Princess of the Silver Ocean - Chapter 41

‘Yeah, the Gods have sent me my fated partner, so I’ll do whatever is in my power to protect her and keep her happy.’

He smiled at her sleeping form and lay awake for a while as he had to soon go and prepare for the mission with his guards. He carefully removed one of his arms which was wrapped around her. With that arm, he brushed some stray hairs covering her face. He then began to lightly stroke her silky hair, making sure not to wake her up.

‘I could stay like this forever,’ he thought, feeling affectionate towards this woman who made his heart race as fast as an F1 race car.

He remained like that for a while and, with an internal sigh, gently got out of bed to get ready for what was to come. He could not help but want to jump back in bed and wrap his arms around Nexi’s curvy body again. However, he knew he had a mission to accomplish and people to save. He tiptoed around the room and took out clothes to change into.

He then tiptoed towards the door, ready to leave. He opened the door and, before stepping out, looked at her one more time with a glint of displeasure at the thought of leaving her in their bedroom alone. He shook his head and walked out of the bedroom, gently closing the door behind him.

He walked towards the weapons and armour room and found the royal guards inside. They were putting on their plated armour. Stepping inside the room, the guards stopped what they were doing and stood in two straight lines, and bowed to him. There were twenty of them, ready to assist the prince and fulfill their royal duty of protecting the royal family and the citizens of Chesropis.

He smiled at them, and they went back to putting on their armour. He walked to a door that could only be opened by him and stepped inside the room. His special armour was encased in a titanium glass barrier that could not be broken by anyone or anything in the room. The only way was to utter a magic spell which only he knew.

“Zatanna,” he said, causing a vibrant, cerulean surge of fragments to circle the glass barrier.

With that, the barrier vanished, and he was able to grab his armour. The gray-eyed fox’s armour was different from the ones the guards had. The armour used by the royal guards had flat top helms with face guards shaped in the face of a fox. The shoulders were rounded, very long, and large in size. A fox claw-shaped metal ornament piece decorated each shoulder. The upper arms were protected by chainmail braces which sat quite well under their shoulder plates.

The lower arms were covered by vambraces with a fox-shaped metal ornament piece on each outer side. The breastplate was made from a couple of layers of metal, mimicking the scales of a dragon, and covered everything from the neck down, all the way to the groin. Finally, the upper legs were covered by a skirt of many layers of metal sheets reaching down to the knee. The lower legs were protected by greaves which had metal leaves covering the outer sides.

What made his armour different from the guard’s armour was that his was filled with magic to make him both faster, stronger, and more agile. It was also in a different colour than the guards’ armours. Their armour was black, with hints of gold, while his was silver with hints of gold. He then grabbed his weapon, which was a relatively long, thick, warped blade made of titanium and held by a grip wrapped in light brown crocodile leather.

A single, sharp edge made this weapon ideal for both blocking and slicing so some enemies would not stand a chance against such a weapon. The blade had a spiked, twisted cross-guard, creating the ideal weight balance for smooth and accurate swings. The cross-guard was decorated with a fox head on each side, a unique design for a special weapon. It offered plenty of protection to his hands and his life.

A wide pommel was engraved with the sword maker’s symbol, a star. The blade itself was also engraved with Yashiro’s name etched artistically into it. This weapon was feared and admired throughout the kingdom. It was rightfully so because it was infused with magic from the Kuba family’s oriental element, fire. One strike from it would cause the victim to be engulfed in fire if the blade’s wielder wanted.

The blades which were used by some of the guards were simple. They were no engravings, but the cross-guards were decorated with a fox head on each side. The queen had believed that their blades did not need to look over the top. They only needed to be strong and sharp. These were the blades used by the royal guards. When he finished putting on his armour and weapon, he walked out of the room to find the guards ready for battle.

“As we embark on this mission,” he began telling them, “I hope that we will, again, work as a team to ensure we get rid of this creature that has been terrorising our kingdom for the past few months now. Make sure to stay alert as it will be dangerous to defeat.”

“Yes, your highness!” they shouted in unison, bowing and acknowledging his words.

They all left the room and stood outside the palace gates on their horses.

“Pallando,” he uttered, causing a thin blue surge of particles to materialise on his left hand.

The prison orc instantly appeared in front of them. He was enclosed in a floating transparent wall, his hands and feet chained together by a red chain. It placed its chained hands onto the transparent wall and cried in pain when it realised that the wall was infused with electrical energy. It bared its teeth to anyone that made eye contact.

“Try to escape, and you’ll get electrocuted. Also, trying to break those chains on your feet and hands,” he warned the orc, narrowing his eyes. “will cause you nothing but pain because thorns like the ones on the prison bars will emerge and sink into your skin.”

The orc stroked the nape of its neck and sat down, pressing its lips together. The fox prince told four guards to surround the orc in this manner: one guard in the front, back, and sides. They began to head towards Saxhish’s barrier, looks of determination and readiness plastered on their faces. Since it was very early in the morning, around 2 a.m., there were no foxes or tourists around. He was extremely thankful for that. They stopped outside the barrier and got off their horses.

“Okay, everyone. Remember to be on your guard against this creature.”

The guards all nodded. The prince then levitated the chained orc towards the barrier, placing him in front of it. The guards drew their weapons, some consisting of swords, bow and arrows, staves, and rifles. He began to conjure a spell that would create a barrier around the area so that no citizens or tourists could enter it and be in danger.

“Liberi Dragasi,” he uttered, and a dim, jade intertwining duo of ripples emerged from his hand.

He lifted his hand up in the air, palm facing forward, and moved it all around the area, and a transparent barrier began to form. When the barrier surrounded the area till he was satisfied, he placed his hand down, causing the jade ripples to disappear. Although the barrier was transparent, anyone outside it would not see what was going on inside.

“This barrier,” he told them, “will prevent anyone or anything from entering. We cannot afford to endanger anyone.”

He then drew his sword, holding it firmly in his dominant hand. They waited for Saxhish’s barrier to open. Five minutes passed… nothing. Twenty minutes and still nothing. After a good forty-five minutes, he wondered if the creature had noticed that it was a trap. Did she know that the orc was just bait meant to lure her into opening her boundary? Was it like Nexi had said? Was Saxhish actually disgusted by the orcs appearance?

These were a few of the many questions that were racing through his mind. He sensed that the royal guards were also waiting in anticipation, some rubbing the sweat from their hands and others licking their lips. Another six minutes passed, and the boundary finally opened. The fox sighed and released the chains from the orc and made the electrical wall disappear.

“Don’t try anything funny,” the fox warned him, “Now, step into the boundary.”

The orc did as commanded and stepped inside, Yashiro following close behind with the guards. They were immediately hit with darkness. The spider woman’s barrier was at first as dark as night, then they were blinded by bright light. The light was so bright that they all temporarily lost their vision.

The light became bearable after a few seconds. Suddenly, a loud shriek was heard. It came from the orc. A bolt of raw adrenaline shot through his veins as he watched Saxhish cover the orc in her spiderwebs that were dripping in acid.. The guards and prince jerked their weapons above their shoulders, ready for battle.