Sorcerer… Cyborg???

Chapter 174: Ascent

Captain Jeremiah gestured to the palace guards they passed on the way out of the Imperial Palace. They fell into formation around the Emperor, forming an impromptu guard around him. 

They had abandoned their posts, but their true purpose in guarding the palace was to guard the Emperor, and they were still carrying out this duty.

The guards and the emperor formed an impressive sight, and by the time the group exited the palace and emerged into the Inner City, they were almost fifty men around the Emperor.

They were an impressive sight, the guards wore rune enchanted plated armor, the armor itself covered in a red enamel, giving it a bright scarlet color with the Imperial lion etched in gold on their breastplates. 

However, the guards themselves paled in comparison to the Emperor. The onlookers were left dumbfounded as he passed, jaws agape, forgetting to even bow in the presence of the Emperor, a grave offense. 

People stumbled over themselves to get a second glimpse of the beauty of the emperor, and all the people they passed knew, without a doubt, that this was their famed Emperor.

The man who had fought for years in the Arena, without allowing even a single attack against him, with not even a single scar from his opponents.

His armor was almost plain in comparison to the guards, a silver Magemetal alloy that was dense with runes, glimmering and shifting below the surface of the armor. 

The plates of the armor were shaped so that each piece was as angular as possible, and the elbow and knees ended in elegant yet vicious spikes. 

On the breastplate, the same lion the palace guard wore on their chests stood, yet the green eye of the lion was a gleaming emerald.

A thin long sword was strapped to the Emperor's waist, the sword belt made of bone white scaled leather, made from the hide of a Magical Beast.

A short cape, made from the same leather, hung from the Emperor's shoulders, attached to the armor by gold clasps, made in the shape of a lion's paws, grasping on to the shoulders of the armor.

His helm was tucked under one arm, made in the likeness of a roaring lion, with delicate gold leaf and a pair of twin emeralds gleaming where the eye's should be.

But all of this was a mere afterthought to the people of Aznur, their eyes only followed the Emperor's face, for it seemed the rumors were true, the Emperor was the most beautiful individual the Isle had seen. 

His features were ethereal, almost otherworldly, surely  too delicate and too perfect to be those of a human being, and some, men and women alike, swooned at the sight of him.

A sharp angular jaw, a pointed nose and large green eyes, that gleamed the eyes of his lion helm.

His hair was as black as a moonless night and it was tied back in a simple ponytail, held by a clasp formed in the shape of a small lion, curled about itself.

It had been years since the Emperor had been seen, so long that the stories of the young man who had fought in the Arena had become mo0re myth than reality, that the people of Aznur felt as if they were in a dream, first the invading ships, and now the appearance of this man who seemed to be all the tales of the Emperor brought to life.

But soon enough, the people of Aznur realized that this was no dream, and the air was filled with cheers and yells.

"The Emperor has come to face the invaders!"

"Please, your Imperial Majesty, do not fight, let us fight in your stead."

"We're saved! The Emperor is here!"

The people of Aznur were so caught up in the sheer presence of the Emperor, that they forgot the threat of the invasion, and they felt as though nothing at all could go wrong for them, for their almost mythical Emperor had come to fight.

The Emperor and the throng of guards around him, made their way down toward the docks, for the Emperor felt it was time for him to set eyes on the invaders who had dared stand against him.

Now, as his guards kept the crowds of admiring civilians back, the Meeporr stood at the docks, which had been abandoned moments ago, but were now filled with admiring civilians.

He faced out toward the sea, his eyes locked on the larger ship, right at the center of the fleet, anchored just out of range of the ballistas and catapult that lined the coast.

"Move aside." The Emperor's voice was soft, but nevertheless it was heard by all surrounding him, and even the men and women who had been in wildly cheering for him stepped away, leaving a empty space around the Emperor, who had knelt down onto one knee, his eyes still locked on the flagship of the invaders.

Slowly, the Emperor placed his helm over his head, and it slotted into place with a resounding "click."

Then, he began to glow, softly at first, initially it seemed as if he were just becoming more radiant in the eyes of the onlookers, but the light slowly increased, growing brighter and brighter, until the surrounding soldiers and civilians had no choice but to look away.

There was a brilliant flash of light and then a light shone down from the sky, beaming down over the Inner City.

The Emperor rose up into the air, borne by two angelic wings made of pure light, and sighs of admiration and of sheer wonder echoed out all over the city.

"I never thought I'd live to see the Emperor take flight again." An extremely aged man stood in his window, tears in his eyes, as he watched the Emperor float in the sky, motionless, the pair of wings slowly flapping behind him.

Across the open ocean that separated the enormous fleet from Aznur, a pair of men stood, and they realized that though they had managed to send away the Storm Generals, the true defender of the Empire remained.