Tales of the Pearly City (Pearly Tales Vol.1) [Completed]

65. Intermission, The last noble of Yore.

"You sure laid it on pretty thick, babe. How many speeches have you been giving?" Shayley asked as they walked back to the city.

"Master, is what you said true, about the darkness?" Seamus pulled off his mask to ask Cal.

"Yes it is, cabin boy, if it seems like I'm raising an army at an alarming rate, it's because I am. I'm just glad that all three of the clans decided to jump on board."

"Your price was odd though. Just what are those seeds they gave you?" Shayley asked.

Cal opened his hand to four green glowing seeds. "These, my love, are hope."

** ** **

In the southern-most part of the southern continent in a place that had never heard of Brother Calloway, and only heard whispers of the City of Pearls. While Cal was finishing his meeting with the diplomats something was happening in the human settlement of Jamestown.

A guard from the nearby human kingdom of Yore shivered due to the cold southern climate. Monsters coming from the forest weren't a regular occurrence, bandits and slavers were a bigger threat. It had become even worse since Yore had gone to war with its Eastern brother, the kingdom of Boselhiem, for terrority.

North of Yore was the mountain range of Dvinevor, home to a prosperous kingdom of dwarves. Beyond that was the forest of Nefelhiem, home of some snotty elves and not much else. It was a big enough forest stalked with wild life, food, and water. The only problem for the people of Yore was that it was too far away.

North east of Boselhiem were a few smaller human kingdoms and beyond that was the great majesty of the Empire that took up almost a fourth of the continent. The greatest human civilization yet.

The northern continent was the same size as the southern and they were only separated by several seas (similar to how Africa is divided from Asia and Europe) that divided the two which almost made them look like a Yin Yang symbol if you saw it on a map.

The southern continent was largely populated by humans, where the northern continent had more racial diversity.

This was the extent this one poor guard boy knew of the world.

Born and raise on a farm he became a guard to feed his family. When Yore decided to go war, he was thankfully left behind for public order. Although he didn't see his family much anymore he still sent them part of his meager salary.

"Oi, Regi." His guard captain walked over to him with his arms wrapped around himself for warmth. "Me eyes ain't so good anymore. What do you suppose that is?" The older guard pointed into the distance.

Regi squinted his eyes, "I don't see nothing."

"Well, look again, I know I seen something."

Regi humored the older man and squinted his eyes again only this time he could see something in the distance.

A snow covered field separated Regi from a sparse pine filled forest. Only it wasn't sparse anymore. It was growing. No, that's not right. Nothing grows out here. Was it always that dark?

"I see something."

"Something ain't right here..." the old man growled. "My bones are itching and they only do that when bad stuffs about to happen. SHIT!"

Large shadows came bursting out of the forest, they looked like wolves only larger. On their backs were demon's clad in black armor.

"Regi, GO!" The old man pushed him, he then pulled a horn from his belt and blew it.

The townspeople looked up from what they were doing and began to panic. The local militia gathered what weapons they had as arrows rained down from the sky.

By the time they got to the center of the town the people were screaming, and the old man was nearly out of breath.

"Regi. You need. To tell the. King."

"I'm not going to just leave you behind!" Regi argued.

"Listen you sap brained fool, this is bigger than us! Now get on that horse! I'm old, I'll buy you some time. That's an order!"

Regi, saluted one last time while the old man drew his sword. Despite his age the old man's swordsmanship never dulled.

"Give their asses a good whooping in my place." Regi said.

The old man smiled, the rest of the guard and portions of the militia gathered.

"On me men, let's show those bastard what men of Yore are made off! GRAAHHA!" the old man gave a warcry the rest of the men shouted in return as the old man ran towards the invaders.

Regi mounted the horse in the stable and took off for the Capital of Yore.

He pushed the horse to its limits and when he felt like he was far enough away the only thing he saw on the horizon was a plume of smoke and a growing mass of black.

** ** **

His majesty, the king of Yore, sat down to a meager dinner with his family. Times were hard and the reason they started the war with Boselhiem was their pressing need of resources and land.

The doors opened and several royal knights let in a ragged boy who had barely reached adulthood. It was quite improper, and from the looks of him he wasn't from the frontlines in the war.

When he made this observation, the poor boy stated that he was a local guard from the settlement of Jamestown. He then gave his report.

All was quiet as they digested what this news meant for the kingdom. The king and everyone were silent.

Unwilling to cause a panic, he ordered the boy to get some rest and then he ordered a scouting mission.

Over the next couple of days several more reports of the demon army encroaching from nowhere became the norm. The scouts returned swiftly giving even more dire reports than Regi.

An army that blanketed the horizon like darkness swept over the land leaving no survivors.

The king sighed. And called the boy named Regi to his presence. He told him the truth, just how dire their downfall would be. He would recall his troops but there was little hope they'd make it in time.

Seeing how capable Regi was, he gave him an order. He would send him and a party north to the dwarves asking aid and/or asylum. From there Regi would part with one of the messengers and take an epistle to the elves. Although they had no formal ties he thought warning them was the right thing to do.

After that he would bypass the post war fallout completely, and go straight to the capital of the Empire.

The king's tone had a certain finality. He apologized for not being able to protect Regi's family, since his hometown was one of the most recent victims. He gave Regi a title of knighthood and made him a noble of Yore.

In spite of their small kingdom's absence from the history books, Regi was to be their legacy.

Sir Reginald Townsend, the last noble of Yore.

In the king's mind he predicted his own death and the downfall of his kingdom against this unforeseen and innumerable enemy. But his heart he hoped Regi would play a much larger role in the coming conflict.

If it wasn't an extinction.

Regi didn't get a feast to honor his nobility, there wasn't time for that. In a matter of hours, he was wearing the best armor and the finest clothes the kingdom could produce, and was on his way to Dvinevor.

In the time that came while Regi traveled, the Yore army returned from battle with Boselhiem to find the castle in ruin as it barely withstood the demons onslaught

True to the king's prediction they did fall, and the kingdom of Yore was wiped from the map. But tales spread about the Good king of Yore. Who, with only a portion of his army held the Demons at bay. With little to no resources, low walls, and surrounded on all sides, the men of Yore defied their circumstances under the King and held the demon army at bay. But only for a time...