The Flame of Unity
The avatar of Thanatos had put everything back in order, everything that had happened had been forgotten. The citadel of Cælora was still in use. After the victory over Zalkaroth, Volmeryn summoned some of his subordinates to the Hall of Echoes, a vast room where the walls sang, amplifying every word spoken inside.
Volmeryn's subordinates—Trôk, Lyara, Darius, Carlos—stood lined up in front of him.
— Volmeryn: «Yesterday we defeated Zalkaroth and his army. Today, we are strengthening our ties. You are on of my pillars, but a kingdom is nothing without absolute unity. Today, we will train together, not as individuals, but as one force. »
Before starting training, Volmeryn shared news from the kingdom. He deployed a sphere that projected a holographic map of Cælora, each region shining a different color.
— Volmeryn: «These are our present strengths.»
ZIIIIP! The map came to life.
«The garrison of goblins, under the direction of Trôk, covers the outposts of the northern mountains. Lyara watches over the mystical forests of Myrilia with her elves, and Darius maintains order in our nightlands with his vampires. Carlos oversees the Hellplains and their defenses. Finally, our dragons Lysandros, Arelon, Erylis, Seraphon, and Nethrath protect the heart of the kingdom. »
Trôk, arms crossed, nodded, ready to add his pragmatic comment:
— HMPF «Our goblins have fortified the mountains. No enemy will be able to cross them without losing half of his army. »
— Lyara: «The mystical forests are protected by ancient enchantments from my wizard elves, but they require constant attention. I would like additional resources to reinforce their barriers. »
— Carlos: «The Hellplains are ready to explode at the slightest intrusion. I am sure that no enemy will dare to venture there. But if so, they will be treated to a flamboyant show. »
After completing the briefing, TAP TAP TAP ! Volmeryn invited his subordinates to join him in the Valley of the Titans, a place created to test the limits of the mightiest warriors. Under a sky laden with magical shards, everyone took up position.
— Volmeryn: «Trôk , Carlos , Darius, Lyara. Today, you'll learn how to coordinate your powers with those of your allies. »
Volmeryn watched from a promontory as Trôk, Lyara, Darius, Carlos moved into position.
The first exercise was to create a unified defence. Each subordinate had to combine their powers to protect a central point from simulated attacks by enchanted golems.
CRACK CRACK CRACK! The golems created by Volmeryn himself, infused with draconic magic, charged at the group with their titanic fists capable of breaking mountains.
—BAM BAM BAM! Trôk ordered his goblins to dig pits filled with explosive traps to slow the golems.
—TWANG! Lyara used her starbow to shoot arrows that burst into waves of light, blinding the creatures.
— SWOOSH! Darius, in a whirlwind of shadows, would sneak behind the golems and strike them at the core, where their magic was concentrated. This dissipated their energy.
—FOOOSH! Carlos unleashed inky black flames, so intense that they rivaled those of the sun by enclosing the golems in a circle of disintegration.
The first golems were quickly slowed by Trôk's traps and Lyara's glowing arrows. But as the band began to dominate the situation, BOOOOM! A golem of colossal dimensions, larger than the others, was emerging from the ground.
A single strike with his fist CRAAACK! opened a rift in the training ground.
«STEP BACK!» cried Darius, summoning a barrier of shadows that instantly shattered under the impact of a blow.
The group had to improvise. Bam Bam! Trôk and Carlos combined their forces to deflect the golem's devastating attacks, while Darius and Lyara focused their energy on a single shot capable of destroying the core of this colossus.
But their attack proved useless against the golem, which was about to crush Lyara. Volmeryn, with a precise gesture, WHOOSH, suddenly appeared between them. He held out a hand, and then a silent shockwave passed through the air, pulverizing the golem's fist into a cloud of dust.
Volmeryn: «You need to coordinate your defenses better. The actual combat won't give you time to make these mistakes. Get ready: a real army awaits. »
With a gesture, SHHHH! He activated a massive illusion that would conjure up a horde of creatures rushing at them.
The next exercise was to counter a simulated attack by an entire army.
—Trôk directed his goblins with military precision.
—ZAP! Lyara summoned a living forest whose trees crushed certain demons.
— Darius summoned an army of vampiric bats that devoured the magic of illusory demons.
— WHOOOSH ! Carlos was setting fire to hundreds of demons at once.
As the illusory army seemed to be contained, a swarm of flying creatures formed and bypassed the defenses.
«THEY ADAPT!» cried Carlos.
The chaos threatened to disorganize the entire team. It was then that Darius intervened by using a vampiric technique to slow down the swarm, but he eventually exhausted himself.
As the illusory army gained the upper hand, Volmeryn descended from his promontory.
«Watch and learn.»
With a fluid movement, Whooosh, he summoned a spear of iridescent energy, which he threw with precision.
BOOOOOOM! The spear burst into a wave of light that disintegrated hundreds of illusory demons.
— Volmeryn: «You have potential, but you still lack the big picture. Starting tomorrow, we will work on your strategic perception. »
Trôk whispered to Lyara:
«Your runes are effective, but why bother so much when you can just shoot an arrow between their eyes?»
— Lyara (smile softly): «Because an arrow hits an enemy, Trôk. An enchanted forest destroys thousands. »
Volmeryn who was watching them couldn't help but smile.
— Volmeryn: «After, we will go further. You must become more than warriors. You must be legends. »
Everyone knew that this was only the beginning of their ascent.
Whoooosh! The wind blew through the great arches of the walls of the kingdom of Cælora, carrying ambitious projects necessary for the development of this new world that Volmeryn and his allies sought to build.
In the streets of the kingdom, craftsmen and workers were busy around open-air construction sites, hammers clac clac clac! resounded accompanied by the creaking of the carts carrying materials. The first major decision had been made: the creation of a common currency for Cælora, intended to unify the different factions of the kingdom.