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665. Saint Marcellus

The battle for Morcaster went in favour of the rebels. Taking the bridge gate next, another legion swept in to join forces with the Twentieth. With such numbers compared to the garrison scattered across the city, their assault could not be beaten back or resisted. The remaining gates fell, the last of the legions joined, and when noon came, the ...

664. Two Crosses

In the dead of night, two cloaked figures moved through the alleys of the copper lanes. With a hostile army outside the gates, even this district was under heavy patrol from a garrison under constant threat, but the legionaries stuck to the main streets that crossed the quarters. Intimately familiar with the area, Martel had no trouble plotting ...

663. The Wrong Tool

Walking through the city with its endless monotony, nothing around them distracted Martel from the creeping sense of dread slowly overtaking him. They might very well be too late, making this entire ordeal worthless. Turning back no longer felt like a possibility; he was not certain they could find the way back. But if they emerged in the city t...

662. The Right Tool

Both of the mages recoiled as the ring on the ground glowed. The translucent shape of a person appeared within, looking like a spirit. As it shone, it seemed to solidify, and its form became hard and grey, as if stone itself had come to life. With limbs like a human, but only a smooth surface where a face should be, the creature turned its head ...

661. The Tower

Without the sun, moon, or stars, it was hard to keep track of time. Only sensations like thirst or weariness gave Martel a sense of how long they had journeyed, traversing the stone city. They stopped on occasion to drink water and rest a little bit, but otherwise kept up a strong pace. Having been through more than one forced march, Martel knew...

660. Balancing Act

"Martel? Martel! Please, listen to me!" Despite Eleanor's frantic pleading as she knelt in front of him, the battlemage gave no inclination that he could hear her. He stared straight ahead with watery eyes, mumbling what sounded like confessions. She placed both of her hands on his wet cheeks to cup his face. "Please forgive me, I did not mean t...

659. The Meaning of the Name

With only Martel's magelight casting a soft ring of illumination around them, the two mages moved deeper underground. The tunnels sloped slightly downwards, and Martel wondered if this had in ancient time been intended as an entrance, buried and forgotten by succeeding centuries. It would explain why, when he held out his hand to support himself...

658. Subterfuge

Together, the captain prefect and the legate of the Tenth Legion left their camp, riding south. They had an armed escort of a full centuria with them, which seemed unnecessary to Martel. Any group of enemies small enough to evade their patrols and get this close would also be simple enough for Eleanor and him to handle. But his subordinates alre...

657. Swift Negotiations

After ten days of marching, five legions had the walls of Morcaster within their sights. All of them wore Asterian colours and carried banners of the Empire; many of the legionaries called the city their home. Every legion had been raised to defend Aster, fight for it, and expand its borders; now they viewed the capital as one would look upon a ...

656. A Captain's Choice

Another day was spent in the same camp west of the conquered bridge, allowing the Twentieth Legion to catch up after being sent north as a diversion. It also gave the legionaries time to handle tasks that could not be done during days marching, quartermasters distributed new equipment to replace old or destroyed, and the commanders of the legion...

655. Private Celebrations

As the sun continued to rise, the rebel soldiers took full possession of the western shore. The Seventeenth and Nineteenth Legions pursued the enemy, not to give battle, but simply ensure they had no opportunity to regroup for a counterattack while the Tenth and Thirteenth recovered. The soldiers of the former were given no duties, considering t...

654. As the Day Dawns

Another cohort entered the battle; Martel did not know how many had done so by now. His soldiers had begun pushing bodies into the water or carrying them backwards, according to sensibility, all to create more space; it mattered little. The defenders had pulled back far enough for the attackers to barely reach the western bank, but it also allow...

653. Dark Skies

Martel had fought a hundred battles, gone through harrowing experiences, and he had been to the brink of death and returned more than once. But the thought of what a fire-touched battlemage of Master Alastair's talent would do to his soldiers filled him with panic. This close, bolts of lightning would devastate them and cut through their ranks l...

652. Opposite Sides

As the legionaries ran forward, their ranks became disrupted. Martel allowed himself to fall behind and his soldiers to overtake him; he would not be fighting in the front row, and he had another purpose. As they reached the bridge, he felt it again; the surge of magic, a powerful spell being channelled into the waters that ran below. No matter ...

651. Dark Clouds

Early in the morning, the Twentieth Legion marched out of camp, headed north. They stayed within sight of the river, allowing anybody on the western bank to witness their progress. As for the remaining soldiers, half of them spent the day improving the camp's defences, deepening ditches, adding spiked poles to the earthworks, and otherwise gave ...

650. The Road Taken

The legions under Martel's command continued their inexorable march towards Morcaster. They did not meet any resistance; no force existed close enough to offer meaningful opposition. All available troops were being pulled to the capital; the Tyrian scouts found only empty roads ahead.

After two fivedays, Martel and his officers knew this w...

649. Ad Portam

Hundreds of miles lay between the legions and Morcaster, but they had reached fertile lands, civilised and populated, unlike the frontier near Khiva. The days being late summer meant blossoming fields surrounded them, though it also made for hot weather during their marches.

At one of the evening meetings between the legion prefects, Arian...

648. Nineteen, Twenty

While the message from Morcaster was foreboding, it was most of all met by relief. The long waiting and uncertainty had ended. While some had hoped that the High Council would see reason and acquiesce to the demands, at least the rebel legions now knew where they stood. This was no longer a mutiny, but a full rebellion supported by three legions...

647. Cold Winds

Confusion took hold for a while as the expected battle did not happen. The remaining commanders of the two northern legions rode out into the open, signalling their intention to parley. This did not take long; the prefects simply needed to know if their legions could be included in the demands sent to Morcaster, such as immunity from punishment ...

646. Plundered Victory

Two days passed before the Thirteenth and the Seventeen Legions of the Asterian Empire reached the small town of Esmouth. They made camp five miles north; as they enjoyed their long-awaited rest, a messenger arrived from the captain prefect of the Tenth Legion, bearing a challenge. After conferring with his prefects, including the battlemages an...

645. We Kill Them

While the news unsettled both the town and the camp, the prefects waited until more patrols could be sent and return, giving them a better understanding of the situation. The following night, having heard all reports, they gathered in the big tent where Eleanor and Lara usually worked.

"It is the Thirteenth and the Seventeenth," the legion...

644. A Question of Authority

In the following days, Martel got a taste of what it meant to hold imperium over even just a small town like Esmouth. While Eleanor and Lara oversaw administrative tasks and his prefects trained their cohorts, Martel had to listen to disputes, settle complaints, and cast judgement as needed.

A merchant vessel, bringing supplies to the Tent...

643. Imperium

The camp did not have space for the entire legion to stand together in ranks. Thus, as morning came, every cohort marched out, crossed the bridge, and went through Esmouth to finally arraign themselves on the plain north of the town walls. Martel, Eleanor, Lara, and a standard bearer ascended the gatehouse to stand atop, allowing the legionaries...

642. A Council of Command

After allowing Martel and Eleanor a moment of reunion, Lara joined them. "Finally. Your return will buy some time, ease tensions, and we can finally get to work."

"Buy time?" Martel asked confused.

"While most of the legion follows us, there are malcontents. And the further this drags on without a conclusion, the more restless the so...

641. Out of Joint

Nobody tried to murder Martel at night, whether Asterians or Khivans. He and the optio travelled mostly in silence until they reached the small outpost. Seeing it again felt eerie; Martel had never expected he would, and he remembered defending it against the enemy assault. Sneaking out at night to destroy their cannons, how those weapons broke ...

640. What the Future Promises

Watching the Asterian rider approach in the company of a Khivan patrol, Martel wanted to leap over the battlements and sprint towards them, shouting questions. But he restrained himself, given his surroundings. Matters were already tense between him and his host; it seemed best to appear calm and in control of his emotions.

The Asterian ri...

639. The Stronger Mettle

"A known traitor in our midst, and the entire legion watches her speak!" the legate roared.

"The only traitor here is you!" Eleanor retorted. "How many lie dead because you commanded us into the east? All for your vanity!"

"We are fighting a war!" Varus bellowed. "Now seize this deserter!"

From her perch, Eleanor looked at him ...

638. The Words of a Firebrand

A small band of Khivans moved through the contested lands east of Esmouth. In their company walked an Asterian mageknight. While all had their weapons sheathed or shouldered, with no outright sign of hostility, nobody seemed at ease either. The Khivans stayed watchful, spreading out while glancing in every direction, especially the further west ...

637. Marked

Moments passed. Outside, it looked as if they might be getting the small fires under control. Martel could not see it, being inside the tent, but as he let his magic push out from him, he did not feel the intense bursts of heat that a blaze out of control should yield.

Pressing the tablecloth to his wound, Martel began to wonder if he had ...

636. Drop by Drop

Despite his temper flaring, Martel did not allow it to make his decisions. He could not fight the entire Third Army on his own. Rather than release spells in every direction, which would be obvious, he reached out to let his magic connects with objects around him and ignite them. To an observer, it appeared as if tents everywhere ignited spontan...