章 5: A Noble Warrior to Behold
A sun of Gaia-Seven was rising. Another dawn arrived following the awakening of her inhabitants, both on land and under water. Along with a shimmering beam of light coming out of the horizon, there appeared a shape of the battleship, bearing scars of honor from its fierce combat with Kraken weeks ago. The sea on which it was sailing seemed yet far from serenity of the still water. However, certain to the eyes of the ship's passengers, its raging was not that of mindless savages, but rather resembled the roaring of tech-warriors and tech-maidens marching for their destined glory.
"I sense that our destination is nearby; I can already smell the scent of soil and metal even from here."
"Such, my poor Gael, is what I can tell you the same, for that odor you mentioned comes also from our half-wrecked battleship and the reeking mouth of yours." Aelthred said with sarcasm.
Gael laughed off at her superior's jest. It was true that no men and women on board including Gael, the second-top commander of the war-band, had been able to wash themselves. Yet none ever grumbled at the terrible smell of their siblings-in-arms, since such had been one among the things rightfully expected on any journey to war. Aelthred, for the least, had gotten himself clean of Kraken's filth with all the ointment left in the ship.
"Then what are the readings of our radars, ye one among the finest tech-maidens in this ship?"
"Aye, my lord. They too sense our goal is close, for within around 30 minutes shall we get into northern seas of the Empire." Gael reported.
"My stomach itches for some good, fresh fruits and meat. Other than that, I have no other wishes but to indulge in tender flesh of Adonis the land has to offer." She continued with a grin.
"You shall relish whatever you desire to your heart's content, only if we manage to disembark without getting shot. Now head back to the bridge and mind your remaining duties." Aelthred ordered her without any further waste of his breath.
The Prince remained on the deck until he received a message from the bridge, requesting for his immediate presence. Now up in the bridge, he waited for his crew to visualize an incoming transmission from a commander of the harbor. A few seconds later, the communication was set up visual.
"Greetings to those who dared sail upon the treacherous northern seas of the Empire and His Majesty so far, those who now dare tread this very coast now under the rules of my lord, Governor Rothgarr. I am Sir Parthanas of the Holy Empire, a commander of this harbor, a captain of four hundred men-at-arms and three hundred sailors, a son to Parthanas the Gloryseeker who once valorously roamed the land of tech-warriors in and out for the glory of His Majesty and 3-Divines. On my wrist shall you see the proof for my words, our family's heirloom once wielded by my father himself."
Aelthred could see his tech-sword of ancients clearly though the holo-vision. It was genuine for sure, not of any fake; he could remember how it looked from his own childhood memories. He was also certain he had once met Parthanas the Gloryseeker back in the palace, who had been claimed as one of the King's friends at that time.
The commander continued on his inquiries. "Now I boldly ask you to reveal the purpose of your visit to our seas, a family your lord had born into, and whether you came here as friends or enemies of the Empire."
"Greetings, my good captain, an honorable son of the Gloryseeker. I am Prince Aelthred, a son to King Aelfred (May his name be remembered in 3-Divines' glory forevermore!) who now rules the entire land of tech-warriors and tech-maidens across this sea, a paragon for others to look upon and follow, and now a captain of this battleship asking for your permission to enter the harbor." Aelthred replied.
"I, the son of King Aelfred, and my brethren in arms seek to visit your land, for the governor you serve had honored us himself with his request of killing the notorious chimera named Glen-gohr. As far as we know about it, this monster has been a tremendous terror to all those of your land. We are here to eliminate the beast for you, or die fighting it, in return for the gold and the honor your governor promised beforehand." He continued.
"A son to King Aelfred indeed! Our venerable fathers were close friends; They had once fought each other in honor, and then had they fought together as battle brothers against their common enemies. They shared their tech-swords in an honorable duel, and they shared also their blood in the heats of numerous battles. We too, share the bond of brothers as our fathers did in the past. Despite the passing of my father, the late Gloryseeker, we are still obliged, with joy, to maintain such brotherhood as one among the precious legacies passed onto us."
"You, an excellent prince of distant lands, and your servants shall be greeted as our dear friends once you safely anchor off the coast of ours. We shall talk more and hear each one's news afterwards. We shall even have a banquet celebrating our friendships should you not mind our humble favor." Parthanas said warmly.
"We, as honorable tech-warriors and tech-maidens, appreciate your kind welcome with all our hearts. For the sake of our glory, we promise you to be your friends and not to harm any possessions of yours, so long as our feet tread your ground." Aelthred said in return.
At last, Parthanas and Aelthred, now as brothers in arms, met each other in person. Men and women serving the Prince were unloading their war-gears and other supplies off the battleship. Sir Parthanas took a look on the war-gears Aelthred's people had brought in, and exclaimed in awe.
"Those truly are techs of noble warriors, gears for utter destruction, means to deliver damnation unto their foes! With an alloy of warriors' battle-hardened flesh and their mighty techs, none shall remain standing on the ground, even for Glen-gohr, that hideous monster from the southwest of this continent. What shall be your words, might I ask?"
"I shall proclaim for certain that the beast will meet its end before our tech-swords and plasma-bolts; however, we shall also not let our shields down in the face of our nemesis, for such has been the wisdom our ancestors passed unto us for ages. One shall boast to his or her enemies. Yet the one shall be humble to him or herself so as to achieve a victory against one's foe in the end."
"Just as a seasoned warrior, you truly speak words of the wise, Prince Aelthred. Might I ask you again; in what manner shall we gladly support your journey ahead? Should you be in need of ammunitions or extra supplies, these we are able to provide. Should you be in need of food or fresh water these can we share with you. A word for any help from your brothers and sisters, then shall it be fulfilled." Parthanas said with generosity.
"We do not ever wish to burden you any further, my gracious brother, for what I see here is nothing but a harsh condition you and your people live in. However, three requests shall be made should you be still willing to help our cause. First of all, we require extra gas for our war-bikes, since we aim to reach the governor's stronghold by the tech-steeds of ours. As a second request, I ask you to preserve and maintain our battleship until the hunt is over. For the third and the most important of all, if we do not ever survive that loathsome beast, then I entrust you to burn down the ship along with our bones. With all these granted then I shall be in your debt."
"All these, I proudly say, shall be fulfilled in speed of the Divines. With all our capacities shall we help our brothers and sisters in need, for that has been one of the precious traditions since the times of our ancestors." So he assured the Prince.
Seeing the proud and yet ferocious war-bikes on a road to the governor's place, there rose a stem of slight, but solid hope within the heart of Parthanas. His people shall be eventually saved from Glen-gohr's bloodletting rampages. His lord, Governor Rothgarr, and his family shall be preserved. Furthermore, his land shall become peaceful once again, free of the beast's bloody tyranny. The warriors did not accept his proposal for a grand banquet at night, since they still had a mission to hunt down and kill Glen-gohr once and for all.
"By 3-Divines, 'tis indeed a sight of our savior in tech and steel." He said.
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