Empire

Basking in the light of day, a small figure sat delicately on the curved roof of a tower. Many adjacent and similar towers connected sections of the wall to others. Aside from the castle and cathedral themselves, it was the highest point one could reach if they were not averse to a little climbing.

The girl's legs dangled off the tower, unaffected by the haphazardous height. Right now, she was transfixed on something else. She covered her ruby-red eyes with both hands and gazed at the distance. 

Soon below her, she was joined by the yell of many voices as the wall became clustered with activity. Guards of all variations and positions had come to share in the sight as they barked orders, accusations and grievances amongst each other. It was chaotic.

Sat directly above the rowdy men, the girl turned to listen and read their expressions, but it was useless. Their eyes, without exception, were clouded only with hazy fear.

Disappointed, she returned to the sight again, eager to discover the truth. 

She saw human figures. This was undoubtedly the source of their fears. Whilst the guards may have been ignorant of many things their entire lives, no less the true nature of the kingdom, they were not stupid. That is to say, though the figures looked small, everyone present recognised that was not the truth of it. No, these beings were not humans.

"Giants"

A lone voice sparked outrage amongst the gathered guards as a chorus of yells erupted from the wall's top. 

"Huh!"

"NO way, you fucking idiot."

"At least think before you say something that stupid."

"Yeah, just wait you impatient bastard, its just some kind of trick of the sun you know."

The girl's ruby eyes gleamed with amusement as she listened to the men argue and begin to shove each other from her safe perch.

At last, silence descended back onto the wall. Many stopped because they noticed something, whilst others simply followed the crowd. Small, distant, yet numerous dots were now visible to the most acute and sharp gazes. These in of themselves were not what kickstarted further ruckus. It was how they differentiated from those who came first. 

"If those tiny things are humans, then..."

This announcement sent a cold, fervent shock through the present guards. Right now, their entire worldview was falling apart in real time. A triumphant blaring noise erupted from the distance, silencing all before further panic could ensue. Slowly into view, they stormed. 

As if tearing apart an obscuring mist, they could now be seen. Enormous red entities marched at the rear of what was now recognised as an incomprehensible army. If the giants appeared to be over twenty metres, these beasts were larger still. Though it was hard to tell from in front, their length was what really solidified the mass of their red bodies. A swinging red tail could be seen on each beast as long as the giants' and almost as thick. 

Their tails casually scraped the ground, sending light tremors across the ground and walls whilst kicking up dust in their wake. As the guards bore the vibrations of the walls with shaky legs, they yelled and screamed in unprocessed panic. There was no mistaking these creatures for humans.

However, the girl above them smiled confidently, removed from the terror. 

"Eeeekkk"

Until a tremor almost caused her to fall from her precarious seat. Clambering up to a safer spot with a less confident smile, she gazed at the ensuing force with a slight sweat across her forehead. 

"Well, I'm sure Perses could beat one of those. Oh, right, Perses, I forgot I need to get back to him."

Before she could jump down onto the wall, joining the soldiers, a familiar figure passed underneath. Fishing for a flask inside his pocket, he approached the soldiers with a rough cough. The soldiers, with disoriented expressions, turned towards the sound with hope.

"Sergeant!"

"Captain!"

"Hey, Sergeant!" 

"Lugh"

"No, you scum, its commander now, you're all useless as always."

Finally claiming the flask from inside his particularly fancy, exquisite jacket, he chugged it down as he looked into the distance. 

Even from above, the girl noticed that the guards held little respect or even likeness for the man they called Sergeant. However, they were content with the calm presence that he brought to the wall's surroundings. With hopeful, desperate gazes, they looked towards the man.

"Lugh, could it be, do you know what, what those are?"

In response, Lugh slapped the man with the back of his hand, causing him to crumple down before letting out a hearty laugh. The girl recognised that the man had held back. This was probably his idea of playfulness. She had seen what his fist had done to Perses after all. 

Yet she found herself confused, looking upon his figure; his calm, jovial demeanour did not appear to be falsified. He seemed genuinely pleased by the arrival of that army.

"At ease, weaklings, and its commander, dickhead, don't forget it. Anyway, those monstrosities are allies, so just shuddup already. They're here to deal with a couple of particularly... nasty fiends, you could say. Depending on how things play out, they may just be passing through, though."

Despite Lugh's startlingly clear and concise explanation, the guards looked upon him with unease. After all, the key question was yet to be answered. 

"Sir, no Commander even who are they?"

"That's the Empire's advance force, our empire's advance force."

This explanation did nothing to quell the confusion as they unanimously began to whisper and talk amongst each other with uncertainty. Lugh sighed before taking a couple of extra gulps from his flask.

"Though we, the kingdom, had an army, we are not an independent country. As you know, the king discovered this land 30 years ago, so you wouldn't know that the very word kingdom was bullshit since the beginning. The Emperor owns this land, so yes, our king is just a fake. We are something like a city or vassal for the empire. Hence, we are entitled to their protection, so I will repeat myself. You may all be at ease, oh, and make sure you spread the word.

Though the uncertainty of everything remained in the eyes of all present, there was a noticeable absence of abject fear. A shaky relief could be seen on the guards' faces as they dismissed the complicated nature of Lugh's words.

"What you mean to say is. You mean WE, WE won't have to face those things again, sir!" 

"You mean, those fiends, they might wipe them out for good."

The initial shout caused an exhale of liberation amongst the guards. Some looked like they might shed a tear, some erupted in cheer, others even collapsed to the floor in relief. Energy burst from the walls in a tirade of cautious positivity.

The girl smiled from her perch as she jumped down.

'The fools are so easy to please, too bad I can't stay any longer.'

The girl went to walk past a drunken, grinning Lugh who gazed out from the wall, eagerly soaking in the sceptical cheers of the men. For a moment, she heard him mutter something. Infinitely curious, she stopped and approached the dangerous man. 

"Maybe, just maybe, I'll finally get to see you again, I wonder if its thanks to that, brat. Well, even then I ain't forgiving no fucking blessed."

Lugh stood alone. An expression muddled with intense agitation but also longing was sent towards the approaching force. Without caring to turn back, the horned girl began to traverse her way across the wall, forgetting the man's rambling. She quickly entered a staircase, which she promptly descended with ambitious jumps. 

Arriving at the side of the inner wall's plaza, the typical bustle of people was nowhere to be found. Aside from the occasional guard, it was empty. Anyone of significant status was entitled to stay within the inner walls. However, most had not. After all, the inner walls were intended to house the Emperor's elite troops. The wealthy had learnt the truth of the kingdom before any other. 

The guards who had initially been involved in securing the furthest reaches of the kingdom's settlements, a truly draining task, had only returned that day. After all, the rare but devastating appearance of fiends had seemingly ceased by some unbeknownst twist.

Through thorough, curious observation, the devil girl had learnt a lot. Rather than head for the castle's doors, she undertook the gruelling task of traversing around the kingdom's largest building without getting lost. After a while, she paused with an innocent grin as she struck the castle's wall with her hand.

"Bam"

The wall opened suddenly, and through unknown means, a wide passage formed. She walked through the wall's large gap with heavy steps, tracing the stone sides with her hand despondently. She had initially been excited to traverse the secret path a second time, but in practice, only an eerie feeling remained. Entering a giant but familiar hall, her gaze focused on an equally familiar face. With a slight frown, she guiltily walked towards it.

His eyes were closed.

Despite appearing asleep, his face displayed a grotesque grimace. Blood dripped down his hands and arms as jagged stones laced his limbs, rendering them bloody and useless. His torso was equally pierced by the rocks. They had been carefully lodged into his least vital areas. Traces of blood could also be seen smeared across his eyelids. The reality of which caused the devil girl to look away in shock as she was harrowingly reminded of the events that had transpired. 

As she approached his figure reluctantly, she noticed his face relax. 

"Ah your back."