A Guide to Kingdom Building

Chandea, Year of Severus, 21st, I.R., the 82nd day of Spring, A.R.T.E.R.I.U.S Headquarters, Southern  Arterian Border

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"Me 'earing dis correctly?!" Ghwynmyr looked at the flaming prince once again. "Tis Prince Arterius?!

"YES!" Stolas answered. "Please, help us!"  The ward had some water runes thrown to the flaming prince but was ineffective against the uncontrollable fire surrounding him.

Ghwynmyr used his keen eye to trace where the root of the fire was and the extent of damage the prince was getting from the self-immolating magic.

"Tis far from the prince's skin." He said. "But the constant heat tis burnin' em clothes and if might burn 'em lungs if we wait much longer!" He reported.

"I tried everything I could to save him. The runes just get devoured by the flames and it doesn't respond to aetherium either!" the ward's voice trembled in horror.

"Surge!" Ghwynmyr said. "Tis a surge! Some 'un get me a knife!" He shouted.

"W-what are you going to do with a knife?!" Urfaal asked.

"Me needs tah seal dat excess exousia in him so tis 'll stop." The dwarf explained.

"W-what you can do that?!" Stolas grabbed the dwarf's shoulder.

"Tis not a common case but tis had happened in da past." Ghwynmyr explained. "Since dwarves and humans 'ave identical exousia pathways, thus, humans can also hae surges like us. Difference is dat, the human 'as tah be dat powerful to experience a surge." He added while wounding himself across the palm.

Ghwynmyr stabbed the knife on the ground opposite to the prince. He then began to write runes on around the blade before putting a drop of blood on each rune.

"Stand back, all of yah." The dwarf commanded. "No matter what 'appens nevva interfere, ah?" He fixed his eyes on Stolas.

The wards nodded silently and began commanding everyone to stay away from Ghwynmyr as he attempts to seal the surge. After the perimeter has been cleared, the dwarf then began to undo his armor.

Ghwynmyr bared his chest and wrote runes on it using his own blood. As he wrote the runes, he also whispered its meaning, slowly activating the magic confined within the secret language that only the dwarves knew.

"Mhdhr shv dh yhr frshkn kyd. (Mother save your forsaken child.)" He whispered before taking a deep breathe.

The runes he wrote on his chest and arms began to light up. Like an ember, it glowed and ran along the lines of the lines he drew. He slowly walked into the burning tent and located Prince Arterius kneeling in the middle of the burning tent.

Ghwynmyr made past the ring of flames surrounding him. But the more he went deeper into the center, the more the flames became too hot for him to go further. He compared the flames almost a level shy from a dragon's fire. No matter how naturally resistant his skin was to the flames, the level of heat Prince Arterius was emitting was enough to singe his hair and beard. The flames were also slowly eating away his pants and boots.

"Gods balls!" He spat. "Prince Arterius, if yah evar see me naked approachin' yah… Tis just yer fire burnin me pants!" Ghwynmyr forcefully made his way to the center where Prince Arterius was.

The prince didn't hear him. At the center of the flames was lies a pillar that covered Prince Arterius.  It was so hot that Ghwynmyr had to step back and recalculate his movements or else he might end up into ash before he could reach the prince.

The flame pillars roared and swirled. Like a thick wall defending a castle, the pillar was impenetrable. But he was determined, Ghwynmyr rushed to the pillar hitting it as hard as he could with his punch until it broke a huge portion of the twirling flames.

Prince Arterius was kneeling at the center of the flame. His eyes stared blankly up in the sky.

"Prince Arterius!" Ghwynmyr shook his shoulder. "Prince Arterius, wake up! You need to wake up to stop this!" He pleaded with the prince, but he was not responding.

The dwarf bit his arm until it bled. As blood sizzled from the heat, Ghwynmyr immediately drew the three runes he needed to stop the surge on the prince's forehead. It was a race against time as he saw the prince's eyes slowly drying up, and his skin was slowly being singed from the heat of the fire pillar.

"Mhdhr shv dh yhr frshkn kyd. (Mother save your forsaken child.)" He shouted as the runes interacted to his chants. It glowed and began to move from his body over to the prince.

The flames slowly died down as the runes absorbed the weakened fire. Just as the fire was quenched, Prince Arterius blinked his eyes, then gasped for air before finally waking up from his trance.

"W-where am I?" The prince said as he was catching his breath.

Prince Arterius coughed violently.

"Water! Bring us water!" Ghwynmyr shouted.

Not long after, Stolas rushed towards them holding a gourd filled with water. Ghwynmyr took it from the ward's hands and gave it to Prince Arterius.contemporary romance

"Drink, prince." The dwarf said. "But drink slow or yah goin tah choke."

The prince nodded and did what he was told. After that gut-wrenching scene, the members of the research team took the prince to the infirmary to be treated. The dwarf and the beastman were asked to stay for a couple of days and wait for the prince to recuperate before asking an audience.

"A couple of days?" Urfaal asked. "But it's urgent—"

"After whut 'az happened. A couple of days is more but generous." Ghwynmyr patted his friend's back.

Days passed since the incident and they haven't heard a thing from Prince Arterius and the more they waited, the more anxious they have become. Ghwynmyr and Urfaal decided to speak with him directly. However, Stolas and the other knights guarding the tent were adamant to not grant them an audience with the recuperating prince.

"Tis, an important 'un!" Ghwynmyr pleaded. "Tis an order from his godfather!" He showed the letter to Stolas.

The ward took the letter and read it. As Stolas read the letter, his expression showed how displeased he was as he read further.

"Prince Arterius will never going to like this." Stolas commented.             

"Tis a direct order from his godfather." Ghwynmyr reasoned out.

"I know." Stolas said. "But Servus 305-M heads the research for weaponry and new technologies." He added.

"We are just following his orders." Urfaal said.

"I know." Stolas sighed. "But Prince Arterius wouldn't be happy to hear this." He went back inside the tent and asked them to wait.

Ghwynmyr and Urfaal stood silently outside the tent, waiting for the prince to decide.

done.co