Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ When Escaflowne Rescued Trilladen ❯ Dreaded Fate ( Chapter 36 )

Chapter Eleven

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Dreaded Fate

As if by fate everyone who began the quest in Fanelia joined up together in Ispania. Allen, Edwina, Chid and baby Han arrived using the power of the pendant energyst after the temple had been cleansed of Mugwa's presence and rededicated to the ancient faith. They were charged with a new sense of purpose and felt confident because of it. King Han of Trilladen was able to arm Allen with valuable information about Mugwa and the Atlantis of old. He now knew Mugwa's crucial flaw in his quest for godhood.

Folken and Merle journeyed from Zaibach to Ispania sometimes on foot, sometimes, by air, depending on the terrain because of the great distance and the mountains between the two peninsulas. Along the way, they discovered their devotion to each other to be too strong to withstand. Folken remained troubled because his future was clouded by a confusing end to his past as Strategos. Where as Allen's party was recharged with hope, Folken and Merle arrived with disturbing news, for they discovered on the trail through the mountains to Ispania, the dead bodies of many people. From their clothing they could easily be identified as Palas citizens.

Along the way Merle discovered Princess Eeries. The most upsetting thing about her was that she had a profuse amount of blood that hemorrhagedfrom her nose leaving her cheek to rest in a puddle of dried blood. In fact, every corpse they found along the way to Ispania had the same characteristic. Folken grew very suspicious of this.

Cerise mentioned before that the city of Palas was under siege from a mysterious plague. He knew this was a symptom of that and must report this to her as soon as possible. The indoctrination he'd undergone as a sorcerer alerted him to the probability that this was not a medical condition, based on a natural reaction of exposure to a disease. He knew this was different, based on magic or the supernatural, but he'd never come across anything like this in his practicing of the arts.

Gaddes and his group were sent to Ispania as ordered by King Dryden. The Fanelian Council, including Lord Oberon, left for Fanelia. They shared the opinion that Dryden's savvy was their best hope in the absence of King Chid. They were awed at his ability to get things done. And waited patiently for news of King Van, whom they now knew was not a hostage, but an honored guest in Ispania.

With the latest technology learned from the Great War, he'd taken full advantage of the best communications possible when he'd left Millerna to start rebuilding commerce for impoverished nations. It was the same device that Emporer Dornkirk and Folken used to relay pertinent information back and forth to each other when separated by long distances during the Great War. The Aurora Voice Modulating Image Transceiver or AVMIT unit as it was now called was being utilized by Dryden to launch an intelligence mission, with the head quarters located at Vren. He'd given a military grant of AMVIT units to Fanelia and to Ispania. As soon as Gaddes and the council reached their destinations, efforts would be coordinated to defeat Mugwa.

Though the dangers of establishing a headquarters so close to enemy territory remained a constant concern in Dryden's mind, he was determined not to forfeit any more ground to Mugwa. Daedelus, Arzass, Norte, and the small but numerous tribes of wolf and cat clans still hung in the balance. In Gaea's current state of instability with earthquakes, devastating storms, floods, forest fires, and destructive winds, he also worried about the welfare of the merfolk. The oceans were bubbling over with ecological disasters that put many species at risk of extinction.

King Van, Folken, Allen, the Empress of Ispania all agreed that the manipulations of the crystals on the population should be stopped at all costs. The people of Fried were still slaughtering the innocent wolf tribes, but now alerted to the threat of Freid. Bloody skirmishes broke out as far as Fanelia between the two peoples. It was a tragic comedy of errors where ignorance reigned supreme as slaughter marred the lands of Fried and Ozark with the blood of wolfmen warriors bent on vengeance as well as the slain grief stricken parents of Freid.

Dryden sent Millerna with Gaddes to Ispania. The region was far enough away from the battles, and Vren was teetering on the brink of catastrophe, as Asturia's official position to declare War against Basram was eminent. He'd held off as long as he could, but those whom he governed would not wait any longer. The southern borders of Basram were being attacked by his own country men everyday, going deeper into her borders. Oddly, no military resistance was encountered which gravely concerned Dryden. If they had concentrated all their military might away from the borders to protect Basram's citizens, what was the strategy of her Shoguns.

He'd hoped to put off the declaration of war with Basram. During the last battle of the Great War they'd launched a devastating weapon that put a black mark forever on the nation's honor. They'd struggled with economic sanctions these past years, due to the hard feelings her neighboring countries felt. When Palas was destroyed by that same weapon, Asturian citizens everywhere were ready to take up arms and avenge the annihilation of their proud jewel, their capital.

Quickly though, word got out that King Dryden was calling all to arms to the new military outpost of Vren. He was organizing and training a new army. This bought him mere weeks at most, and with it the discovery that Basram left her farming villages vulnerable to attack. He tried to search for the undercurrent purpose of the image crystals showing the destruction of Palas to the rest of Asturian citizenry. Why would Mugwa incite a war against Basram and why would Basram not defend her borders?

Then it occurred to him. The people of Fried were incited to kill the wolf tribes of Ozark, and the people of Asturia were going after the farming villages of Basram, the land worked mostly by cat tribes. For some reason, Mugwa wished to destroy the other races of humanoids on Gaea. He would try to keep communications open to those countries who wouldn't turn their backs on diplomatic relations during this catastrophe. It was their only hope.

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Mugwa now controlled the military might of Basram and Zaibach, the two most technologically advanced nations with weapons of war. The obvious political agenda for both, historically speaking, was that of building up arms to conquer land from other countries and defend them. It was for this reason alone that Mugwa chose these two countries to be his allies in his cause.

Allies? No, puppets. The seasoned armies who had suffered humiliating defeat during the Great War were ripe for a second chance at glory as both countries endured consequences that left little hope for a bright future. Thus, the Shoguns of Basram ate out of his hands and did his bidding. The farmers, peasant workers, and most of the peoples of these two countries did not know what their own rulers were doing, they just bore the brunt of the retaliations from their political decisions.

Mugwa was now ready to make his next move. All of Gaea was divided into battles and blood baths of rage. The world itself was coming to an explosive end for the very bowels of the earth were being torn apart by burrowing crystals. At the rate of this process, it would take perhaps an entire generation for the world of Gaea to crumble apart and join the cosmos as particle dust and asteroid clumps.

By then, he will have annihilated what he considered to be those of inferior breeding and subhuman species, namely anyone who had too much hair, or fur, or fins, or tails, or hooves feet. He despised other races and did not consider them anything but filthy animals, not even good enough to slaughter for their pelts or tusks or skins. He just didn't want them on the Mystic Mon when he made that his new place to rule with absolute power.

And so the stage was set. His first massive offensive attack against the Mystic Moon was ready. While all of Gaea was distracted in a futile attempt to save herself, he'd invade the Mystic Moon, and none here would be the wiser. It was the perfect plan. Any survivors of this world, this Gaea, who were fully human, he would spare as slaves on the Mystic Moon-if they were pliable.

"Your Eminence, the fortresses are all in stealth mode, along with all other smaller aircraft, and all are in formation. The launch site is ready, as well as the arrival site." A devout follower of Mugwa informed.

"Good. Cast open the gates of Atlantis and transport the army to the Mystic Moon. We have a world to conquer since this one is dying. I'll leave Gaea to her fate."