Summoning America

Chapter 10: The Star God

Elven Refugee Caravan, Somewhere East of Gim

Under the harsh glare of the sun, columns of refugees marched onward, hoping to reach Ejei. This caravan originated from a small Elven village, isolated from the events of the outside world and thus among the last to flee. Having only received word of Gim's fall many days after the Lourian invasion, they evacuated as quickly as possible; there was no telling just how close behind the Lourians were.

Most of the refugees were children, women, and the elderly; the men were called up for war months ago. One of these refugees, Parun, was luckily still too young to be called upon by the Qua Toynian military. Now approaching adulthood, it was his duty to serve as a watchman and protect the caravan from any approaching Lourians. He was accompanied by several other teenagers, along with his little sister. Equipped with shovels and bows, they certainly stood no chance against any charging Lourians.

They walked for hours, trudging through the silence until Parun's sister complained about the journey. "Parun, can we stop here for a bit? I'm tired."

He gave a warm smile. "Asha, we're not too far from Ejei. We just need to keep going, and in no time you'll be able to have all the rest you want." He then pointed in the distance. "See, we're almost there!"

For a few short moments, the pair felt hope, seeing the promised land in the distance. This fleeting optimism faded as someone from the rear guard yelled a warning. "The Lourians are here! The Lourians are here!"

A crippling sensation pierced through the Elven refugees as they turned around to see a dust cloud forming in the distance. It seemed that their numbers approached a hundred, and despite being over three kilometers away, they closed the distance in record speeds. The slow caravan was bogged down by cargo and the villagers who did not own horses.

As they rapidly approached the panicking refugees, Parun steeled himself, turning around to face the incoming horde. He gripped his shovel tightly and stood his ground. Meanwhile, his little sister Asha knelt, tears flowing down her cheeks. Thinking back to the Tale of the Demon Lord that she and Parun listened to as kids, she prayed, "Please, O Star God, save us!"

As if her prayers were answered, the ground in front of her erupted into a fierce explosion, shining brightly like the stars. Then, similar magic occurred among the lines of Lourian cavalrymen, completely decimating them and sending chunks of meat and charred metal flying into the air. Parun led her away from the blasts as arrows of light flew toward the now-scattered and panicking Lourians. She breathed a sigh of relief at the irony of their fate, and of the blessing her prayers resulted in.

Looking up, she saw several sand-colored aircraft appear over the horizon. She made no sense of the objects' design or the rapidly spinning blade on their tops. All she saw was a white star emblazoned on the machines' hulls. "The emissaries of the Star God!" She grinned with delight.

The gasps of the elves and the shrieks of the dying Lourians alike were drowned out by the constant rain of light bullets from above. Weapons designed primarily for armored vehicles pounded the Lourian cavalry with ease, and within a few minutes, the stragglers were cleaned up.

Recovering from the chaos, the Elven refugees looked up at the sky, wondering what just happened. Several metal dragons roared past, causing many of the elves to cup their ears, while the machines from earlier continued to hover around. Then, from behind Ejei, they noticed several more of the rotor-bladed machines appear; these aircraft had two sets, instead of one.

The new arrivals touched down, unleashing dozens of men in a spotted, dirty-looking uniform from its underbelly. The elves cowered back in fear, confused and awed by the flying machines. Then, two of them walked toward the elves while the others formed a circle around the groups. In response, the elven village elder stepped forward.