Battle Cry

*In a faraway land*

A pair of massive doors, with carved scenes of forests and nature, slids open and a tall slender pale looking male dressed in a black coat with similarly colored pants, a red silk-like high collared shirt lined with elaborate embroidery covered over by a black vest, walks through.

His green eyes barely registered the two guards bowing to him by the doors, a pair of feather shaped silver ear cuffs hung from his long pointy ears. Though the man is considered handsome from the standards of other races, but reflected on the man's face is a frown due to anxiousness for being the bearer of bad news to his Emperor.

Another pair of guards in traditional Elven warrior Armor, holding beautifully crafted ornate spear, bows and opens the office doors as he approaches. As he entered the room, he bows low to the person sitting behind the golden gilded desk, His Majesty, Zilar Uhr Whenua, ruler of the Whenuan Empire.

"My Emperor, I implore your command." He half kneels on the floor in front of the desk with his head bowed low, waiting for Emperor Zilar to give him attention.

The Emperor ignored his presence and continued to read scrolls tied with colored ribbons. His signature long silver hair tied in a ponytail decorated with White-gold headband, Silver colored eyes that emanates fierce yet wise aura. Dressed in a pure white ceremonial robe, he finally sets down the scroll.

Emperor Zilar sighs, his handsome face that could only be described as 'Elven Fair' remains youthful even after turning 600 this year. "Raise, Marquis Lar." He leans back on his padded chair, finely carved with trees and flowers. "You disappoint me greatly."

The Marquis stood up and resisted his urge to wipe the sweat off his face. "My emperor! I have failed you, the magicless creatures still walks the land, my troops were so close to wiping them out, but they used underhanded methods on our few numbers, thus I had to fall back." He explained.

"Yes, yes. I have read your report and the commander' report as well." Emperor Zilar waves away his explanation. "Still, your incompetence has allowed the humans and their compatriots to escape," The Emperor squinted his eyes, looking at Lar like a predator gazing its prey. "Perhaps you don't want to be the Marquis anymore?"

"No... no, my Emperor, I won't fail you again!" marquis Lar fell on his knees.

"Are you certain? numerous nobles are trying to get favours to raise rank." Exclaimed Emperor Zilar as he stared Lar's distasteful antics. "I think I should just reward some other noble."

"My emperor, I won't fail you again! two months, no... One month's time! I will root out the all abominations from the western region of our lands and they will no longer plague the Empire of Whenua!"

"Make it so, or it wouldn't be just your rank removed" Emperor Zilar promised, "it will be followed by your head"

"Ye-yes, My Emperor," Marquis Lar trembles slightly with fear, as he knows quite well how Emperor Zilar's wrath can be.

"I will send a battalion of Silver Rangers to you to aid you wipe out the inferiors once and for all. Do not fail me this time." Emperor Zilar said before waving his hand to dismiss Lar.

Behind Duke Lar, the colossal doors seal shut with a resounding thud. Despite the warmth of his coat, a chill lingers, creeping down his spine. He pivots to face the sprawling expanse of the castle, its towering battlements and interconnected bridges stretching towards the heavens. At their apex, pure white banners trimmed with gold danced and waved in the breeze, a stark contrast to the darkness looming within Lar's troubled thoughts.

"Bring my carriage over!" He yells at his servants, "Hurry up fools! Or you will feel my wrath! Damn all of you inferiors!. I will find you and when I do, you will wish you were never born into this world." His face distorted with wicked thoughts and he laughs in anticipation. "Where's my carriage!"

******

Chelle Felixia stretched her arms, taking a moment's respite after extricating herself from her golem armor. With a deft motion, she tied up her shoulder-length black hair, revealing a rounded ear on one side and a pointed one on the other. Rising to her feet, she surveyed the scene before her—as group people, young and old, moved about with purpose. It's been a month since they arrived on their destination but their journey was anything but easy. They traversed the Dark Forest in order to reach their supposed final bastion known as the 'Cursed Ruins', their progress was hampered by the treacherous terrain littered with gnarled roots, all while evading the relentless pursuit of Empire soldiers.

"Princess," spoke a middle-aged man with a mane of grey hair, his eyes ablaze with the wisdom of countless battles. Handing a bottle of water to Chelle, he urged, "We must make haste; it's only a matter of time till the accursed Empire soldiers finds us." Clad in his iconic bulky armor, etched with runes of power, he bears a formidable handheld magic cannon at his side, with a large sword secured on his back.

Chelle's frustration weighed heavily upon her as she observed the anguish of her people. Though keenly aware of their desperate need for rest, she understood all too well that time was not on their side. "I know, General Jon," she conceded, her voice tinged with sorrow. Tears welled in her black eyes, betraying the depth of her emotions.

Jon Quelle, having served the Felixia family for over three decades, shared a profound bond with the young princess. He had witnessed her growth from infancy, understanding her temperament better than most. Brave and resolute, Chelle possessed an unwavering courage and a profound sense of duty to her people. However, as the sole surviving member of the Felixia royal family, her safety was paramount. With her parents, brothers, and their kingdom lost to the tyranny of the Mad Elven Emperor Zilar, Jon was sworn to protect her at all costs.

"My Lady, I will dispatch men as a rearguard to buy us as much time as possible." He sighs inwardly, thinking of the men and women he will condemned to death. "But we must hurry!"

Chelle looks into her loyal retainer's eyes, seeing the sadness and pain inside. "I understand. Give the order to move General." Jon pound his right fist on his chest in response to his sovereign's will and took out a fist size black round object and spoke, giving orders to all receivers, moments later voices were heard acknowledging his command. Shortly after a small detachment of soldiers broke off and guarded the path from the Dark Forest to the Cursed Ruins.

Then, Chelle rallied her Magitechs, a group of specialists versed in the arcane intricacies of magical technology salvaged from a long-lost civilization. Delving into ancient texts, they unearthed a tantalizing discovery—a depiction of a teleportation device hidden beneath the depths of the Cursed Ruins. According to these texts, this enigmatic contraption held the potential for mass teleportation to distant continents, offering their only hope of escape from the clutches of the encroaching Empire.

With the aid of expert mechanists from their allies, from the Dwarven nation, they embarked on the arduous task of restoring the teleportation device, dubbed the 'GATE.' However, a daunting challenge lay before them—the GATE required mana to function, a resource unavailable among Humans, Dwarves, and most of the Beastmen. Undeterred, they toiled tirelessly for months, channeling every ounce of mana from their dwindling supply of mana crystals into the device.

Finally, after countless trials and tribulations, the day of reckoning arrived. The GATE hummed to life, its ancient mechanisms whirring with newfound vigor. But just as victory seemed within reach, an unforeseen obstacle loomed on the horizon...

{The 'Dark Forest' sprawls across the eastern reaches of the Tierra continent, its dense canopy shrouded in an aura of mystery and dread. Cursed in the eyes of the world's inhabitants, this land is an anomaly, teeming with towering trees that exude an illusion of vitality. However, despite its apparent abundance, the forest is devoid of the magical creatures and beasts that typically inhabit such lush environments. This absence of fauna is no coincidence but a result of the forest's peculiar nature—it lacks mana, the lifeblood of magic. For beings reliant on mana, such as the magically inclined Elves, venturing into this desolate expanse is akin to traversing airless space. Here, they must rely solely on the mana within their own bodies, a daunting prospect that renders the Dark Forest an inhospitable and perilous realm, even for the most seasoned warriors.}

As the last civilian entered the 'GATE' Chelle felt both happy and afraid, happy that they finally escaped this hellscape but afraid of what the future holds for her people. Then suddenly the communication crystal installed in Chelle's Golem are lit up and the voice of Jon was heard "The Whenuans are here!"

Chelle immediately called upon them "General retreat now, the 'GATE' is closing".

"Sorry Princess I can't do that, i'll hold them off till the 'GATE' closes" replied Jon.

"But you can't hold them forever!" Chelle's worried tone conveyed her emotions.

"Don't worry my Princess, we'll catch up soon, just go on ahead, you need to lead the people to rebuild our home. Leave the fighting to me!" Declared Jon with confidence.

"Jon! Jon!" Chelle's desperate cries echoed into the void as the communication was abruptly severed, leaving her with a heavy heart and a gnawing sense of uncertainty.

•

"Sir it's the Silver Rangers!" A soldier yells.

Jon looks at the banners, 2 silver Feathers creating an X in a golden background. The silver rangers is one of the Empires best soldiers, known for their high magical Prowers proficient in both high level projectile elemental spells and body enhancement spells.

General Jon's face grimaced "Damn. That bastard really intended to wipe us all out once and for all, the mana-crystal on my Egis Armor wont last long, when that time comes this Armor will become a mere coffin on my impending death"

Mana-crystals are the condensed and crystalized form of mana, Lesser and intermediate mana crystal are commonly found in areas with high concentration of mana, high tier crystalss on the other hand can only be acquired inside a Mana beast.

••

Jon readied his handheld magic cannon and rallied his remaining soldiers also equipped with Egis Armor to engage combat and help their rearguard. As General Jon and his soldiers are about to reach the effective range of their magic cannon, he activated his communication crystal and immediately gave order to the rearguard soldiers to fall back to avoid hitting them along with the enemy "Rearguard fall back, response team ready your cannons, fire when ready"

"Yes sir! A chorus of acknowledgement was heard through his communication crystal.

Meanwhile in the backline, 200 Felixian soldiers are fighting against 100 Elven warriors but their number advantage did not translate to victory. The Silver ranger's reputation was proved once again in this battle, though the Felixian soldiers possesses magical armor that enhance all their physical abilities, magic guns and magically enhance swords, but fighting and winning against opponent naturally born and gifted with mana is still close to impossible even in 2 to 1 battle.

At first there chaos ensued, Elemental projectiles and cannon exploded on each side, the Felixian soldiers are at disadvantage due to magic gun's weakness. It could not sustain and continuously fire without breaking it's mana crystal whereas Elves naturally gifted with magic could fire multiple spells taking advantage of their high mana pool.

All rearguard soldiers simultaneously heard command from General Jon's command and immediately retreated towards the exit of the center of the Dark Forest while the others provides cover fire with their magic guns but some of them were pinned down, some were skewered by ice lance from the Elves, some exploded after being hit by an explosion spell and some were torn apart merely by the Elves superior strength.

Jon and his soldiers reach the effective range of their weapons "Clear the line!" cried out Jon as he barked another command "Fire magic cannons!" a series of loud bangs resounded followed by large round projectiles that exploded on landing. "Second group, fire!" Another series of explosion reverberated on side of the Elves.

General Jon did not even get a time to express his glee because the dust caused by the explosion was blown away by a strong wind gust spell. To Jon's horror not even a single Elven warrior was killed due to the shimmering mana barrier covering each warrior, then a familiar elf came forward, aided by the voice amplification spell, his maniacal laugh and voice reverberated.

"kuhahaha..fools! That attack won't work again, you inferiors only caught me off guard once. With the Emperor's Silver rangers, I'll properly dispose all of you filth once and for all"

On the other side, General Jon walked forward, and removed his full face helmet, revealing a face full of anger and disgust towards the Elven male "Lar! curse you and your Emperor to hell! For years we fought side by side against the Demonkin and yet you betrayed us! For what?!" shouted Jon with hate and killing intent.

"The late king Rudolf trusted you and treated you as a friend but you used that trust against us, you even killed Queen Morvanya, and their Children, an Elf like you!"

Marquis Lar snickered "Those Halflings doesn't deserve to be called Elves especially that bitch Morvanya, not after mingling with the likes of you humans. The Emperor is right! we Elves are the supreme race blessed by mana and loved by the Gods, it is our duty to remove the blight of this world. And this accursed land will be your grave"

General Jon clenched his fist "yes! You may be right about this being our graves, but I'll make sure to take you with me even if that's the last thing I'll do"

Lar's laughed echoed again in ridiculed Jon's words "You thought that just because we're in the Dark Forest we would think twice about chasing you?, fool! we both know the capabilities of the Silver Rangers! Jon Jon Jon, you're human but at least you're not that stupid"

Jon clenched his teeth, desperately hoping Lar was merely bluffing, yet he couldn't shake the knowledge of the Silver Rangers' formidable abilities. All he could do was pray for the gate to close swiftly.

(I'm sorry princess but this is it, we'll stay here and hold them back as long as we can. Please move forward, live and someday rebuild our home, stay strong) Jon regrettably thought.

"Alright soldiers! We stand our ground! We fight till the end! We fight for our people! We fight for our Kingdom!"

"Glory for the Felixia Kingdom!" replied the soldiers in unison. Jon can't help but smile slightly as his soldiers never disappointed him (It's been an honor, and thank you) mumbled the old General, he closed his eyes and inhaled deep.

"Charge!"

Shouts and cries of brave men and women was carried by the howling wind.