Chương 97: Chapter 96- Departure

Astra's POV The warmth of the morning sun fell upon her like a warm weight as Astra entered the courtyard, the murmurs falling silent as she beheld the men and women of her assault force arrayed in neat rows standing at attention, banners bearing her family's crest fluttering with quiet ripples in the air above the gathered troops. A covered pavilion had been erected at the far end of the courtyard, with a small walkway left clear between blocks making up the assembled units for her to reach it.

She took a moment to sweep her gaze across the scene before her, the quiet feeling leaden and heavy after the echoes Captain's words faded, followed quickly by the reverberations of the men crashing to attention. The various commanders and notable figures of the town were gathered on the stage, but as her vision swept onwards it caught upon a simple wagon, half loaded with supplies on the near side of the courtyard, and a faint whisper in her chest drew her towards it.

The gravel under her boots crunched silently, the enchantment in her armor giving her an eerie grace as she drifted across the yard silent as a ghost. With an understated motion she lightly hopped onto the back of the wagon, the only sound in the morning air the creaking of the wagon under the weight of her armor, and the soft thump as Astra unlimbered the greatsword from her back, resting it against one leg as she propped the other on a nearby crate.

Elias and Tia joined her, Eli standing next to the wagon as Tia clambered up and coiled on one of the crates as Astra surveyed the people before her, her people, as she gathered her thoughts. Astra breathed deep, drawing on the early memories of her grandfather teaching her how to address a crowd.

The memory brought a faint smile to her lips as she remembered looking up from where she was barely taller than his knee, at the inspiring sight of the man who looked like nothing more than a mountain of armor to her younger self. Emulating those fond memories, Astra projected her voice over the crowd, a resonant tone fit for a parade ground with no mana required, just the simple magic of a lesson from one leader of men to an aspiring and precocious child who hoped to one for the next generation."

This day I call upon you all to fulfill your Oaths in the name of the Emberholdt clan."" You may have heard the whispers, and some of you may even have been privy to more thorough briefings, but lend me your ears and I will lay these rumors to rest. Captain Winterbrook spoke to you of a possible enemy to the east, a nest of traitors to our Empire that may be conspiring behind closed doors."

Astra swept one hand outwards, pointing towards the titular grove in the center of town, where a pillar of soot could yet be seen coating the nearest trees in a dark stain that had still not been washed away." Let there be no doubt, as the evidence lies before your very eyes, of their willingness to strike hard and shed blood in the same towns that are our bulwark against the darkness and the encroachment of the Abyss.

To violate the sanctuaries that we all rely on to protect us against the predations of the powerful beasts and cruel twisted monstrosities that populate the wilds of our land."" I bring you personal witness and testament of their willingness to risk all our safety, to throw their lives onto the pyre en masse. Not for coin nor country, for love or honor, but for the most insidious of reasons."

Astra thumped the point of her greatsword into the deck of the wagon beneath her, and a ripple of fabric rustled as it unfurled behind her. A great banner, braced and steadied by the bulky form of Mr Cooper, the symbol of their enemy writ large in fresh gleaming paint." Study this symbol, and learn it well for it is the mark of our enemy, as well as a sign of their darker purpose."" Heed my words carefully.

A creeping rot infests our lands, one not born from the struggle of men or great houses, or even those between nations, races, or creeds. No, our enemy seeks to expose our people, your brethren and your families, to the greatest enemy in our lands. The enemy that unites men and women of all races, the foe of the beasts of the forest and field, and the predator of all that lives and breathes.""

This mark, this fell crest, is the same symbol that seals the Abyss itself, and it is that very same well of horror that our foes seek to unleash upon the land." A collective wave of gasps and shouts wove through the crowd, exclamations of horror and disgust, as a gust of emotions blew through the square, embers of anger igniting in the hearts of the assembly. The murmurs grew, building upon one another, until grinding to a halt as Astra raised a hand to silence them.

She shook her head in sympathy before lifting her chin to speak once more, " Believe me, I readily understand your revulsion as I felt the very same, my guts twisting at the most unimaginable betrayal."" You are gathered not to repel a rival house, disperse a bandit camp, or to cull a nest of monsters. But rather to purge the land of a different kind of monster, one who wears human skin, but preys on their fellows all the same."" Our enemy intends to use forbidden magic to open a new fracture.

However, they do not intend to open a simple slim window, but a massive breach, the kind not seen since the days of the founding, and unleash a tide broad enough to drown our lands in an ocean of blood." Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. A soft breeze stirred, the gentle gust swirling small eddies of dust from the gravel of the courtyard."

Our Empire was not founded in the pursuit of great riches or the fires of industry, no, it was founded on the strength in the hearts of men and women. It was born of the bonds of brotherhood, of the men and women who chose to stand shoulder to shoulder against the dark and declare they would not retreat one step further."

Astra's emotions rose, the fury in her heart stirring and the hymns began to sing in her chest, her grip of her magic loosening as the air around her rippled and distorted as her armor began to glow faintly from her rising body heat." It was born of their resolution that those at their back would fear no more, not as long as they drew breath. They would die on their feet, their fury a blazing inferno to drive back the shadows and make way for a new dawn.""

A bright and glorious day when their children could rest in the shade of the trees watered by the blood of heroes." The breeze grew stronger, the banners rippling and cracking in the wind, the heat building around her, as small trickles of flame wreathed her figure, the tongues of flame shedding small embers into air. A chorus rose in Astra's heart, as a crackling drum line thrummed through the tether."

This day I call not upon new promises, or simple duty, but the oldest of bonds, the very First Oath that bound us together. Separate clans no longer, but one blood, one people, one nation, united against the dark, declaring to the Abyss and all of its horrors that we will not vanish into the night."

The smoldering embers clinging to Astra's form burst into an open flame, and as the flames grew, the wind rose, whipping the kindling flames into a roaring pyre centered into a column above her as a crimson glow sheathed her silhouette. Raising her fist into the air at the heart of the column, Astra's voice rose to a crescendo as the crowd roared in fury." For we are born of the ashes of war, and bound by the steel in our hearts, and steel does not bend before the dark."

She thumped her greatsword against the carriage beneath, as her fist descended to crash against her chest, " Ash and Steel." The stamp of the combined arms of the men and women of the assault force was enough to shake the very ground, and as the rumble rippled outwards, a resounding boom echoed through the yard as the salute was returned as one." Born and Bound."

Astra pulled hard, reeling in her flames and wrestling the song back into submission, the hymn chanting a few times in disappointment as they furled back into their normal position. As the flames died and the crimson glow faded, the wind carried the remaining embers high above the garrison before the breeze gradually slowed, and the banners fell back to their earlier gentle ripple.

Astra slung her blade back over her shoulder, brushing the faint layer of soot from her armor, the remains of the dust from the morning air of the courtyard having been immolated by the heat of her [Crimson Aspect]. She leapt from the wagon, and as her boots hit the ground, Elias leaned over with a twinkle in his eye to whisper in her ear." Vael says to tell you, 'You're welcome'."

The absurdity of one of the elder gods, and supposedly the patron of the world itself, being so bored as to stir up a breeze simply so she could give a good show, broke through the shell of her storming emotions. Her fury subsided, washing away with the breeze as she spluttered, before breaking out into a smile and belting out a laugh.

And the flames were like WOOSH, and then all the two-legs were like AGHhh, and then when Sister-Astra banged her sword on the ground all the fire glowed white… Elias grinned as he loped along in an easy run, Tia chittering away at his side, one of the perks of telepathic communication was that you didn't need to waste your breath to speak.

It had been hours since Astra's rousing speech, and Tia was still gushing over how cool she thought it was, something that would normally have Eli rolling his eyes, but he was definitely in agreement this time around. For how fast she is growing and how intelligent she is, it's all too easy to forget that Tia still is little over a few months old. According to what I've been told wyverns grow fast, but she still seems to be a kid at heart. Besides…

Elias glanced over at Astra astride her Ridgeback as she received a report from a scout that was running along on the far side from Eli. Astra was riding midway between two columnar formations of dismounted troops, surrounded by her squad of guards who were also riding ridgebacks of their own.

The garrison had rounded up enough mounts for a small formation of mixed cavalry that rode at the vanguard, and Elias had been offered his own mount, but given his ample innate endurance from years of long distance running back on Earth he declined. He would easily be able to keep pace, and the formation would move faster with someone slower getting the chance to move mounted.

The morning had passed in a blur of frenetic activity, the men and women had come to the assembly armed and armored, and within no more than a quarter of an hour the large formation was prepared and on the march. Mounts had been found for only about a third of the assault force, a mix of trail and ridgebacks for the most part with a smattering of the much larger bluffbacks plodding at the rear of the formation carrying the slowest of the men.

The rest of the troops were dismounted and packed light, carrying small packs with condensed rations and only the barest essentials, moving at a steady trot while those with the heaviest armor or physiques not suited to rapid travel mounted to keep pace with the formation. Eli smiled as he thought back to the scene from this morning, Astra's speech had been inspiring, and while he may not have been born to this nation he was still moved, his heart yearning to answer the call of duty.

Feeling his gaze, Astra turned to flash him a grin before turning back to the scout, her brilliant smile causing his heart to skip a beat and a wry grin to spread across his face in return. Ok, I might be a little biased.