Age of Heroes (Age of Heroes Chronicles)

Chapter 184: The holy land

ANVALI

AZRAEL MOURNSTAR

'This is a desperate venture' Azrael said to Elkar on horseback as his horse galloped leaving dust behind it. Elkar looks at him, pitifully and just nodded to his words. He has nothing to add, because he can't.

Azrael and Elkar have begun marching to the Blessed Land.

The faction has united and has brought out their army. Thousands and thousands of Demons Lord all wanted to bask in the glory.

Surely, they will not be satisfied just to be the exploratory expedition. They must want to mount the wall and take back the Lost Lands

Azrael could see the desires in everyone. They are all burning with morale to regain back their Lost Lands

The Eight race who rarely agree on anything surprisingly agree in the mobilization of their soldiers and people but the faeries and the Elves Council prefer to stay out the war with the Orcs acts as the infantry of Arakath forces.

'They threatened civil war, Your Grace' Elkar said like the words could offer consolation to him. Azrael sighed.

'You could try to delay them. At least that is the only thing you could do now Your Grace.' Elkar said, reciting back their plan in the palace. Elkar is right.

He will lead them to the Blessed Land and try to persuade them there.

If they really decided to break out to the Human Continent surely Aetherland will rise up and taken back their title as Defender of the wall, Shield of the Human Continent and the Church will pressure every lord in the Human continent to resist them

And like the story of old tales written in the stars, the Great War between Human and Demons will once again start.

He urges his horse to move forward.

'What do you think will be our threats if we really engage in a war against the Human Continent?' Azrael ask Elkar.

'The Vermont's' he said with certainty. Azrael nodded. He once heard about them. Their superior army training and discipline.

And surely if they have eyes, when they see Azrael marching to the Wall, the young lord of Arrandy will quickly manned up the high walls.

Even if they attack the walls, how many years will pass before they even can break it? One year, two years, five years, ten years?

It will take many years and a loss of life so high that even if they manage to break the wall, by that time Azrael forces will be so exhausted they will be easily defeated.

Azrael did not want to start a war but if the war started anyway, Azrael like to be on the winning side.

This is just emergency measure. He did not want to go to war but at the same time he could not just suit back when all the lords of his kingdom threated civil war if he did not move to avenge his fianc.

Some of his advisors even try to bribe the Watchers of the Wall. That is until they saw the discipline the Watchers of the Wall discipline.

They have gold supplied by their state, their family is proud of their work and they are well provided. They are also instilled with love towards their city.

And of course they love their city.

The city Acro. The city is well known among the people of the continent. How could they not? Their city is the center of civilization and knowledge.

The greatest city in Human Continent the rumors said. And the Wall? O, the great wall. The greatest obstacle if they go through with war.

The higher ground and an ample supply of arrow, it is almost an impregnable fortress. even if they employed dragons they themselves might not pass the Bleeding Wall with all of that huge ballista on top of the Walls

Using their supply of arrows how many of the fine people of his Kingdom will die under the rains of arrows and stones?

Nobody brought dragons of course. Sheesh, that flying, fire breathing, ungrateful, proud, arrogant race.

That creature cannot be tamed and their entire race is arrogant and hardheaded. Not to mention, there is only a few of them now after the Purge.

Acro is Aetherland pride that is also one of the beacons of knowledge in the Human Continent, housing enlightened minds that almost rivaled the learned men of the Church.

It is said it is considered a jewel of cities.

With huge population and expanding every day the city is a sight to behold.  And this is the reason why Aetherland itself will rise for that state.

It has street lighting, sewerage and drainage, hospitals, orphanages, public baths, aqueducts, huge water cisterns, libraries and luxury shops like the 'House of Lights', illuminated at night, where Asteros silks and spices, Vorthy exotics furs were sold.

The city was surrounded by many buildings and gave on to a great harbor and port filled with merchants and traders and there was a lighthouse within the port enclosure.

A chain of beacons linked the city to other cities, allowing messages to be sent rapidly to distant parts of the region.

It warns them of threat and sometime even relayed words to announce a feast.

Inside the huge city, there was a cluster of great buildings, castles and churches, stuffed with treasures from all over the world.

There are bronze gates, fountains which flowed with wine, some say and doors of silver and polished bronze.

In the castle of the Vermont's where foreigners were received, stood jeweled organs and the great throne of the great lord, guarded by two statue of massive dragons of gilded gold.

Then there is their military.

In the reign of the young lord his army has acquired every conceivable military skill.

And they have tested it, even master it during their recent war which give Lord Arial the nickname, the Dragon, owing to his prowess and his reputation of never being defeated in a battle.

They had mastered the art of warfare on horseback; they could fight on ground which other armies avoided, especially woodland; they were experts in night-time assaults; they knew how to improvise field fortifications quickly or to construct dykes fortified by stakes, palisades and advanced ditches; and above all, they were masters of the surprise attack.

A favorite stratagem of Arial Vermont army was to retreat into stone buildings, houses or churches, turn them into fortresses, and then sortie unexpectedly against an enemy who thought them cornered. 

This tactics, the young lord Arial used when he was fighting against the noble lords in the early of his exploits when the war began

This information was reported by Azrael spymaster.

Arial army is also to be the masters of guerrilla fighting and warfare of a socially subversive kind, always trying to divide their enemies and turn them inwards against themselves.

Whatever more the young lord achievement, this is enough for Azrael to think twice to mount an attack to the human lands.

Azrael glances around and he spotted one lord he is particularly not fond of.

Lord Aleister is on the rear guard speaking with Gruk Kor leader of the Orcs. Azrael could hear the Orc grunt and grunt while Aleister is laughing hearing what he could only assumes a joke.

Or maybe the Orc is the joke.

Azrael sighed. He need to try to delay this march, this is what he had decided.

Then deciding that, Azrael march to the Blessed Lands the Holy City, the Land that is revered both for the Dark God and the Light.

The Holy City has labyrinth of roads filled with pilgrims from both religion and churches. It was a sea of people all ages and race, as he himself have once made a pilgrimage with his father when he was young but never for long.

Some, most, are sightseers from all corners of the world. It has many alleyways, and lights everywhere.

The Holy Land is a small island, not bigger than a region.

Their streets were lively and bustling with pilgrims, prayers from the Dome and the churches can be heard in the distance.

The streets are also crowded with stalls, covered in bright cloths and vendors selling their stuff.

Some sells perfume from the Barcias trees that only can be grown in the Blessed Land which has a fragrant smell.

Children chased each other on the streets. Slaves also find safety there. And in the evening the sun will beamed down on the Blessed Land and the view is beautiful.

Azrael hope like Levitia, the Eight races will make the same decision and turned back. Looking at the path before him, I pray for the first time.

'Let us see reason.'

And as he prayed in the back, the dust of their march rises up to the sky, foretelling a great war between humans and demons

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A few lores about the Holy Land and the Holy Cities would be expanded upon in the next few chapters since the Demosn will stop there for a while.

It relates heavily to the emergence of the Sky People and Levitia lore

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