Arletta was sitting on the edge of a bed in the mansion offered to the Ebrusians and stared with unseeing eyes at the wall. The stern voice of Goddess Hera was still ringing in her ears. The usually frivolous and carefree God Zephyr was serious when he lectured her yesterday. She endured a few hours long crash course titled 'Why it is borderline stupid to piss off Theon Avalon'. However, she wasn't exactly sure she still needed their bits of advice and wisdom. She had never felt so helpless as when standing before the Lord of the Righteous Dungeon. The fear she felt was comparable to the fear she felt when, as a nascent deity, she lost a duel against a Lesser Void God during the Hero Wars.

Back then, it was Zephyr who saved her as he killed the Void God with a single blow. Now, he warned her to not anger Theon Avalon. She hid herself in the room, too embarrassed to face anyone, but she knew a meeting was inevitable. Calling her lucky after her plan failed and all that transpired afterward was the understatement of the decade. For a brief moment, she was certain her life was over and Theon Avalon was going to kill her. Never before had that possibility even crossed her mind, and rightly so, as no Mortal should be a threat to a God. But... She bit her lower lip. He wasn't a Mortal. The Undying Lord of the Righteous Dungeon was something between Gods and Mortals.

She sighed and caught her own reflection in the mirror. She was flustered and blushed hard enough that she couldn't lie and pretend it was just embarrassment. She had finally met a man who could be... But she shook her head as she recalled his anger. So what, if he was perfect if she carelessly ruined everything? Besides, he belonged to Hestia now and, even if everyone considered her gentle and caring, Arletta, for a moment, saw her ruthless side. Woe to anyone who would deliberately rouse her wrath. But... It seemed that Avalon had become more important than she imagined. The Gods and Goddess were free to walk among Mortals without any issue and it seemed that many Gods of Aderon resided in Avalon. She knew this place could be the answer to her problems but, maybe, just maybe, she could find herself a handsome God... She slapped herself before her carelessness could kick in with full force and focused. With a certain degree of hesitation, she looked at the doors that protected her from the soon to be awkward moment when she apologised to her followers.

And apologise she would...

With a sigh, she turned back to her reflection and combed her pink hair. Fortunately, her dress wasn't damaged and, after she smoothed it in a few places, she looked good enough. She wasn't exactly ready to face her people but there was no point in prolonging it either. She stepped in front of the door and grabbed the handle as she took a deep breath. Once she opened that door, there wouldn't be any coming back. She steeled her resolve, pressed the handle as she held her breath, and closed her eyes. Arletta opened the doors and entered the adjacent room where all the Ebrusians present in the mansion were waiting for her. They were kneeling and praying to her. She was washed by their pure and honest prayers and felt guilty and embarrassed. She had always tried to help them but never considered that her actions could lead to their downfall. Yesterday, she learnt the meaning of the word responsibility.

"Please, everyone, stand up." She said softly as she tried to hide her tears of pride.

"My Goddess..." Minister Tyklas looked ashamed but all of them did as she asked.

"No. Allow me to speak first." She said with determination and slightly lowered her head. "I want to apologise."

The murmur of shocked voices and hushed comments forced her to stop.

"There is no need for you to apologise, our Goddess!" Islur shouted and dropped to his knees. "It should be us to apologise to you for being too weak to fight-"

"Never again ever consider fighting against Arcadia, young Prince," Arletta said with a cold and serious voice as she looked at him with fear.

"But..."

"No! There is no point in discussing this matter. It was MY fault and I deserved his wrath." She said with a hollow voice, trying to swallow her pride. She shook her head slowly and explained, "We thought that all the Heroes of all the Gods were already summoned but we were wrong... Oh, so wrong... Theon Avalon is the Champion of Eriar, the God known as the Silent Guardian of Nilmerthis. That Deity is far, far, stronger than any other Deities and his Hero is that much stronger, in comparison, to any Hero you were told about. You simply mustn't fight him. It's foolish for a variety of reasons. He is a Hero who, like his patron, is a Guardian of our world. With him in charge, we can defend ourselves from the ancient horrors from beyond our reality."

"But he offended you..." One of her priests said with barely hidden outrage in her voice.

"In my foolishness, I tried to take away someone he loved, Xania." Arletta sighed and, only then, did they all calm down and stare at her awkwardly. "He killed Jukk'nala when he tried to kill his sixth wife. Jukk'nala! A God who had millions who revered his name! Jukk'nala whose wish was an order for thousands of zealous priests! Yet, he was powerless against Theon Avalon. I saw the blade that ended the life of one of my kin. It's not an empty boast from the Arcadian Emperor..."

"But Berna..."

"Berna was conquered in the aftermath." She assured them with a weak voice. "The armies of Arcadia ruthlessly destroyed the Kingdom of Berna. He killed everyone who zealously followed their Gods. He tore down the temples of Jukk'nala and Hur'zhun. His army and Divine allies forced the remaining Gods of Berna to surrender to him. Leave it, my People. It was I who committed a crime and it was I who first turned against him. He showed me more mercy than any could hope."

The Bearkins looked at each other with shock but she noticed they accepted what she told them.

"That's why I had to apologise to you, my Faithful." She put her hands on her chest and bowed to them. "Because of my carelessness, you could have died. I'm so sorry. I'll do everything that's in my power to help you without endangering you further."

"We are not worthy..." Tyklas wiped his tears.

"Please..." She almost whispered, feeling her tears welling in her eyes.

"I, Prince Islur Tawal Ebrus, accept your apologies, our Divine Lady." The young prince kneeled before his Goddess and lowered his head. "As you apologise to us, we must make amends with you. We turned careless and foolish as we embarked on our journey without any knowledge of the world. We all need to improve."

"This goes for me too." She smiled and discreetly wiped her eyes as she walked towards the deep, cushioned chair near the table. "Thank you."

Arletta pointed towards a sofa and waited for them to take a seat. Most of the staff hurried towards their duties under the stern look of Minister Tyklas but they cast curious gazes full of joy and hope toward her. In the end, only Prince Islur, Minister Tyklas, and High Cleric Xania remained, nervously sitting on the opposite side of the round table. She chuckled seeing their embarrassment and nervousness.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"It looks like Theon Avalon was absolutely right about one thing. We are all awkward."

They laughed as their nervousness slowly relaxed. She put her hands together, still smiling. It was good to be here with her people...

"Right now, the leaders of their alliance are like none before. They are, most probably, the most powerful one to exist and they are discussing whether they even want other countries to join. I don't know if I will be allowed to join you when you are negotiating your admission. If you are still willing to listen to me, I strongly advise you to do everything in your power to be allowed to join their alliance. It's going to be one of the most important events for Ebrus. You can't waste that chance if they offer it to you."

"As you wish, our Goddess." Minister Tyklas nodded with a very serious expression.

"We still have to figure out how we are going to find you a wife, Islur." Arletta got more serious. "I wasn't joking about Ebrus slowly dying..."

•••

Hundreds of kilometres away from Avalon the Immortal Legions were fighting. The political choices made by their Lord did not interest them since they would accept every decision he made. They would always follow his will without question. Their loyalty was absolute and unflinching. The First and Fifth Legions were preparing their assault on the enemy Dungeon. They confirmed its location and Galahad was preparing the field. Lately, the forces of Vestargo began copying the Arcadian tactics but they didn't comprehend the basic principles of complex strategies and logistics. Because of that, they failed time and time again although, each time differently. Galahad knew what that meant and he wasn't happy. The enemy was learning. The bugs had started using their catapults to fire crude explosives but, compared to the Arcadian Crusaders Artillery, they posed a minimal threat. The enemy could only hope to overwhelm the Arcadian forces with sheer numbers. Other than that, they would be ruthlessly destroyed. Even bugs started to fear the Legions.

"We are ready, Galahad." Admiral Sparrow's voice coming from the field radio was the only sound in the tent.

"We will follow once you finish." He calmly replied and left the tent.

There was nothing more to say, nothing more to plan. The rain clouds came as they anticipated, blown by the cold and violent wind. Even ranks of the fully replenished Thunderbolt and Death Heralds Legions were waiting in absolute silence; they scared even the bugs of Vestargo. The first droplets of the coming rainstorm rattled over the black, adamantine armours lined with silver. All other armies would be stopped by such weather but not the undead soldiers of Avalon. For them, it wasn't even an inconvenience. The enemy cherished such weather in their strange beliefs: it was supposed to make them safe and allow their forest to grow. While Galahad could agree with the latter, the former was just wishful thinking. A distant crash of thunder muffled all other sounds but Galahad knew what was coming.

"No one is safe from the wrath of our Lord." Galahad of Avalon, the Marshal of Immortal Legions mused as the first missiles reached their targets.

The powerful explosions sent ripples through the air and, for a moment, pushed the rain away. The treeline trembled and many of the enormously tall, old trees were cut down by the explosions and immense pressure released by the advanced Arcadian weaponry. The attack was precise, as usual, and hit exactly where the bugs were hiding in ambushes. Time and time again, Galahad proved that ambush tactics wouldn't work against him and, yet, the bugs tried. But thanks to that, he learnt many things about his enemy, as well. Their tactics and strategies were integral parts of their nature and their master did nothing to change those. While the Immortal Legions were moulded and shaped to be the perfect soldiers, the bugs were just bugs. Disgusting for Mortals and dangerous, only in mass, to anyone. He smiled hearing the distant cannonade of the self-propelled artillery and the mighty roars of naval cannons bringing destruction to their targets. Eight ships of the Royal Navy were gathered for this assault. The cannon fire lasted the next five minutes, shredding the landscape and killing the enemies miraculously spared from the missiles. The road to the enemy Dungeon stood widely open.

The two Legions advanced in absolute silence. There were no shouts, no chants, no morale-boosting songs. The distant cracks of the supporting artillery fire and the whistling sound before the explosions shook the ground were the only music that accompanied the immortal warriors of Arcadia. As they marched forward, the ground itself withered and died in their wake, unable to resist the Death Aura of the superior undead. The lesser enemy monsters that, somehow, survived the opening minutes of the battle died, crawling with fear into their burrows or failed entrapments. Their target was just ahead. Twisted and tangled trunks of oddly green-barked trees were supposed to act as a wall protecting the Dungeon. However, as with any wood, it was unable to withstand the merciless fire of the Arcadians. The wall was full of gaps, huge enough for a dreadnought to pass. The falling rain snuffed any flames, keeping the battlefield contained, exactly where Galahad wanted.

Suddenly, a rain of arrows fell upon Fulminata's forward ranks but it was deflected by magical barriers and physical shields. Galahad acknowledged yet another new tactic in the enemy arsenal and, with a nod, the Legions continued their advance. The Arcadian commander paid no attention to the forest, trusting Admiral Sparrow to take care of any aerial threat, and he focused solely on the enemies ahead. As they slowly crossed the border of the Dungeon domain, a dense wave of CIWS fire washed over some flying insects that tried yet another ambush. Exactly as they anticipated, "yet another" seemed to be the theme of this war. Galahad wasn't surprised to see another type of forest inside the Dungeon. The Ancient Forest was a typical forest with a moderate climate full of large-like oaks, ash trees, birch, sequoia and pines. The trees inside the Dungeon were typical for a tropical rainforest. Conditions were going to be problematic since the Dungeon seemed to be populated by various ape-like monsters.

Stones and large tree trunks were dropped on the heads of the Legionnaires. Some of the larger projectiles managed to pierce the magical barriers, causing victorious screams from the monkeys. However, the effects of the improvised bombardment were miserable. Just a few Legionnaires were unfortunate enough to be crushed by the enemy. That, however, sent massive ripples across the Dungeon. All the monkeys fell silent, their celebrations cut short by their master. The shock of the Dungeon Core was almost palpable when it discovered, or simply confirmed, the true nature of the Immortal Legions. The Arcadian warriors split their ranks and formed smaller formations which moved far quicker than the enemy anticipated.

"My battle group engaged a large swarm of wasps, Galahad, I won't be able to enter the Dungeon airspace as we planned." Janet's voice was pure despite the static caused by the spell saturating the air.

"I'm afraid that your strike team wouldn't be as helpful as we anticipated, Admiral. The Dungeon created an artificial biome, similar to Ceallach's rainforest but with much taller trees. I changed the tactics from the full swipe to swift mapping. Once we find the Core, we will try to capture the Dungeon."

"Affirmative. We will keep the reinforcements occupied. Good luck, Galahad."

"Thank you." The Scion replied and focused on his soldiers.

A detailed map of the Dungeon created itself as the units moved between its borders. So far, they had not discovered any buildings or ruins. A few caves, which they ignored for now, were not convincing enough to be leading to an inner sanctum and Galahad decided to check them later. The apes kept throwing, mainly, rocks and logs but kept their distance as the Legion's archers shot them without fail if they stopped moving. For now, Galahad ordered his soldiers to not crash at the enemy with full force since it was obvious that Vestargo was observing. He deliberately broke the Legion's ranks and deviated himself from a strength in unity posture to feed the enemy false intelligence. Vestargo was learning and he was learning fast, so Galahad couldn't afford to teach him how war should be waged. Especially, inside the hostile Dungeon, which allowed for far more sophisticated ways of observation for the enemies of Arcadia.

Time wasn't Galahad's ally during this battle and it was running out. The bugs outside the Dungeon were pressing the ranks of the Second Legion which was designated to shield the attacking forces of the First and Fifth Legions. It looked like Vestargo was testing a new tactic. So far, the bugs have been attacking in fast-paced swarms that came in waves. Now, it was a deliberate and continuous stream of much heavier insects. They were slower but harder to kill. Fighting the bugs without a fortified position was tedious at best but, far more often, it ended in the annihilation of Arcadian forces. It wasn't anything the Immortal Legions were used to after wars they waged against the Mortals. But the same could be said about Vestargo who had no idea what a war truly was. Those thoughts passed through his mind as he slowly walked towards the centre of the Dungeon. It was the most probable place for the Core to be and Galahad was almost sure about it. The apes and remaining bugs focused their efforts on protecting that part of the Dungeon.

With the unprecedented amounts of bugs trying to encircle the Arcadian forces in the Dungeon and a fierce resistance inside, the battle was only beginning...

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.