The Ascendants: A New Era (running title)

Chapter 1: City of Ashes

       "Knock! Pull! Release!" exclaimed a masculine voice from a bearded man bearing golden armor atop the castle walls. Above the fleet, the overcast environment grew darker as the barrage of arrows dimmed the sky like an eclipse on a sunny day. Arrows plummeted toward the earth at an increasing velocity towards the approaching ships. Soldiers positioned upon the walls watched as their black mass of arrows lowered in altitude. As the arrows approached to be within fifty yards of the fleet, an opaque purple dome appeared around the ships, stopping the arrows dead in their tracks. The soldiers in gold stood in amazement as their barrage of arrows floated in place. Seconds felt like hours as the arrows levitated above their target, and suddenly, the arrows were thrown to the left and right, once again soaring through the air before crashing into the ocean's surface.

         The mysterious armada of ships continued its advance towards the shore of the peninsula. Arrows constantly rained down upon the warships with no success, levitating above the fleet before being thrown to the side like crumbs.

          The naturally light hearted atmosphere among the inhabitants of the City of Gold darkened as the public became aware of their imminent doom. Civilians screamed in the streets as panic swept through the city. Mothers bearing aurous dresses clutched their children close to their breasts and men brandished themselves with any available knives or swords as the incoming enemy approached steadily towards the city. Archers positioned on the wall-walk ceased firing of their barrage entirely because they perceived no hope of it having any effect. Knights barked orders at the terrified, unresponsive soldiers whom have never met nor heard of an enemy as formidable as the one they were about to face.

          Prior to the attack, The City of Gold, a nickname given to the city by the common folk due to its extreme wealth, was a beautiful metropolis. Tall, gold statues lined the palace that stood high above the rest of the surrounding buildings. A gilded road ran from the front of the palace all the way to the front gate. The palace was sculpted out of solid, glossy marble; and golden statues depicting canaries as well as other sacred creatures lined the balconies of the massive structure. The palace was hexagon shaped with a colossal dome forming the ceiling at the center. Pillars stretched down as they supported the many balconies that served as extensions to common rooms and living quarters for the royal family.

           The City of Gold gained its wealth through its high levels of trade with merchants all over the world. Its location, constructed on the same peninsula that the notorious Ancient Ones dwelled on centuries ago, gave easy access and a great port for friends and foes alike to arrive in the harbor.

            The largest consumer for goods shipping out of the City of Gold was the Renloth Empire, which reigned over a massive piece of land northwest of Tyradel. The Renloth family paid for their goods strictly in gold, which was relatively abundant in Relica yet rare in Tyradel. This allowed for every soldier's armor to be accented with solid gold, and every hilt of every sword the same. The influx of gold, having much more value in Tyradel than in Relica, was then turned to be used as a bargaining tool with the others dwelling on the island. Many conquerors have dreamt of besieging the city for its massive amounts of gold and riches, but no dreams ever came true for no fleet has ever came close to making landfall. Cocky soldiers believed they could fend off any naval force that was thrown at them. They assumed they would never witness defeat in their lifetime, that defeat was the content of jokes. But it was a joke no longer.

             Soldiers stood with weapons at the ready; terror silenced their voices with anticipation as the ships inched closer and closer to the shoreside.

           The most enormous vessel in the fleet played the role of the flagship, and would be the first to make landfall. The flagship was painted jet black from from port to starburn, and forward to aft; with massive off-white masts collecting the wind like fish in a net. The tips of massive cannons protruded from the sides of the vessel like thorns on a black rose. Underneath the jibboom, a gold figurehead depicting a dragon mid-flight, tongue and fangs flared, glided closer to the shore. A tall, lean figure emerged at the front of the ship, all by their lonesome, and stood at the edge, well aware that they were invulnerable to incoming arrows. The figure stood still, but was too far away for the soldiers to observe the details of his armor, let alone identify the man who commanded this mysterious fleet.