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Chapter 7
.....Scapegoat peered out from the narrow window. The Asmar had burnt their homes, defaced their statue, but they had not found the tunnels...yet. They had destroyed Tijir's home, cutting off the main route to the Artrell Hive. They had burnt the monastery, probably ignoring the remains. But if they did shift through the burnt remains, they would quickly find the second entrance. .....The council room represented the mood exactly. It was sparsely lit even though it was the top room of one of the tower's and had eight thick plates of glass in an octagon shape to form the ceiling. But hardly any starlight shone through. The huge table and chairs making up the room made long shadows on the darkened walls. Small tables around the walls holding books and such each carried a candle. On the wall that faced the ocean a mosaic window of the 12 gems around a double-bladed axe was placed. The axe represented how the Queendom could take both the offensive and defensive side. .....But the Asmar would not be hurling objects through that window anytime soon. The glass was reinforced with strong Elven magic and by any rate, it was not known that the Asmar could even throw objects as high as the castle's towers were. The room was occupied by half a dozen people of different races. ....."We can't stay here forever," Scapegoat said. The faint white marks of his burns barely visible. "The Asmar are damaging the castle more and more with each attack. It won't be long until our outer wall is compromised, and our garden surely will not stop them." ....."I agree, but where are we to go? We cannot simply parade ourselves right through their army. The tunnels seem the only logical answer, but if we do go there, we will be trapped with enemies on both sides," an elf cleric, who was called 'Father Brown' by many, commented. ....."I don't remember the Artrell being hostile towards us," Abbess frowned. ....."I think he's referring to the Drow-elves. And by the way, didn't some of our forces run into the Nymph forest? I thought I saw quite a few heading in that direction during the first attack," Viresse replied, yawning between sentences. ....."We could get support from the Artrell. After all, their home is being threatened. Two of the four entrances to their Hive has been shut off. The third has been blockaded, and the fourth is out of the question. I remember the last time one of them tried to enter that fountain," Scapegoat said with a shudder. ....."We should consider sending someone to the Hive. Suddenly having a swarm of them to support us against the attack would startle the Asmar for a few seconds, no doubt," Viresse said. ....."On any note, we should start to move some of our supplies and elderly to the tunnels," Scapegoat said. ....."Or...we could try to get to the cave right outside of out forest. It leads to Xenora, as you may know. Even if the Asmar follow us, a friendly face will help us," another put in. ....."Yes, but that is suicidal. There are simply too many Asmar out there to pull such a stunt off!" Viresse said quickly. ....."One thing is for sure. After we enter the tunnels and abandon the castle completely, we have to leave some booby traps. But the way they're smacking it around, the slightest explosion could cause it to come crashing down on itself...and us in the tunnels," Scapegoat supplied. ....."So explosives are out," Abbess said quietly. "What about magic barriers? I'm sure KilRoy or someone could block certain parts of the castle from them. Or even stabilize the walls." ....."Its a possibility," Viresse replied to her. "Its a very tricky procedure. But I believe KilRoy could pull it off." ....."And what about portaling out of here? Why couldn't we do that again?" someone asked. ....."Recently, an unknown presence has blocked the ability to pull the massive mana amounts together to do such a thing. Gating and spells of massive destruction, blast and flare, are out of the question," Scapegoat said. "Anything else?" .....Looking around the room, Scapegoat saw no one raising their hand. "Then we're done for now. We will begin moving elderly to the tunnels in the morning," he said. .....The group filed out of the room, leaving Scapegoat looking up at the stars. This is going to be one hell of a battle, he thought to himself. .....Exaer felt panic rushing through him. He was being pursued by two or three Asmar (he couldn't tell), his salve supply had run out, and he was bleeding terribly all over the trail. .....Breathing heavily, he brought a quick breath in and ran to the left. A loud growl echoed through the trees behind him, causing him to skid to a halt and make a right turn. A few paces later something stepped in front of him. Not being able to stop in time, Exaer skidded into the Asmar. The centaur's sword slammed into the Asmar's stomach, causing the soldier to fall to the ground in a heaving convulsion. .....Not wasting time getting his own sword back, he grabbed the Asmar's. He ran some more when he heard quite a bit of cracking twigs behind him. He quickened up his pace. Almost there! Almost there! was the only thought that raced through his mind. .....Then an 'ugh!' came at the sound of a throat being slit, and the faint sound of metal on metal. Was that a battle behind him? Who was it? He didn't have time to think! He was almost to safety. .....He made a left turn without stopping, slipping and falling in some mud. After sliding a few feet, he started to stand up when he saw a centaur being pursued by three Asmar running towards him. ....."Exaer! Help me!" the black haired centaur yelled towards him. ....."Help how?" he called back as he stood up. ....."Just DO something!" the other centaur yelled back. Skidding to a halt, he held his swords to his right. A pursuing Asmar slammed into the blades, getting the wind knocked out of him and going into a coughing fit. The other Asmar overshot the centaur while the last one stopped. The centaur twirled around and let out a massive war cry. Bringing his right sword down against the soldier's helmet, he risked a glance over his shoulder. .....Exaer was in combat with the second Asmar, but was not doing well. A long and nasty cut was now opened on his left arm, spurting blood out. Exaer stumbled as he sidestepped a blow aimed for his chest. Losing all this blood can't be a good thing, he thought. Exaer swept his Asmar sword in a long arc stomach level, scraping the soldier's armour slightly. .....By then the centaur had his sword stuck in the third Asmar's belly. Letting it there, he ran towards the first Asmar, which was recovering. Bucking, his hooves impacted on the soldier's head, filling the air with a crack that would have spooked the toughest dog. As the soldier fell limp, the centaur turned towards Exaer. More cuts were visible all over his body, and the ground was turning into a red colored mud. .....The centaur rushed towards the remaining Asmar, slamming into him and ramming him into a tree where numerous cracks and pops were heard. The centaur walked a bit towards Exaer before nearly falling over, then sitting down. He muttered a prayer, causing the wounds Exaer had accumulated to start closing up. .....Exaer himself sat, too. He took a strip of meat from a pouch at his side and began to eat it savagely. ....."I suppose you are wondering who I am?" the black haired centaur said slowly between breaths. ....."Yes. Your face is familiar, but your name has slipped my mind," Exaer replied. ....."Rijer," the centaur replied. ....."What! How did you get away from Kyria?" Exaer inquired with a puzzled face. ....."The Asmar took me away from Kyria," Rijer grinned. "Tijir and Aard came to our rescue as Cory, Krook, Simoriah, and I were trying to escape. We landed on the Xenoran road and we headed directly here to recover. However, once we entered the Jeweled forest the area was deadly quiet. Shortly after that, we ran into the Asmar. Our group was split up in a small battle on the southern street. ....."I ran for the forest while I caught a glimpse of Simoriah running towards the docks," Rijer sighed and cocked his head. "Is there anyone else in here?" ....."Yeah. The Asmar cut through the Xenora army pretty quickly. As they approached our city, the townspeople ran into the castle with a group of our Knights. A few of us could not make it before they closed the gates, so we ran into the woods and slaughtered the Asmar who followed us. ....."Our base is Solitaire's house. I was checking on how things were going on at the castle when I started to be pursued by a few Asmar," Exaer responded. .....Rijer nodded. "To Solitaire's house we go. Whichever way it lay..." .....Scapegoat watched the last of the group hop down the trap door by the wine rack. It wouldn't be that much longer until he and the rest of the castle's occupants joined them. He walked up the narrow steps, then headed for the main wall. Archers stood at windows letting arrows fly at whatever Asmar was stupid enough to approach. .....KilRoy and Abbess stood near the main gate chatting silently. ....."The last of them are in the tunnels," Scapegoat called to them. .....KilRoy nodded. "The Asmar haven't tried a direct attack for quite a few hours. I believe they will try soo-" .....Scapegoat frowned. KilRoy had just stopped, then stood and shook his head violently. Abbess was shivering slightly. "Something wrong?" ....."Very. It feels as though my ability to cast spells has just....vanished," KilRoy said quietly to Scapegoat. ....."I couldn't have put it better," Abbess supplied. ....."No magic...at all?" Scapegoat stuttered. Half of his force were magi! This was definitely going to speed up their departure into the tunnels. .....Scapegoat frowned. "What could have produced such a thing? I didn't know the Asmar could control magic so well." ....."It may be that hooded figure you saw. They may have found the secrets of the shaman," Abbess suggested, her face twisted in deep thought. .....Scapegoat shuddered. "I have an idea!" he said after a few seconds. Running towards the archers, KilRoy and Abbess followed. ....."All archers! Whenever you see an Asmar in a robe, shoot him. Ignore all other targets, just shoot him!" Scapegoat yelled. ....."But what if they charge the castle? It would be far wiser to take out the warriors than just one Asmar!" a younger archer piped in. ....."That robed Asmar is what we believe to be a Shaman. If you do not shoot it, our magi will not be able to assist you in defending the castle," Scapegoat countered. .....Cursed UGLY Asmar! was the only thing that Simoriah could think of. The dwarf was running down the western street towards the docks, pursued by a dozen Asmar. Somewhere else was Krook. Where is he when you REALLY need him! she thought angrily. She made the turn for the docks when a few Asmar leaped out in front of her. .....Cutting a scream short, she brought her fist back and let a punch fly. Nailing an Asmar on the nose, he fell backwards in a screaming fit with his hands to his bloodied face. ....."Sissy!" Simoriah and the Asmar roared together, then jumped in surprise and looked at each other. Overcoming her surprise, Simoriah brought her right leg around in a roundhouse kick and knocked another Asmar to the ground. Two more Asmar stood before her with a group coming from behind. .....A familiar grunt came from the right, causing her to turn her head. With a blur of movement, Krook ran towards the nearest Asmar and slammed his fist into his opponents throat. Quickly grabbing the fallen soldier's arm, Krook yanked with all this strength. Sickening pops and snaps caused Simoriah's spine to shutter as Krook ripped the arm free. Leaping over to the other Asmar, he swung the arm, which still held on tightly to its sword, in a slash movement. .....The tip of the sword scratched the Asmar's breastplate, leaving a thin scar. The Asmar brought his sword up over his head and began to swing it down... .........but never made it. Simoriah had grabbed the shield off the dead Asmar and had brought it to block Krook of the blow. She then brought her knee up very hard into the Asmar's legs. Eyes popping out, squealing silently, he dropped to the ground. .....Turning around, they met their new opposition. Eight Asmar. ....."Ahh. General Grytu, a pleasure," the Asmar said to the tall, scared warrior standing beside him. ....."Yes," the general replied. "What is it you want?" ....."The shaman has arrived. He's casting a shelter over the entire city. They cannot escape by magic now," the Asmar said. .....Grytu turned to him. "Just because one thing is certain does not mean they will not fail," he sharply responded. "If they are lucky and resourceful, they have a chance of escaping. However, I do not think of them in such a manner." .....The Asmar nodded while the general continued. "At any rate, I am going to have our forces try a new method of exterminating those pests in the castle," he glanced over to his right. Standing there were crude catapults with a few Asmar scurrying about them, making minor adjustments. "We are going to be catapulting weapons, boiling oil, dead animals, whatever we find, at them," Grytu grinned. "They may think we are a sick-minded race with very little of their morals, but this war is more than just the battles. Psychological warfare is a powerful weapon." .....The Asmar beside him listened as he continued the lecture, starting to grow tired and keeping a yawn back. This fool may think he knows all, but sooner or later he will make a mistake, and someone has to correct it, he thought to himself.
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