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The Battle Begins
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Empress of the World A Choice
The human army, led by Nurlan, did not have a clear view of the hill on which the Empress and gnome were meeting. He was on a different side of their triangular defense, and it left him blind to his leader. The general hated being in the dark. He paced up and down the ranks as he examined his men and silently counted the enemy to in order to pass the time and lessen his tension.Mairwen walked beside him in a helmet and a set of armor that covered her torso. While she would not be fighting with a sword, she needed protection if the enemy decided to return her arrows. Her flowing blue skirt matched the Imperial troops and hung loosely down to her ankles. With her bow slung across her back, the princess looked like some glorious ancient statue.Watching Nurlan sigh, she finally mustered up the courage and asked, "How bad is it?""Well, they have the numbers to overwhelm us." the general told her honestly when he tallied the totals. "At least three times over," he added not wanting to su
Empress of the World Shades of Blue
Vahan could sense the sound of the horn before he could hear it. After voicing a warning to the general, he took off and found the rest of the Guardians."Prepare yourselves!" He yelled as the horn finally sounded.Those whose hoods were down quickly lifted them. The men and women sworn to guard humanity faced off against some of their own. It was not the first time a tragedy like this had happened, and Vahan deep down knew that it would not be the last. However, that did not make this time any easier. His heart ached at the thought of doing this again, but it must be done. His eyes flashed silver.To anyone who looked at this strange, ubiquitous mass, all they would see beneath each hood was a faceless black void. But those who wore the Guardian's cloak could see their comrades faces illuminated in a strange purplish light.Vahan looked fondly at the red headed woman next to him. She was the Guardian he had known for the longest, and her playful wink gave him the encouragement he nee
Empress of the World Leprechauns
Dropping both his helmet and sound cone, Nurlan swatted at the leprechaun on his shoulder. Knocked to the ground, the small creature was dazed for a moment before disappearing from view.The General gripped his bloody ear. The bite marks were clearly visible."Oh!" Mairwen produced a cloth and hurried to dab at the blood. "Are you alright?""Blasted little devils!" Nurlan spat as he grimaced. He took the cloth from the princess and held it to stop the bleeding."Are leprechaun's bites poisonous?" the princess asked with an anxious expression.The thought had not occurred to him. After a flash of panic, the color returned to his face and he shook his head. "It does not seem so, but it sure is a blasted nuisance. They are worse than fleas!"Mairwen looked out at the army and her face fell. "It seems they are far more dangerous, too."————Timur was the first unlucky man to be attacked by the leprechauns. He felt the sting on his neck and, like Nurlan, reacted by slapping at the obnoxio
Empress of the World Breath of Life
Xander sat on his ship lazily regarding the magical and human troops on the shore. Earlier a bunch of the humans had gone swimming, which was quite curious to the pirate."Maybe they just want one last thing to remember before they die?" His first mate had suggested."Perhaps," the Captain was unconvinced, but as the men eventually exited the water, he had given up trying to figure out the uncommon behavior.Now he stood leaning on the deck's railing trying to decide why he was there at all. It was the question he had been asking himself over and over. When he watched Baak die, Xander was almost positive that Cafer had aimed Ravenna to hit the gnome king. The pirate was already wary of the crafty advisor, and to see him so easily become king without having to lift a finger was both impressive and concerning.How easily would the magical gnome be able to take him out if things went south? This is what bothered the Captain the most. He did not like feeling helpless. With the Emperor bei
Empress of the World A Sailing Jig
Having recovered from his near drowning, Devrim had no desire to put his head back below the water. He could still feel some of the water sloshing about in her ears no matter how hard he tried to empty them. It was frustrating, and he was unwilling to repeat the event.Fortunately, none of the dozen or so pirate ships seemed to have anyone bothering to look their way. Anyone keeping watch was looking at the shoreline. Even if some sailor had deigned to look their way, spotting the bobbing heads in the water would have been difficult among the shining waves.Their first goal was to make each boat unable to sail. The boat furthest from the shore and behind the rest of the fleet was their initial target. Riding over on the Selkies' backs, twenty men attached themselves to the side of the ship and began using their large screws to bore holes into the ship's hull. It would have been much easier to have the merfolk complete this task, but Darya had said she was there to engage pirates, not
Empress of the World The Better Cheat
Xander was brought from his daydream by the blast of a horn he could not see. He saw the ends of the magical and Imperial armies rush forward to meet with his allies, and the captain was more than a little happy to have no part of it."Who knows? They may yet wear each other out and leave me in control. I think Emperor Xander or even Supreme Ruler Xander has a nice ring to it. No little brat will try to pit me against her lover then," he muttered the last part to himself as his mind drifted to a certain heiress."Captain?" the first mate interrupted Xander's musings, which earned him a sharp look.The leader wondered how much his subordinate had heard, but decided not to ask. "This better be important. The show is just getting started." Xander's eyes narrowed as he tapped his fingers impatiently on the railing."I think one or two of our ships may be having trouble…" the first mate tried to sound casual, but there was a nervous tick in his eye that told the captain of his concern."On
Empress of the World Battle on the Boats
"We have to get to the Merpearl!" the Emperor coaxed his troops."Sire! More Company!" Junayd called. His brow was furrowed as more boats came toward them with their crews rowing feverishly.Very soon, a fourth and fifth ship lashed onto the ends of the other three, making a long undulating battlefield. With extra pirates to fight, Devrim's soldiers were beginning to get overwhelmed. The Emperor, seeing his advantage slipping, was now leaving more pirates dropping to the deck instead of falling to the water. Junayd likewise was having to fight more fiercely against the increasingly bad odds.Two pirates, one with a wavy dagger and one with an ornate longsword, ganged up to finish off the Emperor. Having no shield or armor, the grey-eyed man had to use all his skill to keep the men back. The two men were far more used to brute force than the nuances of sword play, and when one opened up his body thinking he was safe to strike, Devrim cut into his side and sent him crumpling to the grou
Empress of the World Rumblings
On the magical battlefield, the giants came into view at a frightening speed. The ground rumbled beneath their inhumanly large stride.The elves were filled with uncertainty. Everything about the giants' faces made them grimace. Their mouths hung open as yellow crooked teeth filled their gaping maws. Their wide flat noses flared with each breath like they might breathe fire at any moment, and a single wide, black eye in each head stared out viciously at the elves and fairies.But the most terrifying part of their unwelcome appearance was their arms. They carried loads of boulders from the rockier terrain that lay east of the Beachy Plains."Steady yourselves! They have—" the elven king did not finish his thought.Like a flesh-and-bone catapults, the giants each took a boulder in one hand, reared back and launched the stones over the gnomes and into elven ranks. With eyes wide in disbelief, Zoltan saw the boulder heading straight for his son-in-law, Alvar.The king had promised Lanassa
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