Ascendance The Original Lands Book 1

The ride thus far has been pretty quiet, as the men and women with me have left me to my thoughts. My mom was killed saving me, and my friend was almost killed for the same reason.

I suddenly had a random thought.

"Zurlian," I called out to him.

He looked up from the seat next to me, "My lord?"

It occurred to me that I should have asked this sooner, but at the time, I didn't think about it.

"The ship arrived within an hour to the mansion, yet we've been flying for several already. Why is that?"

"Ah, that's because you aren't in the required armor capable of withstanding the high speed of the dropship. The pilot was ordered to do an emergency boost, which greatly increases the speed of the ship, but it also greatly increases the strain on the bodies of those in. Our armor helps negate the effect by a vast amount." He patiently explained and it made sense. I suppose traveling at high speeds could be dangerous on the body, I've never really been a wizard at physics so I wouldn't know.

Well, either way, it doesn't matter. As long as we get to our destination safely, I won't complain. I need to begin learning about my new society. I will become a great Emperor, and I will get my revenge on Wulf.

My new friends from school sat across from me, their helmets now back on their head. I can't really distinguish them from the rest of the soldiers, though I could easily pick out Tirieal and Kirieal, as the female armor had a bigger increase of armor near the c.h.e.s.t for their b.r.e.a.s.ts. Not that I was looking or anything. Tirieal's helmet had a pair of wings where the ears would normally be, and the pauldrons on his shoulders were trimmed in purple with a helmet. Underneath the helmet were two crossed swords.

I'm assuming this marked him as one in command.

"We'll be arriving soon, the fleet has us on their radar," a voice through the intercom spoke. I twisted around and looked out the windows, the lush covered ground that was once filled with paved roads and standing trees was now replaced with a never ending blue sea. Sitting atop the calm waters were several large sh.i.p.s with gun placements on them, as well as several different aircraft carriers.

The fleets were flying a variety of flags, but the dominant flag was the United States.

This must be the Allied fleet that surrounding the Galian fleet. I raised a brow at the vastness of it, there were so many sh.i.p.s of different kinds and sizes. Fighter jets could be seen atop the carriers, and people as small as ants ran around atop of them.

We were too far up to tell if they watched us.

"Look up that the screen, Lord Sebastian," Tirieal told me, it was only then that I noticed a large screen that could be viewed by all occupants of the ship, sitting towards the front on a wall above the Pilots Cabin.

I did as he told me, and I was not disappointed with the scene I was awarded. The large fleet of sh.i.p.s that I have only seen on TV hovered above the ocean floor. Several fighters were flying our way from the fleet, they look absolutely stunning.

I wasn't a weeb or anything, but I loved anime, and these figures looked very similar to some of the planes seen in space anime. They looked to be heavily armored and armed, I saw several weapon types alone on one fighter. Their color palettes were the usual creamy snow white, with a trim of sapphire. I never thought that weapons capable of mass murder could yet be so elegant and beautiful.

"Ah, those are Talons, milord," Zurlian informed me, I was grateful for his input, they had a nice name, one I certainly agreed with.

They were pretty sharp, slick planes. Well refined and very similar to the Galian style that I have so far become accustomed to. They arrived at our ship in no time, over a dozen of them actually. They quickly passed us and pulled around to follow in formation alongside us.

The screen changed to show the fleet, which was becoming larger and larger as we got closer. Like the planes, the several warsh.i.p.s holding in their formation were just as elegant and almost graceful like, if not more so.

All of the sh.i.p.s themselves had a small pair of wings placed along the middle of the hull. Smaller engines could be seen on those as well as several turret placements. The smaller engines looked to be holding the ship steady and in place, but unlike regular engines that our own aircraft use, these were emitting what looked like a circular aura.

A tower spans out shortly towards the sky on several of the smaller sh.i.p.s, this looked like the command deck.

Cannon placements could be seen on all sides, as well as several landing bays on all of the sh.i.p.s. Though from the looks of it, some of those landing bays were for smaller craft like this dropship itself.

Smaller weapons also lined the warsh.i.p.s, I'm going to guess that these weapons for anti-aircraft.

My attention was brought towards one of the larger sh.i.p.s, at first glance, these sh.i.p.s were less armored and armed than their smaller counterparts, yet for some reason, bigger. If I had to put a ship type to them, I'd say its more of a transport ship or a carrier.

The bridge, from what I could tell, was an extended balcony, rising slowly from the hull, but not as tall as the other sh.i.p.s were. Instead, the bridge here was more like a bump in the road. Several small turrets could be easily picked out around it.

But what really caught my attention was a ship around the size of one of the Carrier types, it held large gun emplacements atop it, with several turrets reinforcing them. The top of the ship was flat, with the exception of the bridge, which like the carrier before it, was a bump in the top hull. I could also see several landing bays on the side of the ship. Currently, this is the ship we were heading for.

Several of the Lancer type mechs that reinforced us at the mansion could be seen hovering nearby around the fleet. There were also several smaller patrols of the Lancers in squads of three, patrolling not too close to the Allied fleet, but a bit further from the Galian fleet.

This gave me the impression that this fleet would be a very difficult target for anyone with malice. WIth constant patrols, they'd have a hell of a time trying to break through the perimeter at the very least.

Upon getting pretty damn close to the large ship, our escorts suddenly broke off with the exception of the mechs, and in no time, we were landing inside of the docking bay.

The hanger itself was a hive of activity, and very, very big. Men and women wearing blue suits, typical of what an engineer wears, could be seen rushing around to the many other dropsh.i.p.s, Talons, and Lancers.

Our mecha escorted landed with us as well, staying in their square formation around the ship. I heard shuffling next to me and looked over to see Zurlian getting up, as well as Tirieal and the others. Some of the men had somehow procured a stretcher and placed my mother on it, while pulling a sheet over her body. While in another part, others picked up Allen and gently placed him on a separate stretcher. Tirieal told me he was stabilizing, and this made me very happy. I couldn't stand to lose him either.

I turned once more and glanced at the stretcher my mother was on.

The sight of it sent a tremor of despair down my body, and the tears threatened to force their way through again. I silently promised myself to stay strong for my mom. She would be so proud of me right now, and I'd do whatever I could to live up to her expectations. Hell, I have the feeling she'd even scold me if she thought I was mourning her and instead of preparing for my new duties.

I made another silent promise to myself to have her buried in Galian somewhere, and make it as beautiful as I could. She would have loved that.

My mind shifted back home, and I suddenly remembered Alison. I hope she's okay. I wasn't as close to her as Allen, so I'm just going to assume she wasn't a target. Maybe with their first attack failing, the enemy would leave the ones I cared for back home alone. I could only hope, the very least.

I sighed, and stood, the men with us stood off to the side, clearing a path. I took this as a cue and took a step forward, taking the lead.

If I was going to be a leader, then I'd better start playing the part.

***

The dropship hatch opened, removing itself from its spot of being half open and closed. I took a step down the walkway it made and stopped halfway down.

Standing and facing me were rows on rows of Galian soldiers. Many in the front ranks wore the cloaks that identified them as members of the Royal Knights. Others were in what I assumed was the standard Galian battle armor.

I never could figure out the difference between the armors, I do know that the Royal armor was shinier and engraved, like a Paladin or a Holy Knight would look in a game, and the basic armor seemed to have less protection. If they had any other features, I couldn't tell, but maybe some other day, I would.

Standing at the head of the formation is the man known as Folduin, the Galian who was supposedly in charge of the fleet and mission to come to get me. He looked like he had on TV.

Standing next to him was a woman with hair that would make even midnight jealous. Her round, beautiful face complimented her hair.

She wore a skirt that challenged her hair color for superiority that reached barely above her knee caps. A blank expression graced her perfect face. Her companion, however, wore what my mother would have called a "prized grin", it stretched from ear to ear. If I didn't know better, I would have called him Pacman.

Swallowing down the severe stage fright I had, I took a step forward and tumbled. I heard a collective group of gasps and hisses.

I stumbled down the ramp, falling onto my knees and bruising them slightly. Several footsteps rushed towards me, and I felt a strong grip on my shoulders as I was gently lifted to my feet.

My knees ached, but none of that was as painful as the wound to my pride right now.

"Are you okay, my lord?" asked an unfamiliar voice. I looked up to see that Folduin was holding me steady, his eyes full of concern.

I cursed myself mentally for my clumsiness. I don't think I'd ever live this embarrassment down. Luckily, Zurlian came to my aid, "My apologies for that, I should have been closer to assist you, my Lord. I forget that you've had a very difficult night."

Judging from the expression on Folduin's face, I assume he has at the very least head of what happened.

"That's my fault, I'm just exhausted," I replied while giving a fake laugh that was extremely obvious.

Folduin removed his hands after making sure I was steady, then took a step back, the woman came up to stand at his side but remained quiet.

"I heard about what has happened, and let me apologize. Had we had stronger security, your mother would possibly still be here, and your friend wouldn't be wounded. I offer you my most sincere apologies, sire," Folduin said, kneeling down and bowing his head.

I couldn't tell if this was an act or not, but his tone sounded like it was full of genuine regret. Even though it could be said that this whole mess was Folduin and Galia's fault, since they came to get me, I couldn't blame them. They didn't force Wulf to betray us, nor did they fire the shot that killed my mother.

Without even thinking, I reached towards Folduin and placed my hand on his shoulders, and looked at his head as it was lowered in regret, "Get up, none of this was your fault in any type of way. I do not blame you."

I was slightly surprised when I did this but knew deep down that all of this was true to the letter and nothing could have convinced me otherwise. I let a reassuring smile take the lead on my face, as Folduin looked up at me.

Tears stained his cheeks, and he hastily wiped them away.

Was he crying because of what happened? Did this man genuinely care for me and my mother?

My heart fluttered at this unknown man's loyalty. He got to his feet, with my hands resting on his shoulder. He stood taller than me by a few inches, lucky him. He took several steps back and saluted, hand to heart. "Please allow me to formally introduce myself to you. I'm Lord Commander Folduin, I know that the rank doesn't mean much to you, but it means that I command all of Galia's military. At least, I do for as long as you d.e.s.i.r.e. If you wish for me to be replaced, simply say the word and I'll give you a list of suitable candidates that could easily fill in."

I took a step back and quickly raised my hands up to easy him, "No no, that's fine. As you said, the ranks don't mean much to me because I don't know much about them as of this moment. But I will be looking forward to you assisting and teaching me."

He nodded vigorously as if he were a younger child. It brought up a short laugh that I didn't know resided in me.

Folduin looked at me with a raised brow but said nothing more. He turned and gestured to his companion, his crimson hair that was tied together in a pony tail hung down his back, turned with him.

"This is Captain Teluria. She commands the fleet in combat situations, as well as her own flagship."

The beautiful captain stepped forward and saluted, "It is my honor to meet you, my lord. Just let me say that this annoying oaf has been itching to meet you nonstop. I'm delighted he finally got his chance."

I nodded along and blushed slightly at the end. I couldn't wrap my mind around anyone being excited to meet me. Then again, I was looking forward to meeting him as well. I'll finally get answers to several questions.

"I'm excited to meet both of you, I'm inexperienced so I ask you to teach me well," I replied more calmly than I felt.

I already had dozens of them come to the surface of my mind, and I let lose one of them right away, "Folduin," I started, turning to the Lord Commander. He stood up straighter at the mention of his name, "Weren't you supposed to be meeting with several government officials in my part of the world?"

He nodded, his handsome face turned grim, "I was, but when word came of the mansion attack, I rushed back to the ship. I had been readying another wave of Talons and Lancers when the pilot informed me you guys had made it out."

He paused and then said, "I got delayed and was forced to stay here with the fleet. Otherwise, I would have been one of the first in that Dropship to assist you."

"Oh," was all I said. Real smooth.

He let a grin slip on his face, instantly changing the tone of it back to cheerful.

"As Zurlian said, you must be tired," he started, glancing at Zurlian for a moment, then back to me, "Would you like for us to show you to your room?"

I nodded and almost let my face reveal just how tired I was, yet I didn't want these guys thinking I was any more of a wimp than I'd already revealed. I mean, I did trip down a ramp after all.

"As for your mother..." Folduin started, I swallowed a lump in my throat. "We'll preserve her body if that is your wish, and then place it safely in a part of the ship until we can get her buried."

"You can preserve her body?" I asked, slightly surprised. It'd be great if she could, I would love for my mother to not deteriorate as others did when their body quit functioning. But as far as I knew, that was impossible. Then again, these people are really far ahead of us in terms of technology. Maybe it was possible.

Folduin nodded sharply, "We can, we'll use one of the Eternium crystals to preserve it. It adds a covering over her body and will preserve it indefinitely. Many of Galia's past Emperor's have had the bodies of themselves and their loved ones preserved. The offer is extended to you and your mother as well."

My face scrunched up. What was an Eternium crystal anyway?

I went ahead and asked, unhappy that I was making myself look really unintelligent in front of these great people, "What is an Eternium crystal?"

The corners of Folduin's mouth raised in a small grin, "It's a common crystal found on our part of the world, it has a huge variety of properties and abilities, such as the ability to make weapons and armor that are so many times stronger than your own. I'm sure you've had questions regarding our weapons. They are forged with Eternium crystals, the weapons themselves can easily pierce through your armored vehicles, the ones known as tanks. However, armor made of Eternium is very resistant to pretty much everything but weapons forged from the crystals themselves. Another fact is guns forged from these crystals only have about a fifty percent chance of wounding or killing a target."

He paused for a moment and slightly crossed his arms, his eyes raised to heaven, "Alongside military technology, they also allow for many possibilities in the medical department. Many cures have been found to devastating diseases that would be known as cancer and HIV."

He grinned at me, "Warsh.i.p.s with a mediocre supply of the crystals have a huge amount of missiles and ammo, the crystals can be used to 3d print the missiles, and the turrets on sh.i.p.s are powered by Eternium crystals themselves."

I was mind blown. These could do much good for the world, I began to wonder if my own government knew about them and had struck up a trade deal.

"Now," Folduin started, "how would you like to get some rest? We'll take care of your friend, I give you my absolute word."

I grinned and took a step forward, eager to get some rest.