Now when the gods saw that they had been cast to the earth, they persecuted the offspring of Krall.

But the children boarded ships of steel and fled from their presence.

So the gods spewed flames from their mouths like a flood after them, that they might be consumed.

But the seas aided the children, and the waters opened its mouth and swallowed the fires which the gods had spewed out from their mouths.

And the gods were enraged, and set off to banish their history from the minds of men.

- Andanian Chronicles

Vaishyan army: 400,000+

150,000 Mercenaries

100,000 Heavy Infantry & Pikemen

50,000 Archers

30,000 Light Cavalry

20,000 Heavy Cavalry

15,000 Talented

100 Catapults

35,000 Medical & Logistics staff

Saadian army: 170,000+

1 Xerxes

20,000 Burning Legions

90,000 Light Infantry

60,000 Light Cavalry

10,000 Talented

2000 Logistics staff

...

In the Saadian’s massive command tent, Xerxes tapped his foot impatiently as he glared at the map spread out before him, “The staff of Verethragna is fully charged, I will sortie across the river with it at dawn and blast apart their central formations. Then send in the twenty Burning Legions and get them to kill everything. The regular army, cavalry, and mage companies are to await safely in their positions on the other side of the river. You can pick me up, after I have routed the Vaishyan forces.” The three chief generals of the Saadian forces bobbed their heads fanatically in silent agreement, and they sweated nervously as the emperor swiped his gleaming mithril blade casually through the still empty air.

“And you plan to walk into a heavily armed force of over four hundred thousand, with just a sword and stick?” Lily protested, “I might be only sixteen, but even I know that your plan is pure foolishness! Even the witches of Andania aren’t sent into to battle like this!”

Xerxes sighed, “Trust me Lily, I’m a real veteran.” He jabbed his staff in turn towards his each of his quivering generals, “Bang! Boom! Pop! I blast away a couple of times at the important looking bits and the surviving enemy breaks and runs. Then the Legions mop up the stragglers, and the mages collect me. It’s efficient, reduces the number of casualties on our side, and we’ll be strolling into their capital before the end of the week.”

“That is the entire Vaishyan army! It’s not just the militia of some backwater province we are talking about. I already know about that stick of yours, it might be an impressive relic, but surely you don’t expect to rout over four hundred thousand troops with some spells? How will a force of twenty thousand mundanes even hope to contend with an army over twenty times their size? And what about their Talented?” The princess protested.

Xerxes shrugged, “I won’t have to bother with holding back like on the Yggdrasil. Their Talented will usually be the first to die or flee. Most mages cannot even tolerate being within several kilometers of my full presence. I staked out a couple of slaves in the desert and confirmed it. And modern armies tend to fall apart, when all their Talented start falling or fleeing inexplicably.”

“I’m coming with you then,” Lily demanded. “Who will watch your back if you go in alone? What if you’re hit by a stray arrow? Surely the scheming Vaishyans must already know about your simplistic tactics and prepared a devastating counterstrategy!”

Xerxes brandished the blood red staff arrogantly before him, “This scepter can split the mountains and tear apart the oceans, my body is fueled with several hundred lives from the Dark Ritual, and no Talented can exist in my presence. I am utterly unstoppable, what counterstrategy could the Vaishyans attempt with only a terrified troop of mundanes?” The mighty emperor gazed coolly at the defiant princess, “You are very Talented, and I would be glad to be graced by your company in other circumstances. But even you would not be able to survive at my side. My power works best when I fight alone and without the hindrance of any allies.”

Lily glared furiously at the Emperor of Saadian, “Your overconfidence will lead to your demise. The Vaishyan battlelines stretch out for over twenty kilometers! You will not be able to disable all their Talented with just your aura alone. And what about those with greater Talents? What will you do if you are drawn into closed quarters against them?”

Xerxes’ laughter shook the tent, “That would certainly be an eye opener! How many seconds do you feel a malnourished girl like you would last against me in a swordfight? How many lives must they expand for the mana to wound me even once?” he mocked. “There’s no man alive that can stand against my magic, and they would have to sacrifice all the citizens of Vaishya to gather enough power to stop me.”

Lily opened her mouth to protest further, but the emperor stopped her with an upraised palm. “Enough,” he commanded gently. “You have already done me a great service, and I will be in your debt for the rest of my life. Let me repay your kindness by keeping my promise to you.”

“What if you’re hurt in battle? Or worse? You’re just a single man, Xerxes.” The princess murmured with tearful concern.

Xerxes chortled with amusement, “To worry about my wellbeing, you must be the only person like this in the entire world! Even if something should happen to me, my generals should be able to deal with the aftermath.” Then he glared at the trio of cowering men at the far side of the room, “Secure the princess in the safest part of the camp, furthest away from the battle. If any harm should come to her, I will turn around and slaughter the lot of you, along with the Vaishyans!”

The generals hesitated fearfully among themselves for a long silent moment. Then the Mage General crawled forward and prostrated desperately before his emperor, “Your Majesty. We are unable to stop the princess, she threatens to harm herself whenever we attempt to restrain her movements!”

Xerxes glared at the rebellious Andanian princess smirking silently behind his back, “Then knock her out, strip her bare, and bind her from head to toe in dimeritium! You have my permission.” He snapped before striding out of the tent.

“Siccing your men on me is so unfair!” Laura griped as she glared at the offending generals, “You would subject me to the humiliation of being groped by these cowardly old soldiers? I dare you to do it yourself!”

Xerxes shrugged, “They are the experts. I would probably kill you by accident, along with half of my army if I tried it myself.”

The witch of Andania smoldered and the ground trembled as she reached out for the edges of her Talent, “You are grossly underestimating me, Xerxes.” She warned.

The emperor shrugged as he strode out into the lengthening shadows of dusk, “Stop bluffing. If you are really that powerful, breaking out from my army and mages should be a cinch. Good luck with that.”

…

It was midnight when the princes of Vaishya conferred intently with the nation’s most prominent archdiviners and enchantresses within the luxuriously decorated command cabin of the Vaishyan army.

“Our battle against the initial Saadian advance will depend mainly on the quality of forces we can deploy. Engaging Xerxes with the regular infantry and Talented will just be a futile waste of lives. If the Andanian witch can delay Xerxes for several hours, we the Twelve Sorcerers of Vaishya and the Vaishyan core forces will eliminate the Saadian Burning Legions.” Archdiviner Zinnridi explained.

“Explain the Saadian battle tactics to me again. Do you mean that their emperor actually intends lead from the front and confront our entire force with just several dozen battalions of infantry? And how do they even plan to ford the river?” Aryan interrupted as he rubbed his eyes wearily.

“According to high god Dagon, the Saadians have always employed the same simplistic strategy in all their previous conquests. They were granted three great magics by their god, Verethragna. First, the staff of Verethragna, which is fueled by the Blood Ritual and possesses extreme destructive power, is the absolute bane of any concentrated formation of troops. Second, Xerxes’ pseudo-immortality and divine Talent aura, which is powered by the Dark Ritual, can drive any normal Talented within a radius of three kilometers to insanity. Finally, the Burning Legion, thousand strong battalions of self-immolating infantry that cannot be stopped unless each individual in the battalion is stabbed through the heart. We have developed a spell that will be able to temporarily suppress the Legions, and it will ensure that we are able to destroy their forces more efficiently.”

“And how is Laura supposed to defeat Xerxes when he wields two divine gifts from their god? Aren’t you just sending her out as a sacrificial lamb? You are the Twelve Sorcerers of Vaishya, the most Talented diviners and enchantresses of our kingdom. Why won’t you challenge Xerxes instead?” Aryan protested.

“I beg your forgiveness, High Prince. Only Dagon’s divine enchantress possesses the Talent to approach Xerxes unharmed.” Archdiviner Zinnridi sighed in response before glancing questioningly at the veiled serpentine woman seated beside Amir.

Divine enchantress Phoebe turned to face the crown prince, “With your permission my lord, I will join in this battle against Xerxes. We must not allow Verethragna to trample over the lands of Dagon with impunity.”

Amir chuckled heartily, “We won’t throw your precious little princess to the beast. I’ll come along with you, little brother, and ensure that you won’t hog all the limelight.”

“Count me in too! I’m still better with the bow than either of you, and it would be exciting to see if I’m also immune to divine Saadian magic.” Abel interjected cheerfully.

Archdiviner Zinnridi paled and trembled violently, “You mustn’t!” He protested desperately, “If any misfortune should befall the three of you, the glorious future of the Zimran dynasty will be ruined!”

“Oh, you exaggerate as usual Zinnridi,” Amir replied dismissively. “I understand your concerns, but we among the best fighters in Vaishya and possess divine blessings from god Dagon. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“We could end this war with minimal losses if we manage to kill or capture the Saadian emperor,” Abel added excitedly. “Didn’t our spies report the lack of any direct descendants or close relatives in their royal family? Xerxes’ defeat could precipitate the collapse of the Saadian Empire and provide Vaishya with a thousand years of peace and prosperity!”

Archdiviner Zinnridi sighed bitterly, “High Princes, Xerxes is not to be underestimated. If you really intend to challenge him, we should come up with a detailed strategy. And please allow several companies of the best cavalry to accompany you, they can cover your retreat if anything unexpected should happen.” The aged diviner handed an elaborately carved medallion to the crown prince, “Break this if you’re faced with a desperate situation and I will come to your aid immediately. I may not be able to defeat that monster, but at the very least, I should be able to buy you several minutes to escape.”

And deep into the night, the princes of Vaishya conferred with the archdiviners and enchantresses of Vaishya.

…

Aryan yawned drowsily as he strolled alone through the sleepy camp in the dark of the night. When he finally arrived at his own silent tent, the prince frowned as he noticed the familiar veiled enchantress slumbering peacefully beside the doorway.

“Mirror, you were issued with your own personal quarters, please return to them immediately.” He sighed kindly while shaking her gently awake.

“Aryan…” the teenager rubbed at her eyes weakly and rose slowly to her feet. “Ugh… I must have dozed off,” she muttered, “I wanted to see you one last time Aryan.” The girl smiled ruefully as she wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled warmly against his chest.

“Mirror… please,” the prince replied awkwardly as he detached himself. “I need to see if Laura’s alright, go to sleep, we will have a long day tomorrow if the Saadians decide to begin their assault.”

“Fufu… can’t you spare just a super tiny little place in your heart, for poor little Mirror?” she teased playfully. “I might perish alone and unloved tomorrow…” she bowed her head sadly.

“Aren’t you supposed to be immortal or something? Please go to bed…” Aryan sighed as he brushed past the veiled girl.

She grabbed at his hand with uncharacteristic desperateness, “Please Aryan, just one last kiss. I won’t ever ask for anything else.” She rushed forward before the surprised boy could refuse and pressed her soft quivering lips tightly against his.

“Pfft…” Aryan spluttered as he pushed her away roughly. “Enough Mirror! Go to bed before I get the guards to haul you to the stockade!” He commanded. Then he stepped into his tent without looking back and shut the entrance quickly behind him.

Alone and unnoticed by any living soul, the veiled enchantress curtseyed gracefully at Aryan’s back. Then her lips were set with a small determined smile as she funneled her magic into his abode.

…

“Laura, you’re awake! How are you feeling?” Aryan whispered with concern as he slipped into the sheets beside her.

“I’m all better,” she giggled as her eyes twinkled mischievously, “I felt what you did with Mirror just now. Oh… the ever-wandering heart of my wayward prince…” She wailed teasingly.

“It wasn’t on purpose! She forced herself on me again.” Aryan protested weakly.

“Aww… many, many girls must force themselves on my handsome kind prince on a daily basis. When will I ever have a turn?” She sighed as she let a single glistening tear trickle down her rosy blushing cheeks.

“I love you Laura!” Aryan growled as he pulled her close and held her tightly in his strong sure arms.

“I love you too Aryan,” the girl whispered softly. “Will you prove, how much you really love me?” she badgered playfully as she fumbled at the buttons of his shirt and pressed her warm naked breasts against his bared muscular chest.

“Are you sure? You were a total mess, just this afternoon…” Aryan blinked tiredly with surprise.

“Excuses, excuses… did Mirror and the other girls suck you dry already? What happened to your special love for me?” She taunted seductively as she fluttered her long luxurious eyelashes.

“Just once,” Aryan relented finally as he mounted the willing girl beneath him, “I’ll be gentle. You need your rest…”

The girl purred contentedly as she rose to meet his tender steady thrusts and locked her legs tightly around his as she received every morsel of his spurting ardor. Then they held each other close as the sated prince smiled and drifted quickly into a deep dreamless slumber. But the girl bit her lip wistfully as she gazed at her peacefully snoozing lover and fought to burn each precious moment, forever into her memory.