Logline

After narrowly escaping death from the Dravonic Army with her best friend and her captain, a hopeful soldier ventures into a world she's never seen to defeat the God of War.

Blurb

Astania is a world brimming with magic and mysticism--and Aelisia has never experienced it. Raised as a stoic soldier, she's always known there was more to the world than the Dravonic Army offered. When her good heart nearly gets her killed, she escapes the army with both her friend and captain, throwing her into a world of war and wonder.

As Xomaldir, God of War and head of the Dravonic Army, nears closer to destroying Astania, Aelisia knows she needs to act. But she can't do it alone...

A soldier with a heart far too big.

A sharpshooter who has words of honey--if his anxiety doesn't stop him first.

A hotheaded brawler who can't walk away from a fight.

A bard with a knack for all things magic.

An apathetic demigod with an obligation.

A mysterious huntress with a craving for revenge.

Together, they set off to do the impossible: start a rebellion, and succeed where history has failed. But they know just how to triumph: finding a relic infused with the energy of the lamented goddess, Atix--the Daybreaker. It's the only weapon capable of killing Xomaldir, and if Aelisia and her friends want to save their home, they know they need to act fast.

Can six outcasts turn the tides of an ancient war written in blood? Or will evil truly prevail no matter what?

~Chapter One~

The command to kill had been issued, but Aelisia couldn't bring herself to listen.

She gripped the hilt of her Butrian sword, the blade warm against her torn gloves. Shoulder to shoulder with her squadmates, she marched toward Uprium, a seed of worry burying itself in her heart. She took one last look at the city before it would inevitably crumble into a burning mass of stone and concrete.

The eternal darkness above made the somber shadows plaguing the land even more suffocating on a dreary Suncrest night, shrouding Uprium in gloomy trepidation. A clap of thunder rumbled in the distance, shaking the rocky terrain. The city of blacksmithing laid upon a jagged mountain, the skyline filled with soaring stone buildings that reached for the heavens. Merchant stalls and dimly lit stores crowded the now empty streets.

Prepared to defend their home to their last breath, Uprium's own minuscule armed forces readied their weapons in the towers lining the city's walls.

In their brief, her superiors said the siege would be easy, as only a handful of Uprium's youth knew how to fight—a precaution for future attacks. It was a peaceful city that hadn't interfered with the Dravonic Army's plans for decades. But the soldiers had their orders: kill anything that moved, and take no prisoners. Astania needed to learn the price of disrespecting Him, and Uprium was to be the example. Too long have they been stingy with their tributes to the Dravonics; they were lucky He showed them mercy for this long.

Aelisia imagined innocent civilians to be cowering in their homes, praying to the deities that their city could withstand the carnage that followed the Dravonic Army's trail.

It wouldn't.

A single gunshot rang out, crisp in the quiet, cool afternoon air. Hanging high, the moon's corona glowed a soft silver, basking the land with a dim glow. Aelisia shuffled aside as the troops parted, creating a pathway for a tall figure walking across the stoned bridge.

The god stood in front of the soldiers, angling his head towards the enormous gates looming over them. He looked inhumane; gray, glowing electricity crackled around his hulking body. The lightning illuminated his silhouette, creating a bright circle of white light that pooled around him.

He towered over the men and women in his troops, features crinkled in a ravenous bloodlust. His tentacles stretched out, twisting and twitching. Leaving a glowing substance behind, the same color as freshly fallen snow, the liquid followed his trail as he proceeded forward.

Xomaldir, Aelisia thought, the sense of disquietude in her heart blooming into a fragile flower. She hadn't been informed the God of War would be at the battle of Uprium. She hadn't ever seen him attend a Dravonic Army fight. If he was here, it didn't bode well for the citizens cowering in their homes.

Xomaldir lowered his hood, revealing his irradiated, disheveled hair. He raised a hand into the air, gray skin crackling with smoky lightning. A thunderous boom shook, knocking soldiers and civilians alike off their feet. Jagged lightning fell from the shadowed sky; it collided with Xomaldir's hand and disappeared.

He brought his hand down in one swift motion and slammed it into the stone ground. The rocks lining the bridge flew into the air, shattering and raining down like hail. Uneven spikes quickly rose, growing taller as they approached the gates. The peaks smashed into the gate, taking the metal doors clean off the hinges. Lightning crackled on the rocks, wild and sporadic.

The troops, still rising to their feet, cheered.

The Uprium marksmen positioned in the watchtowers loaded their bows, their guns, and other weapons, aiming at the electrified god. They shot as one force, a barrage of wooden arrows and bullets raining towards him. Xomaldir thrust his hand out, and the ammo dissipated into the air in a cloud of smoke.

Confusion rippled across the enemy, but they shook it off, quickly trying to ready their weapons once more.

The glowing god turned a blind eye to the marksmen as he swiveled on his tentacles and faced his troops. He cleared his throat and yelled, his booming voice shaking the hills,

"Leave nothing but the bones of civilians and ashes of buildings!" Xomaldir smiled, a grin full of sadism and malice. "Make your ruler proud, or you shall soon follow these poor mortals' fates!" He turned and pointed to the broken gate, his form wavering before ‌collapsing into a pile of smoke and electricity. The sharp rocks fell to the ground, pouring down in pebble-sized pieces.

"For the honor of Xomaldir!" the troops roared, rushing forward through the ruined gate.

Aelisia was shoved from at least five angles, pushed forward by the wave of bloodthirsty soldiers. She had entered the city without moving her feet at all, much to her displeasure. The jostling soldiers dispersed once clearing the gate, chaos erupting.

Aelisia stood awkwardly as she planted her feet too close together, the grip on her blade far too tight. The grooved hilt dug into her gloves, leaving wavy indents in the leather as she inhaled, her breathing shaky. Another clap of thunder shook the dark skies as rain poured down in freezing sheets, slapping against her face.

All she could imagine was her captain's scowling face looking up at her, seeing how poorly she was handling her first battle.

Droplets of water slid off her iron helmet as she walked over to an alleyway. Sliding her headpiece off her head and taking a deep breath, she shivered, be it from the cold or sheer anxiety.

Probably both, she thought with a frown.

She tried her best to shake it off and replace the fear with confidence. But she found little credence in her abilities as the wretched screams of slaughtered civilians plagued the air.

Today will be the day.

This was never the way she had seen her life turning out.

She thought, or rather hoped, the army would have given up on her and tossed her to the curb by now. She suspected she had joined the Dravonic Army the same way they recruited many of their soldiers: abducted as an infant from the cities they destroyed, and forced into their ranks.

From the moment she opened her eyes, she'd been surrounded by dark, ensanguined walls and heartless soldiers.

To add, her childhood was a blur of her superiors teaching her how to wield a sword and about the different ways to kill someone with her bare hands. It was memorable, but not exactly enjoyable.

But her heart had never been in the art of killing—because there was no true art in it, even if her squadmates tried to convince her otherwise. They told her the only way to live was by obeying their superiors—but Aelisia instead hoped that her valiant resolve would assist her in saving a life one day.

As such, she'd made it her goal to help the people she was supposed to be slaughtering. She'd never successfully helped people escape their burning settlements before this battle—mostly because she'd only been deployed to minor battles where all eyes were on her and the possibility of mistakes was heightened.

Having to fake a yearning for bloodshed and violence, she was relieved to know that she could shake off some of her act in the upcoming battle.

Now that she had faked enough skill to find herself here, she was determined to capitalize upon the mass chaos around her and assist at least one poor soul escape.

And ideally avoid beheading for treason.

"Aelisia!" A honeyed voice jolted her out of her thoughts as she jumped and glanced to the side. She breathed a sigh of relief as she realized it was just Zenthi, seemingly the only other person in the entire army who wasn't focused solely on killing others.

"You startled me, Zen," she said, her voice shaking slightly as she cleared her throat. But she couldn't deny his presence soothed her jumpy nerves.

"My bad. Looked like you had spaced out again." Zenthi gave her a friendly nudge, his crooked grin lifting Aelisia's spirits. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," replied Aelisia as she drew herself to her full height. Zenthi cocked his head to the side, his brows drawing near. His red skin shone orange under the dim lighting lining the streets of Uprium, the concrete already coated with a spotty, thin, sheer layer of crimson blood.

"Hey," Zenthi whispered, seeing through her facade easily. "You can do it. If there's anyone determined enough to get someone innocent out of this city, it's you."

"I've never done it before, Zen. Why would now be any different?"

"Is that the confident Aelisia I know talking right now?" Zenthi's glowing yellow eyes crinkled slightly as his smile widened. "You have me. I'll keep a lookout for you, okay?"

Aelisia nodded slightly, keeping her fuchsia eyes trained on the cracked concrete ground.

"Now, I'm not saying I'll shoot a soldier. No, that's ludicrous." Zenthi whistled a low note as he pulled out his pistol. "But it would be awfully convenient for you if they found you trying to help someone, and they were shot in the leg with a bullet from training... wouldn't it?"

Of course he'd be carrying training bullets. She wasn't surprised. The mages and engineers in the Dravonic Army had perfected their recipe for lethality, although Aelisia had never known what exactly it was. All her knowledge laid in the fact that training bullets didn't kill, and battle bullets would end your life in seconds. It didn't matter where you were shot—you would die.

Aelisia chuckled, spirits lifting slightly as she brushed a hand through her hair. "Yeah. I guess it would, wouldn't it?"

"I have some of those bullets mixed in with my ammo. The soldier will be out of commission for... I don't know, how long does it take to recover from one of these?" he asked, although it seemed like he wasn't exactly asking Aelisia as his glowing gaze traveled skyward. "Anyway, I'll keep an eye out."

Aelisia wanted to give the elf an amiable smile. She did. But she couldn't muster the will to. She was eager to finally be able to possibly help a civilian, but at the same time, all she could think about was the possibility of it going wrong. She was no stranger to making spontaneous decisions—she was practically known for her impulsiveness in the army—but this was different. If she was caught... well...

I'll be executed on the spot if someone sees me.

"If you don't want to do it today, you can al—" Zenthi was cut off as their squad's captain stormed up to them, her heavy trods clacking against the streets. Another clap of thunder shook the city as she glowered up at the two.

"What exactly are you two doing?" she snapped, the wavy cyan tattoos on her face glowing brightly as she narrowed her eyes. Captain Erespen's temper was more fragile than a sheet of glass, and she seemed to never shy away from an opportunity to prove that fact. "You should be out there! Not fooling around! This is a battle, not the training corridors."

Aelisia opened her mouth to speak, but clamped it shut as Zenthi's tail lashed. He always was better at talking than she was.

"Aelisia wasn't feeling well," said Zenthi, wiping a hand over his horns. Drops of rainwater dripped to the ground off his gloves. His jacket was soaked, and Aelisia was considering herself lucky she didn't have to wear the marksmen uniform. She'd be soaked to the bone by the chilly rain by now.

"Bullshit." Erespen's hold on her greatsword tightened as she stepped forward. Her dark blue skin was flushed with anger. Despite her and Zenthi towering over the Captain, Aelisia took a startled step back.

Zenthi hadn't moved as he smirked, crossing his toned arms. "Come on, Eres..." he trailed off as Erespen flashed her teeth in a growl. He covered his mouth with a closed fist as he coughed, diverting his gaze to the side. "Captain. Why would we ever lie?"

"Lie? How many times were you caught stealing rations? And every time, you tried to weasel your way out of punishment by giving an excuse that doesn't make sense." Erespen's jaw locked as she raked her cerulean gaze across the two standing in front of her. "Get out there, or you'll be paying Xomaldir a visit. And if you're going to lie, at least try to make it believable."

Aelisia could see Zenthi's eyes widen out of the corner of her eye, the slightest movement that he corrected in no time. His voice was sharp as he said, "But—"

Aelisia immediately covered his mouth with her hand as she forced a smile. Testing the waters with Erespen would not end well for either of them, and Zenthi's tendency to blabber would earn them a promised trip to Xomaldir. "What Zenthi was trying to say is that we will follow your orders, no questions asked. Right, Zenthi?" She raked the elf's figure with disdain as he went stiff.

"Mhm!" Zenthi's voice was muffled as he nodded his head, pushing Aelisia's hand off his mouth. He grinned awkwardly as Captain Erespen stared at the two for a moment before she gave the slightest nod of her head and walked away towards the chaos of battle.

"Really? You're such a people pleaser, you know that? And did you have to cover my mouth? Your glove did not smell good. Or taste good." Zenthi shook his head, though there was a slight smirk on his face and a quiver in his voice.

"... Taste good? Why are you licking my glove, Zen?" She wiped her glove on her pants, resisting the urge to shudder. "And I'm just trying to keep her off our backs for the battle. You know how she is." She ran a hand through her pink hair before dropping her helmet back on her head. "You ready to do this?"

Zenthi scoffed, tucking his pistol away. "No. I haven't been ready for a single battle before this. Why would I be ready for our biggest one yet?"

He pulled his sniper rifle out of the holster on his back, checking the ammo and glancing around. He seemed to spot a high ledge on a building that was not yet burning, giving a quick nod to Aelisia before reaching his hand out. A grapple shot from his sleeve, hooking around the chimney of the building and sending him flying into the air. He landed nimbly on the roof, giving Aelisia a thumbs up and flashing a gentle smile while cocking his gun.

Aelisia ran forward, surveying the ruined city for any wandering soul who needed a hand. All she saw were dead bodies littering the streets, shiny blood flowing freely onto the concrete streets, muddled by the heavy rain pounding onto the earth. Vexed shouts echoed around the city as thunder crashed and gunshots rang out.

She rushed past a dark alleyway but skidded to a halt as a faint rustling alerted her to something hiding in there. Her instincts took over, and she changed direction instantly, slipping into the dimly lit alleyway unnoticed. The smell of rotting fruit clung to the air, but Aelisia ignored the foul aroma. Driven to find the source of the rustling, she disregarded her own safety and plunged into the unknown—the unknown being a mound of garbage that seemed to reach up to the heavens.

Thank Costune it's raining. The smell would be unbearable otherwise, Aelisia thought as she nearly slipped on a slick puddle of rainwater. She grabbed a dirtied red brick jutting out of the wall and steadied herself as she caught another whiff of the smell. She cringed, forcing herself to continue cautiously making her way to the end of the alleyway. But the noise seemed to have ceased.

I wasn't hearing things. Right? Her brows knitted in a frown as she shook off a layer of water from her helmet. The rain had seeped through her thin iron armor and into the layered bodysuit beneath, chilling Aelisia to the core. She shivered, sniffing as she blocked out the outside scents as best as possible. The odor had increased its intensity tenfold, however, considering she was standing right in front of a heap of garbage.

She chewed on her cheek, the taste of iron flooding her mouth as she pursed her lips. Unfortunately, she knew what she had to do—she was going to have to delve into the garbage. She unsheathed her sword, her grip on the hilt steady as she thrust the sword's tip into the mound of garbage. Squelching noises made her grimace as a flood of garbage juices trickled down the heap.

She pushed the garbage to the side with a thrust and grunt. The mound toppled over, and she scrambled back to avoid getting buried by the foul-smelling trash. She pressed herself tightly against the brick wall behind her, heart thumping as she waited for the garbage to settle.

After a moment, she took a cautious step forward. She blocked her nose as she bent down and peered into the dark abyss.

Nothing.

Of course. Why would there be anything? You try too hard to be the hero, Aelisia. Today's not the day.

She sighed and stood up, dejectedly sliding her sword back into its scabbard. She walked away from the broken mound until a feeble cry made her perk her pointed ears upwards. Despite being covered in garbage juice, she whipped around with a smile. She rushed back to the mound and practically dove inside.

This is disgusting. It's disgusting, but I'm helping.

I hope.

She rummaged around for a moment, latching onto nothing with her sodden gloves. She pulled back and squinted, able to pick up the faintest green glow from inside the fallen waste. Thrusting her hand back in with a grimace, she blindly waved her hand around until her hand contacted something softer than the rest of the putrid trash.

"Aha!" She grinned triumphantly, taking hold of the object and pulling it out. But what she yanked out was not what she expected.