 Merentha: Armageddon Chapter 12 Chapter 14  |
Chapter 14.....Rijer peered around the bushes. Asmar. Tons of them. Wounded, patrols, soldiers, healers... All over! The place was crawling with them, their distinct smell making the centaur's nose itch. Backing up, his hooves clicking on the grass covered pavement, he glanced over his shoulder at the elf upon his back. Myou Juan, his wife, glanced at him and nodded. She was a cleric, and together as a team they were very hard, not just because of the fighter-cleric bond. But of their marriage. .....Myou Juan pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes as she closed them, and began to mutter a soft prayer. The air around the two began to glow and vibrate, humming loudly around them. Rijer quickly and quietly grabbed a hold of both his swords' handles and whipped them out of their sheaths, smiling happily at the razor-sharp edges. Flexing in his new blackened chainmail mesh, he began to trot along the road towards the main hospital. He raised his sword high over his head and got ready to strike as an Asmar patrol walked along the grassy path. The centaur swung his sword swiftly, slicing through the Asmar's neck and spraying blood, which landed upon the glowing sphere around the two and sizzled and sparked until the blood had evaporated. .....Rijer galloped past the corpse, heading for a large group of bushes just on the other side of the path. Ahead of them was a group of three Asmar. While tricky, he knew he could tear them apart with Myou Juan encircling them in her magic. Swiping a dangling strand of hair from his forehead, he charged through the bushes and swung his sword around and slashed the Asmar warrior's right arm, following up with two quick nicks. Flailing his left sword around at one warrior, he jabbed with his right and landed the sword deep into the breastplate of his opponent. The Asmar screamed in pain and grabbed a hold of the sword with his gloved hands and held on, preventing Rijer from removing his sword. Swinging his free sword, Rijer solidly connected with the Asmar's right shoulder, slicing through the weaker joint-armour, flesh, and muscle until hitting a bone. The Asmar shrieked again and flailed, both of Rijer's swords still inside of his body. The Asmar fell backwards with all his weight, plucking the blades from Rijer's hands. A second and third Asmar began striking at Rijer, but falling short at the magical shields casted around the couple. Sparks flew and energy cackled as the swords attempted to penetrate. .....Reaching his right hand over his left shoulder into his backpack, Rijer withdrew a whip and quickly flung it around, successfully wrapping the end around the warrior's chest, and pinning his arms down. Pulling on the whip hardly, he spun the Asmar around and dazed the warrior while cracking the whip around the Asmar's neck, filling the immediate area with two cracks. One of the whip and one of the Asmar's neck. Flinging the whip to the ground, Rijer quickly knelt and withdrew one of his swords from the first Asmar's corpse. Lunging, the sword landed deeply into the third and final Asmar's thigh, emerging from the other end. The soldier screamed loudly and brought his sword down, briefly slicing through the magic shields and solidly hitting Rijer's arm. Yelping in pain, as sparks flew from the shield as it repaired itself, Rijer ripped his sword free of the Asmar's thigh. As he stood, the soldier smashed his sword into the shield, piercing it briefly but coming far from hitting. Rijer slashed his sword and hit the warrior's left arm near the wrist, smashing through the flexible joint of the armour and ripping veins and arteries open. The Asmar fell to the ground and held his wrist as blood flowed quickly and freely onto the dirty ground. .....Rijer quickly retrieved his second sword and backed into the bushes. In the safety of the thick and dark bushes, he peered over his shoulder again at the stiff body of Myou Juan. She was constantly maintaining the shield around them and making sure that nothing would penetrate. This had been a useful tactic in passing through Asmar ridden area, but it could prove very stressful when many Asmar attacked the magical sphere around them. Each hit drained her mana, and once she was out, they would either get hailed with swords or captured. .....Looking down at his arm where the Asmar's shield had hit briefly, he saw a large dent in his chainmail armour. Cursing softly, he stretched his shoulders as he prepared to go in again. As he started trotting out of the bushes, Myou's body studdenly jerked and then slacked as she began to breathe heavily. The sphere around them vanished quickly while Myou dug her fingers into his back. Skidding to a halt, and clenching his teeth in pain, Rijer peered again over his shoulder and saw Myou Juan's eyes wide. "Something wrong?" ....."There's a shaman here.", Myou replied in a whisper. Rijer's mouth let loose a flurry of colorful words, before bringing his hand over his mouth and remembering to be quiet. ....."Damn. Scratch plan one. Umm...we can't do anything else if there is a shelter cast over the area. Any ideas?" Rijer asked. .....Myou just shook her head. ....."We'll have to leave then...", he whispered. ....."Pssst..." ....."Did you hear that?" Myou asked him. ....."Hear what? All I hear is Asmar shouting in the distance." Rijer frowned, sheathing his swords quietly. ....."Something pssted, I don't know what it was." ....."Pssssst..." ....."There it is again." ....."I heard it that time...what is it?" Rijer peered into the shadowed of the dense forest. He saw two small figures in the shadows. ....."Rijer! Keep down," a harsh, feminine voice snapped. .....Obeying, Rijer squinted his eyes as he looked over the figures. "Is that you, Rima?" ....."Yes..." the figure replied, moving into the dim light of the area, wearing a dark blue dress which hung close to her body and fell past her feet while she flew in mid air. The other figure also flew into view, a faerie this time, wearing magi robes and rings. ....."Bakeneko! Rima! Great! Now if only that damn shaman wasn't here," Rijer grinned. .....Rima raised an eyebrow. "I might be able to fix that problem of yours." ....."Oh?", he inquired quickly. ....."Yes. The more magic that is channeled in an area while a shelter is up, the easier it is to collaspe. Since all four of us can cast magic, we could break it," her rough imp voice going as low as it could. .....Myou Juan frowned in deep thought. "We could give it a try, nothing to lose." Myou Juan piped in. .....Rima nodded. "Start casting?" Rima whispered. .....Leaping out of the shadows of the bushes, Rijer yelled Power and Energy stream through me! as Bakeneko said it with him, gathering the mana but failing to even cause anything to occur. All the while Myoujuan saying Those of thy faith burn from thy gods! and nothing occuring. Rima hovered out of the shadows last, roughly saying Lightning strikes and fire burns, magic strengths and golden urns! As the words came out of her mouth, the air crackled with electricity. Sparks began to fill the air as Rijer unsheathed his sword and swung in a right hip to left shoulder swing, nicking an Asmar's forehead horribly and spraying blood upon his blackened chainmail. .....As the sparks became more frequant and Rima chanted the words again, the air burned with heat. Ignoring the searing pain as his armour heated up and slightly burned him, he bucked wildly and landed a hoof in the breastplate of another Asmar, Myou grabbing on wildly on his back. The forest filled with light as a spark exploded into a fire which quickly died. The brief lighting showed dozens of Asmar warriors heading their way. .....Ignoring the approaching warriors, Rijer concentrated on the few in front of him, swinging his blades wildly and nicking and scraping his targets, while they clanked against his armour with burning hot weapons. Rima chanted the words again and the air grew too hot to bear. Not being able to breath, Rijer dropping his burning blades and screamed as his armour burned against him. .....Quickly and loudly, the air exploded into fire from multiple sparks. At first, he held his ground, but felt Myou Juan being flung from his back. Another explosion filled the air with fire, singing his hair even worse and lifting him a few inches off the ground. Landing hardly on his side, he groaned and felt sharp pain jutting through his horse body. Fire quickly spread from the air to the brush and trees, illuminating every crack. Righting himself and getting into a kneel, he glanced around for Rima, Bakeneko, and Myou Juan. All he saw was Bakeneko stuck in a tree branch dangling over a bush with a blazing fire. .....Cursing loudly for the hundreth time, he leapt up and the sharp pain worsened. Peeking at his side he saw an Asmar sword imbedded deeply. It must have gotten lodged in the explosion...owwwww!... he thought. Ripping the strap that held his breastplate on, he pulled the armour off and flung it to the ground, then did the same with his bracers and gloves. Trotting towards Bakeneko with a limp, Rima spoke Lightning strikes and fire burns, magic strengths and golden urns! and her chainlightning flashed through the forest, striking dozens of Asmar as they hacked at her magical shields. Bucking to reach the tree, Rijer snagged Bakeneko's arm with his hand and yanked the faerie from the tree and his front hooves fell towards the ground, being careful to keep the faerie from the fire. .....Then something light and twitching jumped onto his back. Rijer peered over his sholdier and saw Myou Juan clutching to him with burns all over her body, her hair singed black. She muttered a few prayers of protection, her mana orbs dimming slightly in the eerie light of the fire. Bakeneko floated in air before them, brushing some leaves off his shoulder and frowning. Just then a stray lightning bolt flashed between them and they both glanced towards Rima. .....Rima stood her ground against six Asmars, but she had numerous gashes and deep cuts along her body. Blood spurted from every inch of her body, staining the ground a bright red. She chainlightninged again, striking all six of the Asmar and knocking two to the ground. The remaining four rushed towards her, slashing their blades. Myou Juan muttered a prayer, paralyzing one, and Bakeneko paralyzed another. Rijer charged towards the four Asmar as fast as he could with pain coursing through his body. The remaining two Asmar reached Rima before Rijer reached them. The result was a massive fountain of blood as Rima's arm was savagely cut from its socket, drenching Rijer, Myou Juan, and the four Asmar in blood. .....Bakeneko shrieked in terror from behind them, and looked upon Rima, calling to his powers of protection, and a powerful magic shield quickly surrounded Rima. Blood still spurted from her arm, as she slowly fell to the ground in weakness. The blood oozed down the inside of the magic shield, dripping to the ground. The two Asmar continued to hack at Rima, failing to do anything but hit the magic shield surrounding her and inflicting minor damage to her battered body. Rima coughed violently, sending spasms through her body. A thin streak of blood ran from the corner of her mouth down her chin, dripping to her bloodied torso. Rijer reached the two unparalyzed guards in time, slashing one swiftly across the torso, the centaur's own blood and sweat flying from the action. The force of the move shattered the Asmar's breastplate into pieces, impaling his torso deeply in the blink of an eye. The second Asmar continued to hack away at Rima, who now lay on the ground in pool of crimson red blood. The Asmar's blade broke the magic shield, nicking Rima's leg. No blood spurted, as she was already drained heavily of it. .....Rijer brought his blade around and nicked the Asmar's throat, slicing deeply and cutting through arteries and veins, as well as his airway. The Asmar gasped for air, and upon receiving none, fell to the ground and slashed at Rijer's hooves in a desperate attempt to avenge himself. Rijer's hooves cleared the blade as he leapt into the air and landed inbetween the two paralyzed Asmar. Aiming carefully, he stabbed the Asmar in the cut inbetween the armour with his blade, clearing the Asmar's entire body. Pulling his blade free he turned and faced the second Asmar. Myou Juan gasped at the Asmar moved again, and paralyzed it again. Rijer moved quickly, slashing the Asmar several times before it fell to the ground. .....Rijer turned back towards Rima, Bakeneko was kneeling at her side, mending her wounds. She didn't move, she was lifeless. Her skin was a very pale blue, her dirtied hands turning purple. Rijer blinked in confusion. Rima was...dead? He never thought that would occur! She had faced death so many times and always made it out. Yet here she had died while he was rescuing Bakeneko, who could have lasted longer on that branch above the burning fire...or could he have? Would it have been better to save Bakeneko...or Rima? Rijer yelled loudly, screaming curses in numerous languages. He picked up her body under one arm, then Bakeneko under the other, and stealthily crept out of the area where he had docked his boat.
.....General Grytu grinned with glee. The Kingdom of Xenora had fell at last. They had put up a good fight, but they were no match for the army of Asmar, no matter how well coordinated they were! His army had squashed them like bugs, all that was left was rubble. They had fled into the precious mines. Oohh, let them run there. They won't ever make it out! They had caused case ins and blocked the exits, as well as started fires to suffocate them. They had even blocked the exit near the Forgotten Kingdom. There was no way they would survive. Grytu grinned again, and with their death so will the Drow die, for the Drow were in those tunnels as well! And the artrell shortly nearby! Ohh, what a good day. Two kingdoms destroyed and a third that is close, and another that has no where to run! There was only one Kingdom left...the Kingdom of Hiemelia.
.....The swarm of Asmarian bodies entered the remnants of the mine, moving like a vast colony of ants through narrow tunnels. The dead bodies of miners and explorers laid here and there, with an occasional Drow-elf corpse... The Asmars were searching for the entrance to Zalaria, with no luck as of yet. They opened more tunnels every day, swarming over those, searching for the Center of Drow-Elf Kingdom. .....And then suddenly, a cry went through the mines that echoed to all of the hundreds of Asmar's in the mines. A cry that said 'ZALARIA IS NEAR!' followed shortly by a loud cry of agony. The Asmar rushed to location of the voice only to find the limbs of what used to be the body of an Asmar, strewn around four Drow-elf guards, wearing Drow chainmail and two adamantite swords. The Drow guards bellowed in their own language, though the words meant nothing to the approaching Asmar for they knew nothing of the Drow. The four Drow-elves took positions around the exit towards the entrance to Zalaria, their blades ready to attack. A splash echoed through the small cave as Asmar pushed forward. A figure walked into the room, drenched with water that splattered to the ground, sizzling as it hit the dusty and dirty floor of the cavern. The Drow-elf grinned, barely noticable behind his mask. .....The Asmars continued to push forward, the frontmost Asmar inching forward slowly. The Drow-elf spoke then, audible over all the shuffling and yells of attack. "Come forth and meet your death, if you are brave enough," were the only words spoken. The Asmar charged, then. Dozens of Asmar attacked the guards. The Drow-elf walked calmly back the way he had come, away from the combat. The four drow guards hacked away at Asmar, each limb wrecking havok upon the body of whatever it touched. The guards had small cuts and bruises while the Asmar were being sliced open and falling to the ground, staining the cavern floor with their blood. .....The fight continued, Asmar leaping over dozens of their own corpses, occasionaly slipping and landing upon their own swords, and dying without doing a thing. The four Drow-elf guards held their ground, though noticable cuts were visible on their skin. Just then one of the Drow-elves stopped moving, and continued to not move for a few more seconds. The Asmar's rushed him, slashing and hacking away though inflicting minimal damage. A new Asmar approached...one dressed as that of a shaman, with lonk monk robes and a hood covering his head. The Drow guard was able to move just in time to swing his sword in a long arc, slashing through a few Asmar's chests and killing them instantly. He let go of the blade midway, sending it tumbling in the air towards the robed figure. .....The figure, watching the blade come, looked upon himself and casted a strong magical shield. The blade clanked against the shield loudly, then fell to the ground simultaneously with the dead Drow guard. The shaman muttered another prayer of paralyzation, and a second guard stopped moving. The Asmar pounced upon it, slashing and hacking it until all that remained was a battered skeleton. The two remaining Drow guards noticed the shaman now, and charged with all their fury towards the enemy. They ran over the corpses of the Asmar, crushing those who stood between them. The Asmar Shaman muttered another prayer of paralyzation...and a third guard was paralyzed. Yet again, Asmar pounced upon it, slashing and whirling away at it. The fourth and final Drow guard reached the Asmar, decapitating him in one swift swing of his sword. Then ran started to hack limbs off of the Asmar approaching him. .....The third Drow unfroze, barely alive and oozing blood all over. He killed the Asmar attacking him and stood there, wobbling dizzily from the loss of blood. The fourth Drow was not faring well against all the Asmar. The Asmar were getting in nicks more than ever now. The third Drow ran to his aid, picking an Asmar up and throwing him into a crowd of even more Asmar. More and more Asmar rushed towards them, and eventually, in a few minutes time, the third guard lay dead. The final Drow guard scowled and ran towards the fountain as fast as he could. The Asmar chased after him.
.....Rijer sighed. Rima was dead. There was no one to replace her. She had helped dozens of times in the war against the Asmar, taking out many of them. Now she was gone. .....Rijer glanced up, the sun was shining down upon the town of Whitestorm, which was now overcrowded with refugees of Cardania. News had just reached Atheria. Xenora had fallen, the Atherian's were shocked. Only 3 of the 5 kingdoms remained standing, though Drow and Artrell were cornered. Soon it would be time when both Artrell and Drow fell. Then only stubborn Hiemelia and the policy of 'The Asmar won't find us through the cold' would be left, but not for long. More news had come, as well. Imladris had fallen. The rich city in the cold had been completely devastated, and none of the citizens had been able to flee to Atheria. Cardania was now mostly under Asmar control. Things were not going well in this war...he just hoped the Cory and Scapegoat were having better luck down south.
.....Solaris almost fainted at what he heard. "Say that again?" ....."I said, there have been three Asmar scouts approaching Hiemelia in the past two days alone!" the messager told him again. ....."Three? In two days? Eventually they are going to wonder why their scouts disappear and start coming up here... I'm beginning to think our isolation attempt was only worse for ourselves. How long would it take to evacuate our Kingdom?" he replied, frowning deeply at the horrible news. ....."At least a few days, the most a month. Most of the others are still stubborn with their opinion that the Asmar will leave us be," the scout responded to Solaris' question. .....Solaris muttered loudly. Things were going to be bloody soon...
.....The drow-elf swore loudly. The Asmar had found the entrance. They would soon find their homes. He grabbed a passing Drow-elf on the arm. "Go tell the others the Asmar are approaching. Gather all the warriors you can." .....The second drow-elf nodded and scurried away into the dark tunnels. The first drow-elf, Rej, muttered, then stalked towards the fountain. He leapt into the water, swimming a good distance before seeing dim light above. He broke the surface of the water, and climbed out of the fountain, dripping with water. One of the Drow guards that normally stood guard was running towards the fountain, followed by a swarm of Drow. ....."Oh, damn!" Rej said under his breath. Better make the best of this, he thought. He looked upon himself, casting the spell of buffer and surrounding himself in a strong magical shield. The Drow guard had almost reached them, the other few Drow-elves preparing themselves and moving forward away from the fountain. The guard skidded to a halt, quickly turning around with the comfort of more Drow in the vicinity. He raised his blade and slashed downward onto an Asmar which was quick on his trail. The blade shattered the targets ribcage, dropping the Asmar quickly. A few dozen Asmar stood before them. .....Rej stood forward, casting the spell of annihilate. The spell quickly slashed through the room, inflicting damage upon all the Asmar. They howled in pain, then rushed towards the small group of Drow. Beside him, a drow chanted the words of chainlightning, and the light flashed through the small cavern, striking Asmar as they ran, knocking some down, making some stutter, and not even doing anything to even more. He casted annihilate again, and again it swarmed over all the Asmar, this time knocking a few down. .....The guard was in the thick of the battle. He was knocking Asmar down as they approached, slashing and whirling at them as some Asmar got a few hits off on him. The warlock casted again, the chainlightning streaking through the room and knocking down a good deal of Asmar this time. The other Drows swiftly danced around the guard, stabbing a few Asmar and taking down a few themselves, though they were drenched in blood and sweat. .....The Asmar were getting even closer, almost within striking distance. A few swords had even been flung at him, stopping short at his magical shield of protection. Another drow to his left had not been so lucky. A sword had impaled her gut and was sticking out of her back. She stood there, staggering and sputtering, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. She looked towards Rej with empty eyes behind her mask and dropped dead. Rej shuddered at his dead companion and retreated back towards the fountain. "They have won this battle, let us get back!" he shouted in Drow. The remainder of the Drow worked their way towards the fountain and leapt into the pool. One of the Asmar tried to enter, setting foot into the water and immediately being burnt into a pile of ashes as the acid ate everything of him away. His armour and sword clattered to the ground and Rej grinned. Foolish Asmar, let them follow!
.....General Grytu was mad. Very mad. They had found Zalaria, they were so close they could taste the blood of their enemies in the air. Only they were hiding behind a pool of acid. It had killed numerous Asmar already, and severly burnt some more. He went over to the fountain and peered in. He saw movement below in the clear surface. A pair of hands came out of the acid and grabbed one of his body guards, pulling him into the acid. The Asmar screamed as the acid ate him alive, leaving nothing behind but his armour sinking to the bottom of the fountain. .....Out of anger, he grabbed his other body guard's sword and swung downward upon the fountain's edge, spraying sparks and chipping the side of the fountain. He swung again, hitting the same spot and making a deep crack. The water of the fountain began to drip from the crack, slowly moving outwards from the fountain. Grytu backed up a bit and grinned. If they wanted to hide, he would deprive them of their hiding place. "Get us something to stand on so we all don't burn to hell?" he yelled at a low-ranking Asmar officer.
.....Aarent cursed loudly. Damn Asmar, damn them all! They were invading in larger groups now. Occasionally enough to actually KILL a Hiemelian! But every time the Asmar were repelled...so far. The border guard was increased, and people were alerted that evacuation could be close at hand. Maybe all this wouldn't have happened if hadn't been so stubborn in their policy... Though they did have a good point, their King had been struck down by the Gods and the new leadership was still shaky! ....."Asmar are approaching!" a shaky cry echoed through the ice canyons. Damn! Damn those Asmar. Aarent drew his blades, motioning for his small scouting squadron to follow him as he jogged towards the cry. He rounded a corner and... ....."Oh no...!" were all he could utter as he saw a vast army standing before him. "RETREAT! EVERYONE RETREAT!" his voice blasted through the icey canyon, and he almost wished an avalanche would come and crush the life out of these miserable Asmar, but no, that sort of stuff only happened in the fairy tales! Insert, the Asmar started chucking spears! A spear landed next to Aarent as he jumped in astonishment and began to run back towards the point along the Hiemelian path fondly called "The Barricade" by the fellow defenders. .....The Barricade was a vast ice wall that had been built in case the Asmar had approached. It had many defense points and the only way to Hiemelia was through that point. Archers atop of the Barricade started raining arrows down upon the approaching Asmar, striking them and killing some, but they continued without thought of the pain. A mage atop of the barricade casted estorm, the aura of chaos streaking from his hands towards an Asmar and slamming it to the ground in a bloody mess of a body. He casted it again, striking another Asmar in the torso and making it stumble. But then when the mage attempted for a third time, nothing happened. The mage's face contorted, and he knew a shaman was present, but where? .....Aarent stood before the Barricade, slashing an Asmar and receiving a swift nick across his shoulder. Another Asmar approached him from behind, and he slashed panickedly at the first one. A troll stealthily slipped behind the second Asmar and flung her daggers into its back, causing the Asmar to spasm and fall to the ground as the daggers released themselves. Aarent brought his blades around again, bringing a duel slash across the Asmar's chest that left a deep scratch in its breastplate. The troll leapt at the Asmar and imbedded her dagger deep into its belly, the force of her blow causing both of them to fall backwards. ....."Thanks, Goethe," Aarent said, lifting the troll assassin to her feet. The troll nodded and swiftly ran back into the battle.
.....The ground was covered in the water acid. The fountain's side had been crushed, causing the acid to leak out onto the floor where it slowly soaked into the ground. They had set up stone walkways to go near the fountain and were slowly bucketing out the acidic water, though it eventually burnt through the bucket's bottom. Soon, though, the Asmar would be able to strike deep into the Drow kingdom and wipe them out.
.....Rej glanced around the cavern. Most of the inhabitants of Zalaria had gathered deep within the caverns and were ready for evacuation. Only those who were staying behind to fight the Asmar weren't present. As long as one of their cursed shamans didn't arrive soon, everything would be fine. An elder Drow glanced upon Rej. "Are you ready to begin?" the drow asked him. .....Rej nodded towards the elder Drow and began to concentrate on a gateway to Atheria. The elder Drow nodded with approval and when the portal appeared, he motioned for the fellow Drow-elves to enter the portal. Most of them made it in before the portal vanished, but there were a lot of Drows to move and only so many could get into a portal at a time. He concreated again, and a second portal appeared. The rest of the Drow-elves entered along with the elder. Then Rej himself walked into the portal.
.....Rijer heard the shrieks coming from Riathan Square. He trotted there quickly, though his blades were still in their sheaths. The centaur gasped at what he saw. A large group of Drow-elves were now standing around the square, weapons drawn, a portal behind them. The portal vanished and another one quickly appeared, and even more Drow entered the square. ....."What are you doing here?" Rijer called to them. ....."The Asmar have invaded," was the reply he got. The group of Drow began to relax and lower their weapons. Rijer stood there in confusion. The Drow-elves had ran from their Kingdom away from the Asmar? That could only mean the Artrells would soon come...and eventually Hiemelia. Atheria was already overcrowded with refugees. A strike on Whitestorm could claim so many innocent lives. .....A few hours later, a small plan had been introduced. A raiding party was going to attack one of the docks on the western coast of Cardania. The raiding party consisted of Flowi, Rijer, AnalyticalDemon, Argos, Myou Juan, and Larrytha. They were going to destroy Asmar ships and run under the cover of tamed animals and bees. .....Rijer looked around at the group, which was quite impressive. Flowi, a giant druid, had brought with him a small army of rainforest animals, while Larrytha, an elf druid, had brought a variety of Uruk forest's animals. Rijer nodded towards Flowi, "I guess we're as ready as we will ever be." .....Flowi nodded and grinned, then began to concentrate on a gateway to Cardania, to what was once the Queendom of Jewel. The portal appeared and they all entered at once, the animals jumping through the portal after their owners and sniffing the air, sensing the danger. Rijer glanced around. What had once been the Square of Jewel was now a destroyed area. Not that many Asmar stood in the area, which was good for them. Rijer pointed to the west, "This way!", and trotted that way with Myou Juan on his back. .....They reached the docks shortly, only encountering one Asmar and easily taking it down. The docks, however, were guarded by 3 Asmar. Rijer charged towards them, bringing his sharp blade down into one of the soldier's arm, crunching through bone and severing it instantly with the force of the blow. The action of charging brought pain through his body from the recent wound he had received during the incident in which Rima had died. .....Ignoring the pain, he brought his other sword around in a slash which cut through the throat. The second guard caught onto the attack and leaped at Rijer, stinging him sharply in the horse torso with his pointy Asmar sword. Myou Juan quickly paralyzed him and began to pray to the Gods. The Asmar became surrounded in the Godly power and was flung to the ground. Myou Juan repeated the prayer, and again the Asmar was flung even farther from the force of the spell. The Asmar did not get up or more. By then the third Asmar was attacking AnalyticalDemon. AnalyticalDemon prayed to the Gods, and a massive swarm of bees appeared. The bees flew over the Asmar, stinging him repeatively and the Asmar died within seconds. .....AnalyticalDemon contorted his face in thought. The bee stings were not that strong, the Asmar should not have died so quickly to them. There must have been some reason as to why it had died. An allergic reaction, perhaps?... There was no time to think about it, their mission had to be completed! .....Flowi and Larrytha's animals stormed aboard ships, killing the Asmar crew with their vicious claws and teeth. The bees flew around the ships and killed anything that tried to flee, a little too quickly it seemed. Argos prayed to the Gods and yet more bees came, standing guard to the docks as they destroyed the ships. .....Rijer grabbed a grenade from his backpack and flung it onto the nearest docked frigate. A loud explosion rocked the wobbly dock as the ship exploded into fire. Flowi stood on the deck, though it looked like he would fall in any second since he was so large!, and casted a massive fireball at another ship. The fireball tore into the side of the ship just above water level, burning the insides and letting water splash inside of it. Larrytha casted a fireball at the same ship, blowing apart the mast and setting fire to the sails. Rijer drew another grenade, trotted over to a ship at the edge of the docks, and flung the grenade. He began to trot back when the grenade exploded, sending burning wooden chunks all over into the surrounding ships and ocean. A few Asmar ran out from the lowerdecks, and Myou Juan instantly paralyzed them. Rijer turned from them and ran, knowing they would burn to death before they were able to move again. .....The dock began to wobble as he was moving back towards the land. The first ship he had grenaded had collasped on its side, crushing the dock and shaking the rest of it terribly. Rijer skidded to a halt, nearly falling over the side. The burning ship had transferred its fire onto the docks. Rijer's eyes filled with terror, then with fear as he began to float over the water towards the safety of land. He landed beside Flowi, where thwapped Flowi behind the head head. "Don't do that!" Rijer yelled. Flowi muttered quietly. .....Then a shout came from behind them. At least two dozen Asmar stood there, swords in hand with angry faces. They began to walk forward, and Rijer glanced around. There was no way to run to safety, they would have to fight these Asmar to escape safely. But then Argos' and AnalyticalDemon's bees were there, stinging the Asmar and killing them almost easily, as the Asmar swung their blades at the tiny bees and missed. Within minutes all the Asmar lay dead. ....."Are we ready to go? Those ships aren't going to get any more burnt!" Flowi exclaimed. .....Rijer nodded and Flowi began to open a portal to Atheria. The portal appeared and Rijer trotted in, Myou Juan on his back and the others following him through. .....Back in Whitestorm, AnalyticalDemon told him about the bees. "They shouldn't have died that fast, the bee stings aren't exactly the most painful thing in the world." "You saw how fast they died to them, right? All those Asmar dropped like flies. It could be some sort of weakness." ....."A well needed weakness..." Analyticaldemon responded.  |
