Fate: Beyond the Gate

3

Marcus Liemien was a proud vassal of the Empire now tasked with a mission of utmost importance at the head of the Empire's twelfth Legion. He was a man of short stature and portly rotundness that he'd had to specifically tailor his plate armour to fit, yet looks can be deceiving. With a single axe in hand, he had the physical prowess to bisect mighty beasts with one arm.

Riding on horseback, Marcus's distinctly got the impression that he wouldn't like the news that was to be delivered by the scouts he'd sent ahead towards the mysterious stone gate at the western lands by the Empire.
"Captain!" The scout called with a nod. The man's stern visage was mired by a layer of doubt and confusion. "Reporting: Not much has changed at all since the initial reports of the Empire's findings, but I've noticed two distinct peculiarities."
Marcus grumbled, a low baritone that resonated within his chest. He wheezed in slight irritation not from any health problems, but from the acrid air assailing his lungs for the past few minutes as his units neared the location of the second Gate; the other one located on Alnus Hill where a separate detachment group .
"Ah, yes continue." Marcus hacked a cough, spitting onto the ground. "Damn smoke," he wiped his mouth.
The scout nodded calmly. "The smoke in the vicinity is the first oddity. Some part of the surrounding forest nearby must be burning so we best keep out of the woods lest fire be the death of us all. As for the second oddity," the scout paused as if to ascertain whether he'd seen correctly, but eventually, the man just spoke his thoughts. "I saw a group of strange people by the second Gate. By how they acted, they seem to be part of a larger group as I spotted one or two remaining on look out."
"There are people?" Bewilderment coloured Marcus's features from behind his blue-plumed helmet. "Surely you jest? Our Empire was the first to mobilize in order to acquire the treasures within the gate. Who are they? Demi-humans? Beastfolk? Tinaens?"
The scout hesitated. "They appear to be human, likely Tinaen with how weirdly they dress, but even then, they don't have that feeling of 'people of the sea.'"
"But you're sure that there are people there?" Marcus pressed, prompting the scout to nod.
"I reckon negotiations are off the table?" The scout crossed his arms and checked to make sure his weapons were all present on his person.
"Of course. Tinaens or not, the Empire mustn't lose it prestige to negotiate with mere Tinaens. Capture them for now, and will sell them as ransom later. Good work scout, now return to your post. I will command the legion."
Marcus took out a small hollow horn, and blew into it to signal for attention. He was growing agitated at the thought of being late. Several carts were being wheeled by his legion to ferry some of the ancient weapons back to the Empire's armoury, but now they only served to slow the march. The Emperor had stressed the importance of securing the ancient armory on the opposite side of the Western gate, and if the people of another kingdom were already present, there was only one course of action to take.
"A smaller kingdom has taken the initiative over the Empire!" Marcus's features became stern, both of his hands holding tightly onto the reins of his horse as he urged his steed to gallop to the front of the legion. "Leave the carts. We move at once!"
This situation must be remedied immediately.
The Empire can know no failure.
Under the galloping of horses and flat western plains, the entire legion made quick headway. Just like the scout had stated, the bright orange hue of a horrid forest fire flickered in the distant horizon.
Avoiding the flames and the path of the smoke, the scout instructed everyone in the direction of the second gate that had appeared by the Empire. All readied themselves for some sort of confrontation with a rival kingdom and nation, but many just started to laugh as tensions gradually bled away at the scene.
What was there to be afraid of? A simple group of three individuals?
Indeed, there were only three of these reported Tinaens loitering near the Western Gate. By the noise Marcus knew his legion had been making at their approach, he was admittedly surprised that not one of the three individuals seemed to falter at his legion's advance. Instead, he felt like he was being thoroughly scrutinized by the people before him.
The gaze that was perhaps the most unnerving, was the gaze of a radiant-blond haired woman in something that resembled military attire. The woman wore a burgundy soft cap with a white rose sticking out of her hair, and over her body was a blue overcoat tailored with such skill that no had ever seen before. Brown gloves adorned her hands, and strange leather boots with high heels were worn on her feet.
The way the woman's emerald-like eyes blazed with the strength of fire and determination was utterly striking.
Regardless, Marcus snorted. "What are the Tinaens thinking by sending a little girl?" He muttered.
The girl tilted her head, and Marcus took note of how the other two Tinaens deferred to the little girl's judgment, nervously standing behind her. Was she some sort of high noble or royalty?
"How grand," the woman spoke in a language Marcus was unable to discern. For someone who's eyes and expression could look so piercing, the voice was quite childish. Exactly, still a child trying to do an adult's work clearly. "Lord Elmelloi sure has a penchant for dabbling in matters that pique my interest, and to think he didn't even have the courtesy to wait for my arrival. How very crass of my dear brother." The woman sighed, an odd twitch coming over her features in a way that only a certain adoptive brother could draw from her. "At the very least he was sensible enough to leave behind two second-rates to explain the circumstances."
"Are you going to start making sense, or are you Tinaens too uncultured to know the language of the Empire?" Marcus gritted out through clenched teeth. His nerves were causing him to feel uneasy.
Here he was armed with his weapons and a legion of fine men and women behind him, and yet this girl and the two behind her didn't even bat an eye at the danger.
Something strange was certainly afoot.
"Oh?" The woman finally seemed to recognize the problem because a small smile spread across her face. "You can't understand me? Well, then," she snapped the fingers of her right hand, the air shimmering over her finger tips and expanding outwards to encompass everyone.
Marcus shielded his eyes from the display of the supernatural much like the rest of his legion.
"How about now?" The girl asked in the native tongue of the Empire.
"So, you were a mage." Marcus said while taken aback. His horse was spooked and was uneasily trotting from side to side. "What magic is this?" He glowered while doing his best to calm his mount.
Magic wasn't unheard of in the world. In fact, it was common knowledge that everyone knew of it to an extent. The problem was, nowhere in the world had there been something as advanced as a magic that could bypass language barriers. No such thing existed even in the famed Rondel Magic Academy.
"Magic?" The girl hummed derisively. "You overate a simple translation spell? At the very least you've confirmed the presence of some form of magus organization in this world. How fascinating."
From her tilted chin to her indifferent demeanor, the woman was now entirely looking down on them as if rats in an experimental maze.
Marcus felt anger and indignation well up from within him. Since when had such a contemptuous look ever been leveled at him after his glorious feats on the battlefield? Where he goes, he was respected as a symbol of one of the Empire's legion commanders.
"You damn Tinaens think your so high and mighty with your snobbish attitudes just because you used to rule all of the Avion sea!? The Empire has shown time and time again that we are the superior in this world!" A vein popped over Marcus's temple, his fury superseding the unnatural stillness in the air. "Now surrender and be detained by the stronger party by Imperial law, and allow us to ransom you back to your back-water nation. This was your mistake to transgress on what the Empire views as its property."
The woman rose an elegant brow, utterly unthreatened by Marcus's tone. "Are you quite done? Whoever people it is that you're confusing me for, I pity them from the bottom of my heart for dealing with such uncultured swine."
Marcus nearly snapped the reins of his horse from how tight his grip had become. He was trembling, red creeping up his portly features until several veins popped over his forehead.
"Why you insolent cur!" Spittle flew through the air, a look of disgust flickering over the woman's features. "I'd see you hanged for treacherous slander against me and by extension the Empire! Better yet, your proud features can make you the star of a whore house should you spread your legs to the right man! How does that sound? As a slave, you'd make for an adequate sum of gold, so you better start cooperating lest we decide not to ransom you and sell you for self profit."
It was a blatant threat. Based on the woman's features and bearings, she must have been of high birth. If this woman dared to keep pushing him, then regardless of the tentative peace between the Empire and Tinea, today there would be cause for war.
Marcus had no doubts that subduing three people including a snobbish woman would be a simple matter, yet he'd made a mistake. Appearances, can always be deceiving, and right now, an unseen force was generating a fierce wind.
Suddenly, an oppressive silence reigned as an instinctive chill travelled down the backs of everyone's necks. There were rumours in the Empire of those who were known as apostles of gods. They carried blessings and power unexplainable.
The woman's features had carefully set into a blank and icy stare, emerald eyes seemingly glowing under the light of the full moon above.
The marrow of the moon spirit.
Goosebumps travelled down Marcus's arms while the rest of his legion began to whisper and murmur to themselves about how unnatural the woman was. The more they looked, the more uneasy they became. More so when the woman's own colleagues suddenly decided to back pedal away from her.
Under the eyes of all, a large volume of silver liquid trickled down the pale-blond haired woman's trousers where it began to pool over the ground. As if pinching the middle of a silk sheet and gradually pulling up, the pool of silver swelled into a humanoid form dressed in a maid's attire.
It took on the form of an elegant and beautiful woman. However, said was made entirely out of a steel-like substance.
What sort of beastfolk was it? Did the freaks finally find a way to breed their ilk with a finely shaped piece of metal?
Marcus swallowed. No amount of joking could ease the tension bleeding into his muscles. The work of magic and mystery was going on here, and he had no experience to rely on.
"Ah truly, what a pity that first contact must end this way," a cold and frigid grin crept up over the woman's face before she called out a name in monotone. "Trimmau,"
In front of everyone's eyes, the woman made of steel bobbed her head lowly.
"Kill them."
Before anyone could react, the steel woman simply nodded before leisurely appearing within the ranks of the entire twelfth legion of the Empire and causing pandemonium and confusion.
Marcus felt his breath hitch, the hand already clutching onto his battle axe abruptly slackening as he just stared at numerous branching tendrils of liquid metal piercing, gouging, and thrusting through flesh and bone. They formed branches like trees, ever extending and suspending corpses high up into the air in a bid to murder absolutely everyone. The sick gurgle of choked breaths, and the whining screams of those that had lived only to slowly bleed out created a macabre scene beyond anything Marcus had ever encountered in his years of service.
The scent of blood carried thickly in the wind.
This would be the first case the Empire would report to the JSDF about any information pertaining to the Second Gate.
Beware the Woman of Silver.
Thanks for reading and sorry for smaller chapter. I've had a hard week with assignments and midterms and have finally just finished it all.
Next update:
-Fate In time
P a treon. com (slash) Parcasious
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