Chapter 39

  The Broken Times

  War ravaged the world of Iagorothi. Of the five continents, only the southern lands of Cienth avoided the conflict. Tenuous national borders were splintered over and over as warlords of all kinds rose to power and claimed land for themselves. Powerful adventurers rose up to become these warlords. Their power, prestige, and wealth from adventuring and delving fueling the fires of war.

  Armies of repressed people, mercenaries, and aspiring conquerors rallied to the numerous flags being raised and marched into battle. Fortresses and roads were built to maintain chunks of land taken in battle, then lost to the next warlord’s invasion.

  For every person tasting victory, many others felt the sting of defeat. People perished by the dozens, or escaped to fight anew. Those who did not fight could not escape the consequences of warfare, and there was no peaceful life to be found. As the chaos spread, so too did the name of the era. Even then, it was called the Broken Times.

  Michael raised his hand and interjected, “How did such a thing occur? What started it?” He asked. They had finished traveling for the day and made camp. Sebastian sat on a cushion he had procured as he told his story. Michael and Yan sat nearby to listen, while Wolf rested on his hammock off to the side. Hyato stood by the entrance to the spacious tent, keeping watch outside.

  “There are several theories as to how it all started, and they are likely all responsible in part.” Sebastian said. “Money was a major reason. Adventurers weren’t just wealthy back then, there were many with more money than entire kingdoms! Running around solving problems, fighting epic monsters, and looting dungeons of ancient relics added up. There were lots of adventurers, but there were tons of ruins from before the Erasure of History to loot, so there was lots of money to go around.”

  “Woah.” Michael said, “Hold on. The Erasure of History?”

  “Oh. Right.” Sebastian said. He let out a sigh, “That’s just as big of a story, but here’s the fast version. A long time ago there was a war so devastating that the entire world was almost destroyed, we think. The only survivors are the predecessors of all the people of Iagorothi, fleeing the continents in boats, airships, and in bunkers or dungeons underground. Then the God of Time, Feros, struck history from the records and reset the years. Those who had lived through the war were forbidden to pass on their memories of the events.” Sebastian said, with an annoyed tone at the last sentence. “Anyways, there were many surviving ruins and historians have been piecing together the Eras before then.”

  Yan tilted her head, “I thought Feros was the God of Water.” She said. “That’s what a book I read said.”

  “Each of the High Gods has four aspects.” Sebastian said. “Feros is one of the High Gods.”

  From the entrance of the tent, Hyato spoke up. “Feros is the God of Water, Time, Fate, and Imagination.” Yan and the others looked towards him when he spoke, but he did not elaborate.

  After a brief pause Sebastian coughed and took a drink of water. “Anyways. The Broken Times. Before they started there were thousands of adventurers around the world with more wealth than most nations.”

  “Another major reason for the beginning of the Broken Times was Magic. Modern Magic, to be precise. Mystia, an accomplished Caller, created Modern Magic and spread it across the lands. It was the first form of spellcasting that could be done by anyone without prior study and understanding of the mystic.”Sebastian explained.

  “Okay...” Michael said. “So, it was hard to do Magic before, but then it was easy?”

  “A simple way of putting it.” Sebastian nodded, “Modern Magic could be learned by anyone, so the world went from having a few dozen spellcasters per kingdom to having millions of spellcasters. And people could make spells as well, though Spellweaving requires a deep understanding of many things. The efforts of one talented person working hard to make a spell could be spread to the thousands in a matter of weeks.”

  Sebastian demonstrated a spell, lifting his arm to create a small light. “Of course, Modern Magic behaves the same every time, not something older methods of casting could accomplish.”

  “So there was Wealth, and Modern Magic.” Michael said. “And those caused the Broken Times?”

  “There were other factors as well.” Sebastian said, “Perhaps the best known factor was the Noble Class.” Wolf let out a grunt, but Sebastian ignored him and continued. “From what is written about the time, those who were Nobility kept themselves separate from the other classes. They were given preferential treatment and regarded others as beneath them.”

  “So, what does that mean?” Michael asked, “Nobility. What is that?”

  “Ah, well. Nobility referred to those who were part of the families that established nations or kingdoms, or other in the families of government officials.” Sebastian said. “They were typically rather wealthy and had more opportunities than others. And despite the growing wealth of entrepreneurs and adventurers, you could not buy your way into the Noble Class. They excluded nearly all people from joining, and decided the laws that nations would follow.”

  “Elitist morons!” Wolf said, sudden vitriol in his tone.

  Sebastian waved a hand in Wolf’s direction, “Many shared Wolf’s viewpoint. And many came to a conclusion. Adventurers who had amassed great wealth and personal power realized they were stronger, richer, and smarter than Nobles. They decided they would make themselves Nobility, by establishing new nations.”

  “Now, the wilderness areas are far more dangerous than most people expect. They read about the dangers, but rarely venture there. The Adventurers of the age did not make any serious progress trying to settle there, leaving only one option. Claim territory as their own. Many people created armies and began to claim their hometowns or lands they loved as places under their protection. And the kingdoms fought back, sending their own armies to reclaim the territory.”

  “And that’s the Broken Times?” Michael said, “Warlords rising up and Kingdoms fighting back?”

  “That was the start.” Sebastian said. “But for every Warlord brought down, more rose to replace them. One by one, the nations of the world began to fall. The lands were split into provinces, with each Warlord holding one or two, and a few gaining ground to hold more. Alliances were made, battles fought, and armies marched. It may seem unrealistic, just how much battle there was, but when I say these adventurers were wealthy I am understating that. Many of them had more money than entire nations, but did not have the space of entire nations to manage.”

  Wolf interjected from his hammock. “It would have been so fun to fight in those wars.”

  “What? Why would you want to go through that?” Yan asked, leaning around Michael to give Wolf an incredulous look.

  “It’s not like there are wars like that anymore, I can think of no greater challenge. Fighting for survival every day, conquering armies and fortresses! That would be incredible.” Wolf said.

  “As long as you don’t mind never resting.” Hyato said. “Never training. Only fighting.”

  “Well, yeah.” Wolf said, deflating some, “Maybe not always fighting.”

  Sebastian had leaned back some, rubbing his chin, “I read that most people ate slop. Food was too valuable not to sell to the Warlords. People slept in fear of night raids and bandits ran amok.”

  “After fighting for so long, didn’t people want peace?” Yan asked. “The fighting lasted decades, how come it lasted so long?”

  “War begat war. Nothing ever got resolved.” Sebastian said. “People were born and raised during the Broken Times, and became adults who joined the fighting. It lasted over three decades. And the end of the Broken Times was not pretty.”

  “The Dark War.” Yan said. Sebastian nodded, while Michael shifted in his seat.

  A long pause of silence stretched over the tent, so Michael decided to ask, “And what was the Dark War?”

  “The end of the Broken Times was not a peaceful one.” Sebastian started, “Some areas experienced a few years of peace here and there, but there was always fighting and warlords, such peace never lasted. No peace treaty ever worked. And then a warlord continued to succeed in his conquest. An army that had taken over a few provinces in eastern Sera, one that called itself the Black Halo.”

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Sebastian’s eyes flickered, as if remembering old text. “At first people ignored them. Edgy name aside, they were just another army led by just another Warlord. Their success was not unusual, many Warlords had managed to take over what amounted to a couple of nations before they were overthrown.”

  “Let’s say that each Nation was equal to perhaps ten provinces. That’s a rough estimation, but it fits.” Sebastian explained. “When the Black Halo army managed to extend its control to thirty provinces; Warlords around the lands commended them in their skill. When that number became forty, some Warlords held parties to celebrate the new Warlord breaking the old record.”

  “As the Black Halo extended their reach east to the continent of Raniza, and continued to win almost every battle they were part of, a growing concern washed over the Warlords and Nations around the world. Along with the success of this army, rumors of it's Warlord spread like a plague.” Sebastian paused to take a drink of water, rubbing his throat. “Sorry, talking too much.”

  Michael listened to the story, nodding, “And that was Maximus.” He said.

  “Yes.” Sebastian confirmed. “Leading the Black Halo army into victory again and again, was Maximus. A powerful warrior who won battles against hundreds, then thousands, without needing the support of his army. Those who opposed him surrendered, or perished. None of the battles he entered were lost by his army.”

  “The more these rumors spread, the harder it got for the small-time Warlords. The approach of his army could spell certain disaster, and there was no way to know if he would be there to slaughter everyone. Many forfeited the battle before it began, their lands absorbed into the Dark Halo’s growing empire.”

  “As his empire grew, Maximus garnered an incomparable infamy among the people of the time. Before long his army had grown as well, enough that he acquired Generals. Maximus led as the Warlord, with Four Generals in his army. His influence and land grew, and the Dark Halo began to spread ideals to gain followers.”

  “Hold on.” Michael said. “Four Generals and a Warlord?” He glanced at Yan, who gave him a puzzled look. Then her eyes widened.

  “That’s right.” Sebastian said. “The game type you play in Command is styled after Maximus and the Black Halo army.”

  “I didn’t know that.” Yan said. “That’s interesting.”

  “There are other game types?” Michael asked.

  “Yes.” Yan said. “But we can go over those later.” She turned back to Sebastian and indicated for him to continue.

  “So,” Sebastian said. “The Dark Halo army had taken over a large chunk of Eastern and Northern Sera, as well as some of Western Raniza. There were no signs of them stopping and their army continued to grow. Their ideal that Maximus would control the world and bring unity spread far and wide, some people even willingly joined him. These facts scared the Warlords and Rulers of Nations. It scared them so much that they decided to do something about it.”

  Sebastian paused for effect, peeking at Michael and Yan for their reaction. Yan’s eyes glimmered with curiosity and Michael sat forth. “So, what happened?” Michael asked.

  “People started calling this the Dark War. After two years of nearly uncontested expansion, the world decided Maximus and his Dark Halo army were too big of a threat. Almost every Warlord and Nation banded together to work towards preventing the Dark Halo from conquering more land, and started to fight back. Only the brazen unbalanced Warlords refused to join; just like only a few Nations that had closed their borders, like Ainnulos and Xenroa, remained out of the fighting.”

  “Coordinated counterattacks on lands controlled by the Dark Halo began in earnest. For the first time since his rise to power, Maximus started to lose on a larger scale. Their widespread army could not defend on all fronts from unified forces. Lands once dominated by the Dark Halo army were taken under control of the allied Warlords and Nations.” Sebastian said. He took a drink of water.

  “So, should we stop there for tonight?” Sebastian asked.

  “No!” Michael and Yan said in unison. Then Yan added, “Don’t leave off like that.”

  Sebastian smirked. “Thought you’d say that. Anyways.”

  “Lands began to be reclaimed from Maximus, but that didn’t mean he was losing. His army still claimed land as fast as before, spreading west from Sera to the continent of Tomuse, and taking over nearly all of Raniza to push on towards Zalto. If the allied armies were not fighting back, he would have claimed over half the world. After another year of campaigns, the bastions that stood against Maximus became clear. Five Nations stood out as the strongest opponents to the Dark Halo army. In Raniza it was the kingdom of Jagdep. Zalto had the Magedom of Athylistia and the Democratic Republic of Zasarenok. For Tomuse it was the region of Satrica, and here in Sera we had Myrrh. The very country we are in, or were. I don’t know if we have crossed into Cryston already.”

  “Oh. So these places weren’t broken up because of the Broken Times?” Michael asked.

  “Myrrh wasn’t, but then it is not as big as it was before the Broken Times.” Sebastian said, “In the case of Myrrh, they sold lands during the Broken Times and were defensive for the most part, until the Dark War started. I am not sure about the other places I mentioned, though they all still exist today.”

  “What happened next is the darkest period of the Dark War. The war continued and territory fell to the Dark Halo or was reclaimed by the allies. But each time Maximus appeared on the battlefield, it was an overwhelming victory for the Dark Halo. The various Warlords and Nations that fought back managed to take many places from the Dark Halo, but could not seem to stop it’s momentum.”

  “Over the next decade of warfare, the strongest Nations were targeted until they fell. Zasarenok fell first, followed by Jagdep and Athylistia. Satrica held out for a few years, due to its sheer size and brutal environment no doubt. They too fell to the Dark Halo.”

  “After each of the major nations were felled, the Dark Halo would move its main base of operations. Warfare takes time, and mobilization on a world level was especially challenging. Airship technology was in its infancy at the time, and the Dark Halo did not have access to it. What they lacked in air power they made up for in naval strength. Their base of operations on Sera was a place called Merxu at the beginning of the war, but they had already changed their capital to the land of Necros.” Yan took in a breath, and Hyato looked over.

  “Isn’t Necros an isolated country?” Wolf asked.

  “It is now.” Sebastian said. “But during the Dark War it was the capital of the Dark Halo army. Their namesake says enough about them to know that they practice necromancy, but it was also their Navy that was a core strength of the Dark Halo. The Necrosian Navy dominating the sea, it’s no wonder Myrrh was the last bastion on Sera.”

  “Why is that?” Michael asked.

  “Necros is north of Myrrh, a wide peninsula kingdom that was once land that Myrrh sold. It only borders Myrrh, and controls the seas around it. The Dark Halo only had to take down Myrrh, and all of it's great opponents would have fallen. Then, what could have stopped Maximus from taking over the world?”

  “Well, clearly, that didn’t happen.” Michael said. “So Myrrh’s armies were enough to defeat Maximus? Wouldn’t he have appeared on the battlefield?”

  “The information here is not the clearest around. The war was coming towards a conclusion. It seemed as if Maximus and the Dark Halo army would destroy Myrrh and take over the world. Whether that meant absolute unity or the world being one nation, like they said they aimed to achieve, we don’t know. There are also many texts referring to old myths like Idia, the Adaeo Delaniyae and the End Gate, but we can’t say for sure. For whatever reason, the next thing that happened took everyone by surprise.”

  “The battles grew fierce, and a large force of Myrrh and its allies gathered to fight against the main force of the Dark Halo on the border between Myrrh and Necros. It was looking like it would be one of the biggest battles in the entirety of the Dark War. However, when the morning suns rose on the day of the last battle, the Dark Halo army had vanished.”

  Michael and Yan looked confused, mouths hanging open. Before they spoke, Sebastian continued. “The army was not entirely gone, but more than 90% of the force was missing, and those that were left were utterly confused. The remnants of the army fled or surrendered, and from the reports they gave an interesting bit of info was revealed.”

  “On the eve of the final battle, Maximus disappeared. The Four Generals vanished too, and with them the majority of the army. Those left hadn’t figured out what happened by the sunrise, though many fled before that came to pass. Though vexing, the allied Warlords did not pass up this chance to end the war. Many things occurred, but the Broken Times were declared over. The survivors decided to find more peaceful solutions to their problems, going forward.”

  The end of Sebastian’s tale was met with a drawn out silence in the tent. Michael looked up at the canvas ceiling of the tent, deep in thought. Yan chewed on her thumb a bit, and Hyato looked pensive. Wolf swang on the hammock back and forth a little, then sat up. “Great story, but we didn’t find the answer we were after.”

  “The answer?” Sebastian questioned.

  “Yeah. Why is Michael having visions about Maximus? Who is Maximus? Is there a description of him?” Wolf said.

  “Not sure. I don’t remember ever reading a description.” Sebastian said.

  “It wasn’t visions, it was just one.” Michael said. “And Maximus was tall. He had a red cloak... there was a black ring floating behind him... and...”

  “Those are all things he could wear.” Wolf pointed out. “It might not even be Maximus.”

  “But it could be meant to signify him. After all, that black ring could be the Dark Halo, or symbolize it.” Sebastian said.

  Yan snapped her fingers, “What if the vision is a trap? Trying to distract you?”

  “Maybe.” Michael said, “But it doesn’t matter, does it?”

  “It doesn’t?” Yan asked.

  “Well, nothing has changed. I am still going to stop the Revenant.” Michael said. “If anything, I got to learn stuff because of that vision.” Yan nodded, and said nothing further.

  “I think we should all get some sleep.” Sebastian said, heading to his section of the tent. The new tent that Sebastian had made was big enough once set up to have little rooms for everyone. “Good night.” He closed the canvas door to his room, and Wolf yawned and did the same from his nook.

  “Well, goodnight you guys.” Michael said, retiring to his own room.

  “Night.” Yan said. She glanced at Hyato, who looked outside once more before heading in to sleep as well.

  Darkness pervaded the area, a suffocating shadow and ethereal weight. The weight bore down in an even spread, emotionless in it's gravity. Michael remembered this sensation, he’d felt it twice before. It was not long until the sensation changed, and he came to be in that room.

  Once more, a rocky room surrounded Michael. Ahead of him, suspended in the middle of the room, the form of a scarred being slumped in the air. The wounds on his body seemed fresh, seeping with vitriol and malice. From beneath the unkempt mane of hair, a piercing gaze struck Michael. On instinct, Michael took a step back and lost his balance. His heart hammered away in his chest, filling his ears with cries to flee.

  The word the man spoke carried a weight heavier than the darkness of the night sky, “Begone!”