Three quick knocks on the metal door breaks the dark silence and the door to the royal bunker is opened by a group of soldiers. The soldiers all looked tired and injured. Their armor was broken in places. Their signature Miqo appendages, their cat like ears and tails, were singed and matted with blood. Queen Tara and her daughter Eranor emerged from the bunker and walked out to meet with the king, King Trynamor. He stands tall over many of the Miqo around him, his blonder hair was puffed out and long to deliberately resemble a mane. The fact that he was the one greeting the two meant that the Miqo had won the battle, but one would not even have to ask to know that the losses suffered to get this victory were devastating.

Tara and Elanor appeared small next to the king, but matched the average heights of the Miqo around them. Tara brushed past everyone, her fiery red hair matching the quick determination in her steps as she reached her husband. Eranor was slower to walk, taking in the battle damaged troops and silently wishing them quick healing.

"How many did we lose?" Tara was all business as she talked to the king.

"Most of three whole battalions," he said in a tired voice. "The navy's in shambles, all of the costal cantons have been destroyed, and we were only able to destroy but a few of their airships."

"It was that one sided."

"They came at us with everything they had," Trynamor growled defensively at the accusation. "We knew they had better technology, but we could never have imagined. Whole battle groups of walking armor, a fleet of air ships. It's a miracle we were able to win at all."

Eranor peeked around a broken section of wall in the building they were in to look out onto what once was a road, but was now a battlefield. The neat path was littered with craters, bodies, and remnants of the hulking mechanical magic armors the elves attacked with. Eranor shuddered thinking that these giant robot suits were so close to her. Several Miqo were circled around one, examining it. It was a black metal monstrosity, vaguely resembling normal proportions with two legs and two arms, though each arm ended in a magic firearm, and the chest opened up to reveal a massive magic artillery cannon. These things could cause some damage and looking around it was apparent they did.

Several of the Miqo buildings around were either damaged, destroyed, or on fire. Gaping holes were in the sides of the multi-level cantons, and the bridges that connected their upper levels were all destroyed. Looking out to the ocean Eranor could see that, where once there were several floating cantons just off the coast, there was now a field of debris. The whole of the floating village was decimated. The beautifully designed Miqo cantons, were destroyed. Now their distinct levels like their shipping level at the bottom, residential, and market levels higher up, and their top level gardens, were now nothing more than floating debris clogging the ocean.

"How were we able to win at all," Tara said also overlooking the destruction.

"With help from our neighbors in Vas Naga," Trynamor said solemnly.

"The Naga?!" Tara suddenly grew a little angry. "How could you accept help from them? There's no telling what they're going to want in exchange."

"We didn't have a choice," Trynamor said flatly. "If they had not come to help us we would have lost."

"Without asking what their demands were?" Tara huffed looking away from her husband.

"There was not a lot of time to discuss it dear," Trynamor said exasperated. "Look around. We do not have the luxury of negotiating anymore."

"So we just submit ourselves to the whim of the Naga?"

"Yes!" Trynamor screamed in frustration. "Because the elves will attack again, and when they do we will be utterly destroyed unless we get help," There was a heavy pause over the room. The already tired soldiers stared at the ground with defeated looks on their faces. It hurt to hear they king already admit defeat but they all knew it was true. Even fighting at their best as they did today, it destroyed most of their resources. They just didn't stand a chance against the rune powered magical machines of the elves.

Eranor stared at the ground with the soldiers, she also felt their hopelessness in defeat. She had thought, perhaps naively, that this conflict could be stopped if everyone just stopped to talk to each other. Obviously the time for that had long since passed.

"Sir!" a Miqo from outside the building.

"Come," Trynamor said quickly to his wife and daughter.

"What's happening?" Eranor said in a panic fearing another attack.

"Calm down princess," Trynamor commanded. "We're moving further down the gold coast," he said as the group walked out of the heavily damaged canton. "The capitol isn't safe anymore, our scouts are already reporting heavy artillery being set up within range of the city, so we have to move." Tara was already following her husband but Eranor lagged behind.

"This was our home though," Eranor said with melancholy.

"Our home is gone," Tara said with anger.

"I know," Eranor said meekly. Trynamor sighed and turned to his daughter.

"I'm sorry my dear," she said grabbing her hand gently. "I'm sorry this had to happen. The world is cruel and unfair. I had hope to raise you here safely, but that's no longer an option for us."

"What's going to happen," Eranor spoke with concern. "If the elves come back." Trynamor sighed as he thought about the answer.

"The raptors are here," Tara interrupted Trynamor's thoughts. A Miqo soldier riding on a raptor was leading three other of the creatures behind it. The raptors were fairly large reptiles, and common mounts for the Miqo. They ran on two legs and had short arms, both with sharp claws at the end of them. Though naturally pack hunters, the creatures were otherwise not very intelligent and easily tamed if fed enough.

"As you can imagine our transportation network was destroyed," Trynamor explained to his daughter as he mounted one of the newly brought raptors.

"Hopefully you remember your riding lessons," Tara added as she settled onto the back of her raptor.

"I remember," Eranor sighed as she clambered up onto her own raptor, gently scratching its leathery skin on the bank of its pointed head.

"Follow close," Trynamor said quickly. "The way out is littered with war machines. I know the way but it's a rough path."

"I'm behind you," Eranor confirmed. With a nod Trynamor gently kicked his raptor, taking hold of reins around the beast's head it started quickly trotting down what remained of the road. Tara and Eranor followed suit following behind the king out of what was left of the capitol.

AUTHORS NOTES: ok everyone this is the start of our next long story. I hope this will be worth the bit of a hiatus I had getting it all ready. If you can't already tell this takes place in the same universe of Fantasy Wedding, and if you paid attention to the story in that one you might have a good idea when exactly this story takes place as well. Note that the two aren't connected other than that though, you don't need to read Fantasy Wedding to understand what's happening here. If you want to read the first real chapter right now then subscribe to my patreon over at https://www.patreon.com/bigred0603. As always I hope you all enjoy.