Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

Orion gently patted Aerin's back. In all honesty, Wood Elves were certainly not lacking in the looks department. Her emerald hair and eyes, even when filled with tears, gave her a wild, fey beauty that seemed to spring from the forest itself.

Seeing her act like this was a relief; it meant she was still the same person, that the horrors of war hadn't fundamentally broken her spirit.

"Aerin, are you trying to take advantage of me?" he said, his tone dry. "And for the love of the gods, stop wiping your nose on my cloak."

Her sobbing subsided into sniffles, followed by the sound of her furiously wiping her face. Orion gently pushed her away, raising an eyebrow.

"Godfather, you're finally here! I don't have to live on the run anymore!" Aerin's eyes were wide as she studied him, her voice bubbling with excitement. "But you were too late! The people I gathered were found by the demonic monsters and scattered. Even my only high elf friend was sacrificed in the battle."

When she mentioned Freyla, her voice dropped, and a wave of sorrow filled the tent.

"You mean her?"

Aerin followed Orion's pointing finger. On a cot next to the one she had just woken up in, Freyla lay still.

"Freyla!" Aerin gasped, darting to her side in an instant. Feeling the faint rise and fall of her friend's chest, she immediately burst into quiet, relieved sobs.

"Oh, thank the spirits... Freyla... you're okay... you're really okay! I thought... I thought we were both dead!"

Orion watched her from a distance, satisfied. This was Aerin's true nature. It proved the flighty Wood Elf girl wasn't a bad person at heart. A person who wasn't malicious, and who was also obedient, had the makings of a loyal and useful subordinate. She was the perfect material for a logistics officer.

"She was still breathing when I arrived, so I brought her back," Orion said flatly. "And I have to say, the combat prowess of you Wood Elves is utter trash." He knew that with a girl like Aerin, constant criticism and pressure were necessary. Only by making her acutely aware of her own shortcomings would she remain compliant.

"Godfather, we're not like you," Aerin retorted, turning to face him. "Wood Elves love peace."

"And that's why you had no ability to fight back when you were invaded," Orion stated the simple fact, leaving Aerin speechless. He let the silence hang for a moment before his tone turned serious. "Aerin, don't tell me your entire Wood Elf race now consists of just you and your wounded friend here."

"No... not... not necessarily!" Aerin's reply lacked any conviction. She had been separated from the people she had gathered. For all she knew, most of them had already been captured, corrupted, or killed.

"So, you're a general with no army now?" Orion's voice became even colder. As it stood, her only contribution had been to lead them to a plot of deadlands.

"The Wood Elves have secret codes," she said quickly, her mind racing. "There are still many of our scattered people in the Forest of Nature. Godfather, if you clear out the forest, I can find more of your people for you."

She was a clever one. She framed it as finding people for him, not for herself.

"Good," Orion said, satisfied with her answer. With Aerin's faction effectively nonexistent, absorbing the rest of the Wood Elf race would be a simple matter. "Remember what you said today."

He turned to leave. "You stay here and recover with your friend. I'm going to scout the surrounding area." He didn't mention that he could already sense the High Elf, Freyla, was beginning to stir.

As soon as Orion left the tent, Freyla's weak voice filled the quiet space.

"Elder... was that him? The hope you spoke of? Are we... are we saved?"

Aerin rushed to her side, taking her hand. "Yes, Freyla. We're saved," she said, her voice thick with emotion. "And soon, all the Wood Elves scattered across the Forest of Nature will be saved, too."

Saving their people was Freyla's entire reason for living, her faith. Aerin held her hands tightly, affirming that their hope had arrived, desperate to keep that faith from crumbling. For the grievously wounded, a loss of faith could easily mean a loss of the will to live.

"You need to get better quickly, Freyla. Together, we're going to rebuild the Wood Elf race and drive out those demonic monsters."

"Elder... I believe in you."

Stoneheart Horde, The Citadel

Orion sat upon his throne in silence. A message had just come through on the Survivor's Platform from Arthas.

The battle for Dragonflame Island has crippled the dragons' high-end forces and cut their lesser ranks by more than half. Both sides have entered an unspoken truce. Barring any surprises, the Dusk Continent should see peace for the next century.

It was Arthas's summary of the war, and of the tacit agreement reached between the Champions Alliance and the dragon demigods. No one knew what the Deputy Commander and the black dragon lord Monjebel had discussed within the Forbidden Star-God Hexagram formation, but if Arthas was this certain, then it was a done deal.

You remember what I told you about before? Arthas's next message came through.

I remember. The invasion of the Godforsaken Land.

Get ready. I want to launch the invasion soon.

Understood.

Orion's reply was immediate. If the dragons hadn't invaded the Dusk Continent, he and Arthas would have already moved on the Godforsaken Land. He'd thought Arthas might have forgotten about it after all this time.

Bro, what's my role in this invasion?

Just bring your sand scorpion broodmother. I'll provide skeletal dragon support.

When do we drop?

Within the month. I still have some preparations to make.

A data file immediately followed. It contained all the intelligence they had on the Godforsaken Land.

"The Gnasher Race... 'Black Gold,' a metal said to rival god-metal..."

Orion scanned the file, his interest piqued by the mention of the unique resource.

Bro, what's the use of this black gold?

It has many uses. Weapons, armor, fortifications... you name it. But its most important property is that it can be directly absorbed by living creatures.