March 12

Central District, Kingdom of Esperanto

Having successfully defended the Kals district, the Americans — better known to the locals as ‘Emissaries’ — were invited to the royal castle for a feast. Escorted by knights on horseback, a column of JLTVs made their way through the capital, drawing the attention of curious locals. The convoy rolled to a stop outside the castle gates, fortunate enough to find a vast empty space where they could park.

A retinue of royal guards met with the escorts, opening doors for the king and his guests. King Esperanto was then approached by his head maid, who was instructed to prepare lodging and a feast for the guests.

While King Esperanto returned to the castle to help coordinate preparations, Captain Mortes remained with the Americans. “I’m afraid you may have to wait, good Emissaries,” Mortes explained to Captain Baker and Ambassador Meyer. “We unfortunately don’t have the luxury of long distance communication, and can’t prepare events in advance.”

“I don’t think we’ll have any significant boundaries with the distribution of radios,” Meyer said, hinting at potential sales in the future. “And even if we do, you should be able to buy manacomms from the rest of the world once we establish a road to this kingdom.”

“That sounds very promising,” Saffine said, looking at Baker. “Not only will we have access to everything the outside world has to offer, but we will also be able to keep in contact with outsiders!” She kept her eyes on Baker’s.

Baker chuckled nervously, “Yeah, something like that. It’ll take a bit to set up the infrastructure though.”

Mortes allowed a smile, his suspicions being replaced by camaraderie. “Mister Ambassador, we would very much appreciate such aid from the Emissaries.”

Meyer brushed it off, remaining humble. “If His Highness is willing, my government has a lot of recommendations and offerings that can improve the quality of life here. Everyone’s been living on edge for how long?”

“Centuries,” Mortes responded, “Ever since the founding of this kingdom we’ve lost many to monster raids. Nevertheless, we have survived.”

Meyer gave a wholehearted chuckle, “And with new aid, you’ll thrive. There are a lot of technologies that we could offer your people. Hopefully my government will approve.”

“New technologies, hmm?” A voice emerged from behind. A scholarly man wearing glasses and a fashionable yellow coat stepped forward to introduce himself. “Ah, where are my manners? My apologies,” he extended his hand, shakin Meyer’s, then Baker’s. “I’m Janus Sei, Director of the Royal Office of Science.”

“Nice to meet you,” Baker said.

Sei was instantly captivated by the rifle slung over Baker’s chest. “My, that looks like quite a work of art!” In an abrupt shift of tone, he returned to greeting his colleagues, “You’ve done excellent work finding the Emissaries, Captain Mortes. And Doctor Balthus! What brings you to the capital?”

“I have an artifact you may wish to analyze. It is a gem that somehow is able to exert control over intelligent demons, like the Oni.”

“That is unsettling… That means there is someone out there advanced enough to bend these vicious creatures to their will. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Doctor Balthus. Bring the materials to my laboratory, please.”

Balthus nodded, directing a couple marines toward Sei’s laboratory.

Meyer gave a slight nod and smile, “So you’re interested in our technologies, Director?”

“Indeed I am!” Sei responded with excitement, switching from his somber tone earlier. “I’ve been studying the designs of the Emissaries for many years. In fact, your designs helped me create our first black powder firearms! Of course, we also tried to replicate your tanks, but it’s hard to dig for oil when we can’t even go out and survey the lands.”

Meyer became intrigued, wondering if the people here had more conclusive proof than the Topans. Over the past year, the Americans have heard a lot about the Emissaries of the Star God, but remained stumped due to the lack of evidence. There existed rumors about the fabled Philadelphia Experiment and disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle, but the government remained tight-lipped. If evidence existed, it would have to be found throughout Elysia.

“How do you know of our designs?” Meyer asked.

Sei explained, “My office has access to magical portraits from within the archives, as well as preserved ‘photographs’ printed from the Emissaries’ ‘cameras’. I’d be willing to go over these in depth after our feast with His Highness.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, Director. Thanks for the offer; we’d really appreciate some answers finally.”

With a raised eyebrow, Sei wondered, “Do you have no records of the Emissaries?”

Meyer shrugged. “I’m afraid not. If such records exist, then they’re locked away somewhere.”

“Why would your government exercise so much secrecy with these records?” Mortes asked, jarred by the differences between the Emissaries and his own people, who respected the ancient tales.

“If I had to guess, it is because of the incredulousness of the entire ordeal. For a civilization with no magic, it would be very hard to believe the events that the Emissaries went through.”

“I can see how that might affect the populace,” Mortes remarked.

“Right. With Director Sei’s evidence, hopefully we can explain an inexplicable part of our history.”

“And with your help, this kingdom won’t be forgotten by history.” Mortes said as he looked toward the castle.

——

After half an hour of preparation, the king was ready to receive his guests. The castle itself was quite plain compared to the executive residences of even the Qua Toynians, reflecting the primary focus of the Esperanto civilization on survival, rather than luxury and expansion. The entire layout and structure of the castle was designed for a defensive final stand. Despite this, the struggling people of Esperanto managed to incorporate a certain type of beauty to their architecture, representing hope and a yearning for lives free of fear.

The dining hall was an example of this utilitarian beauty. The intricate swirls on the floor constituted a gigantic rune that encompassed the entire room, ready for activation in dire circumstances. The chairs had stylish backrests that could serve as shields when flipped, allowing defenders to form a phalanx. The walls were also decorated with evenly spaced battle equipment. There were more defensive aspects of the room, highlighting the combining the generally dichotomous ideas of form and function.

Baker’s men were relegated to the far end of the table so that Meyer, Baker, and Sei could be seated with the king, along with the king’s important administrative staff. Everyone waited patiently until the last guest arrived, at which point the king stood up and began his speech.

He struck his chalice with a fork, releasing a resounding echo that captured everyone’s attention. “Citizens of the Kingdom of Esperanto, we are joined here today by the valiant heroes — the Emissaries of the Star God. It is by their grace and generosity that, for the first time in centuries, we finally have hope for the future. Blessed Emissaries,” he said, turning to face Baker and Meyer, “I offer my utmost gratitude on behalf of the people of Esperanto. It is thanks to you that we now enjoy safety against the monster tides, and it is thanks to you that we now have the relieving knowledge that civilization has persisted elsewhere in the world. Sir Moah of the Topa Kingdom and Ambassador Meyer of the United States of America, I hereby declare our borders open to your people!”

A round of applause erupted, with the typically rowdy marines clapping a bit louder than everyone else. After a few seconds, everyone ceased their activities and sat back down.

“Less than a day ago,” the king continued, “I would have never imagined hosting such an extravagant feast like this. As of today, however, we will no longer have to worry about food shortages. Now, let us dine!”

The hungry marines, tired of eating MREs, happily indulged in the fresh meals provided by the king’s culinary experts. Meanwhile, King Esperanto and Sir Moah discussed history, hoping to fill in the gaps for the Americans, who knew almost nothing about this region and its scars.

Mortes explained the recent onslaught of demons. Although demons have regularly encroached on Esperanto’s borders, they have never before practiced coordinated attacks and basic strategy until now. The sudden boost of intellect amongst the monsters coincided with the appearance of a winged humanoid. “He called himself Darkshield and demanded our surrender, or face his demonic hordes. Naturally, we declined and resisted. The past few months, he’s poked our defenses, probing for weaknesses and learning our tactics — all the while testing out his own strategies.”

“Do you know how many troops he has access to?” Baker asked.

“That I do not know,” Mortes said regretfully. “The forces he has thrown at us thus far seem to be expendable. If the group you had just annihilated was considered expendable, then I fear what Darkshield considers to be an actual army.”

“You say he is a humanoid with wings?” Meyer asked.

“One black wing, and one white wing,” Mortes confirmed.

Baker and Meyer glanced at each other, sharing a slightly frustrated look.

“What is it?” Moah asked.

Meyer sighed, “We’ve encountered such creatures before. They hail from the Annonrial Empire. His people are descendants of the light wings.”

Saffine let out a horrified gasp. “The Ravernal Empire light wings? Those light wings?!”

Meyer was intrigued by Saffine’s uncensored reference to the Ancient Sorcerous Empire. Evidently, the empire’s true name never became taboo due to the cultural isolation of the Esperanto Kingdom. He wondered if the people here had any further insight. “Yes,” Meyer answered. “You know of them?”

“Indeed we do,” Sei nodded. “The Founder’s initial society actually discovered many of their ruins nearby. Faced with divine retribution, their citizens quickly abandoned Grameus and fled to their homeland. Even they didn’t dare remain to inhabit this monstrous region.”

“And you did?” Meyer questioned, finding Sei’s statement and the presence of civilization here to be contradictory.

Esperanto’s dispirited face amplified the meaning of his answer, “We didn’t have a choice. Certainly, if we could retreat to civilization, we would have. However, we had no way of knowing what was out there, and we didn’t want to risk exposing what we thought to be the last bastion of civilization.”

“I see,” Meyer said. “And what of these ruins you mentioned, Director?”

“The light wings left in quite a hurry. According to the ancient scriptures, this fertile valley was once some sort of outpost. Not much remained of their structures by the time we settled here, but it looked like they were intended for the study of the magic here, along with the harvesting of magic gems. Unfortunately, the Founder was forced to melt the structures and mechanisms for their metal, so there are no examples of their technology.”

“Except for one,” King Esperanto interjected.

Curiosity spiked throughout the room as even the marines stopped talking, waiting for the king to reveal a tremendous secret.

Esperanto looked to his right, toward the throne room. “My forefathers have ruled upon an ancient relic; a throne made of unknown material and composition. The throne is able to enhance the user’s magical abilities; this is how the Founder was able to see into the future and record his prophecies. Subsequent rulers have used it over time to help aid in the defense of the kingdom, or glimpse into the visions trapped within for information.”

“Your Highness, that could be what Darkshield is after,” Meyer suggested. “Can we see the throne?”

“Indeed you can, Mister Ambassador,” Esperanto said. “Follow me.”

As they reached the throne, Esperanto stopped by it and placed his hand on some sort of panel near the side. “There is also a single compartment that can be accessed. Inside, there is a spherical device, but we have never removed it, for fear of disrupting the throne’s mechanisms.” He then popped the compartment open.

“That’s—” Meyer said with wide eyes, pointing at the object.

Baker finished his thought, “A revival beacon!”