Days later, the internian army was still removing bodies from the battlefield. Ravens and vultures circled and pecked at the dead bodies.
At the High King's tent, sitting like it's own little castle, the Generals reported casualties, and enemy soldiers slain. Barti was presen, and of all the nobles was the only one acting lacksadaisically around the king. "This is beyond me. How could we suffer such losses. We only fought for a day, and we lost nearly half of our force. Well? What are our next steps?" The High King spoke sternly and gazed around the room.
All the commanders lowered their heads, and they all mumbled under their breathe. As his apprentice, Lore sat next to Valorum; both their heads facing the floor.
Lore then slowly raised his head, and cleared his throat to speak " Excuse m-" Before Lore could even finish, The High King interrupted. "Who are you to openly speak without permission? Valorum, who is this miscreant?" As the King spoke, Valorum forcibly lowered Lore's head. "He is my Apprentice, he has grand potentionzl Majesty, so please forgive his outburst. I will reprimand him accordingly." "I'll permit him to speak just this once, in honor of you General Valorum, and your heroic war efforts."
Valorum bowed as the King spoke. Lore replicated the bow before speaking "Thank you, your Majesty, I apologize for my outburst, but it occurs to me that his Majesty could direct the adventuring guilds to initiate a quest to protect the Realm. For each participant, supply a hefty reward, and you're ranks will swell temporarily."
Grumbling erupted from all the present commanders. The High King waved his hand to silence the murmurs, and then contemplated the proposed idea. Top ranked adventurers we're as gifted as Knight Kings. He then addressed Lore, "What is your name soldier. This is a fine idea, and we'll make haste to establish this new army". The High King raised his hand and waved it, dismissing the present leadership" Valorum held Lore's shoulder as all the remaining men and women left. The High King, Barti, Valorum, and Lore remained in the tent pavillion. Lore then lowered his head as he spoke to the King "My name is Lore, Majesty, and I come from humble beginnings. My grandfather was named Nux, and my father was Jo, and my mother was Maeve." The High King recognized those names, however he didn't let his shock known to anyone. The King looked at Valorum briefly as Lore spoke, who nodded his head as of to acknowledge what the King just learned, then shook his head as it to warn that Lore was oblivious. Lore finished speaking, and the High King nodded. "After you're time with General Valorum is over, I'd like to personally train and apprentice under Barti. I have High hopes and expectations from you. We understood Barti?" The King finished addressing the three men before dismissing them all. Twiddling his thumbs, he contemplated the power of the knowledge he learned today.
**
Across Internia, flyers were posted in all of the minor, and major guilds throughout.
From high ranking to low ranking adventurers, hundreds to thousands of new men and women were conscripted into the Internian army.
**
On the other side of the border, the Daemons knelt in front of their Queen Esper. Muttered whispers ran through tbe crowd, and rumors of the battle spread. Korush, Esper's child, sat, stewing in his rage and anger. Esper finally raised her hand and began speaking "In a single day, our forces annihilated a huge chunk of the Internian army. However we suffered many losses as well. In all honesty, that battle was merely a trial for our true battle to come. We will rage a true war upon their land!"
The monster army stomped, or drummed tbsjr weapons together. Thunderous cheers erupted from tbe crowd. Korush roared from his mother's side and raised his fist into the air. The crowd followed his example and raised their weapons high.
**
In Internia, all Knight Order members from the highest to the lowest gathered at the Knight's Order Headquarters. Men and women from all over the country were gathered in this grand castle. A group of the highest ranked, or strongest member stepped forward and addressed the mass of people. "From today on, every member will be training exponentially harder than ever before. Secondly, all Paladins shall be recalled, and will serve in this fight. And lastly, most of you will receive new armaments. With these new armaments, we will drastically change the course of the next battle. Time is limited, train hard, strive for perfection, and never let your heart waver."