A Crowned King (Complete)

Chapter 8

The sound of blunted steel swords clashing together filled the large arena as combatants squared off against one another in minature spars. There were fifty all together in the square, thirty five men and fifteen women. They were all dressed in heavy steelplate armor to get them used to fighting in armor with helms on their heads.

They had been paired off at random to spar with one another to disarm or make one another yield. There was sweat, blood, and tears from some of the soldiers as they fought against one another. A Sergeant watched over them as they fought, judging their skill and form with critical eyes. The Sergeant was in charge of getting them into fighting shape and to make sure they stayed that way in case a war began anytime soon.

The Officer was a large and muscular man, built much like that of a bear with a thick head of dark brown hair and burning blue eyes. He had strong features with a dark brown goatee and square cheekbones. He wore the steel-plate armor too and a longsword was strapped to his hip. He had his arms crossed over his chest as he watched, but it wasn't the Sergeant that most od the soldiers were worried about disappointing. It was the man that stood on the promenade over them, watching from the barracks.

Darius Wolf stood with his hands gripping the railing to the promenade, watching with searching eyes. His long grey hair lay against his back as his golden eyes watched each match in kind. He was dresses in steel plate black armor and a longsword was strapped to his left hip. He was a large man with broad shoulders and a thick neck.

Of everyone in the Nation he was trusted to lead the Legions into war. He was the overall leader of the Legions and was only able to be superseded by the King himself. As Mako was just a Prince right now he was the most powerful ranking command over the Legions. At this moment the Lord General was the one with command of the Legions. If he ordered them somewhere they would go and there was nothing the Prince could do to stop it.

It was a good thing for Star that Darius was loyal as his family had been for over a thousand years, going all the way back to the first of the Starmen who came and settled the land. They had built their society up from a small village into the nine, vast cities that they now commanded. And at the side of the Royal Starcrowns was a member of the Wolf Clan, serving loyally at their side.

The Lord General was no different, serving loyally to the former King, Dryn. He didn't know much about Mako, but he would get the make of the boy and he was sure that he would measure up. He was a Starcrown and there was a reason that Clans were loyal to their family. Their power and their honor was like no other among the descendants of the Starmen.

The Starmen had been creations of Magnus, called by most the Father. It was through him that the Circle of Gods the world worshipped stemmed, but before he created the Gods, Magnus created the Starmen. He trained them in the arts of the sword, shield, spear, axe, hammer, archery, tracking, and magic. The Starmen had served as the army of Magnus defending his realm from any dangers of the Abyss. They were also responsible for building the cities ans businesses that Magnus boasted of.

Then the Circle created the mortal world, but they didn't defend it how they should have. Without barriers to protect the earth the Abyss opened several portals and legions of Demons and dark things poured over the earth, burning, pillaging, and killing everything that moved. Banned from being able to directly intervene, the Circle had gone to Magnus and begged the Father to save their creation.

The Father had mused over it snd then called the commanders of the Starmen. He gave them a proposition: go to earth and defeat the Demons; save the earth and he would give them dominion over the world. The Starmen had agreed and had armed their Legions for the attack. The Father had opened portals for them to appear on the earth and they built an outpost, a base to keep their men and direct their attacks against the hordes of the Abyss.