Whoami

Rise of the Shield Hero - From Another World

This is more or less the attire Auriel is wearing right now. It's not exactly like it. Similar but different is the best way to describe it lol

Rise of the Shield Hero - From Another World

Super late, and my post reflects that with Auriel being held up on her way to join the heroes!

So an update on how my life is going at the moment. I am still deployed to help assist with the floods. Our estimates still have us out here for at least another 10ish days. Thankfully one of my friends lent me his bluetooth keyboard so I have been able to write a lot better than just tapping away at my phone and fat fingering everything. I don't know how actively I'll be able to write while I'm still deployed, but I figured since I had time, I would get something to you guys finally since I know you've been waiting on me for a while.

Rise of the Shield Hero - From Another World

The Struggle

(Mood Music)

Auriel hurried toward the palace in an attempt to reach the celebrations and the heroes. But nearly everything that could stop her did. When she reached the palace gate, Auriel was stopped by the two gate guards. One was young and appeared happy and almost in awe of being in the presence of a figure of such renown. The other guard was old, grizzled, and all too serious. He held his halberd out across the gate, "Halt. State your intention, Lady Auriel."

Auriel blinked. This was the first time she was ever stopped from entering the palace. Auriel raised a brow. "I am rejoining my party in the throne room. The heroes of legend, the sword and the shield." she said, suddenly feeling self conscious that such an answer wasn't good enough.

The guard gave her a look of appraisal, his eyes wandering her figure which made her uncomfortable. Finally the guard spoke, "Dressed like that?"

Auriel looked down at herself. She wasn't wearing anything special. A cloth shirt and slightly frayed pants from an afternoon of training with her mother at the monastery. She looked tattered, because she was. Auriel was about to speak when the guard spoke again, "Need I remind you that you'll be in the company of the king, and that it would be offensive to show up looking the part of the common rabble."

Auriel tried speaking again, "But I-"

"Present yourself in a manner appropriate to standing before the throne, Lady Auriel, and then I will let you pass." he said plainly, a hint of boredom in his tone.

Auriel looked incredulously at the guard for a moment before turning her gaze on the younger guard. He stared in disbelief at the veteran as he had just stood his ground and told off one of the most venerated people in the kingdom. He glanced at Auriel and mouthed 'Sorry!' at Auriel, which she sighed and shrugged back in response before turning and heading back to the monastery.

Auriel had lost a little over an hour of time by the time she had returned in an slender white dress, her back exposed to allow her wings freedom of movement. The dress' material was thin and lightweight, and there was white-gold filigree embroidered into the trim of the cloth. She maintained her warrior stature by wearing small shining pauldrons, armor made purely for ceremony with no protective value in a fight. Her arms were guarded by similar ceremonial vambraces. Glimmering chains of gold and silver kept the ceremonial armor plates fastened to the dress. She also wore a circlet of white gold, inlaid with a vibrant yellow topaz on the forehead. Her hair was braided back. In one hand, Auriel held her signature weapon, the golden spear of Archiel. She wasn't about to leave that sitting around for some silly gala.

Auriel returned, her back straight and patience thin with the guards. The younger guard fawned at the warrior-angel and gasped. Auriel kept a stone face and didn't regard the younger warrior. She stared at the veteran who had denied her access. "I have met your condition. Will you allow me to rejoin my party now?"

The veteran cleared his throat and stammered for a moment before nodding and making for the gate latch, "Ahem! O- of course, Lady Auriel! Apologies for the inconveniences, my lady. We have orders!"

Auriel sighed and rolled her eyes as she walked past him, "You were just doing your job... Goodbye, captain."

Auriel stepped into the palace and out of the guard's area of responsibility. Auriel began making her way up the large rounded staircase that led to the second floor of the palace. Once she got to the top of the steps, Auriel heard a man call her name. "Lady Auriel."

Auriel stopped, sighed, and looked over to the voice. It was Bander, a member of the king's guard. He stepped towards her, his gleaming armor shining and reflecting in the light, cape brushing the immaculate marble floor. Bander removed his feathered helmet and tucked it under his arms. Auriel and Bander were the same age, but they never got along. Bander had grown up in the monastery as an orphan. He was a man of exceptional combat talent, and they would often quarrel throughout their childhood. As children and teenagers, Bander had always coveted Auriel's destiny to become the Holy Warrior. He had asserted that he was more than capable of inheriting the role, but the priests would never even give him the time of day. It always satisfied Auriel's juvenile competitiveness whenever Bander was brushed aside. But it seemed that Bander had found his own place among the king's guard, a feat that at their current age, spoke volumes of his skill. The young man could very well be one of the nation's best warriors. But where Auriel received all the praise and fanfare, Bander existed in solitude and null reputation. It would work in his favor. People would underestimate him.

"Bander." Auriel acknowledged him, but her tone was sweet at least.

"You're awfully late to the event, aren't you?" he said flatly.

Auriel glanced at the door leading into the throne room. She nodded, "I am, hence why I am in such a hurry to rejoin the heroes in the ballroom."

Bander, "Yes well, perhaps you should have dressed more appropriately for the event off the get-go. Hm?"

Auriel raised a brow at that and remained silent for a moment. "You knew I was coming. You ordered that captain to delay me."

Bander's lip twitched, but he contained the smirk that was trying to form. He shook his head, "Now why would I do such a childish thing?"

Auriel pinched the bridge of her nose, "You're a terrible liar, Bander... Aren't we a little too old to be playing pranks?"

Bander shrugged, "Well with the world about to end I figured I'd have a bit of fun and relive the younger years, a bit."

Auriel straightened up a bit and bristled her wings at that statement, "The world is not ending! That's exactly why the heroes are here! Why I am travelling with them!"

He was still obsessed over holding the title of Holy Warrior it seemed... What a shame... If only he knew about the sheer amount of stress and uncertainty that came with the title. Not to mention the amount of eyes that were constantly watching her every move. Bander shook his head, "You know, Auriel..." Bander started, his voice almost serpentine, "I would have never fallen on that battlefield."

Memories of that awful moment flashed in her eyes. The rain... The chains... The blood... Auriel's breath hitched her throat, her body seemed to have froze. Her wings twitched, and inadvertantly sent jolts of fresh pain through the injured joints. Bander continued, "You thought you were so great because you could fly. It only made you a singular target to focus on." Bander said, walking a circle around her and tracing a hand along her bare shoulderblade, right to where one of her wings started.

Auriel clenched her jaw, reliving the moment when her wings were twisted in chains and broken under the weight... The pain when she crashed into the ground and was beaten in the mud... The fear gripped her heart when she could practically feel the heat of the branding iron bearing the mark of slavery mere inches from her chest. "Stop..." Auriel said, her voice wavering a bit.

Bander didn't, "You've lost your greatest strength. You can't fly anymore. Have you told your heroes that yet? Or have you simply danced around the subject? You know... I speak to the troops every day, and I lost count how many times I've heard how the soldiers have lost faith in you. How you're just a shadow of your former self, hiding behind the your glorious title." He gripped at the base of her wing hard, causing a fresh lance of pain to shoot through her.

Auriel said louder this time, "Stop, Bander!" Just before turning on her heel and slamming a fist right into his face.

Bander recoiled with a grunt, blood jutting from his nose. He held his hand over her face. The commotion causing a few others partygoers on the mezzanine to stop what they were doing. Eyes were on them know, and whispered began to echo through the high ceiling's chamber. "Is that Lady Auriel and that new king's guard?"

"Are they fighting?"

"She looked so pale. I wonder what happened."

Auriel breathed deep and pointed the Spear of Archiel at Bander as he clutched his clearly broken and bleeding nose. "I am the Holy Warrior, not because I was ever better than you. I am the Holy Warrior because, unlike you, I moved beyond my childish grudges and rivalries. Because I grew up where you clearly did not. I am still the Holy Warrior, because even when I fall in battle and fail the people, I get back on my feet and keep going rather than wallow in self pity like you do, Bander Van Kronen. It is amazing that you've gotten this far in your career. The King's Guard." she scoffed, "What did you have to do to slither your way into that position? You are despicable, Bander."

Bander snarled and stepped closer to Auriel, "You bitch! The king will hear about this-"

Auriel pressed the spear closer, the tip just barely prodding at his chest now. Auriel's wings splayed wider now, an aura of light seemingly emanating from her and making the shadowed corners of the palace hall retreat. "Aye the king will hear about this. He will hear that one of his own personal bodyguards is quarreling with his childhood. That he assaulted one of the king's guests. He will hear it, and he will cast shame upon you."

Bander stared daggers at her, which she returned in kind. He said nothing. "Touch me again, Bander, and I will not hesitate to end you."

Auriel lowered her spear and made for the throneroom door. She reached for the handle to open it, then she hesitated. Her hand was shaking and goosebumps and formed. Not to mention her eyes were watering. She couldn't go in there like this... She couldn't stand before the heroes and the king in such a discheveled state. Auriel took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before turning to head further down the hallway instead of entering the throne room.

Auriel stepped out onto a balcony, the same one she had stood on the day the heroes were originally summoned. She set her spear against a wall, using a torch sconce to hold it in place laterally so it wouldn't fall and clatter on the marble floor. Auriel leaned over the rail of the balcony with her elbows and stared off to the city below, then up the opposite hill to the monastery. She frowned as the fresh thoughts of her darkest hour swirled around in her head.

Auriel heard a flock of birds chirping and squawing above. She looked up at the birds in flight as they swooped down and caught a current of air. 'You can't fly...' Bander's words sat at the front of her mind. 'Do they know?'

Auriel opened his wings a bit, feeling the wind catch in the feathers. She could feel the pressure of sting of ruined joints and damaged tendons. She tried to flap them, but a crack of bones and flash of pain halted her from completing even one full push. She hesitated and drew her wings back in. Auriel closed her eyes, a tear escaping finally and slipping down her face. She brushed it away and took a deep breath. "Master yourself, Auriel... What's done is done..."

Another tear fell, and once again she brushed it away. After a few deep breaths, Auriel managed to compose herself. She took her hands off of the rail and straightened out her dress. A bit of Bander's blood had spattered on the skirt of the dress. It wasn't much, but the crimson definitely stood out on the white. She let out a long, frustrated sigh. That was stain she would have to deal with before going into the throneroom... "Haaah... I'll get there eventually..." she said to herself as she turned and made for the powder room.

Blighted Etherea: The Champions of Hope

I am still deployed and unable to post at this moment. No word yet on when I'll be home.

Blighted Etherea: The Champions of Hope

Well the real call of duty is upon me now. I am deploying first wave for disaster relief in my home province. Will try to keep in touch but I'll be in the mountains so service will be patchy.

Rise of the Shield Hero - From Another World

Well the real call of duty is upon me now. I am deploying first wave for disaster relief in my home province. Will try to keep in touch but I'll be in the mountains so service will be patchy.

Rise of the Shield Hero - From Another World

I'm very much still here. Sorry for going dark suddenly, I blinked and I ended up back out in the field for 2 weeks. This is my first day back home and now I'm apparently deploying BACK out into the field AGAIN for an unknown amount of time to help with disaster relief. Needless to say I'm quite busy. But my interest has not waned yet!

EDIT: By the end of the year, I'll have spent 6 months away from home this year. v.v God I'm exhausted.

Blighted Etherea: The Champions of Hope

I'll put something up this weekend!

Blighted Etherea: The Champions of Hope

PROLOGUE

(Mood Music)
(Ambient Sound)

The sky was a dark grey. The clouds hung low over the mountains, obscuring the highest peaks of the tallest mountains. Thunder rumbled and rain fell. The dirt pathways through the lower districts of Cloudsreach quickly turned to mud. The mood was somber in the streets of Cloudsreach. Thousands of elders, women, and children lined the sides of the streets while others leaned out their windows or over the rooftop edges. There was no cheering. There didn't need to be. Every citizen of Cloudsreach- no, every citizen of Gryphonne was stoic and proud as they watched the remaining garrison of city march through the Holy Hieronymo Gate. The garrison was small, a poultry two-hundred and fifty. That was all that could be afforded now that the darkness was besieging the great border fortresses on all sides. They marched in perfect unison, the parade drill of the Gryphonnians always a spectacle to behold. Every footfall of one man was amplified by the footfalls of hundreds more. Even in the muddy road, their cadence was resounding enough to echo off of the sheer cliff faces surrounding the city. The rain could barely mute the effect. It was the wordless announcement that told the entire city that Epheria's second crusade had begun.

The order of march started with the rank and file arms men of the country, lead by a commander mounted on horseback and his standard bearer. Every hundred paces or so, a priest of the Sunlight Ecclesium walked slowly alongside the troops. He was waving a censor and chanting holy words quietly so that none would leave holy Gryphonne without the Sun God's blessing. "Our Luminous Father... Watch over these few souls who depart from the Fatherland this day... Great Icarius, in death or life, when it is done, cast your light upon our solemn soldiers and guide them to salvation."

Further down the road, a child cried and stepped out to reach for a soldier. A young mother stepped after her and scooped the child up into her arms. She looked up at one soldier, who held a hand out. The woman reached out as he passed, their fingers interlacing for a fleeting moment before he passed. The child cried louder and reached for the soldier as well, but the mother hugged onto the child tight. The child's sobbing pierced the silence, "Papa! Don't go, papa! No... Papa..!"

Somewhere else in the crowd, a grizzled old man sat in a wooden rocking chair. His leg was missing. A veteran from the Foreign War. He nodded up at the commander as he rode past. The commander nodded back. The old man spoke, "Nam Gryphonis, brother."

The commander placed two fingers between his brow and dipped his head to the veteran, "Sanctus vult."

The veteran dipped his head, "Sanctus vult..." The commander took a deep breath and turned his head forward as he rode on.

Passing through the Hieronymo Gate after the armsmen were the Knights of Gryphonne mounted atop their demigryphs. The regal creatures held their heads high as they let out restrained chirps and huffs. The rain rolled off of their down feathers, but it didn't stop a few of the demigryphs from ruffling their features and shaking their heads to try and dry themselves off futilely in the rain. The knights mounted on their backs wore their gleaming plate armor and tabardry. Every squadron had a bannerman leading at the front which displayed the heraldry of their respective squadrons. Some knights wore simple plate helmets with slits to see through, while others wore more ornate helmets adorned with feathers and wings and were trimmed with gold. They were a regal sight to see when mounted on their ferocious steeds. If only the country could commit more of their famous Knights of Gryphonne to the crusade.

A louder gryphon call above the marching knights drew attention away from the parade, some of the demigryphs tilting their heads to the side to track the sound above. A great gryphon flew overhead merely fifty feet above the rooftops. It's massive wingspan could connect a building on one side of the street to the one on the other side. Following behind and aside the first gryphon, in a flying-V formation, more great gryphons flew. Their riders with their brilliant red capes commanding their awe inspiring beasts with ease. Twenty great gryphons in total flew over the parade in their squadrons of five at varying altitudes. The sight of the great gryphons alone made everyone stand with straighter backs. The pride in the creature was infectious, and it was hard not to feel a profound sense of national pride whenever one could lay eyes upon such a magnificent beast.

Once again, the crowd's eyes were taken from the small marching army as a new grand figure appeared. The darkened, stormy sky was immediately illuminated as though the sun had pierced the gray veil. It had not. Standing atop Hieroynmo Gate, with her wings spread wide and her body emanating the most vibrant sunlight, the Holy Saint herself, Queen Epheria, alighted on the masonry and looked down at her forces. The troops never broke stride, even when they could feel the warmth of the light pouring over their backs. There was a small bit of distortion in the air above the cramped street as the heat of Epheria's light turned the tiny water droplets to steam. In one of Epheria's hand was a sword, the sword of the very hero that had held the gate, named in his honor, against a greater foe. The sword of the Saint's fallen husband. The Blade of Noblesser. In her other hand was the divine weapon, forged and once wielded by Icarius himself, the Sunspear. The long bladed tip writhed in solar energies while the entire weapon glowed brightly.

Epheria was wearing her battle armor, a suit of plate mail ornately decorated and etched with both cultural and religious iconography. She was wearing her full helm, gryphon feathers streaming out from either side of the helmet. Epheria's glowing eyes could be seen through the darkness of her helmet's visor. As she stood there, a great gryphon landed at her side. Knight-Commander Godwyn of the Knights of Gryphonne adjusted himself in his saddle as he looked down his mount at Saint Epheria. "The dwarves of the Dun Aquileon have completed their work on schedule, your Holiness. The Underway is complete, and they have secured a safe exit beyond the reach of the darkness. By this time next week, we will have reached the coast."

Epheria nodded once to Godwyn, "Very good. Join your squadron, Commander Godwyn and proceed through the gates of Dun Aquileon. I must give blessings to the people we are leaving behind."

Godwyn nodded his head, "At once, my queen!" Godwyn whipped his reins and the gryphon let out a screeching roar as it spread its wings and threw itself from the Hieronymo Gate.

Epheria looked down at all of the civilians that had gathered to watch the procession of Epheria's tiny army. They had all turned their gazes upward to her. She took a breath, and let it out with a thundering voice, "People of Gryphonne! We stand on a knife's edge! As you all know, our country is beset on all sides. Once great nations that surrounded us have been all but consumed in the path of these ungodly locusts. There are no more friends or allies sharing our borders. There is only death and despair. Yet by the grace of Icarius and the bounty of the Fatherland, WE, the people of Gryphonne, still stand! We are unconcquered! Undevoured! We are pure and free! And we never will be anything but that!"

The somber streets quickly shifted to a ruckus of cheers, claps, and whistles. The mountains echoed the defiant cry of a besieged nation. All around, people smiled confidently and raised their fists. Epheria continued, "I must leave our Fatherland for a time... And I must take the last of our unallocated troops with me... It was not an easy decision to make. While Gryphonne may never fall to the darkness, the longer we sit and wait behind our stone walls, the worse it gets for the world. Know this! I am not leaving to abandon you! I am not leaving to fight for another country when the fight is right here! I am leaving to crusade! To crusade at the sides of any remaining kingdom that will risk everything for the greater good of our world! This is greater than Gryphonne's survival! This is for the survival of Icarius' creations! For us, his children! For Etheria, his paradise! This is the Final Crusade! Sanctus Vult! Deus Vult!"

The people all cheered in unison, repeating Epheria's fianl words as she moved her massive wings and took flight. In that moment, an entire city roared loud enough to unsettle even the earth beneath the city's foundation. "DEUS VULT! DEUS VULT! DEUS VULT!"

The cheering boomed on and on while Epheria flew over the stone rooftops and made for the great granite gates of the dwarven undercity, Dun Aquileon. The light of Epheria continued to illuminate the mountainside as she flew through the gates, until the all consuming darkness of the underworld was too thick to be pierced even by the saint's light. The granite gates rumbled and shook the earth as they started to close. The lumbering motion of the great iron cogs and massive chains shook the loose stones on the ground and caused birds to lift from their perches in fear of the great noise. As Epheria flew deeper into the undercity, she could still hear the echoes of the city reverbing off of the cavern walls.

"DEUS VULT! DEUS VULT! DEUS VULT! DEUS VULT! DEUS VULT!"

Rise of the Shield Hero - From Another World

@WhoamiAlright i added an except for you specfically.

@vancexentan

Hm?