Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

A beautiful woman dressed in fine, purple silks sat next to a coffee table, sipping a steaming cup of tea. Flanking her was her bodyguard who had stepped out of the shadows and purposefully made his presence known.

Across from her sat King Aleksander of Arcadios, behind him was a massive man, Commander Arturo Hiroth. The two leaders had been discussing some unfortunate news they received. The border of the Five Kings Union had been attacked. Alorek was on the move.

According to reports, they simultaneously attacked Eroa. The troops next to the Eroan border suddenly multiplied in numbers, seemingly overnight. Alorek had taken ground in the first fight, but Fort Sella and the Gray Wolf Clan that controlled that area had only barely managed to hold them off.

Eroa's strongest warrior, Kalivas, had been stationed there without anyone knowing and it was largely thanks to him they were able to prevent the initial attack from taking too much territory at once.

The Union was not as lucky to have such capable fighters on the borders. However, Alorek was more open about their numbers with their troops on the Union's borders, so there was still some preparation that prevented overwhelming losses.

Even though losses could have been worse, did not mean that they were still acceptable. Whether it be due to pride or something else, the Union would not allow such a disgrace to stand and they would stop at nothing to regain the foothold Alorek scraped away from them.

"Lady Voltara… it seems your plan to weaken Alorek by preventing shipments of weapons did not go the way you intended. From what reports say, they were just as destructive, if not more so than we anticipated if those shipments had made it." Aleksander pointed out.

A small cracking sound echoed through the chamber as Lady Voltara al Famyn squeezed her teacup tighter than intended. The handle threatened to snap off entirely.

"So it would seem." She managed through a tight smile with a slight twitch in her eye. "Somehow those muscle-headed monsters in power outsmarted me. It seems their leader is not just brawn, but possesses brain as well. It was unexpected to say the least.

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"I'm sure it was. Where did you send the shipments?"

"To Eroa. I will say, though it did not have the effect we had hoped, things would have been a lot worse had we not interfered at all." She clarified.

Aleksander nodded his head in agreement. Though she knew she was right in her assessment that access to those shipments would have been worse, her own words were not of any consolation because she had been outwitted.

Alorek had sent agents to try and determine the cause and acted as though they were important. This meant that Zethis of the Raging Sands had done so as a ploy to make it seem like he cared.

"Regardless of that, we are now at war. Eroa as well. Any word on the other kingdoms?" she asked.

"Aedrider is neutral as always. We received word that neither Raleron nor Haedda will be participating in the war as well."

"I expected as much from Haedda, it is a nation of elves after all…however, Raleron abstaining is quite unique for a beastman kingdom. One would think they had a vested interest in Alorek not conquering Eroa."

"One would… but apparently they are struggling with succession and threats of civil unrest within their own lands. They don't really have a unified leader that would be able to stand in a war even if they were interested."

"So it is just us against a power-hungry Alorekan king." Lady al Famyn grumbled.

"So it seems."

Both leaders sat in uncomfortable silence for several minutes, neither desiring to speak to the other. Though this would not make the situation go away.

After a short while, Aleksander finally spoke. "I have mobilized our extra troops to reinforce the border. I have also suggested the other member nations do the same. I have made the decree to gather all Marked Ones throughout my kingdom as well."

"Yes, I have done the same within the Wisteria Concord. From what I know, Docia, Keinydd and Paede are doing the same. Soon our combined forces will be at the border while we take time to mobilize and strengthen our main forces"

"Good, Lady Voltara… we will find a way out of this war. From what I have heard from the Oracle, this will not be a pleasant war. Though we have no indication of who will win. She has seen both outcomes." Aleksander sighed. He stood and walked to a window.

Voltara stayed seated, but followed his movements with her eyes. "Speaking of… I heard that there has been another prophecy."

"You're rats in the dark hear a lot of things… but yes, she has granted us a prophecy regarding the House of Kane."

"Do you know who that might be? I know that family to long be extinct."

"In the Union…yes."

"Why so specific?" Voltara asked.

"We do not know what nation…but apparently there are Adventurer's Guild records stating that one of the last heirs to House Kane disappeared on the border between Aedrider and what is now Eroa." Aleksander answered quietly.

"So… this person could have left descendants in either country… alright then, simple enough, we make sure we do everything we can to remain on good terms with those two countries."

Voltara barely believed her own words. Knowing that someone could be alive that fits the description and could be a member of this war is… concerning. In the centuries since this person's alleged disappearance they could really have moved anywhere. People did have a habit of staying close to their birth places.

However, some adventurers claim the desire to travel and seek out the very thing that gives their profession its name is passed down through the blood. All in all, it is quite poor timing. All it would take is one tiny mis-step, one stray arrow or spell to complete the prophecy.