Age of Heroes (Age of Heroes Chronicles)

Chapter 233: Recruitment (1)

Arial is finally about to begins his journey to the Dark Lands. Arial planned to follow Mikael and Azrael entourage.

That morning as he was about to go, he received a letter from King Edward

It is clear that king Edward will not send a personal letter to him if it's not something important. But Arial knows where his priority right now.

Any task or any mission regarding the fief could hold back for a while. After all, his quest this time relates to his own survival.

So, he sends the letter to Helia and told her to handle it in his stead.

He also reminded his House Council to give his wife their wise counsel as they did him. Before he went with the entourage, Arial had to check something mainly his supplies.

There are a few caravans that would follow him full with supplies.

He was also given a lot of promissory notes that he could spend in the Dark Lands later gold from his treasury.

That morning, he seeks his mother and father first before departing. They were waiting for him in their mansion.

Arial could even see Adrianna still sleeping on her bed, looking cute and peaceful.

Arial think to himself that if he succeeds in this endeavor he would spend more time with his sister too.

He hugs his mother and ask for his father blessing. His parents did not know the severity of the situation that Arial is facing so they did not have nay worries.,

They truly believe that Arial is going to the Dark Lands to reinforce this new alliance with the Dark Lands and research some things.

And Arial would not let them think otherwise. After all of this is done, then he begins his journey. The first month was uneventful.

But in that one moth he got to know the Demon King a little better. They form a sense of camaraderie and mutual respect.

Both of them are young and both of them are accomplished, a man with great power and influence and as such they talk like old friends.

Thinking about it, even Arial could not have foreseen such a future where he would drink joyously with the Demon King or talk to him about many matters like a bosom friend.

Arial then acknowledges this is the dark side of love.

If Arianna did die in the Human Continent this time, then the amiable person that Arial had learn to know and respect might not be the way he is.

Love transform him. And in the Demon King case, it could transform him to be good and it could transform him to be evil. Love for Azrael is like a two edged sword.

Azrael told him in confidence that when he got home with Arianna he would married her. He would not wait any longer.

Arial felt happy for him and congratulated him. In those nights, Azrael had relentless tries to persuade him and Mikael to stop this crazy plan to venture to the Land of Dragons.

Arial knows that this come from a place of concern but Arial could not tell Azrael why it was necessary for him to venture there regardless.

If he did not come, he would die. If he come, he might die too but there is always a chance for success.

Arial insisted and Azrael relented in the end.

But I insisted and he relented. But that doesn't mean Azrael did not try to stop or hinder their plans with other methods

Azrael tries to seduce him to enjoy his palace delicacies and entertainment. Arial could only laugh at this.

He had seen many things on his journey to Arakath. Mikael, the scholar that he is, was excited to explain all the things that attract his attention

He had also give some wise advices to him.

The journey ahead is perilous and full of dangers. Mikael advises him to hire some people for this expedition.

Mikael informed him that the race in the Dark Lands might follow them into battle if there is some gold to be gained.

Of course, Arial is not that stupid to attack a dragon alone. That would be like handing himself to become a meal

After all he want to survive the ordeal. Fighting alone that big flying creature would undoubtedly be stupid of him.

Of course, he intends to hire some people. Arial and Mikael talk about many other things in their preparation to face a dragon.

If anyone heard them talking about trying to conquer a dragon, they might chalk them up to be crazy people.

And then they arrived in the Dark Lands.

The first scenery that he saw when he reached this mysterious lands that the humans had never set foot in for hundreds of years was a huge tower.

It was long, reaching the clouds and it was huge and thick. It was only about ten feet lower than the height of the Bleeding Wall.

If not for the distance between this long tower and the Bleeding Wall, they could just have built a long bridge from this tower to the ramparts on the Bleeding Wall and they could easily pass the Bleeding Wall.

Arial immediately recognize it for what it was. He had read about such structure in ancient text and records of the Lost Generation

It is the Sea Watch, a monument of mystery. No one knows how to enter it, or what its function.

Arial look at the Sea Watch created long ago by the First Generation, and when it involved the First Generation, Mikael is of course enamored and start his lecture.

Of course he listened, but he could feign it for so long before Mikael took the hint.

He also noticed something else. He noticed that there is a large, long wall that separates every realm and lands

The realms are the realms of the Eight Race, denoting their territory and lands in Anvali. The walls are brooders that separates each race and their ancestral lands.

The Walls is said to be built from the time of the first Dark Lord, walling every realm of the eight races which connected each other with Arakath in its center.

Arial could see from this how large Anvali really is.

When they reach the fabled Forest of the Faeries, King Oberon carriage stopped and enters his land.

Mikael reminded him not to eat or drink anything that faeries offer me. There are after all nobility of the dawn.

It is at here he offers some of the faeries to follow him and he would gift them gold for their services but they refused since they are not greedy about gold and they are reluctant to leave their forest.

So, Arial had no choice but to forget about this matter. Maybe, he would have more luck in the Orc Lands

It is only after he had offer the gold, that Mikael told him that the Faeries care not about gold, and of all the races in Anvali, even though the Faeries is respected due to their magic, they are one of the races in Anvali that have the least economic power, with the Demon Lords controlling many of the economical side and the Kobold in farming and agricultural.

It was then Arial learns more about the structure of society in Anvali.

Each realm has their own specialties which are used by the Capital to distribute resources and the wealth accumulated to the rest of the realm.

The Dragon realm on the other hand, even though their realm is inside Anvali, the Capital has lost contact with the dragons since the Purge.

The dragons have been denying contact since then and will burn anyone who trespass their land.

From what Mikael told him, dragons can talk though that is a long time ago during the Age of Gods

Then they reach Arakath situated in the heart of Anvali. Arial did not enter the Capital but even from the outside it looked magnificent.

The traders that he had brought from Arrandy quickly enter Arakath to bring their products to the Dark Lands and opening trade centers, establishing trades with the Dark Lands.

Some of Arial other traders of his trade companies will begin their operation in the Holy City.

Many not know this but Arrandy had its own trading company that went around the many continent of the world like Vorthy, Ranoa and Asteros.

Some of his traders will come here to the Capital while some of them will surely try to open new markets in the Orc lands or Faeries land.

Arial could not wait to see the effect of this trade would do for his duchy. Arial even though he had achieved peace is still collecting irons for the military machine that is his army.

His duchy and his Continent might have been spared form the terrible fate of annihilation from the Dark Lands Invasion but now that peace had arrived, Arial knows that the position of Arrandy is precarious with many people coveting their gaze toward it.

Arial only sighed when he thinks of such matter.