "Well played."

Ryu laughed, "It's not fair! You can't have good aim and hand-to-hand, you have to let me have something. Although, truth be told, I think you should practice more with a blade." He looked uneasy. "I know I'm in no position to be critiquing you, we're both lieutenants now, but-"

Surei sneered, "Stop. I'm only good at fighting because you're constantly training with me. I don't even think it was deserved. I know our status has more to do with our surnames than our skill."

"Most likely," Ryu agreed. He took on a valiant pose. "'The Hitai clan has been serving the royal family since the beginning, and it is our sworn duty to make sure that continues for the following eternity they rule.'"

Surei sighed, "You sound exactly like father."

"That's what I was aiming for," Ryu insisted. "Although, even you have to admit, it is a big honor. Not many others get this privilege. There are some families banned from joining the army entirely."

"I know, I know," Surei dismissively replied. "It's not like I don't appreciate it, but if I want to be a soldier, especially the 'proud lieutenant' that others expect, I'll get there myself. I don't know what else I could do, but I also don't appreciate having this forced on us."

Ryu nodded, looking distant. "I thought the same thing as you, a few years ago. Honestly, father slowed down with you; he handed me a sword-"

"When you were six years old, and told you to fend off a wolf," Surei suggested.

"You know it's hard to keep track of what I've already told you," Ryu remarked. He sat next to his brother. "But yes, he did that, and told me every known story about our family's great victories. The point being, I understand the mindset you have." He smirked. "And did I tell you why I never left?"

Surei sneered, "Because you're not allowed, you don't know what you're doing, and you'd be a homeless bum?"

Ryu laughed, "Alright, so there's that, but..." He blinked hard. "Actually, that's pretty much it."

"Believe me, I know how it goes," Surei muttered.

Ryu nodded. "Let's not get into that. I did think about getting away for a while, only to realize that I didn't know what else I could do. I thought about the roles of merchants, even servants, but it all seemed pointless, and I didn't even know how I would go about it." He sighed, leaning his head on one fist. "It's like being a soldier was all I knew, so why fight it? At least this way, I know what I'm doing, and it's something productive."

"I know, that's what annoys me!" Surei snapped. "It's manipulation, Ryu! There's nothing wrong with leading a normal life that isn't on the battlefield, but gods know we're not allowed to even consider that."

"Yes, but-"

They both cringed when a stern voice interfered, "I wouldn't say 'education' is 'manipulation.'"

As they glanced over their shoulders, they found someone neither of them would ever want to see during a discussion like this. None other than their father, who was all too familiar to anyone else. A lieutenant with neat, graying blond hair and blue eyes. Chiro Hitai.

Ryu stood quickly. "Sorry, father, we didn't mean anything by it."

Surei's eyes narrowed, fist clenched.

Chiro glared down at him. "Surei. Getting plans again, is that what I'm hearing?"

Ryu discreetly kicked him in the side, shooting him an earnest look. Surei finally took the hint and stood, offering a hardly-audible 'no' as the only response.

Chiro continued to glare over the two. "You called an honor only given by this family, by me, a form of manipulation? That is a disgrace to your heritage. To be a Hitai is almost as important as being an Erxina; the details of your duty are written in your blood! That will not be expunged by dangerous curiosity."

"We understand, father," Ryu insisted. "We're very sorry."

"As you should be," Chiro responded. He sighed, "It's not just my encouragement that brought this 'sense' of yours. As I said, this will to fight is in your blood; you were born to do it, just as those in the many generations before you two. It's..."

While he went on to rant more, Surei clearly listened less and less

Meanwhile, across the field, Corelia just rolled her eyes. She was unsure of whether this was amusing or annoying. Either way, she went inside her tent, donning her armor, then left while she was still lacing up her gauntlets. The troubled three didn't even notice her.

"Easy does it, Chiro," Corelia spoke. "I think your secondhand scolding is making the others nervous."

While Chiro acted calm, Ryu and Surei had a moment of panic and bowed quickly before the queen, making Chiro facepalm.

Corelia laughed, though. "Such strict obedience is hardly necessary, you two. Please, rise."

Either of the boys stood back up, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Chiro cleared his throat. "Your majesty, may I ask what you're doing so early?"

"Ah, leaders never sleep," Corelia remarked. "That, and as I pointed out, things seemed to be getting rather tense here."

"A common scuffle," Chiro replied. "I apologize for disturbing you."

"It's alright," said Corelia. "Since we're both alert, though, I would like to discuss some current matters with you. If you would proceed to the armory, I'll be there momentarily."

Chiro gave a slight bow. "Of course. Just a moment, if you will."

He suddenly turned back to the boys, pointing at either with an imposing demeanor.

"Your sparring match was pathetic, by the way. Surei, pull your head out of the clouds. Ryu, work on your hand-to-hand; you should be able to escape such an easy pin. Now, instead of tackling your brother, get to work. Both of you!"

"Yes, father," Ryu murmured, while Surei just nodded.

While Chiro ran off toward the armory, Corelia lingered behind, looking patiently over the two brothers before her. It seemed they were avoiding any sort of eye contact or conversation.

Corelia chuckled, "Chiro can be a bit rough, can't he?"

Ryu quickly spoke, "Oh, no, he just -er..." He took a deep breath. "That was my fault."

"Our fault," Surei muttered.

Ryu gained a jokingly smug look. "Brothers, your majesty, you know? The worst."

Surei smirked, crossing his arms. "Only the younger ones, right?"

"No!" Ryu suddenly tackled him, giving him a noogie. "Those ones are okay, even if they're kind of weird and..." He taunted, "Feminine."

"You little-" Surei elbowed him the gut, easily breaking the pin.

While they bickered, Corelia couldn't help laughing.

'Typical boys,' Corelia thought to herself. "Easy, you two, I think you've had a productive enough sparring session. By the way, if you can excuse my overhearing of that scuffle, both of you were right. Being a part of the Hitai family does come with its own honors and perks, just as it would with the Erxina or Akane families. At the same time, there's no shame in seeking to fulfill the charming life of an average citizen, instead. There is much you can do outside of battle, that we rely on just as much as they rely on soldiers. In the end, it's all up to you."

"Thank you, your majesty," Surei replied. "That's good to know."

Corelia nodded, then started to retreat toward the armory. Inside the open tent, Chiro was patiently waiting beside the table with the map spread out on it. Like flicking a switch, the mood became more serious and troublesome.

"What did you want to discuss, your majesty?" Chiro inquired.

"What's been happening here, first off," Corelia replied. "More of those monsters, are you sure?"

Chiro solemnly nodded. "I'm afraid so. These ones weren't as tough, and their population seemed small. Still, it was concerning. What's happening to these people, if you can even call them that?"

"I was hoping you had found an answer," Corelia replied.

"No, I haven't," said Chiro. "We're hoping to find one. Surei and Ryu have already gone out, investigating this twisted tribe's movement and strategy. Chances say that we'll get the same answer we've been getting, though. I think the issue runs deeper than what we're seeing."

"I couldn't agree more," Corelia murmured. "I only have one suspect in mind, as well. Have you found evidence of demonic activity?"

"Maybe, maybe not," Chiro responded. "At one of the sites where other mutants dwelled, we think we found black blood." His eyes narrowed. "Although, it's very strange. Only Zyreans have black blood, as far as I know. However, the site where we found it was far out of reach from the Blood Forest. They had either been doing something in the area, or it came from the beasts. They sometimes ooze a black substance, depending on how twisted they are."

"With the use of portals, we can't be sure," Corelia remarked. "We hear rumors and find evidence that they're in different spots of the Northern Territories every other day; every other hour, in some instances. That's why it's been almost impossible, finding their fortress."

"Either way, you can't be wrong," Chiro insisted. "What of the trades, though?"

"What about them?" Asked Corelia.

"In these conditions, shouldn't we cut our ties to other tribes, instead of making more?"

"I thought the same, at first. However, I've found that these trades are necessary. Our recent strategy, creating weapons and armor with stronger enchantments, has proven to be too much for Sybilius to handle on its own. We're not magical creatures, and we've purged much of those materials from our land, just as we do with the story of the Zyreans, and the horrors of this war."

"With all due respect, I don't think I see your point."

"My point is that the hardest, most straining strategy is the same one that killed the Storm Twins after so many decades." She smiled, relief prominent in her expression. "After such a long time, and so much effort..." She cleared her throat. "Anyways, the evidence says that we will have a better fighting chance, which is important in these hard times, if we focus on what we have been. The only way we will be able to continue producing these powerful weapons is if we enlist help."

"Suppose so," Chiro murmured.

Becoming distant, Corelia glared down at the map. "These mutants we see, the creatures lashing out..."

Naturally, Corelia had been expecting some kind of chaos to strike, but she was starting to realize that it was an issue that had been going on for a while. It was just on a smaller, unremarkable scale. Strange people appeared randomly, only to be replaced by horrid, monstrous creatures. Then, as well as that, the world's dangerous beasts were beginning to stir violently.

In her head, she heard words that had been spoken over a year ago; the words that foretold exactly what they were seeing now.

"'Just wait and you'll see. This game we keep playing at is about to change. I can feel it in my veins, and if it's enough for me, it must be enough for you.'"

Her fist clenched angrily.

'It always links back to those damn demons, doesn't it?'

"Your majesty?"

Corelia shook her head, clearing her thoughts. "Nevermind. There are troops just north of this camp. When Surei and Ryu finish their work, here, can you have them take the unit back to the Royal City?"

"Of course," Chiro responded. "What about this camp, though?"

"Leave it for now," Corelia answered. Her eyes narrowed. "Like many aspects of our current stance, we still know very little about the threat."

avataravatar
Next chapter