Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

Is the captain back?

Angel's eyes fluttered open, drawn to the direction the bolts had come from.

But the person she saw wasn't Xylia, their captain. It was a slender, unfamiliar figure in the distance.

Then, a chorus of bizarre shrieks echoed from the dense woods nearby. A new type of monster, one Angel had never seen before, swarmed out of the trees, crashing into the pack of demonic monsters that had surrounded her.

Are they… fighting each other? The bizarre scene threw her for a loop.

Angel could only watch as a brutal war erupted between the demonic monsters and the wave of Plague-thralls. It was a primal battle of tooth and claw, a storm of savage bites and crude, hacking blows.

She didn't know how much time had passed when the whistle of incoming bolts sounded again, this time from behind her.

"We're back, Angel! We're getting you out!"

"If we die, we die together!"

"We're not leaving you behind!"

The voices—exhausted but fiercely determined—made Angel want to cry. Not long ago, Xylia, the rock of their team, had drawn off the main horde of demonic monsters alone to save them. Now, her squad had charged back into the fire to save her.

No, you shouldn't have come back. The whole forest is crawling with demonic monsters!

"Go… get out of here… run…" Angel screamed, but the sound that escaped her throat was just a dry, pathetic rasp, lost in the chaos.

Deep within the woods, Tangere glanced at the elf beside him. "Those your people?"

It was Aerin who had fired the bolts that saved Angel.

"Yes. Thank you, Tangere."

He gave a slight nod, then launched himself into the air, appearing in an instant above the battlefield. A crushing wave of a lord's supernatural presence washed over the area, paralyzing the two-dozen returning Wood Elves in their tracks. The remaining demonic monsters, already reeling, were instantly overwhelmed and torn apart by the Plague-thralls under his absolute control.

"No… it's a Legendary level powerhouse!"

"It's over. We're really done for this time."

Only the strongest of the Wood Elves could even form a coherent thought. The others buckled under the terrifying pressure, many collapsing to their knees.

Just as despair set in, Aerin's nimble form appeared. Leaping gracefully from one massive branch to another, she landed softly in front of Angel and the terrified Wood Elves.

"Don't be afraid!" she called out, her voice clear and calm. "He's not an enemy. We're here to help."

She knelt by Angel's side, uncorking a healing vial and gently pouring it into her mouth before casting two restorative spells unique to the Wood Elves. A warm, green light enveloped Angel's wounds.

"Better?" Aerin asked softly.

Her voice snapped Angel out of her daze.

"El… Elder Aerin?"

"It's me." Aerin's face broke into a relieved smile. Finding any survivors was a victory. Meeting Orion, Caesar, and Tangere had been a relief, a bond forged in shared crisis. But this was different. These were Wood Elves. This was kinship, a connection that ran deeper than any alliance. Though most of them didn't know her personally, as an Elder of the Wood Elves, they all knew of her.

"Elder… what are you doing here?" Angel stammered.

"I was looking for you," Aerin explained with a warm, reassuring smile. "They aren't enemies. They're our allies."

Her words finally registered with the other twenty-something Wood Elves.

"Elder Aerin?"

"Is that really her? One of our Elders?"

"I heard a new elf was just ascended to the council. Her name was Aerin."

"So she's here for us?"

"Thank the gods, we're saved!"

A wave of relieved, excited murmurs spread through the group. At the same time, the crushing pressure of the lord's aura vanished as if it had never been there.

Half an hour later, the battle was over. With Tangere orchestrating the assault, the few hundred demonic monsters never stood a chance against his Plague-thralls.

Aerin, now supporting a recovering Angel, led the rest of the Wood Elves to where Tangere stood. "Tangere, thank you for saving my people."

"Honored one, thank you for your aid!" Angel echoed.

"Thank you for saving us!" the rest of the Wood Elves chorused, bowing their heads in respect.

Tangere's expression remained unreadable as he finished collecting the corpse of a Cyclopes from the ground. He turned to face them.

"Thank Aerin," he said, his voice flat. "She's the only reason we're here."

It wasn't false modesty. Tangere knew that for Aerin to gain real authority among her people, this victory had to be hers.

Aerin shot him a grateful look. He simply shrugged and went back to collecting the valuable monster corpses.

"Elder, is this powerhouse really on our side?"

"Are they truly our reinforcements?"

With Tangere's intimidating presence now at a distance, the Wood Elves began peppering Aerin with quiet, hopeful questions.

"Tangere is—"

Aerin was cut off by a sudden, sharp cry from Angel.

"The captain! Elder, you have to save our captain!"

Seeing Aerin's confused look, Angel explained frantically, "Our squad captain, Xylia! She led the main horde away from us so we could escape. She's still out there alone!"

Her plea reignited the panic in the other Wood Elves.

"Please, Elder, you have to find her!"

"Save our captain!"

Aerin held up her hands, silencing the desperate flood of requests.

"Wait here."

She walked over to Tangere. She knew perfectly well that in this wilderness, he was the only one they could truly rely on.

"Tangere—"

"Don't have to say it. I heard," he cut her off, rising after stowing the last Red-Eyed Ghoul corpse. "I know where to find your friend."

He turned and started walking.

Aerin nodded once, then waved for Angel and the others to follow.

.....

The Emerald Dream Realm, Red Moon Valley.

It was the busiest day in Lorelia since the city's reconstruction. The square outside the newly erected Dragon Crucible was packed, not only with the elite of the stoneheart horde but also with key figures from the territories of Kraken, Makareth, and Isabella.

"Mom, look! A Demon! A big Demon with wings!" Pallas's small voice piped up with wonder, his little finger pointing at a massive abyssal Demon standing not far off.

"He's an ally, sweetie. One of your father's friend's men," Lilith said, gently lowering his hand. It was rude to point. She offered a warm, apologetic smile to the high-ranking Demon, who had turned at the sound of her son's voice. The Demon gave a slow, deliberate nod, his expression unbothered, before turning away.

"So that's the Dragon Crucible daddy built?" asked Elara, who was perched in Delilah's arms while Lilith held Pallas. "It looks pretty awesome."

They all gazed up at the spectacular structure. The Dragon Crucible was a pagoda-shaped palace, and though it stood only 300 feet tall, it projected the aura of an ancient guardian watching over Lorelia's fate. A colossal stone dragon was coiled around its exterior, its body winding up the tower until its head crested the roof, looking down upon the crowd in the square. When you met the gaze of its eyes—two enormous, luminous pearls—you felt an unshakable sense of being watched, an instinctive urge to stand straighter and speak softer. The base and walls were covered in countless runes and draconic carvings that pulsed with a faint, golden light. If you caught them in your peripheral vision, the dragons seemed to slither and writhe across the stone, their eyes glinting as if alive.

It was a structure that radiated ancient power, its design both grand and archaic.

"Your daddy told me it took four Lord's Stones to build this," Lilith murmured, her eyes tracing the glowing runes. "I'm sure there's more to its power than what we can see." She felt a thrum of anticipation. After they had teleported to Lorelia, Orion had made a special trip from Leonidas to give her and Delilah each a Banshee Crystal. He couldn't have known what the crystals truly meant to the succubus twins, but Lilith's eyes had practically glowed since the moment she'd held it.

"Gods above, do my eyes deceive me?"

A fawning voice cut through the air behind them. Elara and Pallas turned to see Dirtclaw, his face split into a grin of pure, sycophantic delight.

"My great master!" he exclaimed, bowing deeply to Delilah. "Dirtclaw has missed you so! Your beauty is as radiant as ever, a beacon in the darkness!"

He then immediately turned to Lilith, executing an even more profound bow. "And all hail to the great Matron of our people! Your grace and wisdom are legendary, celebrated across every inch of the Horde's territory!" He was smart,

Lilith noted. He knew the hierarchy. By praising Delilah's beauty, he was praising them both, as they were identical. But for her, Orion's mate, he chose words of virtue.

What a suck-up. Elara was wise enough to keep her expression neutral.

But Dirtclaw's sugar-coated praise was already turning on her.

"And can this be? The renowned Princess Elara of the stoneheart horde!" he boomed. "It is an honor! Your beauty and cunning, much like your mighty Inferno Dragon, are known across the continent!"

Elara knew it was flattery, but she couldn't stop the smile that bloomed on her face. Who didn't like being praised?

"Your Highness, a gift from your humble servant," Dirtclaw said with a grin. He reached behind him and pulled forward a young gnoll, already half the size of a man, and presented him to Elara. "This is Anubis, the most promising of my sons. He will be the strongest of the gnoll race's next generation of bloodline warriors. May he serve as your most powerful and loyal protector!"

Elara's eyes went wide as she stared at the young gnoll, Anubis, who looked shyly away.

"A protector?" she said, her voice filled with excitement. "I accept. He can be my new sidekick." Orion had promised her a guard detail, but they were still in training. This was different. Anubis was hers, right now.

"What about me?" Pallas demanded from Lilith's arms, his tone a mix of jealousy and indignation. His sister was getting a bodyguard, and he, the prince, was being ignored.

"Prince Pallas!" Dirtclaw immediately dropped to one knee, a clear and public display of loyalty. Where praise was sufficient for Orion's powerful female companions, only fealty would do for his son and heir.

Pallas blinked, taken aback for a second before he puffed out his small chest. "You may rise."

Lilith exchanged an impressed glance with Delilah at her son's regal composure.

"Your Highness," Dirtclaw said, getting to his feet. "This is Wepwawet. His bloodline is every bit as strong as Anubis's. He will be a faithful and mighty guard for you as well." He produced another young gnoll pup and presented him to the prince.

"Very well," Pallas announced after inspecting his new subordinate. "You are now my personal guard." He shot a smug look over at his sister. See? I have one too.

Elara ignored him completely, her attention fixed on her new charge. "I heard my father gave you your name. Is that true?"

Anubis desperately wanted to say 'yes,' but in the presence of so many esteemed patrons, his voice failed him. A small, dog-like whimper escaped his throat.

"Hee hee! He's so cute!" Elara giggled, delighted by his bashful reaction.