Flames of War: Prologue

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Ajax looked around the head village of his clan. It was situated in a dark forest that had been cleared out in the center. The area was mostly hills, with the Voltaris houses being set inside it, sort of like holes. The buildings were supported by dark oak ceilings and floors, with fence posts keeping the two supported and in position. Taking in a deep breath, the scent of lush grass invaded his senses as he took in the fresh spring air. Overhead, the sky was completely sunny , with not a cloud in sight. On the hilltops, children played with each other. Ajax smiled at the innocence of youth. *They don’t know the danger they live in, the distrust aimed at because of our colors.* He continued his leisurely stroll down the grass path of brown. Today, he was supposed to be joining Senn for a meeting about how to deal with the nearby Illagers.

As Ajax walked, one of the most important people in his life came up to join him. He gave a tight smile as he continued his stroll. It was his best friend, Ash. Ash was tall, with ash gray skin and runes that looked like x’s all over his chest. Ash grinned at him from underneath his dark robes. “Heading to the meeting?” Ajax nodded, his slow pace becoming a brisk stride. Ash laughed. “Well, don’t hurry,” he winked at his agitated Ardoni friend, “You wouldn’t want to get there early!” Ajax shook his head at his friend's banter, but he couldn’t suppress his grin. After a while, Ajax made it to Senn’s home, which was a repurposed Pillager Outpost.

Once he was inside, Ajax nodded to Senn. The Voltaris clan master was leaning over a map at the outpost’s base, frowning with concentration. Senn’s eyes flicked upward for a millisecond, registering the new presence, then fell back to the map. Ajax walked to the other side of the table and looked down at the map as well. The map Senn was scrutinizing held the different locations for the Illagers. When the new Voltaris needed a home after the Second Great War, they had chosen Ancient Voltaria, the original home of the Ardoni. However, the land had since been overrun by the Illagers. Because of this, the Voltaris had been forced to battle the Illagers in an attempt to shove them out. Unfortunately, the Voltaris were too small to completely get rid of the intruders, so the Illagers still remained, lurking in the shadowed corners of the land, only coming out to attack an Ardoni Village. In an attempt to keep the clan safe, Voltaris scouts had found what mansions and outposts they could and documented the strength as well as the behavior of each group of Illagers. *But the Illagers are unpredictable. No one can judge what they will or won’t do next.* Recently, the Illager attacks had been increasing with alarming frequency. Now, it was up to the clan master to figure out what to do to keep the clan safe.

Senn sighed. “The only thing we can do is keep defending. We have so few warriors…” He rubbed his forehead in exhaustion. “If we send them all out, the villages are no longer safe. Plus, if each group doesn’t have enough numbers, they would be wiped out. Plus, we can’t attack every Illager stronghold at once. By the time enough warriors came back to defend us, the other Illagers will have retaliated!” Senn slammed his hand against the map on the mossy cobblestone wall. “Blast the message systems of those infernal raiders!”

Ajax put his hand on Senn’s shoulder. “I understand. I’m sure the warriors will understand as well. We’ve always known we couldn’t beat all the Illagers.” Ajax shrugged. “It won’t be different than what they expect.” Senn nodded hesitantly and was about to say more, when screaming interrupted him. Both Ardoni looked at each other in confusion as shouts of terror broke the silent air. *What’s happening?* Alarm on their faces, they both ran out to a scene so horrible, Ajax thought he was dreaming for a minute.

Below them, the village was on fire. All around, kids and their guardians were cowering inside their homes. Outside the houses, the village warriors were fighting a combined force of Undead and…*the rogue Voltaris!* Fury overcame Ajax as he watched the devastation occurring. A long time ago, Ajax had been there to watch the rebellion. Victor, once Ajax’s best friend, had declared mutiny against Senn, calling him unworthy. *The Primes are rightfully ours! Because of their biases, we ended up paying the fall! And now we are expected to simply bow down to the wishes of the other clans?!* The shouts from that day still rang in Ajax’s ears. Then, Senn had simply let Victor and his supporters leave. *We don’t need to weaken the clan more by fighting each other. He knows we are too numerous to defeat,* the clan master had said. Ajax fumed as Voltaris clashed against one another. *Or it just lets them grow stronger and get allies!* With a fiery expression, Senn turned to Ajax. “Get the civilians out of here!” Ajax gave a sharp nod and ran to the nearest house.

Senn walked up to the area where the fighting was taking place, the village center. Instantly, all fighting ceased as Victor and Senn studied each other. It was Senn who spoke first as he surveyed the rebel forces. “I see you’ve gained momentum. I’m impressed. This is a lot more than you started with.” Victor sneered at his opponent. “Oh, really? You’re impressed? I’ve been building up my forces for this moment!” Victor gestured to the burning ground. “You are a weak coward. We fought for what was ours, and then you threw it away! Living in the shadows, bowing to foreign powers, this is not what Ingressus would want!” Ajax listened to them as he discreetly signed to the Ardoni in the homes. *Follow me!* Silently, they came out of their houses and followed him.

Quick as a flash, he turned to them once they were all outside the village.”Elders,” he barked, “grab what little ones you can and use the songs to get them to the bunker!” The older Voltaris looked at each other. Then, nodding grimly to their savior, they each grabbed the younger ones. Activating various Mobilium songs, they traveled away. Once they were out of sight, Ajax slipped his garnet broadsword, Soul Slasher, from his back. Then, activating Mobilibounce, he used it to platform jump his way back to the battle.

The battle wasn’t going well for the loyal Voltaris. Already, much of their numbers were either too injured or dead. *Those Undead give them an advantage!* As he watched, things went from bad to worse. Senn, who had been holding his own against Victor, was now in trouble. He had Voltar out, and was about to strike Victor’s vulnerable back, when Victor used Protethorn. As soon as the staff struck the shield, Senn doubled over in pain. In that moment, an amber eyed Felina used shadow power on Senn, clouding his eyes with shadows, blinding him. Senn stumbled back, black eyed and surprised. With a smirk on his face, Victor surged forward. Kicking the staff away, he plunged his ax into the blinded clan master.

As Ajax watched this, his life flashed before his eyes. *My home, the last hope for my father, it’s all gone!* When he had come into the world, Ajax had decided to learn about what had happened on his own. His father told him that the death of the Voltaris was the fault of the other clans. But seeing what had happened, and having the story being told by his mom, he had refused to believe. He had run away from home, only to have his eyes opened. Even though he wasn’t connected to Ingressus or the other Voltaris, he was still hated, with many even going as far as trying to kill him. It was then that he understood what his father had told him. *The other clans had forced him to fight for any hope of life. They had continued the exile even after the offenders had gone, punishing the innocent generations. And then, even when we should have earned our way they refused us because of our ancestors. Then we were forced to take the power, because it would only be a matter of time before we were hunted again.* Ingressus had trained him to fight, and soon Ajax had eclipsed his father, the Deathsinger, in combat and song-wielding. But the Great War had ended in defeat. At least, it had until the Second Great War had happened. Ajax had supported Tygren until then, and was his father’s greatest supporter when the Second Great War began. He stood by his clan till the end, until his father had died to Pythus. But then, as Ingressus passed his torch to Senn, Ajax saw a new light, a new way. A way to reunite the Voltaris with the other clans. *A way to finish my father’s mission and honor my mother’s memory.* Zinia would have been proud of him for such honor. She had always told him to put honor above all else, for it was a sturdy moral compass.

So Ajax stayed with Senn, becoming his ally. Senn had welcomed him in, even though he knew the lineage that this Voltaris came from. Senn had helped him train. Ajax had made friends with the other Ardoni who had chosen to become Voltaris. Eventually, he met the one who would be his best friend, Nitrus. Together with Herobrine, he and Nitrus would practice when they had time. Ajax had been hopeful about the future. *I can actually do it! I can free my clan from the past!* But then Victor had rebelled, created a rebel group. Ajax had always been uneasy about it, but Senn had brushed it off. Now Victor had ended the closest thing Ajax had to a father, a true mentor. Fury roared in Ajax’s ears as he watched Victor pick up Voltar. Victor turned to the Felina. “Make sure that you find the others from this village. I shall go to the other villages and force their cooperation now that I am clan master. Finish this.” Activating Supporoconstruct, Victor created a portal. Walking briskly, Victor strode to the portal and went through, but not before he locked eyes with Ajax.

The other loyal Voltaris dropped their weapons in surrender, causing the Felina to purr. At least, until she noticed that Ajax had not surrendered. With a sigh, she pointed at him, signaling her soldiers to attack. Roaring with rage, Ajax sprinted to Senn’s corpse. Victor had taken only Voltar, leaving behind the legendary broadsword of Thalleous Sendaris. Now, in a bid to save innocents from Voltaris, Ajax wielded it. As he began to fight, his mind slipped to an old, comforting memory.

*It was a stormy afternoon in the village. Most of the other Voltaris had already gone into their new houses in Ancient Voltaria. However, Nitrus and Ajax had decided to use this time to practice since the possibility of rain had canceled their chores. Grabbing wooden practice swords, they both went out to the top of the hill. Both were surprised to see Herobrine there. He smiled at the two young Ardoni and nodded. With that signal given, the practice began.*

One Voltaris with a club charged first. Ajax shook his head at the fool. With a quick side step, he dodged the side swipe before he stepped in and cut his opponent’s arm off. Then, with Soul Slasher, he stabbed the enemy through the back.

*Both Herobrine and Nitrus charged him. Settling into a fighting stance, Ajax waited patiently for them to attack. Soon, they caught up and began their combined assault. But Ajax was more than ready for it. With flawless speed, Ajax defended himself. An upward block to counter Nitrus, to a low sweep to parry Herobrine. Leaning past a sword thrust from Nitrus, to blocking a chest slash from Herobrine.*

A pack of Undead, white eyed and directed by darkness, charged him. Ajax stood his ground, shifting deeper into his stance. With narrowed eyes, he calculated his attacks. Then, the fight was on. The first zombie struck upwards, so Ajax simply ducked before he came up with a stab in the chest. A skeleton, who was hiding behind the zombies, attempted to shoot him. However, Ajax merely used his diamond broadsword to deflect the arrow into the next zombie. Before the third one could attack, Ajax hurled Soul Slasher with its smiting blade towards his opponent. The zombie slammed into the ground as the sword impacted against its rotten skull. The skeleton began to aim again, but Ajax wasn’t going to give it the time. Activating Supporokesis, he used it to swing the sword in a wide arc through the air and back to his hand, cutting the skeleton in half on the way there. The Felina, who had been staring in shock, now snarled with anger and launched herself at him.

*Try as hard as they might, Nitrus and Herobrine couldn’t break his guard. Both may have been masters of fighting, but even Nitrus couldn’t match Ingressus, while Herobrine barely could, and Ajax was even greater than his father before him. Surrounded on both sides by his opponents, Ajax waited for the right moment, calculating his chances. His opportunity came when Nitrus attempted to strike his head. Using his blade and brute strength, Ajax side swiped his opponent’s blade, forcing it to the ground. Spinning with agility, Ajax pulled his blade up and struck out, dodging the low attack Nitrus attempted. Ajax ending his spin with a slam to the head using the flat of his blade, slamming Nitrus into the dirt. Herobrine tried to use this distraction as a way to sneak attack, but Ajax noticed it with relish. Herobrine stabbed outwards, but Ajax was more than ready. Planting his sword into the ground, Ajax pushed off it, going airborne. Then, with a savage sidekick, he stunned the Titan while Herobrine’s blade passed underneath him. Then, once he had landed, Ajax summoned Aggrotricity and blasted Herobrine backwards. Before he could end his downed opponent, Ajax heard the sound of whistling air. Without so much as a glance backwards, he caught Nitrus’ sword by its tip. Then, as Nitrus surged towards him, he threw the blade. Nitrus let out a grunt of pain as the blade impacted, then crumpled to the ground from the force of the blow. Herobrine used this to try to sneak attack. Ajax growled as Herobrine stuck at his head. Quick as lightning, he caught Herobrine’s sword by its blade, then, turning his back towards his opponent, he summoned all his strength. Without hesitation, he used his position to throw Herobrine over his back and back first into the ground in front.*

The Felina took the offensive, using a shadowed steel sword to lash out at her opponent. *Your skill is nothing compared to mine.* With a casual flick of his sword, Ajax disarmed his opponent before slamming her to the ground with a front kick. With his blade poised over her neck, he studied his opponent. Her amber eyes shone with fear behind her black hair. She whimpered with tears in her eyes. “Please,” She begged, “Don’t kill me.” Ajax’s face softened at her pleading. He stepped off her. There would be no honor in killing her, not when she was unarmed and outmatched. He scowled at her once she was up, causing her to retreat backwards a few feet. “Tell you leader that he’d better leave the Voltaris alone.” In an attempt to be brave, the Felina spat at him. “And who do you think you are, pipsqueak?” Ajax drew himself to his full height, towering over his enemy. The Felina shrank backwards as he growled out his declaration. “I am his worst nightmare, the son of the Deathsinger and Zinia, and I will not let Victor destroy this clan! Ingressus chose Senn to lead because it was the only way to reunite us with the other clans, and it was working. Now, he comes, having destroyed others no doubt, in his war for the Primes, bringing danger to us all and breaking the fragile trust we had with the clans!” Ajax pointed his blade at his opponent. “I will not let him destroy what my father started, my mother gave her life for, and what my clan master created!” Ajax waved his hand at her. “Go, tell your master that he won’t reign for long. I will not allow it. As the rightful clan master, this is my decree” When she didn’t move, he barked at her. “GO!” She unfroze. With a frantic gesture to her remaining soldiers, she had one Voltaris construct a portal. Then, without a glance backwards, the defeated force raced through the portal, closing it once they were all through.

The other loyal Voltaris stared at Ajax in shock. At first, they seemed uncertain at his declaration of leadership. Then, in jubilation, they shouted in victory, pumping their fists and pounding each other’s back. One of them, an elder of over five centuries, came forward. He waved a letter in the air. “We need a new clan master, so I went to see if Senn had chosen anyone. He had no children left that I knew off, so I looked in his letter. I found this. It was marked as his will.” Clearing his throat, the elder began to read it. “In case of my death, I choose Ajax Arcturus Voltaris, son of Zinia and Ingressus, to take my place as clan master. For no Ardoni is greater than him in fighting or song-wielding, and I trust no one more to keep the clan safe, for he fought for this clan from the beginning of the First Great War.”

At the end of the letter, all of the Voltaris cheered. The elder smiled. “Well, clan master, what should be our first priority?” Ajax thought for a second before he decided. “We must find the residents whom I lead to safety. Then we must find what warriors we can and prepare to battle these rebels.” Nodding his approval, the elder shouted the orders to everyone standing nearby. Immediately, all of the Voltaris ran around, grabbing supplies, weapons, or finding the missing residents. As they passed, they nodded or even bowed to Ajax. Ajax marveled at this development. *They never noticed me before, even though I was Senn’s right hand man. But now that I’m clan master and I just saved them, I’ve gained their respect as both a leader and a warrior.* Ajax smiled grimly to himself. *Time is changing.* As he looked out across the village, Ajax slipped both Soul Slasher and the diamond broadsword over his back. He was ready for whatever came next. *Don’t worry mother. I won’t let the vision be ended by some nostalgic fool.*

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