The Hero of Anthath Tul

Jath Pakina, one of the many human soldiers of Anthath Tul who stood just a few miles out from the murky border of the swamp, was afraid. As were the other soldiers who had been summoned here. They had all heard the rumors, even months ago before their king gave the order for them to march. Tangguofuhan, the xing hive nation, was stirring once again. It happened every few decades according to the scholars. The xing population would reach a point where they became unsustainable, and swarm out into the surrounding countryside in an attempt to expand their borders and take slaves, usually children and the elderly, to be fed to the queen's larvae. So far, the border nations always managed to drive them back, but not before a great deal of people were dragged to a slow and grisly demise. But things had changed with the coronation of the human kingdom's most recent ruler, Kaslun Mukethra. He was known for being hot-headed, but even his closest friends were shocked at his reaction to reports of a looming xing invasion. He declared he would marshal his soldiers at the border of the xing's swamps and defeat them before they could reach the settled territories. Such a declaration emboldened the other nearby nations, and so, in the year 1191, a host comprised of many different races and kingdoms marched towards the boundary of the xing nation, which now loomed in front of them like some crouching monster. And make no mistake, battle would be joined. Despite technically being able to simply fly over the heads of the king's army, such a tactic would leave their hive (and more importantly, the queens) vulnerable. The xing would have no choice but to fight head-on. Which is why Jath and the others were so afraid, on this dark, overcast day. All the other times the xing were beaten back, it had been after they dispersed into various smaller war parties. To take on a unified xing swarm was unheard of. But it would be the greatest chance this slipshod confederation of nations had to create a lasting peace. Simply by looking about from his current position (A hilltop overlooking the main encampment), Jath could see his various allies preparing for the coming madness. In one of the open areas, a platoon of dwarves from Subetkol practiced fighting in formation, protecting one another with layers of shields, some thrusting spears and others firing crossbows (unloaded of course) with rapid efficiency. In a path between a few rows of tents, a group of towering yotunmen conversed with a squad of equally large ganbu. While still nervous, Jath felt just a little bit better knowing such powerful warriors would be fighting on his side. The yotunmen were no doubt wandering mercenaries in it for the coins, as no settlement was far south enough to actually be threatened by the xing expansions. Yet. The ganbu nation, Daikou, on the other hand was a long-time ally of the humans. The shelled reptilians could be counted on in times like these. Either way, they were a boon he was thankful for. Some ways upward, one could see patrols of red and green-feathered birdmen of Takju Bratis patrolling the skies. The rux had also thrown their lot in with this union. While Jath understood that having your own aerial soldiers to counter the winged xing swarm would be invaluable, he couldn't help but wonder why the rux were helping at all. Those damnable avians never helped anyone unless they thought they could gain an advantage out of it, and even then they were just as likely to stab you in the back after the deal was done. He decided he'd keep watching the skies himself rather than trust the ruxian patrols to do their job. And finally, in a corner somewhat separated from the rest of the camp, were those things. Jath didn't even want to look at them. Oh they would certainly be useful, and not nearly as treacherous as the rux, but still... ugh. Just getting a glimpse of their inhumanly slender figures, the abhorrent combination of human flesh and alien chitin, the human faces without human emotions behind them... the alliance could probably do without the manats, he believed. Damn things should go back to their blasted wasteland and not bother the living folk. But his ruminations were interrupted by a warbling tone coming up from behind him, accompanied by a rapid thumping sound.

"Human! Human! A moment of your time?"

Jath turned around to see a curious sight. A round mass of green skin covered flesh supported by eight tentacles galloped up the hill towards him, its cloak fluttering in the wind and its pincer-like arms holding up a roll of parchment and a quill pen. A kalkir, one of the forest dwellers and a friend of the elves, most like. He sighed, but decided to humor the creature. Anything was better than waiting silently. "What do you need me for? Gonna ask me to not use my wood pipe, eh?" The kalkir twitched its tentacles in a gesture Jath new to be their way of saying "I come in peace" and spoke, "I don't intend to moralize upon you, dear mammal. I'm a scholar, you see, from Grava Abori. The grand patriarch has heard of the efforts of your nations and has sent me, Istrate Auxioradersparodente, to record this unprecedented event!" he said, rolling his long name off with the ease of one who has done it many, many times. As he spoke, another figure crested the hill preceded by a gust of chill air, a tall female humanoid clad in furs and metal plates, with pale blue skin interspersed with smooth chunks of opaque ice, shaggy, middling-length cobalt hair, and a hefty greataxe strapped to her back. She looked over the human with teal eyes that seem to have seen a great deal of suffering in their lifetime. "Hisch Verkstillye. Don't mind me. Just the bodyguard. Pays well." The Kalkir lowered its front in their equivalent of a nod. "Indeed. Yotuns are the best protectors money can buy, or so I've been told. Regardless, human, I wish to hear your opinion of this event. Quotes from those who were actually present for something like this make the best records and sources, after all!" The kalkir's relentless enthusiasm was beginning to wear on Jath, who not for the first time was beginning to regret his choices in life and now wanted this to be over as quickly as possible. "Ugh, er, right. Name's Jath Pakina. I'm uh... I'm a member of king Mukethra's army of Anthath Tul. And uh... well... I dunno if this is gonna work, to be honest. Anthath Tul has fought the xing before, but not like this. My ma and pa said the xing would cover the skies when they came. If we're gonna be taking on something like that before it even has a chance to thin out..." He shakes his head. "I dunno. But you write this down. I ain't gonna run, you hear me? I swear it." The Kalkir tilts itself uncertainly, but writes it down. He took a long look at the human. Blonde hair, green eyes, pale brown skin. A typical citizen of this nation. But there was something nagging him. "And... how old are you?" Jath furtively looked around before saying, "I've only seen 18 summers, but don't tell the other soldiers that or I'll never hear the end of it. Most of them are veterans, you know?" The Kalkir did its strange nod again. "Thank you for your answers, now, what do you think of-" But his words were interrupted by the sound of screaming, and the whooshing of flames. "What in hell-?!" Jath looked up to see the overcast sky had turned a scarlet red. He didn't understand what was happening. Was it magic? had the heavens themselves turned to fire? And then it hit him, and his knees turned to jelly and an icy hand gripped his stomach. That wasn't the sky. Soon the air was filled with the chittering of tens of thousands of red-carapaced insect-men as they swooped down from the clouds onto the unprepared encampment.

The army of Tangguofuhan had arrived.
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The Drone Prince Tongguifen Xiangbiren, 47th of his line and warmaster of the 32nd harvesting of the prey-lands, soared the skies alongside a disgustingly fleshy companion, the general Djam Bledil of the rux. The birdman cawed in smug satisfaction. "Kehehe! Those foolish wingless! Did they really think we would ally with them? Look how helpless they are, kehehehehe! Once I withdrew my patrols from the sky, they were totally blindsided by your attack, Prince Tongguifen!" The drone regarded him with dispassionate eyes. "Indeed. You have served your purpose well, sir Bledil." The Rux preened. "Well, naturally. My instincts are flawless as always. I knew the xing would triumph, and had the foresight to choose the winning side. Now, about what was promised. I demand a full complement of xing soldiers to assist me in overthrowing my idiotic ruler. Once he is out of the way, I will claim the throne myself, in the name of Tangguofuhan, of course." The drone nodded slowly. "I shall grace you with the reward you deserve, sir Bledil." The two of them ascended past the clouds and the pitched battle below into the deceptively calm blue skies above. As trails of cloudstuff cleared from Djam's eyes, his heart started pounding as a shock of fear and adrenaline raced through his system. All around him, his soldiers were being torn apart by Xing warriors or worse yet, dragged off screaming into the clouds below. "What is the meaning of this!??" Djam squawked in fear and fury as his perfect plans and dreams of glory crumbled before his eyes. Above him, Xiangbiren hovered, his insectoid face showing no discernible emotion. "I have simply given you the reward a traitorous whelp such as yourself deserves, sir Bledil. Tangguofuhan does not need the help of the likes of you in order to take your petty kingdom. Goodbye." Djam's shrieks of horror and protest were muffled by swarming bodies as he was pulled downward by a pack of soldiers, destined to be carried to the hatcheries to serve as food for growing Xing. The prince turned his gaze downward. Though he didn't show it, nor could any non-insect possibly guess at it, he was practically burning with excitement. Oh, such a glorious victory would gain him so much honor in the hive! His exalted position would be indisputable. The queens would practically be fighting over him once he returned. But he kept his chitinous features stoic and expressionless as thoughts raced though his mind. It wouldn't do for his underlings to see such unseemly displays of emotion. And besides, he had work to do. Despite the success of the surprise attack, the combined armies of the prey territories were putting up quite the fight. It would not due for his ascent to be halted by this rabble. He sank down into the grey mists, and prepared to join his brothers and sisters in the battle that would surely change the course of his life forever.
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Jath and his companions ran through the burning tent city as the roar of battle sounded all around them. The clashing of metal, flesh and chitin was almost overwhelming, and in the sky vast explosions could be seen as wizards on the ground did battle with xing casters hiding in the skies. But it seemed that for every xing struck down, another took its place, while the alliance grew weaker with every soldier slain. That said, the alliance seemed to be making the xing pay for every inch of ground gained, and the grass was littered with ichor and mutilated corpses. Istrate looked about the carnage, warbling nervously. "I-I-I wasn't supposed to actually be here when the battle began, just before and after! I need to get out of here!" Jath shushed him and peered past the corner of the nearest tent, looking about for any xing that might remain in this area. "Just shut up and you might make it, yeah? This is a really bad time to lose your wits," he said, his voice shaking slightly, "Hisch, you see anything?" The stalwart yotun shook her head. "Nothing." Jath nodded. "Right, good. Now we can-" Suddenly, a high pitched voice rang out, obviously in distress. "S-somebody! Help me!" Jath muttered a curse and looked to his two companions. The kalkir looked uncertain, torn between a desire to help and a desire to not die painfully, while the yotunman (woman? Jath didn't know the proper terminology and didn't care to ask) looked impassive as ever. It was much to his surprise, then, when she suddenly lept into action and began sprinting off in the direction of the cries. The two others stood gobsmacked for a moment before gathering their wits and chasing after her. When they finally caught up, they were surprised to find the yotun crouched behind an overturned carriage. She motioned them to come closer, and when they arrived, resumed her prior activity, peering through the spaces in the wooden wagon. The human and kalkir followed suit. Before their eyes was a heart-wrenching sight. A young human girl wearing a loose hooded robe, not any older than two dozen summers, lay on the ground just outside an abandoned tent. Near her stood two xing soldier caste, advancing with with their slender blades drawn. The girl squirmed away, but seemed wounded and wouldn't go very far. Jath began to get up, but Hisch clamped a hand down on his shoulder, speaking quietly. "Watch." He decided to trust her, and remained still. As the xing soldiers advanced, it looked like it would all be over in a few short seconds, but without warning, a massive, pale arm almost completely covered in bone-white plating reached out of the nearest tent and grabbed both of the xing soldiers before pulling them in. There was a wet crunching sound, and then all was silent. Jath's breath caught in his throat. Hisch nodded. "That's the third time since I got here." Only one of the alliance races had creatures like that on their side. But why would it help a human? No, he realized. It wasn't helping the poor girl. It was just using her as bait. The young man gripped the pommel of his sword and strode out despite the protest of the kalkir (the yotunwoman (Jath had settled on that to describe her) simply followed him out). He spoke, but in a shouted whisper. He wasn't so stupid as to attract more xing to the area, despite his emotional state. "How dare you... you... you freak! Using someone like this! If you can understand me, then tell me-" He draws and holds his scimitar, the weapon of his people, in trembling hands, facing the entrance to the tent. "Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now!"

"Oh goodness, it seems there's been a misunderstanding." Sang a clear, pleasant, and distinctly inhuman buzzing voice behind him. Sweating, he turned around, expecting to see a xing soldier looming over him, but what stood before him was even more unnerving. The robed girl that had moments ago been lying wounded on the ground, was standing up, apparently unharmed. Her slender hands moved upward and pulled the robe back. White. That was what was wrong with her, Jath's brain belatedly realized. She was too white, her skin, her hair. No human could be that pale. But as the robe came down, the final peace of the puzzle clicked into place. Her eyes were distinctly inhuman. Where the white should be was as black as one's pupil, while the iris and pupil itself were white, though her iris seemed to be slightly darker while the pupil was almost glowing. Wait, her? No, no. On closer inspection, the features were all wrong. This thing was perfectly androgynous. It, and it was surely an it, smiled disarmingly, contrasting with the overwhelming wrongness radiating from the creature. Jath turned his sword this way and that, trying to decide which direction to focus on as fear began to overtake his body. His panicking was stopped, however, when a cold hand suddenly gripped his shoulder. Hisch steadied the youth and pushed him slightly away from the perfectly still creature, who had now cocked its head to the side, confused. "Is there something wrong?" It asked. Hisch open her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Jath as he fearfully blurted out, "You're undead! That's what's wrong. I don't know why the king wants anything to do with monsters like you! Y-you're probably the reason everything is falling apart now!"

Hisch looks warily at the creature, but it remains where it is, replying, "If that was the case I wouldn't be killing xing, right? We are all allies here. I would like to not die, also. I think that would be good. So we should calm down, please, yes?" Hisch nods, and takes a moment to speak to Jath and the Kalkir, who had managed to crawl out from behind the wagon and closer to the two others. "Listen. I have dealt with manat. They are strange, yes. They do many things even the yotunmen think are mad. But they do not politick as we do. I do not think they would know what betrayal was if there were not other races to teach them of it. If they sided with the xing, we would know. So, I do not think they are trying to trick us. We should be watchful, but perhaps they will be of use." Jath interjects furiously. "I joined the guard to fight monsters, not work with them!" Hisch sighs. "You remind me of my kin from the clan-homes. Brash and honorable. I admire it. But now is the time to fight the xing. If the manats are a threat, we will deal with them later." Jath just shakes his head. "Gods-damned... fine. Lets do it your way then." Hisch nods and turns toward the one visible manat. "Have your friend show himself, and then we will talk." The creature nods amiably. "Of course. Gaassen, come out, please!" There's a heavy thudding sound, and then another, and a monster drags itself out of the tent. A massive humanoid almost three time's Jath's size, covered in white bone plates and with insectoid hooves where the legs should be. Well, one leg to be precise. The other was missing just below the hip, looking like it was recently ripped off. Its face was the most alien, however. Besides the human mouth, all of the creature's visage was obscured by a single solid bone plate terminating in a short, fan-shaped frill at the top. In its right hand was a massive iron club. Istrate chirps excitedly. "By the forest spirits, this a manaten Boneguard! I've never seen one myself! How fascinating!" He turns to the remaining manat. "And now that I can take a good look at you, hrmmm... ah! My guess is you are one of the Face caste, are you not?" The pale figure nods- "You are surely correct, dear scholar." -and bows deeply to the three of them. "Mirem D'panseirei, ambassador to the kingdom of Anthath Tul from my own land of Kreiarift, and my loyal guardian, sir Gaassen Enswaacht. We meant to make contact with your king this very day, to secure a more formal alliance between our peoples, but were interrupted before the meeting could be joined." The Boneguard rumbles his assent. "Indeed. The Xing deprived me of my leg during the beginning of the battle. Dropped a rock right on me. Had to cut the useless thing off." It fixes its sightless gaze on the trio, before muttering something under its breath and nodding approvingly. "You'll do." Jath interjects again. "What's that supposed to mean?" The Boneguard shifts its weight so that it was squatting, using its club as a makeshift support. Even in this position, it towered over everyone else. "For the past few minutes or so, I've caught the scent of a group of xing on their way towards this area. I'd like you three to take Mirem and meet with the rest of the alliance." Mirem starts and looks up, its pleasant expression changing to one of worry. "Wait, what?! What are you-" Gaassen quickly cuts the Face off. "Mirem. You know I would be unable to move fast enough to keep pace with you should we need to move quickly. At this point, the proper thing to do is to stall the enemy for as long as I can." The hulking creature turns to Jath and the others. "You have no reason to do this. But I would be eternally thankful if you would keep my charge safe for me. At least until you make it past the alliance battle-lines." Before Jath could speak, Istrate cuts in. "And what do we gain out of it?" Gaassen thinks for a moment, and then growls a reply. "Now that I think about it, you likely would gain a reward for your efforts. A favor from Kreiarift. Along with a hefty sum of gold, I would imagine. You three look the type to be motivated by such things." The trio whispers to one another, with Jath looking rather upset, but eventually he spits out a curse and sighs. Hisch speaks up. "We will do it." Mirem starts to speak up again. "W-wait just a minu-" but is interrupted by an arrow thudding into its gut. "Ghhk!" The Boneguard shoves the doubled-over manat to the rest of the group and faces away from them. "Go." In the distance, the buzzing of xing could be heard. Mirem desperately tries to say something, but the words can't come out. Gaassen doesn't look back. Hisch hoists the slender creature up on her shoulder and takes off, Istrate and Jath in close pursuit. Behind them, the sound of crunching chitin and terrible roaring could be heard, but eventually, it cuts off, terminated by a resounding thud.
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Once certain they have put some distance between themselves and the xing soldiers, the three impromptu adventurers found a secluded, small ditch and took a brief rest, placing Mirem down on the ground while Hisch looked over its wounds. Upon examining the arrow embedded in the manat's stomach, her eyes narrowed. She wraps her hand around the shaft and quickly yanks it out. Jath and Istrate gasp in shock as she does what almost every healer says you shouldn't do during a delicate time like this. But to their amazement, Mirem just sat straight up without a sound, despite the dark, dark red blood oozing out of the wound. But in just a few minutes, the blood slowed to a trickle and then stopped entirely. Hisch looked up at Mirem questioningly, stating, "When I checked you over, the edges of the arrow-wound looked almost a day old." Mirem nodded. "Compared to most manat castes, faces are... weak. We aren't large like boneguards, we can't fly, we aren't really that stronger or faster than anyone normally our size, and since we were made to look as, well, ah, not like a manat as possible, we don't have chitin to protect us. Our advantage lies in our ability to heal. So long as we aren't killed in a single blow or bleed out, faces will be able to recover. Such things are necessary, since we are away from home so much. We can't often rely on other manats to be around to help. I mean, I am lucky, I have Gaa-" Its face suddenly contorted into an expression of concern. "Wait, Gaassen, didn't he- where is he? He came with us, right?" None of the others could look it in the eye. They said nothing. Mirem let out a shuddering breath, staring at the ground. When its spoke, its voice was clear and detached. "I knew he'd do something like that. Well... no... it was the right thing to do, but... I wish it didn't happen." The manat's voice breaks at the end, and it sinks to the ground, emitting a quiet whining sound and shuddering, its face hidden from view. Hisch, Jath, and Istrate don't say anything at first, but eventually Jath breaks the silence, awkwardly scooting closer to the prone creature. "Uh... well... I dunno how much this'll help but when I was only about 8 summers old, my mum died. It was a harpy attack. Our village was close to the wilds and they just.. grabbed her up. I uh... well... I dunno what I'm saying but y'know I mean uh, what I'm trying to say is that I know what you're feeling so uh... yeah." A few moments later, Mirem crawls up to a sitting position. "Thank you, human. I appreciate your gesture. But I should not let myself grow weak now. Gaassen and myself... we were like... humans would say we were like brothers, I think. I would not want to dishonor him by dragging you down. I am ready to leave when you are." Jath and the others got up as well, and the four of them traversed the blasted remains of the army camp. In the distance, the roar of battle could distantly be heard. The adventurers were made uncomfortably aware that they were behind enemy lines. One could only wonder at what was happening on the battlefield.
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King Kaslun Mukethra, a thirty year old man with the blonde hair and green eyes of a native of Anthath Tul and a jagged scar on his cheek, shouted commands to his soldiers as the struggle raged on. The xing attack had caught them all by surprise, but the battle-hardened lords had managed to marshal their troops before a crippling blow could be struck. Men and dwarves fought in tight formations held together by shield and spear, protecting the marksmen who launched volleys of bow and crossbow bolts upwards at the enemy. Meanwhile, the ganbu and yotunmen used their prodigious strength to their advantage, launching quick sorties into the thick of the xing formations on the ground before retreating back behind the shield-walls of their comrades. And the manats... well, no one wanted to look at what the manats were doing to the xing they were fighting. Kaslun thanked whichever gods were listening that the necromancer who created those damnable things used enough human stock that they could be reasoned with. For all their strangeness, they made implacable allies if one was willing to make the effort. King Mukethra's own division was performing well, as expected. The king himself had slayed twoscore of the vile insects with his artifact steel blade, Aranerith, a gift from the dwarves to his kingdom centuries ago. But even so, he could not help but feel a tinge of fear as he saw the countless xing soldiers emerging from the skies. Sure, they were lightly armored and seemed poorly trained compared to his own men, but there were just so many... His thoughts were interrupted by a harsh buzzing and he looked up to see xing warriors had snuck past his men and were charging him directly! Not being one to hesitate in the face of danger, the king charged forward, bisecting one of the soldiers before turning around and lopping the head off the next one, and then promptly ramming his pommel into the the face of the remaining attacker and exploding it into a lump of gore. His armor stained with the ichor of yet more enemies, Kaslun looked grimly into the sky blackened by innumerable descending xing. Something needed to happen soon, he realized, or the alliance may fall at the hands of Tangguofuhan.
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Jath, Hisch, Istrate, and Mirem looked on nervously at the back of the xing swarm as it descended again and again on the beleaguered defenders. From their vantage point, at least, they had a clear idea of what was going on. "Look over there!" Istrate shouted, tentacles pointing to the source of his excitement. In the distance, a group of xing flew up from a location just of view of the defenders and up into the clouds, followed by yet more a few minutes later. "Aha! How brilliant!" Jath looks to the cephalopod. "What do ya mean?" The kalkir warbles, "Don't you see? The swarm looked massive at first, and it was, but they clearly took a lot of losses during the initial attack. All right, let me explain. There are still a lot of them, but what they are doing, is a sort of rotational illusion. The xing at the front of the swarm dive down, attack, and fly away using the hills as cover, then head back up to the clouds to attack again. The purpose seems to be threefold. The constant small attacks serve to slowly whittle down the more heavily armored defenders instead of having them smashed up in a direct confrontation, the trip to the back of the lines gives them time to recuperate, and the constant stream of soldiers that pours down from the clouds when they return creates the impression that there is an endless amount of them, instead of the same troops recycled over and over! Whoever is commanding the xing army is an exceptional tactician." Mirem looks to Istrate with a great deal of interest. "Say, kalkir, do you think if this tactician was killed, the xing army would suffer a serious setback?" Istrate thinks for a moment before replying, "Well, I mean, I suppose-" And then freezes. "No, don't even think about it!" He looks to Hisch and Jath, who are now sharing the same curious look Mirem displayed. "I-it's suicide! We don't even know who it would be! They all look almost identi-"

"I could do it." Jath said.

The three turn to look at him. "My mother and father made sure to teach me all about the xing so when they came in my lifetime I'd be ready. I spent days studying the notices an' scrolls we had about them. They come in different types y'see. Like ants. No offense to Mirem." The manat nods graciously. "Anyway yeah, they got different types. Workers are the small spindly ones and soldiers are the bulkier professional warrior types. They're rarer but are pretty tough. But then you got these tall slender ones, and they're the ones in charge. There's normally only one or two of 'em in a swarm and they usually hang in the back, so if I could just get in there I could spot the guy, and take him out." Hisch nods. "Its possible. You'd need people to watch your back though." She unslings her greataxe and hefts it. "I would be willing to do so. For free, even." Mirem slides his hands into his robe and pulls out a crossbow and a shortsword. "Gaassen wasn't my only protection. I can handle myself, too. I'll help." The Kalkir reaches into its pack and pulls out a pen and paper. "Well I don't know what I can do to help, I'm just a scholar!" Jath looks to him. "I've got an idea. Sneak around the battle and speak to the king. Tell him about our plan, and the trick the xing are using. If- when we kill the leader, he'll charge in and get us out before we all die horribly. You might as well go now, the journey will take an hour or two and if we're doing this, we can't afford to hesitate." The Kalkir looks back and forth between the three, before letting out a sad chirp. "Regardless of what happens, I will ensure you three are memorialized in history. Goodbye." And with that, he galloped off and was gone. Jath turned to his remaining companions. "Lets get moving. All we can do is go for it now. It just depends on finding the enemy general once we're in." As the trio snuck toward the back of the xing swarm, they talked amongst themselves. It may be their last chance to do so. "Hisch, why did you leave the north?" Jath asked. "Well. It is complicated. I do admire my kin. We were all born anew in the ice, as you know. Our ancestors were human. But we knew nothing of their ways. We had to start over. We did it, but even with our perseverance, the yotunmen have nothing, really. We survive, but not much else. Because of this, I... I wanted something more than that. The south, this kingdom, seemed so bountiful compared to my home. Whatever it is, I hope to find it here. If I survive, anyway." Mirem cuts in. "I'm sure we'll be fine. I mean, Jath's king is supposed to be different than the old ones, right? He'll help us when the time comes, I'm sure of it!" Jath nods, not letting his uncertainty show on his face. "Yeah, of course-" Hisch suddenly silences the two of them with a wave of her hand. "Quiet! we're here." They all look up to see seemingly thousands of xing in the air above them, swarming towards the slowly weakening defenders. "I don't think we have much time left." Miram remarked worriedly, to which Jath responded, "Right, lets get this done quick."
"You see the guy yet, Jath?"
"I'll tell you when I see him Mirem, just hush."
"Right. Oh sorry I spoke again. I'll be quiet now."
Jath scanned the air fruitlessly until he saw a dark figure in the center of the swarm, bigger than the other xing. "I think I see the leader." He pointed toward the creature. "He's hovering right in the middle though, I can't get to him." Hisch looks to Mirem. "How about you put that crossbow of yours to use, eh? Bring him down to us." Mirem nods. "Right!"
And takes aim.
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Drone Prince Tongguifen Xiangbiren, 47th of his line and warmaster of the 32nd harvesting of the prey-lands, felt like a god. All around him, xing warriors slammed into the wall of soldiers and nicked away at it, only to buzz away into the hills and back up into the clouds, continuing his brilliant illusion of endless numbers. Granted, the swarm was already massive, but chances couldn't be taken with those wretched ground-dwellers. No need to fly means they can cover themselves with much more armor than the xing, so Tongguifen had to be careful to avoid sending his troops into a meatgrinder. No, wearing them away little by little was the best choice. The smartest choice. A choice that gets the attention of the queens. Oh yes, soon it would be impossible for those foolish animals to keep fighting, and then the xing would conquer everything they had. It was perfect! It was inevitable! It was-

His thoughts were interrupted by a bronze crossbow bolt slicing through his wings, sending him plummeting to the ground below. As he fell, chittering in fury, his honor guard of soldier caste flew down as well, grabbing onto him and slowing his descent, allowing him to land relatively unscathed but grounded, until he could find a healer, anyways. Practically seething, he pulled one of his honor guard close. "Redouble the attacks, you hear me! I don't know who did this, but they will pay for it! Send every soldier but my guards to attack at once! Kill them all, you hear me! All of them!" The shaken soldier flies away, and a few minutes later the airborne xing swarm down en masse on the defenders, joining battle in earnest for the first time since the initial assault. But the roars of battle sounded... closer? than they should. Suddenly he realized, those sounds were coming from his honor guard! A hundred or so meters away, he could perceive a skirmish between his own people and unidentified attackers. Realizing they were likely the ones who shot him, he let out an earsplitting cry of rage and stalked towards the bloodshed.
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Jath, Hisch, and Mirem were fighting for their lives. Against the trained warriors, the honor guard, the battle was more intense than anything they had experienced. Hisch swung her greataxe in great curving arcs, scattering heads, limbs, and torsos about the battlefield. Mirem, having thrown off his robe revealing a set of pale taupe leather armor, darted from one group to the next, crippling leaders or strong looking warriors with well-aimed bolts before darting in and leaving jagged, bleeding wounds with his shortsword before moving on to the next target. Jath, meanwhile, slowly advanced, step by step, following all the maneuvers and parries he had been taught in the training fields and desperately holding his own against the xing soldiers. His saving grace was the copper chain and plate he had been given on the day they marched to the swamps, which seemed like so long ago now despite so little time having passed. Against the light leather armor of the xing soldiers, he was like turtle slowly advancing up a stream that threatened to push him down the current. Of course, one false move and he'd be on his back and vulnerable, and that would be it. There were a few close calls, but Mirem or Hisch had always been there to lend a helping bolt or axe swing. But now the three had become separated. It didn't matter now, Jath reminded himself. What was important was getting to the leader. But it was his target that ended up finding him. It reared up suddenly, standing a full two heads taller than the tallest human, and wielding a wicked steel longsword. "You." It stated, its chitin clacking frantically. "You did this! You disgraced me in my hour of triumph! I'll have you pay! You'll suffer!" It continued to rant and rave, swinging his sword wildly with all the fury of an enraged berserker. Jath tried to avoid the blows or block them with his own iron scimitar, but the steel sword sheared through his copper chainmail like it was butter. The tall xing makes an ugly sound, a sort of rhythmic, clacking laughter, as it sees Jath's desperation. "Do you not like the bite of my sword? As you should. Yuyangshipenyuyan is a masterwork. It will make short work of your shoddy protection. Pray to your gods, human, for you will be meeting them soon. Well, not too soon. I want to enjoy this." The drone methodically slashes into Jath's flesh, leaving cut upon painful cut. The young man could feel the blood leaving his body and sank to his knees. He had failed. It would not be long before he perished.

"Xing!"

The drone stops, and silently turns. There, off to the side, stood Mirem, brandishing his crossbow. "Are you looking for this?" With an inhuman screech, the warrior prince turns and charges at him. The manat mutters a curse and hastily draws his shortsword, but it is batted away by the drone's own weapon. Before Mirem can react, the enraged xing swings again, and the manat's sword arm is sliced off. He stumbled back, and another strike takes both his legs at the knee. He collapses, blood gushing out of the arteries on his stumps, and falls still. The xing raises his sword in triumph, shouting. "I am Drone Prince Tongguifen Xiangbiren, 47th of my line and warmaster of the 32nd harvesting of the prey-lands! I cannot be beaten, do you hear me! I canno-" but his boasts were cut off about the same time as his sword-arm was. He staggered away. Standing beside him was the pale blue form of Hisch, the yotunwoman. For all the anger Tongguifen felt, it felt like she reflected it tenfold. She roared and charged directly at him, but she could not have known that was exactly what he was hoping for. She never saw the knife he held concealed in his robes until it was too late. He expertly dodged her wild swing, and with a slash, sent her tumbling to the ground. The prince staggered and looked around. His honor guard was in pieces. He was surrounded by corpses. But that's all right, its all okay. The day can still be won, yes. All he had to do was get out of here and get to a healer, and it would all be-

But Jath stood in his way. Bleeding from a dozen wounds, no longer even carrying a sword, the young man blocked the way to Tongguifen's army. There were no words. None were needed. In a moment, battle was joined. The two traded blow after blow, blood, spit and ichor splattering across the ground with every hit. Jath struck the prince in the jaw, cracking it, only to have his ribs shattered by a devastating kick, only to further reciprocate the blow with a punch to the abdomen. Eventually, the two stood facing each other once again, locking eyes and breathing heavily. The prince asked, "Who... who are you?" The human responded, "My... ugnn... I'm Jath Pakina, soldier of the king." The prince collapses to his knees, coughing and gasping. "Know then... sir Jath- hrrk! Pakina. You have slain the Drone Pri- ksshht ...the Drone Prince Tong- guurhh- Tongguifen Xiangbiren, the last of his line, warmaster of nothing." The drone breathes a low, rattling breath, and turns away from the human, facing the land he once called home. "Ancestors... forgive me for my failure." And with that, he collapses on the dirt, lifeless. Soon after, Jath follows him.
















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He woke up with a start in a straw bed, to the excited shouts of several people who he couldn't quite make out yet. His vision was rather blurry. As his eyes focused, he saw, to his shock, the king himself and a fair number of hangers-on, standing in front of him. He lurched forward and tried to salute, but Kaslun waved his hand. "Easy now, soldier. No need for that on my account. You shouldn't move too much." Jath wheezes out a question, "Wha- what happened?" King Mukethra smiles. "I suspected you would ask that. But ah, I shouldn't be the one to tell you all that, although I certainly have a great deal to discuss with you later. In the meantime, I think there are some other people who have been waiting to see you." With that, he turns and exits. As he and his retinue leave the doorway, Jath's jaw drops as his companions enter. Istrate, quill in hand and looking as fidgety as ever. Hische, her chest covered in bandages and supporting herself with a crutch, and the last figure, standing and smiling politely while looking completely unharmed, was Mirem. "Wh- but you-" Mirem's grin widens and he looks rather pleased with himself. "What did I tell you? A Face like myself can survive almost anything. That prince fellow made the mistake of just cutting of my limbs instead of my head, so I was able to heal. It was rather nerve-wracking though, I will admit. I couldn't exactly move so if you lost that little fight of yours I'd probably have been tortured to death by your killer. Hische also got hurt pretty bad, but was- Oh well let me go back a bit. Istrate managed to get the message to the king, who figured that the xing would get really upset if we actually hit our target. So he ordered his people to hunker down and prepare for a major assault, which did happen apparently, after I knocked down the xing leading them. He was pretty smart, too. Keeping his people mobile and slowly wearing us down was the right call, but attacking us all at once? Once they got all packed up like that without any real protection, it was already over. You couldn't swing a cat without hitting a dozen xing, only we were swinging swords and not cats. It is a metaphor. Anyway they started panicking once they realized they weren't getting any new orders and fled back into the swamps. After that, the military managed to find the two of you and keep you alive long enough to bring some priests over, who did what they do and now here you are. You were actually asleep for near a week as your worst injuries were healed by them. But yes, things are certainly moving along. I believe the king is already planning another battle against the xing in a month or so. We might end up defeating them for good if this keeps up. Its all very exciting!" Jath looks up at his friends. "That... that's amazing... So what happens now?"

Now Hische smiles, for the first time since he had seen her. "Well, Istrate is going to be following the king to record the war from start to end, and I am going to be accompanying him, once I recover. Mirem will also be spending a lot of his time here as well. He is the manaten diplomat to this country, after all. Speaking of, he's messaged Kreiarift about how we've helped him, so I'm certain we'll be rewarded for our efforts. As for you, well, I am actually impressed. The king himself wishes to speak with you personally. I suspect you'll have quite the opportunity if you hear him out. More so than just remaining a soldier. But for now, both you and I seem stuck in this hospital ward until we recover. Perhaps a bit longer than that." Jath suddenly starts to sputter as he feels a slightly cooler than normal hand brush against his own. Istrate suddenly speaks up. "Ah, yes, that is all so incredibly interesting but I do believe I have some scrolls I must attend to. Mirem, I think I may need your help with this." The manat begins to protest. "But I wanted t-" The cephalopodic historian drags him along with one of his tentacles. "Come now, I'm sure those two are very tired and would like some time alone." Mirem stops resisting and just nods sagely. "Ah, I see. Bed rest is important." The pair leave the room, with Istrate closing the door firmly behind them. In the skies above, a sun rose triumphantly into the cloudless sky, heralding the dawn of a new legend, that of the hero of Anthath Tul.