It was a dark morning in Yourz. Ash blocked out the sun over the city. Days of mage fire roasting the city had filled the sky with a growing ash cloud. Some rays of light might pierce the clouds before the sun sets but the growing black fog over the city had been growing for almost a week.
The mage walked out the front door of the overgrown hospital. His beasts and sacrifices of orange coats had reshaped the yard and building. The grass in the yard had grown to waist height as flowers bloomed across the lawn. Creeping vines covered in a rainbow of flowers reached to the second-floor windows where bees nests spilled outside the building.
The smell of smoke tickled Albies nose and upset his diseased lungs. The air outside caused him regular coughing fits even the absorption of life could not prevent. Liquid unlife squirmed on the cobles by his feet as the evil liquid found nothing to feed on.
"Children," declared the mage through his mind link. "Today I kill Brand. Scab, you, and your siblings will distract the solders in the bank. Throw at them whatever force you wish. the lurkers and the grey lady will assist. Spiders you will build traps in the streets so that the nights and cavalry cannot come to Brands aid. The walking nests and the other beasts will come with me. I expect he shall spend the energy in his sun stones by about noon."
A bombardment of thoughts echoed their understanding.
"And me master?" Squeaked Bags.
"You and your children will guide me and observe brand," answered the mage.
"Okay!" declared the rat skittering proudly down an alley. Her nose pointed into the sky proud as could be to lead her master down the back alleys and streets where no men would notice them. The former crows the pig and the walking nests followed behind their master in a parade of monsters.
The group walked closer to the source of the burning smell. Pillars of smoke began to reach to the blackened sky. The large rats and flying crows dispersed into the sewers and sky. The parade moving at Bags pace.
Before noon the group had gone around the city bank undisturbed by the orange coats and had begun to walk through the charred remains of the city. Ash cooled on crumbling black bricks. Ahead they could see the embers still give of faint red light.
The path of lord Brand was black and red. All other colors where choked out by the black smoke overhead. The mage coughed. A few of the birds and rats had to flee from the ash in the air. The Bees seemed reluctant to leave the nest. Looking at the rats Albie noticed one had a musket on its back and another a stolen cartridge box. Albie wondered if the rats knew how to use the gun.
"Orange two leg has no more fire," Declared the Bags.
"Scab," thought Albie. "It is time to begin. Take what you can kill what you cannot."
"Yes father," responded three voices.
"We kill lord Brand now!" declared the mage.
The crows overhead cawed and shrieked from above him.
"Brand dies today!" they screamed in inhuman voices. The birds circled a pillar of fire down the street. Gunshots could be heard from down the street. A chorus of guns echoed behind them where the orange coats where no doubt surrounded by a hoard of dead men. In the street in front of him an orange burst of flame jumped into the air. It looked like the flair used the night of the ambush but today help would not be coming.
The flying beasts circled his pray laughing and taunting the men below. A vision of lord Brand surrounded by twenty knights and ten mounted solders was borrowed from one of the flying beasts. The sunstones on Brands chest were devoid of light except for one. Perhaps he was not a complete fool.
The life force of others burning inside him the moon mage began to run in the direction of the sun mage. His ground beasts close behind. His ground beasts charged ahead. The grounded crows seemed to go the fastest. Following behind at a quick jog was a pig the size of a covered wagon. The rats big and small vanished.
The only creatures keeping pace with the mage where the walking beehives.
The flying beasts began to dive at the formation of men as he got closer. The sound of men shouting curses filled Albies ears as he saw pillars of flame shoot into the sky. In front of him the ground crows turned a corner and charged.