On the five metre stone wall that surrounded Groggic's town. A Knight and Mage stood at their post. The two men sat over the edge sharing a bowl of sweet grapes. They stared off into blue skies, with wisps of white clouds above them. The gentle breeze blew against their faces with the warm sun bathing them for the perfect day. From the tree line, three legions of Elven warriors bordered the town. They now wore sleek emerald leather armour, with a single arming sword by their hip, and buckler on their forearm. The gate of their respective affinity, was imprinted onto the face, of their bucklers. They blended perfectly to the canopy provided by the old trees.
There were three captains to the legions, two of them were burly men, wearing large plates of silver armour. Ul'lanna was the third, slender yet tall captain. She wore a more sleek form fitting armour, wielding a nodachi. The longer katana was forged from a metal native to the south. Mythril a nearly weightless metal, with the durability of Adamantine. The silver tsuba guard flared upwards, forming the gate of fire magic,. "What are we waiting for? We should kill them all now." An Elven warrior said irritated, impatiently tapping the hilt of his arming sword. "We wait for the commanders signal." The female captain ordered.
They watched on, as the knight and mage shared a laugh on the wall. The towering Elven commander marched in, adorned in full Adamantine plate armour. His salet and gorget shaped as the head of a Wyrm. On his side a large quiver with arrows the size of a man. In his grip a war bow that stood as tall as him. He nocked an arrow aiming at the unsuspecting pair. "For the glory of Kal'Nar!" He roared loosing the arrow. "FOR THE GLORY KAL'NAR!" They all chanted, charging out.
The Knight and Mage glanced up to hearing the chant. The large arrow ripped through the mage, eviscerating the torso chunks. The bloody remains scattered in the stone streets, and over the unsuspecting townsfolk. The stunned knight reeled back in horror, trembling in fear. He gazed up watching the three hundred Elven warriors charging in, waving their arming swords. He turned down to the townsfolk, screaming with all his might. "ELVEN AT-" an arrow ripped through his heart, becoming wedged through his plate armour. The knight plummeted off the wall splattering on the ground. The towns folk shrieked and wailed in fright. A third arrow was loosed, blowing a part of the wall.
The Elven warriors poured in, disembowelling everyone in sight. The knights were overrun in an instant, parrying perhaps one blow, before being tackled and hacked down. The mages were hacked down as they tried to open their gates. The men who tried to stand and fight, were brutally and savagely cut down from all angles. As the women cried and screamed, trying to run away with their children. They were yanked back by their hair. "RUN!" was their last words to their terrified children, before their throats were slit open. Some children followed running in a daze of fear, others froze in place, and some gave up. But all them were killed the same, cut down and their eyes then burned out, with fire or light magic.
Ul'lanna, stepped through the entrance. She instantly felt a pit of disgust grow inside of her. She thanked the fact, she had a helmet to cover her disgust. This was not glory that the King and Queen promised. This was nothing but a senseless butchering. Those knights and mages weren't a threat whatsoever, the town could have been captured without killing. The pungent scent of bloody entrails, with the smell of bellowing smoke, made Ul'lanna nauseous and sick. The other captains stood by her taking a deep breath, revelling in the scent of death, with the Commander towering behind her. "Pathetic, how did we lose these weaklings 20 years ago?" He growled.
"We didn't need to kill the women and children." Ul'lanna said, trying to fan away the smell. The three of them glared at her. "Are you showing weakness?" The Commander growled, clutching her shoulder. "The women could have been sold as whores to Artaraxus, and the children as docile slaves." She said coldly. The Commander bellowed out a deep laugh, holding his stomach "You got me Captain. Here I was thinking you were showing weakness, but you're just being pragmatic." He said. Before slapping the back, of the other two captains behind their helmets. "Why can't you two think like that? Now we destroyed a whole town for nothing." He snapped.
The sickness in Ul'lanna's stomach grew, her words made it unbearable. She clutched her stomach, and bowed to the commander. "May I be excused Commander?" She asked. "Where are you going? Are you not going to revel in glory?" The other captain jabbed. "Unless you want to watch, me shit in front of you. I'll be finding somewhere discreet." She snapped walking away. The Commander chuckled, as the captain went red. "You are excused Captain." He said. Ul'lanna bowed, walking with haste. When they turned she entered into a sprint, clutching her mouth and stomach, entering into the tree line. She tossed her helmet aside, dry retching clear fluids. She was thankful again, that she skipped breakfast.
Her long silky black hair was braided, with a fringe that hung over her dark tanned skin, and pointed ears. Her eyes normally a pale green, were strained red from wringing her insides. She looked back to the burning town. The screams had gone quiet, but they still rung out in her head. This is not what they promised during training. What glory was there to be found, attacking a town, that could barely hold its own against a small draken? She clenched her jaw, slamming her fist into the tree. This could not be what she trained 15 years for. This could not be what her parents wanted.
A giant golden lightning bolt shot out into the sky, the thunderous boom shook the ground, startling her. She drew her nodachi, running as fast as she could. She passed through scorched and smouldering alleyway. She gasped, her face white with horror, seeing the burnt remains of her soldiers. She cursed before another thundering bolt of lightning shot into the sky. Ul'lanna ducked covering her ears. She quickly stood up running towards the source, finding the Elven warriors gathered in a circle. "IS THAT ALL YOU CUNTS GOT!?" A male voice bellowed out proudly. Ul'lanna pushed her way to the front. In the middle, were the other two captains, turned into a gelatinous blob of burnt flesh saturated in metal. The abhorrent stench stung her nostrils, and made her retch.
In the middle stood Groggic. A stout man entering into his late fifties. He clung to the thin wisps of hair around his head, compensating with his bushy white beard. A trail of blood trickled from the deep gash over his arm. The gate of lightning magic encircled him. He held his hands out ready to cast another bolt. "Get the fuck out of my town! Losing once wasn't enough!?" He spat. The warriors were stoic and silent, their faces hidden behind their emerald masks. The Commander however bellowed out a deep laugh, looming before Groggic. He was almost twice his size. "I guess you're next huh!" Groggic said raising his hands. The Commander chuckled. "Who are you acting brave for? Your people are all dead. No one will remember your 'valiant' effort." Groggic took a fleeting glance at his surroundings. The hundred of silent gazes upon him. "What do you want?" He asked. "Run along to the Citadel. And tell your Grand Knights and Mages, that Kal'Nar has come to take what is rightfully theirs." The commander declared. "STRIKE!" Groggic yelled defiantly pointing his hands toward the Commander.
A golden lightning bolt shot out. Ul'lanna leapt in front, absorbing the lightning bolt, and redirecting it into the sky. Groggic stared on stunned, stepping back. He lost his focus and the gate closed. "How...how..." He stammered. "Well done Captain, you broke his spirit with a simple redirection." The Commander applauded. "Can we kill him and be done with it?" She asked angrily. "The stench is rancid." She said trying not to retch at the smells becoming stronger. "I suppose his spirit is already broken." He said glumly. "Have they sent word to the Citadel yet?" The Commander asked.
"No Commander, we killed all of them before they were able to send a message." A warrior stated. "Now, little man. Will you reconsider sending a message to the Citadel?" He asked offering out his hand. Groggic nodded eagerly whimpering and crying. "I'll send the message, I don't want to die." He pleaded. He took the Commander's hand. "Oh there seems to have been a misunderstanding. Your death is going to be the message." He said crushing Groggic's hand. He shrieked in agony reeling back and trying desperately to free his hand. The sound of bones crunching and blood squirting, made Ul'lanna queasy. She grimaced under the helmet. The Commander swung Groggic in the ground. His ribs shattered, and his legs twisted and snapped. Groggic hacked up a pool of blood, gasping and wheezing. The Commander snapped his neck, tearing it off with one hand. He tossed the body aside, a fountain of bloody mist shot out. "TAKE EVERYTHING, IN THE NAME OF KAL'NAR!" He roared displaying the bloodied head high into the air.
The Elven warriors scattered through the town, pillaging every resource. The Commander laughed, tossing the head aside. Groggic's twisted expression of agony was imprinted onto his head. Frozen like a sculpture. Ul'lanna turned away, before feeling the Commander tap her pauldron. "Are you feeling alright Captain?" He asked. "I'm fine Commander. The food up north isn't sitting well with me." She said walking away. "I'd believe you, if I saw you eat anything." He growled, tightening his grip. Her heart raced. Did he know she was being weak? "Are you showing weakness in my army?" He asked spinning her around. She steeled her expression. To show weakness in Kal'Nar's army meant being flogged and flayed. But as a woman, it was worse. To be made into a breeder.
She had seen the women forced into pillories, paraded through the street, bare and degraded. Their only purpose in life to give birth to new soldiers, or satisfy the ravenous men. The thought of her becoming one of those, made her shudder. "No, Commander. I am not showing weakness in your army." She said firmly. "Then, why do you look so sick at the sight of death?" He shouted. She shied away. "My blood has come. I am sorry Commander Argul. I will try harder to control my emotions." She said softly bowing. Commander Argul went red under his armour, shying away and cleared his throat. "No it's quite alright Captain. I will give you an easier task if that is the case." He said avoiding eye contact. "What will you have me do?" She asked saluting him, wearing a coy smile under her helmet. "The other war party is already marching towards the Citadel. Take 100 of our troops and help them a secure a foothold." Ul'lanna felt a weight lifted off her shoulders. The march to the Citadel from here would be roughly a month's journey. The perfect time to escape. She bowed thanking him, and quickly left the town.
The Commander took a seat beside Groggic's dead body, letting out a sigh as he looked at the smouldering captains. "Dying to a mage of this calibre. Hopefully our numbers will be enough." He said, kicking the skull away. Ul'lanna hurried to the outskirts, where one hundred of the warriors, were saddled up on horses. One of them brought Ul'lanna a large black destrier. "Where did we get horses?" She asked looking at them puzzled. "They were in the stables. Some of us will have to double up, but this will cut the trip almost in half." She said handing Ul'lanna the reins. She mounted the large destrier cursing under her breath. "We will travel at marching pace. I do not want to waste these mounts." She ordered. The warriors who heard her, looked at her askance. "But captain if we ride at full speed we could-" "We could destroy these creatures and render them useless in one trip. If we take our time, we can preserve them for running supplies to each camp." She snapped. The warriors agreed she was right and let the horses saunter onwards.
"Take point, I am not feeling well." She said, lagging behind on her destrier. Ul'lanna let the warriors go on first. She stopped beside the messenger in her squad. "I need to send a message, how do I choose where I send it?" She asked the courier. He pulled out a book with various birds drawn in. "Depends on the distance, how fast you want it to get there, and how discrete you wish for it to be?" He said. "Fastest, most discrete and at least a month's march by foot." She said. He flipped the page to with a great horned owl drawn in it. He held his hands over the page, summoning the owl out onto his arm. "What is the message you wish to send?" He asked eagerly ready to write it down. She snatched book out of his hand to his shock. "This is a message for the leaders only." She snapped coldly.
She lagged behind, quickly scrawling on the page. 'Town, north of Dweorg destroyed by Kal'Nar. Please help.' The note said. Ul'lanna rolled it up tightly, breathing heavily with her heart racing. She caught up to the courier, handing him the scroll. "Send it to the Citadel." She ordered. He looked at her confused and puzzled. "But, Captain-" "Commander Argul, killed our messenger. Unless you want to carry a rotting skull. We need a different way to strike fear into our enemies." She said with a voice of authority. The courier nodded eagerly, and banished the owl, summoning a sleek falcon instead. He attached the scroll to its ankle, and let it take off. "How long will that one take to reach them?" She asked, watching it fly off. "Less than a day." He said. She gave him a warm smile to his surprise. She had notified the Citadel, of Kal'nar's presence, slowed their assault. Now she was deep in thought of how to escape 100 soldiers, waiting on her command.