Sol watched as the once hopeless battlefield turned into a massacre befalling from the sky.
Raking talons, melting spurts of acid, incinerating breaths of flame, stunning surges of lightning and freezing blasts of ice assaulted the Orcin horde. Panic and confusion now filling the Orcin numbers as even the Trolls were overwhelmed by the Wyvern Knight units.
Groups of them flew around, numbering between twelve of mixed elemental type or six of the same. Each type of unit seemingly doing something different, as the mixed units made runs across the entire horde while the specialized units each seemingly had their own orders.
From groups of fire and acid wyverns assaulting the highly regenerative Trolls to lightning wyverns barraging the front lines, slowing the horde’s progress while the ice wyverns formed a wall of frost right in front of the fort.
Sol had never seen such a perfect combination and use of raw monstrous power, natural elemental magic and induced shock factor.
Still though the Orcs were a hardened race of people, the initial shock quickly dissipating as they began to fight back, arrows, spears and roped hooks beginning to fly up at the bombarding wyverns.
Unlike his own men and himself who were left frozen in amazement. Sol stood up from the dirt, retrieving his blade he held that Xilfir’s words to heart. “Cowards have no place on the battlefield…I’m no coward…” Clenching his weapon as the golden energy returned to him, rushing through his body as he suddenly felt lighter.
“Reinforcements! Don’t let this moment pass us by! Man the cannons! Arm the ballistae and catapults!” Sol exclaimed as he rose back up into the air, returning to the wall from which he was thrown. Raising his sword forward, Sol shouted orders with regained resolve. “Give them all we’ve got!”
(“I may not be a warrior…But I am still a king damnit!”) Sol thought, as he willed the energy filling him into his blade. “I am the king’s fist.” He chanted, as his words reawakened the fortress from its shock and surprise. “The thunder which bellows in the night. The lightning which shines bright through the day. Lord, one who I would call master, lend me your strength! For I am your Chosen. Draconic School; Custom Cast; Solarion Blade!”
Reaching the wall’s battlements then, as the lent draconic energy surged into his ornate weapon, giving it a bright golden glow. Coming to face the Orcin shaman as he glanced around at the wyverns, surges of dark energy leaving his fingers as he shot many a beast down.
“Don’t forget about me so quickly…” Sol hissed as his feet landed on hard stone, suddenly thrusting his blade forwards and sending forth the energy which collected within.
The wall shuddered all around him as a beam of golden light burst out of his weapon’s tip, lightning sparking all around it as soared straight.
Winug barely noticing in time to turn and face it, meeting the beam of light with raised hands and rushing tendrils of darkness. “Black Deflect!” He chanted quickly, as the tendrils spun before him, rushing to form a defensive magic shield.
The beam of light hitting him right then, suddenly spreading the darkness apart and piercing right through the shaman’s magic.
Winug felt a burning agony fill his chest as the beam seared through his armour, skin and then flesh, sending him soaring several meters back as the light carried on through him and even searing through a distracted Troll’s head.
The massive beast going limp right then and collapsing onto its comrades, causing a minor tremor with the fall.
Winug recovered quickly though, groaning as smoke rose from a perfect hole going through his left abdomen and out of his back. Touching it briefly with his fingers, pain filled his hand as well as the almost holy energy burning him continued to rush through his flesh. “Ha…You’ll pay for that boy!” The shaman hissed, as darkness engulfed him once again, the brightness which filled his wound and hand suddenly being snuffed out.
Winug raised his hood, revealing his pitch-black eyes rushing with tendrils of violet miasma.
The sight of the unharmed Orc left Sol in a stupor, he was sure his attack had pierced through the shaman’s heart yet not only did Winug continue to stand and hover but the sensation of evil which filled the Orc now surrounded him entirely.
A sensation which caught the attention of every mage within the ravine, as if some horrid smell had engulfed them all.
Winug chuckled coldly, a wet cackle which rumbled through their bones, leaving a chill crawling in their backs as their very throats became clogged with terror. Raising his hands forth, the shaman began to chant.
A guttural language leaving his rough lips as each word seemed to multiply once leaving them, his voice echoing out unnaturally as he spoke. Nobody understood him, yet anyone privy to the mildest of magic felt the hellish energy which accompanied Winug’s words.
As even the wyverns surrounding him now refused to approach, struggling against their riders to turn away.
“No, you, don’t!” Exclaimed a rough voice as from the ravine’s left cliff-side leapt a lone figure, wearing nothing more than common leather armour and wielding a basic short sword, Alan soared towards the Shaman as frost trailed behind him.
His eyes shining a bright cold blue as he raised his sword up, held with both hands, as frost formed about its blade too.
Suddenly turning himself mid-air as a shadow engulfed arrow flew literally out of nowhere, meeting the projectile with his blade, surprise filling his expression as he felt the magical projectile explode against his frost.
Alan was sent far off his target and flying through the air, his vision having blurred from the blast, it now recovered for him to see a large flame engulfed Orc soaring above him. Raguk’s massive iron blade descended upon Alan, more so a giant slab of metal aflame than an actual sword.
Alan evaded, sending frost out of his own body to change his trajectory. Watching as the mountain of a weapon slashed past him, Alan then met the Orc’s gaze, noticing the blackness filling their eyes. He pulled away, gliding down onto a fallen Troll’s back, and Raguk followed, suddenly kicking forward as if the very air itself was a surface for his feet.
“Human quick, but is Human strong?” Raguk said as he stomped forwards, heaving his massive weapon one-handed and onto his shoulder. “I am Raguk Boneback, your opponent!” The Orc exclaimed in a bellow, towering over Alan as he growled.
“Huh, aren’t you something.” Alan mused, glancing around the giant Orc and up at the shaman as Winug continued to chant. (“I’ll have to get around this g-”) He was thinking when suddenly another strange magic imbued arrow blinked into existence to his left.
Alan turned, raising his sword up to meet the arrow as he quickly chanted. “Ice Block!”
Again he felt the energy filling the arrow surge on contact with his sword, just as a barrier of ice flowed out of his sword’s tip. The ice shuddered and cracked as a black explosion blasted out of the arrow, yet withheld.
“We fight this one together Raguk, this Human is too strong for just you.” Spoke another Orcin yet feminine voice, seemingly having no origin as Alan looked around.
Raguk huffed seemingly in annoyance, “This pipsqueak? Fine if Bula thinks so.” He groaned in acceptance, shifting his position into a stance from his previously laid-back demeanour.
Alan clicked his tongue, (“I don’t have time to waste with these two…”) He thought, glancing around at the horde of Orcs beneath as many a Wyvern unit began to land and engage in close quarters massacre.
Looking back at Winug, tendrils of miasma were now forming out of the shaman’s back and converging into his open palms.
Alan grimaced, “Alright big guy, let’s dance.” He said, suddenly sheathing his blade, Alan stepped to the Orc.
“Hah, dumb Human.” Raguk mused, as with a swift motion and dispersal of air, his massive blade came cleaving down onto Alan.
The clang of metal rang through the Orc’s ears as a sudden burst of ice blocked his weapon’s fall.
“Frost Armour.” Alan chanted, forming even more ice around his body, as slowly he rose to stand much higher than before.
Raguk stepped back, looking the now just as tall being of ice up and down as Alan lay within it. “Hah! Now this will be fun!” He exclaimed with a wide grin.
Alan had other plans though, as his eyes remained glancing from Raguk and onto Winug, “Maybe some other time.” He said, causing an expression of displeasure to fill Raguk’s face as Alan suddenly charged him.
The humanoid golem of ice tackled Raguk, as Alan quickly flowed out of its back, pushing the massive Orc to the ground whilst Alan kicked off it and soared towards Winug. His eyes snapping to his left as three pitch black arrows formed out of nothing, trailing darkness as they flew directly into his path.
Alan though just smiled, continuing to push his flight magic further and into a path of collision with the projectiles. Clenching his sheathed sword, Alan’s eyes focused on Winug’s back, frost forming around his hand as a blueish light escaped the sheath.
The three arrows mere moments from clashing with his body, when suddenly a wall of frost swirled into existence covering him. The arrows collided with the frost and exploded, barely making a dent in the wall of magic as suddenly even more frost spiralled into existence nearby. Forming into a miniature cyclone, as the shimmer of light within collapsed, revealing the cloaked being.
“Ugh! What is this!?” Exclaimed the female Orc wielding a coal black metal bow, now trapped inside the cyclone as frost began to form over her body. Slowing her movements down to a crawl, Bula fell to her knees unable to fight the cold which permeated her body.
Glancing through the turbulent frost, she barely made the appearance of a crystalline figure, the ice shattering and revealing the woman within. Findri stood with arms held forward, eyes shining a bright blue as she hovered in mid-air.
“I’ll deal with this one, stop the shaman!” Findri said as behind her Alan continued to soar upwards.
“Yes!” Alan exclaimed, then slowly unsheathing his sword as he chanted. “Frost Draw!” Seemingly an explosion of frost occurring within his sheath as he pulled the blade out, now entirely covered in jagged ice as pure cold trailed in its path.
Alan slashed forwards, his blade cutting right through Winug’s back…
As the shaman’s form then shuddered and faded away.
“Clearly I should kill you two first.” Winug mused, appearing above Alan as he moved his left hand away from his current spell and aimed it downwards. “Gravity Prison.” The shaman chanted, both Alan and Findri then suddenly finding themselves falling rapidly.
Slamming down into the snow, both of them felt an invisible force holding them down as well.
“Multicasting!?” Findri mused in surprise, “An Orc?”
Winug chuckled, “I’d say a Dragon trapped within a Human’s body is far more surprising.” Glancing down at Findri with dark eyes as he said that. “Overheat.” He then chanted, glancing both at Bula and Raguk, the both of them being released of their bindings as a smouldering heat surrounded them, melting the snow they walked on as well.
“Ugh, sorry chief, I cut this one up good now!” Raguk exclaimed, leaping to stand over Alan’s fallen form, he raised his blade up.
Bula too took aim, pulling back her string as two tendrils of darkness grew out, forming an arrow she pointed at Findri.
“Now where was I?…” Winug mused with a smirk, returning to stare at the fortress, “Ah right.”
Speaking a few more words, the miasma surrounding him suddenly lost its form briefly before reforming into a small violet skull hovering in between his palms. “I was about to kill that king and his people, Hah…Hell’s Script; Death Fog!” He finished his chant, and the skull burst forwards into a haze of dark violet smoke, quickly soaring forwards and towards the fort’s battlements.
“This land we claim!” Winug announced with wide arms, “And there is nothing you puny Humans can do about it! For Hell itself stands behind m-”
“You done monologuing?” A rumbling voice came down from above, as the blackest of shadows suddenly descended into the cloud of death.
At first formless, merely a blob of dark energy before it quickly took shape. Forming arms, legs, horns, wings and two tails.
“Djiin; Second Form; Ivrick.” Nerick’s voice chanted out as a wyvern-winged black knight formed amongst the miasmic winds, eyes closed as he took a rough breath in, before suddenly continuing to breath in…
Slowly, to the astonishment of Alan, Findri and even Winug and his comrades, Ivrick absorbed the hellish smoke in its entirety.
Opening his eyes then, a purplish glow shone out of them and through his full helm.
“Djiin; Absorb.” Ivrick chanted, and the air around him shuddered, as violet miasmic energy then flowed through his body and armour in the shape of bright lines of light.
“I-Impossib-How!?” Winug exclaimed with wide eyes, “You…You should be dead!”
Ivrick chuckled, his eyes focusing on the shaman then. “Why? That was just a tasty snack.” He mused, as two long curved blades formed out of rushing darkness and into his hands. “I sure hope that wasn’t all you’ve got.” Ivrick said mockingly, as in a burst of shadow he suddenly appeared mere inches from Winug’s face.
“Cause I’m just getting started.” Ivrick hissed, the lines of miasma covering him suddenly flaring brightly alongside his reptilian eyes.
Winug retreated at the sudden approach, raising his hands forth. “Black Pulse!” He quickly chanted then, sending forth a blast of darkness into Ivrick.
The dark energy forming a wall of black, blurring Ivrick out of sight as it collided into him.
“Too slow.” Ivrick mused as he suddenly appeared behind Winug, digging his boot into the shaman’s back and sending him shooting down into the ground. Snow rising at the crash, falling then to reveal the shaman still standing and surrounded by a sphere of ethereal violet.
Winug groaned as he rose back to his feet, his eyes then filling with a dark purple flame as he looked up at the black knight with rage. “I was not told of you…Who…are you?”
Ivrick chuckled, “Me? Oh I’m nobody. I come from nothing, my name matters not. What matters, is who I stand for.” He said, opening his arms wide as his wings abruptly stopped beating, straightening out as he now glided down and in a circle around Winug.
“I am Wyvern Lord Nerick, Knight Commander of the Dragon Empire’s Third Airborne Legion. And you, you’re in our way.” He said, then suddenly beating his wings as he turned to face downwards, rushing down into Winug’s barrier with blades slashing forth.
The scimitars sliced right through the barrier of magic, astonishing Winug as his body then faded away, reappearing elsewhere once more with arms raised towards Ivrick. “Hell Script; Demonfire!” Winug chanted sheepishly, sending forth a barrage of violet fireballs as Ivrick now continued to walk towards him.
His blades blurred, Ivrick’s movements flowed like a shadow as he sliced through each hellish sphere, dissipating the attacks entirely as many an Orc warrior around them now turned to face this Dark Knight.
Winug could only watch horrified as Ivrick now stomped down, his sheer physical strength trembling the ground all around them as it rose and shattered, stone and snow flying up.
With which each Orc warrior lost their balance right then.
Ivrick rushed forward, the swords in his hands deforming before retaking shape, now a long black pole-blade. He spun it, swirling it around himself as he leapt and evaded, dancing about the dozens of Orcs standing just barely taller than himself.
Blood splattered with every step he took, limbs flew and heads soared with every cycle his weapon spun. The sound of it whistling through the air, heightening as it rose and climaxing into a deep hum as it descended.
Winug felt his saliva build up inside his throat, momentarily forgetting to breathe at the grim sound and sight.
As Ivrick now stood mere feet away from him, piles of bodies left in his wake from nothing more than a couple moments of approach.
Winug watched as the pitch-black pole-blade changed once more, a malleable shadow that retreated back into Ivrick’s hands and formed long blade-like talons along his gauntlet’s fingers. Claws which tentatively rose to either side of Ivrick, as the Dark Knight’s fierce eyes met the Shaman’s now agitated gaze.
“Hellscript; Miasmic Entanglement!” Winug chanted as a wooden stave appeared into his hands, dozens of strings tied up to the top from which several strange items hung. Slamming his staff’s butt down into the ground then, as the already shattered ground rumbled further, causing Ivrick to pause in his steps and glance around.
Snow exploded upwards as suddenly large spiked tentacles of violet miasmic corruption grew out of the ground around them, fidgeting about before Winug aimed his staff’s top at him. “Restrain!” He chanted, and the tentacles took aim at Ivrick, each of the six large limbs twitching before lunging at him.
Wrapping around him before he could evade, entangling him entirely into a wriggling cocoon of monstrous flesh.
Switching to holding his staff onehanded, Winug continued to aim it at him whilst opening his other wide and also directed at Ivrick. As the Shaman again began to chant in a strange guttural language, dark black and violet energies forming around and up his arm, converging at his fingers tips into a slowly growing spiral.
“Ugh! Restrain!” Winug chanted in between once more, feeling a powerful tug at his staff as the cocoon of tentacles suddenly shuddered.
And again…
And a third…
Expanding suddenly before restraining once more, Ivrick was visibly struggling within.
When, his struggling abruptly paused.
As Winug finished his hellish chant, “Hellscript; Demonwinds!” He exclaimed, and the small serpentine spiral of purplish winds within his palm suddenly expanded forwards into a turbulent cyclone of miasma.
The winds dispersed the snow and tore away at the ground below, as the cyclone settled around the entanglement of tentacles, leaving the fleshy limbs unscathed as it seemed to flow right through the gaps and into the cocoon.
One last shudder expanded the tentacles widely, revealing two large black wings pushing against them, before faltering once again as the cyclone of dark energy now fully rushed into the half-open cocoon.
Silence filled Winug’s surroundings now, as both him and many other Orcs stared frozen at the unmoving cocoon. The sound of battle, of clashing blades, bursts of magic, flapping of wyvern wings and firing of cannons filling their ears.
Yet their focus was entirely set on the cocoon.
Winug’s eyes widening into horror once more, as he sensed the rise of energy within the cocoon tripling before the tentacles exploded outwards into a rain of miasmic flesh and blood. Revealing the opening of much larger pitch black leathery wings.
“Djiin; Third Form; Nera!” Nerick’s voice chanted out, as a massive two-headed black Wyvern formed out of a burst of darkness which escaped the entanglement. Looming over Winug as the Shaman’s own mouth lay unhinged and wide open alongside his shivering lips and trembling eyes.
Nera’s wings and tails spread out and slithered about, sending hundreds of Orcs slamming off into the ravine’s cliff-sides, as it stood almost as wide as the battlefield itself.
Its own feet, clawed and scale-armoured, quaking the ground as it took a single step.
Turning to face Winug with both heads, its wide black eyes and silver slits setting upon the petrified Orc Chieftain.
Winug was frozen in fear, unable to move, only to watch and listen.
Listen to the growling of the giant Wyvern as its tiny in comparison counterparts all rushed out of the ravine, knowing what was to come.
Watching, as both maws opened wide, violet energy he knew too well forming in between its fangs.
“Djiin; Release!” Nera hissed out, and out of its maw suddenly came a breath of dark miasmic winds.
The same energy Nerick had absorbed before, it filled the ravine ahead of Nera in a black-purplish fog.
The sound of blades clashing, wyverns snarling and cannons firing…ceasing then.
Replaced with the sounds of agonized screams and choked bellows, as every single Orc, Goblin and Troll fell to their knees.
Unable to breath, as blood splattered out of their mouths, ears and noses. Tears of red leaking out of their eyes too as dozen by dozen they fell to the ground.
An entire army now laying still amongst the snow and toxic fog.
Nera raised its wings open, beating them a single time to disperse the miasmic air out of the ravine.
Revealing Winug still standing with a barrier of black surrounding him, yet he was not unharmed, as half his body now lay burning away the same way the entirety of his people had been. Violet patches of flesh bubbling up through his skin as purplish tendrils grew out around it, burning away at the rest of his flesh, it grew and spread with every passing moment.
Winug felt the agony which filled his body, but the despair which plagued his mind as he glanced back was far beyond it.
The dream he had installed into each of them, gone as they now lay in snow splattered with their own dying blood.
Everybody he knew, men and women who entrusted him with their future, finding themselves not even having one anymore.
Winug stared, emptily he gazed out at the silent battlefield.
As rage filled him, a fury he had never felt before.
“What have I done…” Winug mused, clenching his rotting hand about his sizzling staff. “No…You…You’ll pay fo-” He was about to say, turning around to face Nera, trembling now with anger.
His eyes widening, Winug found that he could no longer speak.
As he watched one of the black Wyvern’s maws descend and enclose around him.
(“Then let hell come to this world, let the Devils walk amongst us with their armies of fire and corruption…It will matter not…”) Winug thought to himself as the moon’s light was entirely covered up by the looming beast, “For monsters already walk this earth…”
His final thought, spoken out loud right before Nera’s maw ate him up.
…
“Why am I getting used to that?” Nerick groaned out of the other head.
“Cause meat is tasty!” Ivara whined back.
“Ugh…” Nerick’s head gagged, “Oh lord why does it burn in there?”
“Cause demon is spicy!” Ivara exclaimed as she licked her lips, before glancing around at the rest of the Orcin army. Her eyes widening as she noticed the hundreds of snacks laying before her.
Nerick hiccupped then, “Nope, nope we’re unmerging right f****** now.”
