Avalyne Empire Stories

10th Story - Artoria

Artoria Lavada di Castellia.

That was the name of the most fearsome knight in the whole of the empire. She alone held the right to call herself the nation's hero after single-handedly delivering the nation from a grisly fate during the first war against Kaslavna. Now, she was poised to do so again, standing upon the front lines and mounted gloriously on her armored steed, her golden eyes striking fear into her already-broken enemies as she drove them from the position mercilessly.

"General Castellia! General Castellia!"

The sound of hurried hoofbeats managed to reach Artoria's ears easily despite the clamor of combat and the footsteps of retreating foes all vying for dominance in the cacophony of sounds that surrounded the knight. She turned easily in her saddle, regarding the exhausted courier who'd rushed to her side.

The messenger's face was haggard, their eyes almost desperate and haunted as they gazed upon Artoria's unblemished visage, the courier's only shred of hope contained in the general's reflection. Upon catching their breath, the courier spoke at once, not even pausing to take a sip of water.

"General Castellia, the... the third front...!" The courier said, alarm evident in her voice. "Kaslavna has unleashed it at last... their greatest weapon. The 'hero.'"

Artoria nodded, her expression displaying supreme unconcern. With a gentle nudge, she turned her mount eastward, preparing to depart. "Took them long enough. Return to the rear and get some rest. I'll take care of everything."

The courier nodded their thanks before urging their horse toward the rear lines, thankful for the opportunity to rest at last. They'd traveled through a multitude of active combat zones as they struggled to reach the first front where Artoria currently stood. Miraculously, they'd survived, but not without suffering several wounds that now festered.

As she watched the messenger depart, Artoria raised her sword in the air, the noonday sun casting its glow upon its bloodstained steel. At once, its shining surface alerted her cohorts, causing them to rally at her position.

"Dame Yvonne, Sir Oliver, Dame Janice. You are to coordinate the men in my absence! Kaslavna has unveiled their trump card, and I must slay it ere the sun sets." Artoria said.

"H-Huh!? Me!?" Janice stared at Artoria with wide eyes. She simply couldn't believe that her personal hero would assign her such an important duty. Yvonne and Oliver were longtime cohorts of the general, but Janice had only just become a part of her elite unit. To be given a command position so quickly was unheard of.

"Indeed. You were the first to heed my call to arms, and your bladework reminds me of my younger days. Unpolished and unsightly, but violent enough to make up for what you lack." Artoria smiled, a hint of pride in her voice. "Trust in yourself, and you shall see victory at the end of the day."

Without another word, Artoria urged her mount forward as she raced off into the distance. There was nothing further that needed to be said. Her knights had received their orders, and she was needed at the third front, for there resided a problem that only she could solve. The distance between each front was great, but Artoria's steed was swift and strong. Within the hour, the general managed to reach her intended destination.

"...So they've managed to do it again." Artoria mused as she watched soldiers catapult through the air, their corpses bursting into pools of blood as they landed on the ground unceremoniously. The moment she arrived, Artoria already understood what it was Kaslavna had unleashed upon the battlefield.

Soldiers and knights alike were being devastated with the utmost ease, all of them dispatched in such a violent manner that their limbs were sent careening through the air as if they were no more than dolls being thrown around by an angry child. The scene was almost comical if it wasn't for the fact that actual lives were being lost at a harrowing rate.