New Guard

-Alexis Lycan, 18 years old-

In the past, the Lycan domain maintained one of the largest, and well-trained armies in the Empire. Their distinct black armor and silver weapons inspired awe and fear into enemies and allies alike. They occasionally loaned out their armies to neighboring Lords and made massive profits because of it. The emperors of ages past were always on edge when it came to the Lycan Dukedom, for the Ducal and Imperial armies were equally matched.

Now, there is only Ryan Tymer, and the six men at arms under his command. He was given the title of knight captain when he inherited his title. The men he commanded are adequately trained yet poorly equipped.

Alexis seeks desperately to change that fact. He wants to hire more recruits and outfit them with new, effective equipment. The rusted and worn weapons of the current guard are inadequate and quite the pitiful sight.

Ryan stares at the satchel of gold coins on the table with wide eyes. He glances to the side and sees his men also eyeing the gold with the same look of astonishment as him.

"You... want me to use all of this, my Lord?" he asks incredulously.

Alexis smiles at his vassal. He understands his confusion, the Tymer family has had to manage the 'guard' with only a miniscule number of coins for years now. The amount of gold in the satchel is more than all the coins that had been allotted to Ryan's father throughout his whole life combined.

"Yes, we need addition guardsman to protect Starfall and the lumber yard." Alexis explains. He leans back in his chair and puts his arms behind his head before continuing. "We also need them to defend the villagers as well. Bandits are more active in the surrounding area lately."

The six soldiers standing around the table look at each other in shock. They are just now getting used to a Duke that actually cared for the people. Now, they are told that their Duke is investing most of his recently acquired gold to protect their homes and families. They are filled with an immense sense of pride and loyalty.

These men would later go on to become the Elite Six Knights of the Lycan Dukedom, who will be known throughout the entire Empire.

Ryan nods his head as he smiles at the Duke.

"I understand my Lord." He says. "How many recruits are you thinking?"

Alexis tilts his head to the side slightly as he ponders the question.

"I'll leave the matter entirely up to you. Don't recruit too many though, we still need new equipment for them, and replacements for the six here." Alexis finishes as he flashes a smile at the guards in the room.

Loyalty further swells within them.

Ryan pulls some parchment towards him and dips a quill into an inkwell. He scratches some figures onto the paper and props his head up with his arm. He turns towards the most senior man under him and passes him the paper.

"What do you think, Jackal?" Ryan asks the man. He is an exceedingly buff man with long braided hair and full beard.

Jackal stares at the parchment before nodding. Ryan looks back at Alexis.

"How does twenty new recruits sound, my Lord? We can hire them from the surrounding lands." Ryan eventually asks.

"Hmm, what about hiring some of the villagers?" Alexis questions.

"We have a few with potential we can hire, my Lord. But the rest will have to be brought here. May I proceed?" Ryan says, he was prepared for the question.

"Yes, that sounds good." Alexis assents. "Act quick, but with care."

"Yes, my Lord. I will begin at once." Ryan says as he bows to Alexis and files out of the room, carrying the satchel of gold, and with his men following him.

-

-Arabella, ??? years old-

Arabella watches her beloved Alexis slowly grow his land and influence. She is observing him through an elaborate clear crystal in her domain. She can only view him though, not communicate. It is quite vexing, as she longs for the moment that she will be able to be together with her liege. Her mate.

But she is imprisoned within this accursed space. Relegated to be forgotten by history and to fade away unseen by anyone. Hot, violent anger wells up in her heart as she thinks of the Gods who trapped her here. She will enjoy watching her mate tear them to pieces.

She sees Alexis wince through the crystal and attempts to contain her anger. Now that they are contracted, strong emotions felt by one of them will transfer to the other. She has to be extra careful from now on.

Arabella sits back against the dark wall and stares off in the distance. The Gods she loathes will soon start to call forth Heroes, summoned from other worlds. These Heroes will then be entrusted with the sacred task of destroying the ancient dragons that will soon emerge from the depths of the world. The dragons are primordial beings who were created alongside the Gods during the twilight of the world. While most of the Gods eventually patronized the ever-expanding humans, the eternal dragons deeply loved nature and the natural order. So, the two sides eventually clashed in a world-shattering war.

The Dragons and Gods clashed in an apocalyptic battle that shook the very foundations of reality. The Gods, in their desperation, forcefully summoned humans from other worlds to fight for them. They gave extraordinary powers to these wayward people and dubbed them Heroes. Together, the Heroes and Gods eventually defeated the Dragons and drove most of them underground and cast others into the void. But now, they are beginning to stir again.

A few Gods sided with the Dragons in the Great War and were regarded as The Fallen. Betrayers. The reasons for their siding with them were many and varied. But it did not matter to the other Gods, who took it as a betrayal of the highest order. They came together and imprisoned the Fallen Gods into the void. Their prisons are a manifestation of their dominions.

These dragons are Arabella's allies, and she will soon have her mate combat the otherworldly Heroes to protect those very allies and receive her revenge. She needs Alexis to become much stronger than he is now. In his current state, any newly summoned hero will be able to kill him with ease. Luckily for her, the ritual to summon them took months to complete. And the other Gods have only just started preparing for the ritual.

Alexis only has a few months to get much stronger.