POV Alawion:
The wind carried the scent of blood and burning flesh, as I frantically searched for more arrows. My heart pounded in my chest, like a drum beat urging me to fight on. Sorus and Arnovia appeared through the haze, their eyes wide with fear. He caught my gaze and nodded, his expression somber. Relief washed over me for a brief moment – the young sprout was alive, at least for now.
"Alawion!" The grizzled soldier's voice broke through the chaos, his armor glistening with gore. "The deadric creatures are getting closer!"
"Give me a moment!" I snapped back, irritation flaring in my chest as I finally found a quiver of arrows. They weren't as finely crafted as the ones I had made back at the tavern in the first layer of the city, but they would have to do. My mind raced with worry for Ellehish, my heart aching for her safety. It was strange how she and Arnovia had come to feel like daughters to me.
"By the gods, what are these things?" another soldier gasped, his voice trembling as he stared at the nightmarish creatures swarming after survivors running towards the second gate. Their twisted forms were something out of a horror story, and I could see the terror reflected in the eyes of the defenders around me.
"Focus on protecting the people that are making their way over here!" I shouted, taking aim with my bow and letting an arrow fly. It struck one of the flying imps in mid-air, its screech cut short as it plummeted to the ground. "We'll find a way to stop them! We have to!"
As I loosed arrow after arrow, the mages beside me hurled spells into the fray. Arcs of lightning crackled through the air, incinerating the daedric creatures in an instant, while others were encased in ice, their twisted limbs shattering upon impact with the ground.
"Alawion," I whispered to myself as I nocked another arrow, "you must remain strong for them." The weight of responsibility and fear threatened to crush me, but I shoved it aside. Now was not the time for weakness.
"Keep fighting!" I bellowed, my voice cutting through the deafening cacophony of battle. "Don't let these Deadra take our city!"
My mind raced with thoughts of Ellehish and Arnovia, praying that they would be safe amidst this nightmare. With each arrow I loosed, I sent a silent plea to Y'ffre "Let us survive this horror, let us find a way to save those we love."
"Alawion!" A voice bellowed from behind the wall. I turned around, my heart racing, to find the captain of the Royal Guard storming towards me. The hulking figure approached, his two-handed battle axe slung across his back and his features hidden by an imposing helmet.
"Captain," I acknowledged him cautiously, bow in hand.
"This is your doing! With that strange elven magic of yours!" he accused, pointing an armored finger at me. His words stung like a slap to the face, but before I could defend myself, another voice rang out.
"You fool of a man! This was not her doing," the woman beside me shouted back, her eyes blazing with fury. It was Frerelie, a powerful half-elf mage whose raven hair cascaded down her back. "I have already studied her magic, and this" – she gestured to the chaos around us – "was not her. Your hate for anything magic and of elves blinds you!"
"Silence, half-breed!" the captain retorted, his voice dripping with disdain. "Of course, you would cover for your kind."
My chest tightened, anger boiling within me as Frerelie's hurt expression cut through me. But now wasn't the time for arguments; we had a battle to fight.
"Enough!" the commander of the city guards roared, his voice cutting through the tense atmosphere like a knife. He stepped in between me and the captain of the Royal Guard, his broad shoulders shielding me from the captain's wrath. "On my honor, I can assure you she had nothing to do with this." His words were firm, leaving no room for doubt.
"Thanks," I muttered, relief washing over me as he handed me another set of arrows. I glanced up at the sound of footsteps on the ladder and saw Arnovia taking her spot next to me, her bow ready and her eyes focused. The bond we shared went beyond friendship, and I knew she would stand by me through thick and thin.
"Let's focus on the daedric creatures attacking the city," the commander urged. As if on cue, a nightmarish screech of an imp echoed through the air.
"By the gods..." one of the guards whispered, his hand trembling as he clutched his sword. I couldn't help but agree as I surveyed the carnage beyond the safety of the second wall. Fires raged in the distance, their angry flames gnawing at the once-proud structures of the city. Black smoke billowed into the sky, a gruesome signal of our impending doom.
"Stay sharp," I instructed Arnovia, my voice barely audible above the cacophony of battle cries and deadly screeches. She nodded, her gaze never leaving the twisted forms of the daedric creatures swarming towards us.
"Arnovia, aim for the flying ones first," I directed, drawing an arrow and releasing it with practiced precision. It found its mark, piercing the wing of one of the grotesque, bat-like monsters. It plummeted to the ground, writhing in agony before being trampled underfoot by its fellow abominations.
"Got it," Arnovia replied, her own arrow finding the heart of another airborne fiend. The two of us became a deadly duo, our arrows cutting through the air like vengeful spirits, seeking out the horrors that threatened the city.
"Alawion!" Frerelie called out, her voice strained with effort as she unleashed a torrent of lightning upon a pack of reptilian beasts. "We're holding them back, but for how long?"
I gritted my teeth, my mind racing with the same question. "Just keep fighting," I told her, though my own doubts gnawed at the edges of my thoughts. How long could we last against this seemingly endless tide of darkness?
"Damn these creatures!" the guard commander bellowed from below, when he had left for below was beyond me but his voice was unmistakable. his sword glowing blue as he cleaved through yet another monstrosity. His words were punctuated by the wet crunch of steel meeting flesh and bone.
"Stay strong, everyone!" I shouted, trying to rally the faltering spirits around me. "We'll find a way through this!"
The deafening sounds of collapsing buildings filled the air, and I could feel the ground beneath my feet tremble from the destructive force of the deadric beasts.
"By the gods, look at them all..." Frerelie whispered, her dark blue eyes wide with a mixture of fear and awe as she surveyed the chaos unfolding around us. People screamed and fled in terror, their faces twisted in panic as they desperately sought refuge behind the second wall where we stood.
"Stay focused, Frerelie," I said firmly, gripping her arm for reassurance. The Breton woman nodded solemnly, her gaze never straying from the hellscape before us.
"Gerg, I need you to push forward with the guards to give the others a chance to make it in!" The Royal Guard commander ordered, his voice strained with urgency. His men moved towards the gate to assist, determination etched on their battle-worn faces. I watched as Sorus joined them, his sword slicing through the air with deadly precision as they battled and slayed the approaching Deadra.
"Look at this destruction," Frerelie murmured, her voice trembling with fear. "How can people possibly survive this without magic?"
"Magic or not, our resolve is what will carry us through this nightmare," I replied, my hand still gripping her arm, steadying both her and myself.
As we followed the ground forces, moving further away from the second wall, the heat from the fires intensified, and the acrid scent of ash and death filled our nostrils. Each step seemed to bring a new horror, a mother clutching her lifeless child, a soldier torn apart by monstrous claws, a once-grand building collapsing into dust and smoke.
"Look out!" Frerelie shouted suddenly, pushing me out of the way as a deadric creature sent an axe flying at me. The beast snarled, baring its fang-like teeth. Though this one had its horns snapped off, it seemed different from the one Ellehish had fought.
"Frerelie, now!" I yelled, bracing myself for her response.
With a fierce determination in her eyes, she let loose a barrage of lightning from both of her hands, forcing the creature to its knees. "Quick, someone kill it!"
A nearby knight commander didn't hesitate, decapitating the beast with one swift swing of his axe. We sprinted through the chaos, our hearts pounding in our chests, knowing that we could not falter. Not now.
"Thank you," I whispered to Frerelie, my voice barely audible amidst the cacophony surrounding us. She simply nodded, her gaze fixed on the battle ahead.
"Commander... I... I don't know if we can do this," one of the younger guards gasped, her voice cracking with emotion as she stared at the seemingly endless horde of deadric creatures. Their monstrous forms appeared even more grotesque in the flickering light of the fires that raged around us.
"Listen to me, milk drinker," the commander said, halting for a moment and locking eyes with his subordinate. His face was a mask of determination, sweat, and blood mixing on his skin. "We will survive this. We've come too far, and faced too much, to give up now. But we must stay strong and focused, for ourselves and our people."
"Right... right, you're right," the young girl stammered, nodding her head. Her hands tightened on her sword, knuckles turning white, but there was a newfound resolve in her eyes. "Let's keep going."
As we pressed on through the devastation, my heart ached for the suffering etched on the face of the bodies we came across, wemon and children were the worst ones. The screams of the injured and dying, the smell of charred flesh and burning wood, and the sight of corpses littering the ground haunted me at every turn.
"Keep your wits about you!" I shouted over the cacophony, forcing myself to focus on the present moment. My own fear and despair could wait until after the battle – if there was an 'after' at all.
" look out!" Arnovia cried, losing an arrow at a snarling beast that lunged for me from a pile of rubble. Its death throes were cut short as her arrow lodged itself deep in the creature's throat, black ichor oozing from the wound.
"Thanks, Arnovia," I panted, sparing her a grateful glance before turning my attention back to the horde. Time seemed to blur as we fought, each swing of our weapons and the flash of our magic becoming just another part of the endless dance of death.
"Damn these beasts!" I hissed under my breath, narrowly dodging a flurry of deadly claws. My adrenaline coursed through my veins. my determination to survive, to protect those who still lived.
"By the gods... What have we done to deserve this?" a soldier whispered, his voice choked with tears. He looked barely old enough to hold a sword, let alone face the horrors that had been unleashed upon us.
"Focus on staying alive," I snapped, refusing to let my own fear infect the others. "We can question the gods later."
The commander bellowed. "No matter what brought this hell upon us, we must stand together if we hope to survive it. Now fight, damn you all! Fight for your lives, your families, and your city!"
As our footsteps hit the pavement, visibility was low amidst the suffocating smoke and chaotic sounds of battle. A flicker of movement caught my eye, it was Gergs and his men, locked in combat with a pack of horrifying lizard like beings. Their maws were filled with sharp teeth, and their scaly bodies seemed impervious to most attacks.
"Watch out for their tails!" Frerelie warned as we drew closer, her voice tight with anxiety. The creatures used their whip-like appendages to deadly effect, snaring one of the knights by the leg and yanking him off his feet. I lifted my bow, aiming at its heart as it tore through the young lad's armor.
"Damn you, fiend! Release him now!" I shouted, releasing the arrow and watching as it pierced the creature's hide. The beast roared in pain but didn't loosen its grip on the knight.
His blood spilled out onto the ground as he cried out in agony, trying to slash at the creature with what little strength he had left. His blade only bounced off its hard scales, unable to find purchase. I could see the fear and desperation in his eyes.
"Alawion, focus on the others!" the City guard commander ordered, his own sword glowing with a dim blue light as he rushed toward the beleaguered knight. Rage and determination fueled every swing of his blade, carving through the Daedric creatures like scythes through wheat.
"Arnovia, take the ones on the left! Frerelie, support us with your magic!" I barked orders, my mind racing with possible strategies to turn this desperate situation around.
"MY BOY!" the City guard commander shouted, anguish etched on his face as he crouched down next to the lifeless form of the young knight. His eyes, wide open and filled with terror even in death, seemed to silently plead for help that would never come.
"Behind you, Sildsi!" Gergs bellowed, snapping me back to the gruesome scene unfolding around us. I lifted my drawn bow and released an arrow that pierced the throat of a Daedric creature before it could strike the grief-stricken commander. The beast gurgled, choking on its own blood, as it collapsed to the ground.
"Everyone, regroup! More are coming!" I yelled, turning my head away from the sight of the fallen knight.
"We need to fall back!" Gergs called out, cleaving through another monster as they fought their way toward the second wall of the city. "We can't hold them off forever!" The best we could hope for is that more people made it to safety.