Summoners: The Forbidden Ritual

Chapter 22: Allbourne

The war rages on further for months, bit by bit, Valerius gains both support and power not only from the dark forces but also from other kinds, such as the Orcs and Agi.

All Summoner clans united against Valerius and his conquest, many fall under his feet or under his Wardens. It was as if no one, can kill his drive for power.

In the Kingdom, an ill-fated King, sick in both mind and body, sits silent on his throne. He looks upon the map of his kingdom, pierced by daggers in certain spots, indicating settlements and villages that were either attacked or occupied by the Wardens.

Everyday, Captains and Generals from the Loyalist army would conspire and theorize ways or steps that can be taken to minimize the casualties and the power the evil army grasps.

Decisions, hard decisions, were forced upon the Throne and his advisors. Though the council, a much lower power but enough to hold rule, made most of the choices for the war.

Wise or not, it was still a way of helping Freodin be set free from the pressures of the deaths he had to endure to one day hold victory.

Through a few acres of land, far a few from the Castle, stands a small settlement, Hurtlepool. An honest town with trade only of fishing and simple farming. Unhindered by the war, but settled in by Loyalist troops to ensure its safety.

The captain of this settlement, Derrion, was demoted by his own choice. He didn't wish to be burdened by the unjust choices of the army. He wants to correct it all, bit by bit.

He foresaw that if he would fight the army's corruption from the top tier, they would only seek ways to rid of him. But if he would lessen the injustice from a small group and up, he would be both hidden and looked upon.

He led a small group, within a few dozen men. Promising and young, they all idolized Derrion, obeying every order, statement, or simple whisper that escapes his tongue.

But not only was he loved by his men but also the people he protected and governed. Though he was not the town's elder, he was thought more of as one than the real elder, who has grown jealous.

Derrion was an Allbourne, and for that fact there was no way of denying that he was capable of strong power. Much like his younger brother, a fine and noble man, Haliun Ryen Allbourne, Henry, for short.

With the news of Henry being a father of the child inside of his newly wed wife, Derrion only aims to make sure Henry does not face the fate like many other families in the hold, an event of only death and impure justice.

Though Derrion did not fully approve of his brother's rush, but with the Summoner race almost endangered by the war, it may be convenient to produce descendants as quick as possible to ensure bloodlines.

And in the end, he did not fight his brother's idea of having a child.

Love was a poisonous thing, therefore, Derrion did not hold it except for his clan. He may be one of the strongest among them, making him the greatest candidate to be the father of the new descendants, but he instead decided that his brother would bear the future of the bloodline, and Derrion would protect them.

One day, Derrion was in his post, sleeping. A Loyalist soldier, runs through the dirt, racing by the ground. He shouts as he takes each step, "Wardens! Wardens! They're here!"

The troops awakened and immediately grabbed their uniforms and weapons. Summoners drank their potions to enhance their manas, Derrion, readied himself as did his battalion.

A line of defense along the trail as they hear the dark whispers of demons and Wardens slowly trek along the dirt.

Shouts of the townspeople echoed around the air, lines of the soldiers formed, swords men up front with the Summoners at the back. Ready for anything, the whispers silenced, the wind stops, and the air heavies.