 Merentha: Armageddon |
Chapter 3.....Cory watched from the bushes opposite what had once been a small, prosperous farm in the eastern part of Haven until the Asmar had decided make it into a landing place for their balloons. Two of the brutes were out there now, grunting at one another and roping off a large square. .....We could jump them. Runt muttered softly. They have their backs to us. It would be so easy. Just leap over these bushes and tear out their throats. Had the Asmar not been mere feet away Cory would have snorted. .....Yeah if you want the guards to see us and tear us apart before we know what hit us. If you don't have a productive comment keep your thoughts to yourself, he shot back. There had to be some way he could disrupt the invasion and stay alive, finding that way was the real problem. .....You could shoot your little arrows through their balloons and make them crash. Cory almost laughed at that picture. Sometimes Runt did have his uses. .....We have to wait until the balloons start coming for that. Cory slowly backed away from the landing and trotted into the forest his green cloak and blanket blending almost perfectly with the forest. He traveled south, undetected until he reached the edge of the forest near a village called Gofur. .....He could hear the sounds of fighting in that direction. The Asmar had already reached the city. Slowly, he crept forward until he could see better. Three short dwarfs wielding axes faced off against six Asmar. Two more stocky little humanoids lay dead. .....Bloodshed! Runt shouted gleefully. Kill them! Without warning Cory felt his sword come out of its sheath, saw the krull hanging on his belt appear in his hand. He screamed but no sound came out. Runt charged. .....Krull flashed out, slashing through an Asmar's neck and then back, cleaving through the body as it fell. A second Asmar turned to face this new attacker as Runt's sword found its stomach. It screamed, clawing at the organs oozing through the wound. .....The dwarfs looked startled, but they knew help when they saw it. All three of them threw themselves at the Asmar, hacking wildly with their axes. Runt caught the krull as it returned to his hand. .....A dwarven axe came down hard on an Amsar skull, cleaving the brute's head down the center. Runt reared, flailing his hooves at the remaining Asmar as its blade tore his foreleg. The pain felt distant to Cory and Runt paid no attention to little things like pain. His right fore hoof caught the Asmar on the bridge of its nose. The creature dropped. .....The dwarves raised their axes, wary. "They are the Asmar." Runt's voice was hard and confident. "They have already conquered most of this island. More will come here. We must prepare for their arrival." .....No! Cory shouted. These people have no army! You can't make them fight. There are women and children. We should evacuate them. Runt laughed causing the dwarves to jump. He knew. Damn him, he knew! Runt wanted battle, lusted for it, and he was willing to sacrifice an entire city of dwarves for it. Runt laughed harder. .....More dwarves had appeared both soldiers and townspeople, popping out of houses and buildings all along the street. A large, well-dressed dwarf trotted down the street to stand before Runt, eyeing him openly. ....."Who are you?" The dwarf demanded. "What'da'ya want?" .....Runt grinned broadly. "My name is Cory, I'm a Jeweled Knight, and I'm here to help you fight the Asmar." .....The dwarf pondered for a moment. "I have heard of these Jeweled Knights. I have heard that they are just and that they fight for what is right. You may aid us in preparing our defenses. I am Angus." The dwarf held out his hand. Runt starred at it for a moment before nodding. ....."First, you should put some wagons across the entrance here, until we can build a suitable barrier. Somebody should start cutting some logs; we can build a wall. Some of your women folk should get some water boiling in big kettles. And anyone who can use a weapon of any sort should come to the square." Grinning maniacally, Runt trotted off towards the square. .....It was almost two hours before the first Asmar scout was spotted along the edge of the forest. Every male dwarf in Gofur, including old Angus, was lined up behind the barricade of sharpened sticks and overturned wagons separating them from the forest. Blacksmiths with heavy hammers, watchmen with their massive axes, the hunters with their daggers, and even the woodcutters. A good number of the little stinkers had turned out as well. .....Runt trotted up and down the lines chuckling to himself and starring at the road from Haven, the Asmar would use the road, they had nothing to fear. Almost another hour passed before the first rank of Asmar cavalry appeared. The attacking force was made up of hundreds of Asmar; some on horse some on foot, wielding their huge swords. A small group near the front carried blowguns, useful against slow moving dwarfs with axes. The mere size of that force was enough to scare Cory half out of his mind. Runt just watched them come, chuckling. .....The Asmar charged. Grinning madly, Runt stamped his rear hooves. Seconds before the Asmar reached the barrier Runt flicked his tail signaling the dwarves on the wagons. The large kettles, carefully filled and heated to a boil by the dwarf women were poured onto the Asmar, scalding man and horse. Screaming horses plunged into the sharpened stakes, sometimes impaling their riders as well. .....Asmar swarmed against the wall of stakes, hacking them down and trying to climb over the wagons. The stinkers began throwing knives as soon as the Asmar were in range. Grinning, Runt drew his sword and jerked the krull from his belt. An Asmar that had climbed over the wagons was set upon instantly by half a dozen dwarfs with axes. .....The Asmar broke through the barrier in three places washing over the dwarfs like a flood. Runt reared screaming a battlecry in his strange dialect of Farsi. He charged into the fray, using hoof and tail like weapons. An Asmar blade caught him in the horse torso, ripping flesh. Runt rammed his own sword through the Asmar, casually kicking a second with both rear hooves. .....Runt had no time to watch the slaughter all around him, no time to think only to react. Cory was amazed at the sheer amount of skill. Runt knew how to fight and he wanted to fight. A deadly combination. .....Runt whirled bringing his sword down hard on an Asmar's shield. The monster grunted and thrust out with his blade. Runt darted back, reared, and brought his hooves down on the shield, raining it with hammer blows. The thing shattered, small pieces piercing Runt's chest. Snarling the centaur took the Asmar's head with his sword. .....A shield caught him in the side of the head, almost hard enough to send him sprawling. Runt staggered back, dazed as an Asmar blow dart slammed into his throat. A shrill scream escaped as he fell backwards. Runt tried to roll, to stand, to fight. His legs thrashed, keeping the Asmar back from his struggle. .....Cory felt Runt loose consciousness and saw the blackness close over their vision. Runt's gamble had lost, with that last thought Cory felt the blackness take him. There was hope in that blackness. Hope in death. If they would let him rest in peace. .....It was peaceful and quite. Runt hadn't spoken in what seemed like hours. Cory felt well rested and truly happy for the first time in years. He was human again, so wonderful being human. He stood there, on something solid, starring into the blackness. It felt so good to walk on two legs, so wonderful. It reminded him of his childhood, good memories and bad. .....Suddenly a white light appeared in the darkness, blinding him. Cory starred at the light as it took on the form of a dragon, a huge dragon, covered all over in pearly white scales. It's cat-like blue eyes starred into his for a moment as it folded the bat-like wings. .....Cory dropped to his knees. The creature just sat, watching, waiting. "Mercy," Cory muttered. "Have mercy, please." ....."You will receive mercy human." The dragon snarled. "The same mercy you showed our young and our elders. You chose the oath you swore. Live up to it or a far worse fate than this awaits you." ....."What do you want of me?" Cory demanded. ....."Eternity is eternity human! Death will not stop it. Yours or mine." Cory shuddered at the iron in the dragon's voice. "Stand." Cory scrambled to his feet. "Come with me. I will decide when your oath has ended. Or another after me. You owe us much human." Another bright light appeared in the air before the dragon. It turned to walk through the portal and Cory followed. .....A wave of pain slammed into him throwing him to the ground, or whatever served for a ground in this place. Black fire surged through his veins causing him to scream. The dragon whirled around with more speed than any creature that size had a right too. "No!" The dragon snarled. "He is mine! You can't have him!" .....White light flared, battling the black. Screaming, Cory jerked upright, almost ramming the Asmar starring down at him. He blinked slowly, starring at the beast in surprise. He was a centaur again and Runt shifted uneasily in the back of his mind. ....."...as if someone was pulling him away from me." The beast was saying in the Asmar version of Farsi. "A very powerful someone." The Asmar glanced down into his eyes. "Your friends have failed." .....A second Asmar stepped into his vision, a huge creature in black armor. It starred at him for a moment before smiling. "Good, the creature is still alive. Dispatch a message to its people and put it to sleep." The first Asmar nodded and placed his hand on Cory's head. Pain flared and blackness rushed in again. 
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