Chione Rhi
Current Location: The Aetherwing
For the first time since the
Aetherwing's departure from the heavens, silence had taken over the airship's atmosphere. Hardly could a voice be heard throughout the ship chambers, nor could one hear the quiet hum of the
Aether or the growls of drakes kept in the bestiary. The decks were silent, and for the crew, it was felt well-deserved. The airship had been at war for what was now a hundred years, but they could not rest. There was no way they could rest when the Dark Lord had continued to endanger the realm, his armies marching across Aeos and slaughtering entire populations and terrorizing the kingdoms.
And it seemed that their constant dedication to their task at hand, given to the crew by the Emperor himself, was the reason for their success. While the world of Aeos was slowly crumbling to the Dark Lord's vicious onslaught, where ever the
Aetherwing had went, it seemed nothing would defeat the airship. Like how their captain was praised as a savior in the war against the Demon Lords, wherever the massive airship was sighted, a trail of good luck would follow. Such a thing was true with the kingdom of Ven, a kingdom nearly brought on death's door because of various assaults by the Dark Lord.
It was a week ago when the battle had happened. The Venese were defending a city from the Dark Lord, yet it had been months since they were under siege. Food, sickness, as well strife and civil unrest had begun to run rampant in the besieged city. Anyone inside the city had no contact without the outside world, and mothers would cower along with their children as they awaited the evils that would come once the city fell. The Venese were ready to surrender, faced with months of hardship and forced to look for a way to save the people when the
Aetherwing had arrived to the battlefield.
The Dark Lord's host hadn't expected an airship to charge in alone, nor an airship to begin with. The host had little defenses use against the
Aetherwing, and their tents and other various barracks were arrayed nicely for the airship to strike. Flames, steam and even bolts of holy magic had burst from the clouds, while serpents with riders armed with lances and magic-powered rifles swarmed the encampment, as if the gods themselves had come to pierce the strength of the Dark Lord. To Venese who had prayed for a saving grace for months on end, many of them fell to their knees, crying and thankful that their savior had arrived.
As the dust had settled from the aerial assault, there wasn't anything that could be considered an army, much less an encampment. Bodies were missing limbs and lying flat on the ground, while tents and barracks were torn and crumbling like rubble. A crew had been sent to clean and purify the lands free from the Dark Lord's taint while the
Aetherwing went to dock in the city. As soon as the airship had landed, the people swarmed the crew, thankful for their aid and service. They had begged the crew to allow them to see the captain of the airship, so that they may praise and offer what little they had to them.
To their amazement, the Venese were surprised to find that someone so young was captaining the airship. Chione had appeared foreign to the Venese with her red eyes and way of dressing, but they were lost in her youthfulness. They praised her as an angel, an idol to inspire courage in the youth of the world to take a stand against the foe of the realm. When the Venese had offered Chione what wealth they could afford to give to their savior, she turned them down and asked to visit the large chapel in the city. Confused but willing, they led her to the chapel, and upon her entrance, the ground glowed a golden hue, and priests were taken back by the archangel's appearance.
Several of them flipped through their religious texts, seeing if their eyes had matched the woman they had read whom aided the legendary hero Miernes several times in his battles. Others were dumbfounded, unable to speak a word upon their eyes locking on Chione, unable to look away. The air had a calming and serene feeling to it as Chione stepped forward to the center of the chapel and knelt down, muttering a soft prayer to the Emperor. Glancing at her hand, a ring had formed with the holy energy that fed from the chapel, golden with engraved runes.
"Give this to your king. Tell him that the Emperor's wrath has come." Chione explained to the Baron in charge of the city, passing the ring onto him.
A week had passed from then, and the
Aetherwing was once more on the prowl. Flying high in the sky as the sun had begun to rise, Chione and the
Aether itself, taking a humanoid form of a
young black-haired girl were lost in a game similar to the mortal chess, but advanced in style of play. The game consisted of three boards, and players were able to move their pieces upwards or downwards to the other boards that existed.
Despite being the messiah of the Emperor, Chione fighting the
Aether in a battle of wits was difficult. The artifact could process any move, calculating the game like a modern-day supercomputer.
"Checkmate, Chi." The girl spoke in a cheerful tone as Chione sighed, leaning back in the chair she was sitting in. She had only beaten the artifact once in the past, and that was by 'a stroke of sheer luck', or so it was claimed by Chione's opponent.
"Don't think me defeated. The next game will surely be in my favor." Chione replied, standing up and walking out on to the deck from her quarters. She gazed out on the balcony, admiring the sea of trees and the peacefulness of the forest, but the angel felt the air odd. She leaned forward on the railing, looking far off in the distance as Chione noticed a speck of movement moving among the trees. They had blended well within the trees due to their green skin, yet it was impossible to mistake the horde of orcs, doubtlessly splinter group from the warband rumored to be in the forest.
"Aether, check your scanners for me. Are you picking up anything?" Chione asked, and the girl had done as her captain asked. Disappearing for a moment, the Aether went to inspect the charms, sensing the beginning signs of evil nearby the airship. The artifact soon returned with the news, and Chione returned to her quarters to gather her equipment.
"Sound the alarm. We are going to battle." Chione ordered, twirling her pistols as she went to holster them.
It wasn't long before the whole ship had sprung up, ready for battle. A burly man was barking orders, shouting for the cannons to be armed and ready to strike the orc menace down below. He nodded to his captain as Chione approached before returning to his orders, and soon the cannons were locked and ready to ignite. The cannons were pointed downwards, and they were charging with holy energy to strike down the orcs.
"On my command," Chione had said, raising her arm high in the air.
"FIRE!" She shouted to the chorus of a thundering explosion that could be heard for miles.
"Crextal, secure the ship! Maelka, get your drakes and follow my lead!" Chione barked, charging towards the ledge and leaping over the railing. Activating a spell to allow her to flutter down safely, Chione landed down on the ground without incident to finish off the remaining orcs. Not that they was many orcs left to fight after the holy barrage, but Chione was sure there would be more reinforcements nearby to come to the aid of this group. It had to be only a matter of time before their foe's allies realized their comrades' situation.
