Codex: Khaos Brigade
The origin of the Khaos Brigade could be traced to the times before the establishment of the Empire. To the times when the Fire Nation was still on Earth, and the Great War tore apart the entire world.
Originally known as the Khaos Hunters, it was an elite hunting force of the Partas Tribe that hunted the beasts for the Tribe and often clashed with the members of the Northern Water Tribe. Over the years and years of the constant warfare against the raids, these men and women developed a very unique skillset to survive against the vastly superior foes in terms of numbers.
After the incorporation into the forces of the Fire Nation, they were taken over by General Esdeath Partas, who expanded their numbers and trained them in the new doctrines and training regimes used by the wider Fire Nation Military.
Later in the modern Sacred Phoenix Kingdom, the Khaos Brigade is considered one of the most elite units of the entire nation. Most of its members are still recruited from the domains of the Partas Tribe, the Freljord, and are also trained in the old arts.
The Khaos Brigade answers commands only from General Esdeath Septim, and it is trained in unconventional warfare, which is the specialization of the Khaos Brigade. Their deployments are usually the most dangerous and hostile of battlefields.
During the Dark Portal Wars, Khaos Brigade was led by General Esdeath to clash against the strongest of the Orcish Clans, and the only thing that it left behind were tons of dead bodies and Orcish blood. The role of the Khaos Brigade was even more prevalent during the Second Dark Portal War and the invasion of Draenor by the forces of the Alliance.
The Khaos Brigade obtained notoriety on a similar level to the Sardaukar, because, like their compatriots, the Khaos Brigade took no prisoners. They only killed, and they always slaughtered all of their enemies till the last one.
Most of the Eastern Kingdoms don't usually have that favorable impression of the Khaos Brigade due to their infamy and how they handled things. However, most of this discontent came from the kingdoms on the Lordaeron Continent, which was mainly attributed to the previous tensions between the Nobility of the northern kingdoms and the Fire Nation.
Among the Imperial Citizens, it is considered a great honor to be inducted into the Khaos Brigade, because of its harsh requirements and status that it holds within the Empire. One needs to know that within the Sacred Phoenix Empire, named Legions are very rare.
The concept of the Named Legions is basically that the military unit has its own name and not just a numbered classification. Titled Legion are stepping forward, as they usually have their very own Title bested either by the Emperor, Elder Council, or one of the Empresses.
Till this day, there are only a few titled Legions in the entire Empire, and being part of the named Legion is considered enormous prestige for any Imperial Citizen.
Khaos Brigade, the Emperor's Hunters, The Sarduakar, the Emperor's Blades, Templars, the Shields and Hammers of the Faith, and Imperial Bending Legion, the Elementalists of the Imperium, are the stellar and prime examples of the named titled Legions of the Empire. Every year, there are countless applicants from the other branches of the Military or the graduates of the Sacred Jia Nan Academy to be inducted into one of these Legions.
- On the Militaries of the Azeroth by Esdeath Septim, Year 21 ADP, Sacred Phoenix Empire
***
Sacred Phoenix Kingdom, Freljord, Howling Abyss
Howling Abyss was one of the Provincial Cities of the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom, and it was also the biggest city, or rather, biggest settlement, in the Freljord. The harsh and unforgiving lands of Freljord were one of the most hostile and dangerous flora and fauna out of all of the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom.
In the modern age, it was the home to the Partas Tribe.
One of the Principal Clans of the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom and the strongest Aristocratic Clan of the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom. Aside from being the home to the Partas Tribe, the Freljord was also an enormous military installation, as the remote island was a bit far from the rest of the Fire Islands Archipelago.
One of the Titled Legions, the Khaos Brigade, was also stationed in the Freljord.
The Frostguard Citadel was an ancient stronghold built to watch over the dark chasm of the Howling Abyss, the Citadel also houses many of the Freljord's hidden treasures and historical records.
Currently, there was another wave of extreme freezing weather over the Frostguard Citadel, as there were not many people striding through the streets of the Howling Abyss. The Freljord was a land of extreme frost and cold, as the entire island was permanently covered in snow and ice.
"The training is proceeding as planned, Your Majesty General."
Esdeath was right now in the depths of the Frostguard Citadel, overseeing the newest batch of recruits of the Khaos Brigade training. Her second-in-command, Lieutenant General Liver, gave her reports on the matters of the development of the Khaos Brigade.
As this was also the seat of the Partas Clan, she was here not only to check on the development of her personal unit, but also to visit her family. Which she considered a mistake, because her father was pestering her about the matter of children.
Which was a sour spot for her.
Though not only for her, but also for Azula and June to a lesser extent. Azula was also very distraught that she didn't have a child with Aenarion, and till now, only Irene has been lucky enough to get pregnant.
Though both of them knew that once they got to the Legendary Level, it would be much easier for them to conceive the children, as the power disparity between them wouldn't be that wide.
Right now, they were at the Champion Level.
"Your Majesty! There is a report from the Freljord's Navy!"
Suddenly, one of the officers rushed to the training grounds within the Frostguard Citadel in a hurry, carrying a report from the latest battle. Esdeath's eyes instantly narrowed because she noticed that the man had a uniform of the Royal Marine Corps and must have rushed here from the ports directly.
The fact that someone dared to attack the Fire Nation was rather shocking, considering their national power, and if the report was from the navy, then it meant that they were being attacked by the sea.
And there aren't many subjects that have the capabilities to pull such an attack.
"Immediately alert the 7th, 8th, and 9th Royal Legions. Send a message to the 4th Royal Naval Fleet and 5th Royal Air Fleet and tell their Admirals to be on a state of emergency. Notify the Provincial Guard to immediately start locking down the isle. Contact the Homeland about this development."
Esdeath barked one order after another in speed that would be problematic to even remember correctly for an average person, because there were too many of them, but the woman instantly reacted to the situation.
The Sacred Phoenix Kingdom's Royal Army consisted of the ten Royal Legions, with each Legion numbering 50,000 troops. Meaning that just the Kingdom's standing Army numbered half a million, which was now around 10% of the entire nation's population.
Freljord, as the island that was technically pretty close to the Azeroth continent's mainland, was heavily protected. There were three Royal Legions stationed, one entire Fleet that consisted of 30 vessels of various classes, and one Air Fleet that also consisted of the same number of vessels just for the Air.
This didn't include the number of the Provincial Guards and the Khaos Brigade that were stationed here, too.
If the Freljord was being attacked, then it was done by someone who had sufficient manpower to attack the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom. In terms of Naval Power, only the Kul Tiras could pull it through, but she knew that they lacked the air capabilities to counter their Air Fleets.
So there were only two possibilities.
Either this attack was the combination of the kingdoms on the Lordaeron that were now ambushing them, or this was an entirely new foe that was unknown even to the nations of Azeroth.
She wouldn't be surprised by any of the outcomes.
The relationship with the Lordaeronese nations wasn't the all-time best for the various resources.
The Imperial Cult was a big one; then, the majority of the human nobles hated Fire Nations due to their concept of nobility, which was sacrilege in their eyes; then, there was the concept of general enmity and many other reasons.
The only one with whom the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom had some positive relationship was Stromgarde, as Dalaran wasn't counted because it was a Magocratic Nation and not a traditional kingdom in the true sense.
And when it came to the second possibility, Esdeath, like others within the highest echelon of the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom, was aware that this world was big, and they were aware of only a small part of the landmass of Azeroth.
"Lieutenant General Liver!"
Lieutenant General Liver was a tall man with gray hair worn in a long ponytail, blue eyes and a mustache. He wore the standard black uniform like his counterparts in the Khaos Brigade, and he was the second-in-command of the entire Khaos Brigade.
"Prepare the troops of the Brigade for the invasion of the Island. Coordinate with my father about the defenses of the Howling Abyss. We are going to give them hell!"
Esdeath said as the man saluted in acceptance of the order. He was the man who belonged to the older generation of the Partas Tribe and was a very powerful Waterbender on his own; currently, he was also one of the strongest Waterbenders in the entire kingdom.
There were not many powerful Waterbenders at the peak Hero Level, and he wasn't that far from reaching the Champion Level.
As the 2nd Queen of the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom, it was her sacred duty to defend her nation, and after seventeen years of peace, Esdeath was already thirsty for some good old bloodshed.
In fact, Azula was the very same.
Only June was content with what there was right now, albeit she was a bit bored.
But that was all.
Esdeath wanted war, but unfortunately for her, there were no wars or any major conflicts during the past seventeen years. Aside from the Dragon Hunts for the Bronze Dragons that were hiding across the Eastern Kingdoms...
But even that became pretty much rare.
As the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom grew more and more powerful, obtained more powerhouses and more powerful Orbal Technology, and even the Bronze Dragons became just another obstacle to be removed.
That left only the annual troll hunts, which she didn't enjoy or appreciate.
There was no challenge in that one.
Nothing.
Hopefully, this time it would be different and perhaps even allow her to reach the Legendary Level, as she was stuck at the barrier for several years already.
***
Valflame Palace, Several Moments Later
When they teleported back to the Valflame Palace, the first thing that happened was that Erza received a scolding from her mother, and Irene was extremely angry. It seemed that she found it only appropriate to give her daughter some schooling, too.
Irene was angry that Erza again skipped her lessons, which were happening more often, as she grew older, because she found them boring. There was a lot of study included in that too and it wasn't really much up to her taste, as she liked more practical things.
Even though she understood the sentiments, it didn't mean that she was happy to see her daughter skipping classes on etiquette and history, as those were the most boring in the little girl's opinion.
Aenarion just sat in the back, because technically, he knew that his wife was right. Even though he agreed with the opinion that Etiquette Classes were beyond boring, and he himself would have probably fallen asleep during them.
Even right now, Aenarion barely knew anything about the proper Aristocratic Etiquette aside from the crash course that Azula gave him here and there. But that was probably everything, and the rest wasn't really that important to him.
Either way, he was the King of the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom, a Legendary Level powerhouse, and his temper was notoriously infamous. Nobody would dare to say anything to his face or even behind his back, in fear that the Omni would hear and deal with them.
And when he looked at his daughter's habits, he knew that she would probably be the same, as even right now, she developed the habit of using a sword first and asking questions later.
He didn't know if she got it from him or Irene...
Or Azula... Esdeath... perhaps June?
Now that he thought about it, there was probably a lack of really positive role models for the children.
He certainly really wasn't the one... and now that he thought about it, Esdeath and Azula had as far from being positive role models as it was humanly or not possible. June was... someone who was morally very neutral.
Nevertheless, after Irene stopped scolding Erza, she sent her back to her class to catch up on what she had missed. Then her attention rested on Aenarion, who felt that something bad would come, as always.
"Now what with you... We already spoke about this more than ten times."
Irene muttered as this was a conversation that had been repeated over and over.
And the result was usually pretty similar, as Aenarion would always go with Erza's whims, as he could really say no to her unless one of his other wives was present and stated that he couldn't allow her to skip her lessons as much as she wanted.
"I know, but you know... she always is so sad when she comes and looks like a beaten puppy on the street."
Aenarion tried to defend himself, but that only ended with Irene gazing at him with a more intense glare.
"That's because she knows that you are the sole person on whom it works. She is smart enough to realize that neither I, Esdeath, nor Azula would give in to her whims... June may just be for the entertainment under some circumstances... but with you, she knows that it's guaranteed, and our daughter is sometimes too smart for her own good."
Irene knew her daughter the best, and she knew why her daughter was always going to her father when she wanted something. She certainly wouldn't go to her or any of her sister wives, because Erza figured out long ago that they were pretty strict.
And even someone like Esdeath, who didn't care about the more formal education, would either send her back or drag her into some hard, laborious physical training. Azula was the embodiment of the perfection given form; for her, skipping etiquette class was as unacceptable as skipping one for combat.
"But you have to admit that she has too much energy on her hands and is a pretty hyperactive child that needs something to use all of her energy."
Aenarion knew that Erza was just getting bored... she was too active, and with her heritage, she was getting bored pretty easily if she didn't get enough external stimuli to keep her entertained.
"I think that we should arrange for her teaching to let her start serious training in swordsmanship. Even though she is just eight, her physical strength is no lower than some of the elite troops in the army due to her species and Lineage. This way, she would have a place where to burn some excessive energy, start training at an early age, and most importantly... it would be a nice gift for our daughter."
Now that he put it that way, it was hard to counter it with something, as Irene seriously pondered over what he said.
"It doesn't sound that bad, at least she would be able to sit still during the Magic Classes. Do you have someone in mind?"
Irene asked, since neither she nor Aenarion was a swordman, so they would need to arrange for someone to teach them.
"Yes... a few people are already on that matter, though I cannot decide on the concrete person who would be best suited for the task..."
Just as Irene was about to say something, she suddenly spaced out, as Aenarion knew that someone was contacting her through Magical means or that she was receiving a notification from the ODIN System.
Not even several seconds later, he knew that it was from the ODIN System, because he received the very same message.
A bunch of ships, if they could even be called such, crossed the territorial waters of the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom and were approaching the Freljord. When Aenarion looked at the ships more in detail, and saw the beings that were inhabiting them.
The answer was clear.
The beings there were huge, clad like barbarians with sparse clothing, armor pieces, and wielding very crude weapons or weapons that did not belong to them, as some were too sophisticated.
The beings had green skins, very muscular physiques, and were tall, around two meters and something on average, with the highest of them reaching even two and a half meters or even a bit more.
Orcs.
The minions of the Burning Legion were the catalyst for the decades of brutal wars that would change the landscape of Azeroth forever and ever.
It seemed that the events of the Canon had begun.
Yet what the Aeanrion was feeling was dread.
The world that he knew had changed too much already, and there were too many echoes in the streams of time. The appearance of tons of Evil Cults and Gods know what else was just another testament to it.
The fact that the Bronze Dragonflight was out of the game also meant, most unfortunately, that Aenarion couldn't follow the canon events. Everything had changed too much, and something was telling him that it had changed for the worse.
The fact that Horde already appeared near the borders with the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom meant that they were on Atzeorth.
In great numbers.
Hidden from everyone's sight.
Even that of ODIN.
Which meant that Medivh... or rather Sargeras was acting carefully.
There was a very high possibility that the number of Orcs that would cross over the Dark Portal would be exponentially bigger than that in the canon. Just to counter the new variables on the board and the Orbal Technology that was now available to practically everyone in the Eastern Kingdoms in one form or another.
Aenarion knew that the following events happening in the Eastern Kingdoms would be much different from those in the Canon. Too much had changed, and Aenarion was sure that Sargeras was watching everything through Medivh's eyes.
The appearance of the Orbal made the nations of Stormwind, Gnomeregan, and Ironforge incapable of being stronger than they were in the past.
Even Quel'Thalas profited immensely from the Orbal Technology, or the other northern kingdoms that also had some Orbal machinery bought from the Fire Nation at an exorbitant price.
"I will go summon the War Council. You go and activate the defenses around the entire Islands and send a notification to Stormwind."
Aenarion said, as it was rather mind-boggling how the Orcs could have escaped their sight in the Black Morass. Just thinking about it made Aenarion cringe, because there were two explanations for this.
Either Medivh opened the portal after the annual troll hunt that took place several months ago, or he used extremely powerful Demigod-level Magic to hide the presence of the Greenskins in Azeroth.
Both explanations were plausible enough.
And with that...
The entire Fire Nation went into a state of War.
***
Several Moments Later, Elder Council Meeting Room, Valflame Palace
The meeting of the Elder Council was called instantly, as everyone hurried to the meeting room of the Elder Council.
The fact that the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom was being attacked was a huge thing, and the militaristic nature of the Kingdom showed itself in full, as the entire Elder Council assembled in mere fifteen minutes.
Irene had already activated the ODIN System, which was now monitoring the entire area of the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom, its territorial waters, and regions near the border. Though, the atmosphere in the Council room was...
Rather, it was pretty gloomy, and everyone was serious about this matter.
Nobody who had a seat on the Elder Council was stupid.
Everyone knew that the ODIN System was monitoring most of the continent of Azeroth, and even at its lowest power and monitoring output, it wasn't something your average Mage could fool.
It meant that this was the work of a very powerful Mage or faction that was attacking the Fire Nation right now.
Either way, it was clear to everyone that the war was inevitable right now.
Aenarion didn't wait for any more as he directly started the briefing as the last members of the Elder Council took their seats when the Supreme Commander of Onmitsukidō, Shihōin Yoruichi, and Secretary of Finance and Treasury, Blackgold Savek Stormhammer, arrived.
"Approximately twenty minutes ago, we received notification from the Freljord's Navy and ODIN System that there is a hostile fleet approaching the shores of the Freljord. The hostiles are unknown, but we are detecting approximately four hundred vessels of various sizes approaching the island, but none of the ships seemed to be armed, or their weapons are not visible. According to the scans of the ODIN, most of these ships are just transport boats and ferries and are transporting the hostiles into the island."
Aenarion stated as he tapped several buttons on the console, as it displayed the images of the ships and the beings that were on them. They termed them as "Greenskins" because the name of the species was actually unknown, but the name was really apt as the species had almost exclusively a green skin.
He knew that it was a taint of the Fel from drinking Mannoroth's Blood.
Long ago, Kil'jaeden, one of the Demon Lords of the Burning Legions, dispatched Pit Lord Mannoroth to Draenor.
Kil'jaeden then ordered the warlock to shed Mannoroth's blood in order to provide it to the clan chieftains of the Horde. One by one, they drank from the Chalice of Rebirth, falling prey to the blood-curse, with some exceptions, such as Durotan of the Frostwolf. The chieftains' corruption nevertheless quickly spread to the rest of the Horde, and ultimately, most orcs were engulfed by a demonic bloodlust that damned them.
This was their enemy.
"Now, Queen Esdeath has already mobilized the defenses of the Freljord, but it's inevitable that most of these ships will land on the island. Right now, as we are speaking, Howling Abyss is undergoing lockdown, and every man or woman capable of fighting is being conscripted into the militia as the Auxiliary Troops. Now then, Sky Marshal Zhao."
Aenarion explained the situation, which didn't seem that positive, as he called the Sky Marshall Zhao.
"Order the 4th Air Fleet to rush to the Freljord from patrol duty and join the defenses. Mobilize the Royal 1st Air Fleet in half an hour and prepare for departure for the Freljord, and coordinate with the Sarduakar that would be dispatched to the island."
Sky Marshall Zhao Ming nodded as he accepted the order. The Sacred Phoenix Kingdom had a mirror system to the fleet, four Naval Fleets, and four Air Fleets. This mirroring system was created because the Fleets of both kinds were always fighting together as one.
The 1st Fleets were termed "Royal Fleets" because they were stationed in the Imperial City of Wei-Jin and often served as the defense fleets of the Homeland and, in time of war, as the personal Fleet of the King.
"As His Majesty Commands!"
The Sky Marshal saluted and left the Elder Council room to carry out the orders, as the time was tight.
"June, contact Stormwind, Ironforge, Gnomeregan, Dalaran, and Quel'Thalas. Inform them of these developments. Especially the kingdoms on Azeroth and Khaz-Modan. If these creatures are attacking us, it's highly possible that their attack is coming from the southern Azeroth and Black Morass. Meaning that they would be next."
He looked at his 3rd Wife, who was the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, because he knew that the Dark Portal must have been opened in one of the areas not under the control of Stormwind or the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom.
Possibly one of the more inhospitable areas close to the sea and Steamweedle Cartels.
"Uncle Iroh, as Esdeath is currently indisposed, you will be handling the affairs of the Department of Homeland Security. Immediately alert all provinces of the War, especially the Colonies in Black Morass, and order them to mobilize with their full force, and order General Shinu to close the Great Bastion and activate all defenses to the maximum. Next, High General Bujing!"
The elderly High Chancellor of the Kingdom nodded with a determined expression. Even though he was a man who despised war and preferred peace, he knew that to protect the peace, one must be ready to fight and die for it.
"Yes, Your Royal Majesty!"
High General Bujing, for the past seventeen years, did a splendid job in cultivating the military into what it is today.
"Find some Mages to open a portal for you to the Great Bastion and assess the situation. If there were an invasion, I want to have you on the frontlines and coordinate the defenses with General Shinu."
Aenarion didn't leave anything to the accident. He could guess that in canon, there were at least one million Greenskins that crossed the Dark Portal. Now, all things considered, he predicted that this number could be at least three times that number... perhaps even more.
He hoped that with the very fast reaction and strong defenses, they could withstand the endless hordes of the Orcs, before all the kingdoms created an alliance to fight against them. Aenarion knew that it was not in the capacity of the Fire Nation and Stormwind alone to defeat them.
Without the involvement of Lordaeron, it would be impossible.
"Now... the next thing... Irene will send Psijics to capture a few of the creatures to conduct a comprehensive analysis on them to see what we are facing. Aside from that... Imperial Bending Legion, Templar Order, and Iscariot are to be mobilized and sent support to the Freljord and Great Bastion. Meeting adjourned."
As Aenarion said that, nobody spoke during the entire meeting because they knew not to interrupt the King, and Aenarion just handled the most important thing, even without any intervention.
Orders.
He was confident that his subordinates were capable enough to handle the other matters without his input.
Soon enough, the only people that remained in the Elder Council chambers were him, Azula, June, Irene, and Yoruichi.
Yoruichi Shihōin was a slender yet athletically fit woman of curvaceous frame and average height. She had dark skin, golden irises, and black hair, which was waist-length and kept in a ponytail, with chin-length bangs framing the sides of her face. Her standard attire consisted of a black, backless, sleeveless undershirt, an orange over-shirt with two white straps on each shoulder, a large beige sash around her waist, and black stretch pants with a pair of lightweight brown shoes.
She was the current Supreme Commander of Onmitsukidō and also the Heiress of the Shihōin Clan, one of the Great Principal Clans. The Shihōin Clan was a very old, traditional Clan in the Fire Nation that predated most of the Fire Clan.
Aside from the small fact that they were not the most favored people of the previous Fire Lord Ozai and the Fire Lords before him... overall, due to their old Lineage, the Shihōins were not entirely under the authority of the Fire Lord Lineage.
Like the Fēng Clan, the Shihōin Clan were experts at assassinations and moving in the shadows. Each generation, they produced extremely strong Lightning Benders, as they were a unique case of Benders.
They had an overhelming aptitude for the Lightning in the Shihōin Clan was ridiculous.
Aenarion and Yoruichi had some interesting history between them, as they had known each other since childhood. Yoruichi was even Aenarion's first crush... but the woman was... problematic and temperamental like a cat.
"So... these are the Orcs that you were talking about?... They don't look much aside from being lowly barbarians...."
Azula's opinion on the Orcs wasn't really that far from reality. Aenarion's previous life wasn't actually that secret between him and his wife, because over time, some of them had already noticed the inconsistencies and the fact that he often knew much more than he let on.
Over time, Aenarion somehow communicated it out...
His most plausible idea was that all the stories on Earth were real, according to the theory of Parallel Dimensions, which held that there existed an infinite number of Parallel Dimensions.
Somehow, some people got information on the different dimensions, and they created stories based on those parallel Dimensions.
"Don't underestimate them... if what Aenarion told us is true, then they are puppets of the Burning Legion and they would be coming in huge numbers. We need to prepare for the total war against the Horde and the Burning Legion."
Even though Irene shared the same idea about the Orcs, she was far more pragmatic than Azula, and if what Aenarion told them was true...
These past days were the last days of peace in Azeroth for the next decades.
The Dark Portal Wars, as Aenarion described them, would reshape the face of Azeroth in fire and blood.
"According to my knowledge, they should have a few Legends or people capable of unleashing the Legendary Level of might. Not to mention, Gul'dan should be a Demigod-level powerhouse."
He wasn't sure about the last one, but he worked with the idea that he was.
Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.