Completed Barbarism

[Zael Castomir]

Zael scoffed immediately (and loudly) when Captain Holstag got that doubting look on his face. That motherfucker. He had no fuckin clue who the hell he was lookin at, did he? Givin Edric that look. Holstag couldn't do it, hell even him and his whole unit of Guardsmen couldn't do it, what Edric was about to go out there and do. So who did he think he was? That captain's crest on his armor didn't mean shit, and it sure as hell didn't mean he could go about disrespecting any of the Initiates who were each worth all of his men and more.

Zael was alright with him before (at least he didn't off himself like that Lieutenant or turn tail once he got the full idea of what he and his men were up against) but now he was visibly sour with the captain.

Tch. Didn't matter. The five of them were about to head out and have their own talk. Fine by Zael. If the lives of all those innocent people fleeing south rested in anybody's hands, it was in theirs. They were going to be the difference here. Edric, Henk, Ralene, Alistair, and him. They were. They had all been in training for war longer than any of these Guardsmen had even been in service.

"Let's go," Zael said, turning abruptly on his heel and heading out. The boiling in his blood would simmer down soon enough, he knew. It always did in the aftermath of some incident with a Proctor that had pissed him off. And, if anything, he could always use the anger later as a reserve of potent fuel during the actual fight. Worked wonders. So thanks for that, at least, Captain.

See. Lookit. Turn those negative thoughts around and body-slam the positive out of them.

Yeah.

Zael was already feeling better. Smiling even. There was gonna be a few more dead ogres then there would have been otherwise.

Now it was time to see what Edric wanted to say. He was a man of few words if there ever was one, so it ought to be good.

Edric Alistair Krixus Ralene Henk

 

[Edric]

Alistair and Henk rattled off their own plan, Edric listening just barely enough to get the gist. A part of him wanted to chuckle at the idea of Henk running around naked with his ass hanging out, but he knew the moment didn't call for it.

So he kept his face serious, nodding in gratitude as the Captain finally dismissed them and the four of them walked out into the opening.

He frowned for a brief moment, a second thought flickering through his mind. Then he motioned to the other Initiates. Slowly he pulled them aside, away from the other Guardsmen and towards a more secluded part of the defenses they had so far set up. "There's a good chance you're all going to die."

Edric stated plainly, kicking off the pep-talk in a cheerful fashion.

"I trust you. I know you're strong." He glanced slowly at each one in turn. Trying to impart at least some facet of the fact he wasn't trying to insult them. "But none of you have the stamina I do."

They knew that as well as he. Though of course his own power was stolen, taken. Not that it mattered now. "If they're right, we'll be fighting for a while. Hours, maybe days. Eventually you'll tire, and then you'll die."

For a moment he chewed his own lip, considering them. He weighed something in his mind, and then slowly reached into the small pack that hung from his belt. A clinking sound rang out, and from his pocket he pulled something. A moment later his palm folded open, revealing a half dozen shards of odd black crystalline steel.

They glittered in the sunlight.

"I got these in Tyr." He looked towards Ralene, then Alistair. "I am fairly certain, through them you'll be able to take my..."

Edric frowned, not entirely sure what to call it. "...power. Not what I can do...but the result of it. Keep yourselves going. 'Least for a little while."

Until the crystal broke, or he did. Though he figured the latter wouldn't be much of a problem. Not with how many of their enemy would soon be surrounding them.

The unspoken, the part that Edric himself hadn't yet figured out...was what was would happen if they took too much.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair was already shaking his head at Henk's idea. For starters, running naked through a battlefield was not very sanitary. Second, the end result of Henk's plan would likely result in death.

"Maybe don't sneak to hit them in the rear. We don't have the stayability of Edric. If we get caught with no reinforcements then we are screwed."

That was all he could say before Edric began his speech...Yeah, an incredible way to start off some conversation. Alistair was looking around at all the others, trying to understand Edric's reasoning.

The crystal shards were truly an arcane marvel from the city of Tyr, but Alistair was quick to pick up on the unsaid words, mainly for himself. For the others, a boost in power or life force was a boon. For Alistair, it could be catastrophic. Most of his magic was carefully crafted and formulaic. You change the numbers for one part of the formula and you end up with a completely different answer.

He was hesitant to take it, as the others should also be. Things like this always came with their drawbacks. Alistair had not gotten enough time to examine the shards closely...

"Can we control when we get energy? If not then I must decline."

Ralene Zael Castomir Edric Henk

 

[Edric]

Edric looked at Alistair with a slight frown. "You'll need to stab the shard into your flesh when it's time."

He explained simply.

"Then take it out when you've had enough." Or let it shatter when it simply could not take any more.

As he answered the young Initiate didn't seem as he'd offer judgment either way. He was simply trying to offer a boon. Something that, in his mind, would help them stay alive. It was a choice each of them would have to make.

 

[Samantha Black]

Ralene wasn't sure what she'd been expecting from Edric, but she couldn't say she was entirely surprised by what they got. All those rumors about his supposed pep talks must really just be that, rumors and here-say. She watched and listened, a muted, stony expression upon her face while Ed dressed them down in the most basic vote of failure she'd ever heard in their time. And she'd endured plenty of them from the Proctors before the revolution forced them to change their tune.

The curious crystal shard notwithstanding, Ral couldn't help but think that this demoralization was not quite what they needed to hear. So in true Ralene fashion, she decided to take charge of the pep talk.

"This is nothing more than what each and every one of us grew up with on a daily basis. The threat of death has always loomed over our horizon," she idly rolled the shard around in her gauntlet, the clinking of crystal on metal adding a curious sense of the esoteric to the building anticipation of the hell soon to break loose, like the staccato of a drummer boy in the distance slowly drawing nearer and growing louder.

"A year ago the Proctors would have sent droves of us to this defense to thin the class, and guess what, we all would have been standing at the end. We've survived where others have perished, that's why we're here. Because at the end of the day, it's what we were made for - it's our job to take the hell these ogres are bringing and turn it back on them, the only difference now is we have the opportunity and option to work together."

They no longer had to work against one another in hopes that the formidable force on approach would off a few more of the heavy lifters in the class. Ral looked at each of them and was in that moment glad to have them fighting at her side. They had all made it this long and far because they each were powerful in their own way.

"No offense Ed," her gaze landed on him, "but fuck your sentiments of death. I'm going to live and I'll do whatever the fuck it takes to make sure each one of those fucking beasts finds its grave here. If anyone needs help during this engagement, the signal is a magic red flare in the sky. We all know how to do this. Don't be too proud to call for aid when you need it." she looked from Ed to Zael, then Al and Henk, "This isn't dog eat dog anymore."

 

[Henk]

Henk stood with his arms crossed as Edric addressed them all. His oration was not one to instill confidence and light a fire in their bellies, which was what Henk had--perhaps foolishly-- expected. On the contrary, Edric told them all exactly what he thought of them: They were lesser, with powers that lent them far lower chances of making it to the end of a prolonged battle with fierce enemies such as the ones on the march towards them.

And to be quite honest, Henk didn't believe that Edric meant to insult them nor did he totally disagree with some part of what he said. Edric was cold, and though he had warmed considerably ever since the revolution he still lacked trust in his team. The powerful Initiate cared, but he often allowed himself to rely solely on his own strength.

It was the one hurdle, in Henk's opinion, that prevented him from being a true leader.

Henk took the crystal he was offered but slid it into the pocket of his coat with no true intention of using it, not unless it looked as though it was his only option. Henk trained day and night, pouring blood, sweat, and tears as well into every aspect of his studies--loathing the teachings though he did-- so that he could defend his friends with his own hands, his own power. If he allowed Ogres to stop him now, after he'd come so far, then he deserved death.

After a bit of a back and forth between Edric and Krixus, Ralene began to speak. As soon as Henk heard her interject, he closed his eyes knowingly.

As of late, it had become surprisingly apparent to the light-bender how similar he was to Ralene, at least when it came to their ideals. Henk wished he'd gotten to know her sooner, before they were approaching graduation at such a tumultuous time in Vel Anir's history. As she gave an inspiring speech, rebutting Edric's pessimism with a tongue silver enough to spark a flame in all of them, Henk smiled.

"Thank you, Ralene." Henk opened his eyes as she concluded, looking over all of the other Initiates. His family.

"I don't want any of you entertaining the thought of dying before the fight even begins. Such a bleak outlook is a very easy way to find yourself defeated before the first blow." Ralene's forward-thinking attitude had a tendency to bring Henk somewhat out of his shell, and now was no different. The scar-faced boy ran his left hand along the bare skin of his right arm, idly drawing shapes of light on his flesh as he spoke. "I have absolutely no intentions of allowing any of your stories to end here. For what little it may mean to you, I will be giving you everything that I have."

If any of his friends passed today, they would be joined by Henk.

Ralene Edric Zael Castomir Alistair Krixus

 

[Zael Castomir]

Zael listened to all of it. What Edric had to say, what Ralene had to say, what Henk had to say.

He just shrugged. Offered a thin little smile.

And said, "Drinks are on me tomorrow."

Zael turned and started sauntering toward the northern gate of Vel Janix. He didn't bother taking one of the crystals. He didn't want one, and he didn't need one. All he needed right now was to rest with what little time they had, get a bite to eat, take a piss, let some of his arcane fatigue cool off with all of that.

And to get ready to kill as many ogres as he could.

Edric Alistair Krixus Henk Ralene

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair couldn't help but smirk at everyone's reaction to Edric's speech. He took the crystal and placed it into his pocket, but he did not plan on using it, not if he did not half too. Still, it was always good to have a backup plan.

"I'll be able to provide some cover-up in the tower, so I will try and keep an eye on everyone."

He looked around at the others and seemed satisfied with their responses.

"Have some faith in us Edric. I know you went through some rough shit, but we've all been through the Academy. This is what we train for...We might not have your stamina, but some of us have..."

"Firepower." As he looked over at Zael walking away.

"Wit." He shot a glance at Henk.

"Resolution." Al motioned to Ralene.

"Or just a bunch of really strong friends," Alistair said with a chuckle indicating himself.

"Well, I need to get working on those runes. I'll try to meet up with everyone before the attacks start."

With that said, he hurried off to get started on his work. He might not normally be as strong as the others, but with a little bit of preparation and planning. He would suddenly look a lot more dangerous.

Ralene Edric Zael Castomir Henk

 

[Edric]

Edric listened carefully to all of them.

There wasn't a flash of guilt, of anger, or any sort of mark that rang through them. He had not been trying to insult them. He hadn't wanted them to be hurt or any such thing.

Perhaps his words had not been the best, the most calm or encouraging. But he did trust them. He did think them utterly worthy of this fight. He did not want them to die, not a single one of them. Not Henk, Zael, Alistair, or especially Ralene.

A small smile touched his lips at the latter's words.

His face remained blank a mask, the others quietly peeling away from the group.

Zael was the first to depart, declaring his intentions. Then Alistair, and then finally Henk as their speeches came to an end. After a few more minutes only two of them lingered in the circle he had called. For a brief moment he remained, staring Ralene in the eye.

He stared at her for a moment. A quiet understanding passing through the two of them. Lips thinned, and then slowly he reached out and pressed the last of the crystal's into her palm. "For Zael."

Edric remarked.

"I don't want you, any of you, to die." He told her. "So make sure they do what you said."

The Initiate said, drawing himself up. "Live."

With that, he stepped away. Moving not to prepare traps or runes, but wandering out towards that copse of trees.

 

[Samantha Black]

She'd worked alongside Edric enough by now to register that there was far more going on in his head than his blank glare projected. He was working on saying something, that much she could tell, and she'd said all she needed to say to the group - if anything her patience for the turn of his cogs wore thin.

There was so much to do to prepare ... if he could just be out with it, that would be nice. A moment later he pushed the last crystal into her hand, eliciting a slow released of the breath she'd been holding.

Ralene glanced from the crystals in her clawed gauntlet palm and back up to Ed. Relegated to the keeper of their companions, Ral's jaw set firmly as she chewed on what that meant to her. Most of her missions had been solo or with a member of the Guard's Special Forces. It wasn't often she roved out with fellow Initiates or was given the task of leading them in such endeavors - not that it mattered much to her. She could lead or follow, so long as the leadership was competent in getting the job done.

Her fingers slowly closeed around the crystals. It would be done. Ral would personally see to it that not a single one of their comrades was lost in this battle.

"You do the same," she said after him and watched after his receding figure for a moment longer before stowing the crystal shards away. Ralene pressed her hair from her face and pulled her helmet on, then sett off to find Alistair and assist with the crafting of the larger rune traps along the gateway alley.

 

[Henk]

Well, it seemed they were all more or less on the same page then. Good, nobody would be dying as long as they believed that they could live. One's motivation was as good an armor as any iron or steel. Zael was the first to set off, as Henk would have expected from the hot-headed warrior. Alistair was next, shooting Henk a look before he set off, returned by a smile from his own scarred face. Then Edric departed, with but a few words to Ralene, who followed soon after.

The time had come to put their words into action, and Henk played a pivotal part in their success. There was no time to be wasted. Shortly after Ralene's departure, one of Holstag's men exited the tent and approached Henk. "I've got the key to get in the tower, Initiate. Let's make this quick." Wonderful, so Henk wouldn't have to worry about blasting the damned thing open himself. "Very well. Stay close."

Though the second attack hadn't truly commenced just yet, wading through the piles of carnage between Holstag's tent and the watch tower was far from a pleasant experience. Bone and flesh crunched beneath Henk's boots, despite his best effort to work around the fallen men and goblin alike. By the end of what was looming on the horizon, there would be much more. It would be far worse.

The watch tower had been unmanned when the Initiates had arrived and hadn't taken any damage from the fighting, which hopefully meant it would withstand a bit of a beating if it came down to it. Allowing the soldier to unlock the door, Henk quickly ascended the empty, cobweb-laden structure. The interior was basic, hollow too. Only one layer of stones surrounded the ladder that led up into the nest, which was a bit more fortified, with a stone roof with an opening at the top and railing and wooden bars closing the gap, leaving small windows for one to aim through.

It would do well, as the sun poured through the roof and allowed him to direct it. When their foes arrived, Henk would be ready.

Ralene Edric Zael Castomir Alistair Krixus

 

[Zael Castomir]

Overlord Romguul listened with a fierce eagerness to the reports from the surviving goblins who'd come back to the warhost. He listened...and he was pleased. He rewarded the goblins with cuts of meat pillaged from Dalriada and the lands of Elbion. Didn't matter if they were gobbos. Do what Romguul says, do it well, and you got rewarded. His strength wasn't the only thing which kept the cohesiveness of his warhost strong.

"MAAAUUULLLGAAARRR! To me!" Romguul bellowed out to the humungous camp, and ogres and goblins and other glory seekers from the Steppe (and beyond) gathered to him. Formidable creatures, like the Steppe Giant which stood three ogres tall, and beasts of war, like the Great Horned Crushers upon which some ogres rode into battle, were held at bay by their handlers. The chatter and belching ceased. All awaited the word of Romguul.

"Let me tell you somefing," the Overlord began. "We're farther souf now than any other Ogres from tha Steppe. And where we go, Threshkuul, the Almighty One, sees us, and HE IS PLEASED!"

Roars of approval from the ogres, and a great many bashing of skulls together. When the cheers and headbutting were all done, anticipatory quiet came again.

"We crossed tha Strait! We ravaged tha humes in Dalriada, and we ravaged tha humes in Elbion, and boys...now we're gonna ravage tha humes in Vel Anir. They can't stop us. We're gonna go all the way souf, we're gonna get to Cortos, and we're gonna take back what belongs to tha Maulgar! We take it, and we bring it back home wif us, and Threshkuul will see us ALL!"

Cheers this time were accompanied by the thunderous and rhythmic stomps of hundreds of heavy feet, this like the very heartbeat of war.

Romguul continued. "I tasted them Oban humes! I didn't like em. Too tangy, somefing wrong wif em. I tasted them Elbion humes! I didn't like em. Too crunchy, where's all tha meat?" Widespread laughter among the ogres. Romguul raised his hands, piping them down for the finish. "Now then...these Anirian humes think they can fight."

The Overlord of the warhost thrust a big fist into the air.

"MAULGAR! LET'S SEE HOW THESE ANIRIANS TASTE!"

And the loudest cheers and roars of battlelust yet came. As his warhost amped themselves up for the coming battle, Romguul was already devising his schemes. The few surviving goblins warned him of the tactics of the Anirian Guard, and warned him most notably of the "special humes," the ones with magic. There was one with fire, one with light, one with decay, and one with runes (of Ralene and Captain Holstag's reinforcements, who arrived after the batch of goblins had fled, he was not and could not have been made aware).

They weren't the only ones with magic. Romguul didn't get this far south without some tricks up his warhost's sleeve.

* * * * *​

Zael sat casually atop the rampart above the northern gate of Vel Janix, his legs dangling over the edge. These wooden walls were pitiful, but what could you expect from a frontier town? At the very least they had walls, even if they were terribly prone to being set on fire. He'd just have to stay to the front, then fall back and wait for them to crash through.

His heaviest thoughts though were on the civilians fleeing south. And the conclusion Zael came to was this. Would he die for this stupid plot of land called Vel Janix? Hell no. Would he die for any one of those kids, any one of them, a little boy or little girl whose name he didn't even know? Absolutely. Not that he'd tell any of his fellow Initiates that. They just wouldn't understand—so he figured.

But Zael? Deep down, he had a desire to give more than he ever got. Even if it was to a kid he didn't know who was running scared for his life. He wanted to say, Hey, I got you, buddy. I want you to live a long and happy life. Even if it costs mine.

At that exact thought...

...a warhorn sounded balefully in the distance. The ogres wanted them to know they were coming.

Zael stood. A mass of figures took shape on the horizon, turning fleshy and foul the ridges over which they crested.

Alistair Krixus Henk Edric Ralene

 

[Edric]

Edric sat in a tree.

More accurately he was crouching on one of the branches, a drab blanket of brown draped over him so that he was more difficult to spot. Not that he really expected any of the Ogres to even look up here. From everything he knew about the creatures they were of a single mind, simple.

Not at all like those Guards had been back in Tyr.

A shudder ran up his spine, thinking about how fucked the situation would be if a band of those things was marching up the road. These ogres were different, he knew, but at least here they had some small advantages. That was something to be thankful for.

If there was anything at all.

Fingers slowly pressed against one another, thumb rubbing against his index. He could see them now, his eyes sharper than most. They were a roiling mass of beige. Their steps, not in marching order but close enough to stir the dust created a thunderous song.

It seemed to shake the earth, force the ground to quiver. The horns sounded, and slowly the stream of hulking beasts marched upon Vel Janix.

Edric waited, watching as they rolled by him. The grass beneath their feet dying, the earth trampled. The sound of their roars began to echo out. Battlecries. Call for blood, bones, the taste of battle that they had been denied for so long.

He drew in a slow breath, and then continued to wait.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair and Ralene had to act quickly to get all of this done. They needed to cover the necessary area in runes, and he also wanted to get back and add a couple to the tower before the battle started. Every instinct he had told him to hurry up, but he forced himself to keep his pace.

He stuck his tongue out in concentration while he etched out the runes. Rune magic was a delicate art, at least he was, and one little mess up could put the whole magical formula off balance. Even if he wanted to go farther, he could not.

Thankfully, explosion and fire runes were some of the simplest runes to learn. In fact, they were some of the earliest runes that he was taught at the Academy, so he was able to make decent time. Al also made sure to vary his runes, making some activate on contact, some by his activation, he even through in a gravity rune or two, anything to keep the Orcs guessing and hesitant.

The signal for him to leave the front behind was the thundering approach of the orcs themselves. He had to hurry back to the tower and make his final preparations. He quickly shouted towards Ralene.

"I'm done on this side. I'm going to get back to Henk and get ready...Good luck, Ral. Save some for the rest of us."

Before she could respond, he was all ready running back to the tower as fast as his legs could take him.

Edric Ralene Zael Castomir Henk

 

[Samantha Black]

Ralene had her doubts that there would be a shortage of enemies for the entire lot of them, Anirian Knight contingent and all. Given the amount of bodies strewn about the field from the earlier battle, she suspected they would be well in and over their heads this round. Finding a balance between setting magical traps and witholding her energy for the fight to come was something of a rough estimation of her experience in similar situations. But, she thought as she pushed herself back to a stand over the last of the runic traps, she'd never had this much time to prepare for battle.

Usually she was getting tossed into it full-bore, without any opportunity to lay traps.

Ral's frigid gaze tracked Alistair's retreat from the field and back to the tower where they drifted upward to find Henk's shadow within the topmost room. It occurred to her only now that if the enemy brought projectiles, the pair of them would be sitting ducks.

"Black!" Holstag called from the barrier line, stepping out from behind the makeshift battlement walls and folding open his map. With a motion of his hand from a nearby Knight who stepped over and kneeled, placing his shield over his knee to use for a flat surface.

Ralene took a piece of graphite from the Captain and quickly circled the areas where the rune traps had been set, explaining them as simply as she could.

"If your men stay behind the barrier, they should be fine," she assured him.

Holstag grumbled to himself as he looked at the map and folded it up once more, "We only have so many arrows. Sooner or later they'll have to meet these beasts on the field," and give the Initiates the support they would likely need.

"Let's hope by then the traps will no longer be of concern," Ralene answered.

From the forward city walls, the war horn sounded. Five blasts. Ral's helmet pivoted, the horns at its top pricked toward their oncoming foe with anticipation. With a slow inhale, she put boots to soil and moved out onto the field, positioning herself between Zael Castomir and the barrier, standing amidst the field of runic traps, dual scythe blades held at the ready - one in each hand.

"Zael!" she called forward to him, "watch your fore and back! Lead the big guys into the circles." And for the love of all the Vel Anirian Gods combined, don't step in them yourself, she didn't say.

 

[Henk]

A warhorn. They were awfully confident in themselves, weren't they? Henk supposed they had reason to be. On any other day conquering this podunk city would be absolutely inconsequential to a group of Ogres that massive. He could see them, lumbering into view from the horizon like mountains that had sprouted arms and legs and developed a thirst for blood. Henk knew this wouldn't end until one side had been completely decimated.

That was fine by him. Henk had a surprise waiting.

Sliding the long coat he wore practically everywhere off of his shoulders, Henk tossed the bloodied cloth aside. The top he wore underneath had no sleeves, which was going to be essential for the amount of light he was about to channel. Looking up at the large gap in the roof of the tower that allowed light to pour in, he bit down on his lip and spread his arms out to his sides with his palms turned up.

This was going to sting.

The sunlight touching his skin slowly began to accumulate, soaking into his flesh as though it were water to a rag. Henk shut his eyes as he felt the overwhelming warmth travel up and down every nerve in his body, every one of his pores radiating heat and glowing with the energy he was soaking in. Then it hit, the pain in his head as his core temperature ran dangerously high. He needed to expel before he overheated and collapsed, and every fiber of his being screamed at him to do just that.

Not yet. Henk needed to wait until he was absolutely certain he could hold no more; the initial salvo of light had to be as powerful as he could muster, or the illusion wouldn't stick. Still, he wanted to vomit. His knees were shaking, barely holding him up. And just before he could take no more, Henk let the dam break.

To anybody besides Henk, it would be plausible to believe that a pair of dragons had somehow taken residence in the tower, as two massive jets of orange flame appeared to erupt from within, flying towards the gates at a ludicrous speed. They would meet the ground mere feet from where Zael had posted himself, one on either side of him. Then, they swept forward, creating a wall of flame on both sides of the path to the gate, reaching back so far that it seemed to threaten Edric's trees.

Of course, Zael would be able to tell that these weren't truly flames.

In the tower, Henk gritted his teeth, tensing every muscle in his body as he focused the concentrated light through his arms and out into his infernal illusion. The hardest part was done, now he just needed to maintain concentration. There was the problem of the Ogres realizing the flame didn't hurt more than any ordinary campfire, but if one of them got too close to crossing the fire, he could divert for a fraction of a second and give them an extra dose of heat to add to the illusion.

It was risky, and if he had to keep it up for too long it would burn every organ in his body to ashes.

But he'd promised them everything he had.

 

[Zael Castomir]

Now that was a lot of meat on the move.

Even from the distance Zael could see the size and the bulk of the ogres. The little specks had to be the goblins—more fucking goblins. They had war beasts among their horde, cavalry at the flanks, and even a big, fuck-off, honest-to-Kress Giant in the center of the army. If each individual ogre was worth ten Guardsmen, well...the math said Vel Janix was definitely screwed because the damned ogres still had the numbers.

Zael stood atop the ramparts above the northern gate, and Henk did his thing. Impressive light show—nice going Henk. Seemed to work pretty damn well because the front line of ogres came to a stumbling halt and the advance behind them all accordioned to a stop soon thereafter. Zael had heard Ralene shout, and he held up the Dreadlord sign for Okay in response to her, but as it stood right now, Henk's magic seemed to have it covered. They'd be funneled through the channel of the "flames" and right over Ralene's and Alistair's traps. Zael could give a hand sign for when a big juicy lot of them were right on top of the traps and then the party would officially be started.

But the ogre horde just held their ground out there. Held for a while long enough for Zael to think it was odd. The fuck were they doing? There was some movement he could see—ogres and goblins changing positions, some switching of weapons—but hell, he thought they were going to come charging straight in.

Then there was movement.

"Oh fuck..." Zael said. He whipped around, called back to Ralene and Captain Holstag and the Guard, "They're sendin cav to the east and to the west! Big fuckin cav! Those things charge the walls, there won't be any walls at your flanks!"

And to the Tower, Zael shouted, "Henk! Alistair! I can't get both groups at once! Think of somethin quick!"

With that, Zael jumped off of the wall. Fell.

And soared, as an eruption of flame from his back shot him arcing up and sailing far. Bursts of flame, little explosions from his back and his limbs and his joints and his feet, directed his wingless flight. His cloak fluttered up and down with the parabolic motion.

Out of the two detachments of cavalry, Zael chose to pursue the East one. If he could harass them, bait them, get them to chase him, he could lead them back toward the gate and the traps. Of course, they had to take the bait. There was no way he'd be able to kill all of them before they could reach the eastern walls of Vel Janix and blow through them.

Now that he was getting close, he could see in stark detail the beasts these ogres were riding. They looked similar to animals that lived in the Savannah, these things called rhinos. But these things (unbeknownst to Zael, called Great Horned Crushers by the ogres) were larger, had shaggy fur, and blunted horns for battering as opposed to impaling.

Zael clenched his teeth. The wind whipped through his hair on approach. The ogres saw him coming and a furious and eager battlecry went up among the lot of them. Zael's sword became ablaze and he flew like a plummeting meteor into the center of their charging formation.

Flames and chaos ensued, and a vengeful star orbited the cavalry, dispensing both.

Edric Alistair Krixus Ralene Henk

 

[Visha Sofka]

"Get your harpoons ready, boys. We'z gonna punch holes in that Tower."

"—said keep ya gut tucked in about them flames."

"Romguul said get da pyro too. Where dat hume go?"

"I heard you the FIRST time!"

Visha Sofka, one of the few non-ogre, non-goblin glory seekers among Romguul's horde, went striding up through the ranks of the ogres with her chest puffed out and her head held high, big egotistical smirk plastered across her face. The expelled College student had somehow fashioned for herself a burgeoning career of joining destructive hordes and indulging in their conquests, and this was no exception. And she was amped up and ready to BURN! Beneath her newly-acquired robes, her left arm was entirely inhuman now—like a prosthetic made of igneous rock with smoldering orange veins, pretending at what she once had before a certain pact was struck.

She looked to Demdoz—yeah, ogres and their goofy names—crossed her arms, and rocked back and forth on her heels. "Whatcha want? Whatcha want, whatcha want?"

Demdoz pointed. Said, "Romguul said get rid of them flames. They for you."

Visha blew some air out of the side of her mouth. "Those aren't real."

"What?"

"Those aren't real, duh." She pointed then off toward the eastern detachment of Great Horned Crusher cavalry, where Zael had begun his assault. "Those are real." And then, more excitedly, "Brilliant, lovely, delicious FIRE!"

Demdoz looked back, signaled, and bellowed, "TELL DA OVERLORD THEM FLAMES NOT REAL!"

Visha started to cackle, ignoring her monstrous companions. Oh yes, she was going to steal those flames over there in the east! She was going to steal them...and rain them DOWN on this LOSER town with its LOSER defenders! All of this to please Imamu...and of course...GREAT MAHO!

 

[Edric]

Edric sat in his tree.

It was, by most standards, a dreary wait. From his position he could see the entire horde of ogres, everything they had brought. The numbers were more than the Guard had estimated, more than any one of them had thought would come.

The sight should have terrified him, brought a stroke of fear through his heart, but all he felt was a strange numbness.

He watched as they began to stream forward, rushing into the traps set by the others. It reminded him of the movement of the sea. The tide slowly flowing onto the beach. The creatures were greeted by fire, kissed with Zael's magic. Flesh rent from bone, the scent of charred flesh reaching even the copse of trees that he was hiding in.

Edric tensed.

Watched.

Waited. He knew there would be a time to strike, knew that he would have to find just the right moment. It was the only way he could be effective. When their attention was fully taken, when they were wholly engaged. When the og-

His thoughts suddenly cut off, his lips thinning as he spotted a demure figure amongst the sea of beige and gray skin. Is that...

He frowned.

Yes. It was a human. Walking among the Ogres as though she was one of them. What in the name of Kress did that mean?

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair had rushed back to the tower just before the ogres started their charge. He had nearly blinded himself right off the back as he stuck his head through the trapdoor and onto the highest floor. Henk was already at work, so Al really needed to get moving.

"Man, I forget how bright you are sometimes." Normally, Al would have been smirking at a perfect joke, but he had just outright meant it this time.

He hurried to the walls and started scribbling runes, haphazardly, on the outside of the tower. They would not be perfect, but they would need to do in a pinch. He managed to get halfway through when the first horn sounded signaling the first charge.

Al looked up when he heard Zael's warning to see they weren't charging right down the middle, yet. They had sent out flanking teams and he cursed. He was going to need to move faster. He was in the process of finishing up a set of the runes when he noticed a group of cavalry moving towards their side...He would need to handle that.

"It's never easy."

He left the remaining half of the runes undone as he hurried over to the edge of the tower. Magic moved from his fingertips and floated into the air taking the form of runes. The calculations for each attack were being made in his head, but he would have to take a few guesses on the numbers.

"Quantity over quality."

He released his first set of spells and dozens and dozens of bolts of energy shot out towards the cavalry group moving towards the tower. Each one of the bolts was aimed at a rider. They would not kill, but they might knock them off their mounts, which would have to be enough while Alistair came up with a better spell.

Alistair was about to turn to tell Henk to keep up the good work when he noticed changes going on in the main army. The ogres were lining up to move forward and they weren't narrowing to move into the opening. They were still spread out like they were just going to march through the fire...Something was wrong.

"Uh, Henk...Problem."

Ralene Henk Zael Castomir Edric

 

[Henk]

Problem was putting it mildly.

Henk had been so sure... the line of movement had stopped short of his walls, wary of it's 'flames' just as he'd expected. For all intents and purposes, they should've had no way of knowing that the orange tongues of flame were an illusion. Yet it took only a moment's pause before they pressed on, paying no mind to the apparent danger before them.

That wasn't all: Zael's voice reached him as well, and sure enough he saw cavalry units breaking off to the left and right of the main group to charge the walls. Even if his walls were real, they wouldn't be able to do a thing about that. As it was, he could hardly move his arms from where they were extended without dropping the illusion entirely, and if he did that he had no clue how long it would take him to get started again. They would be dead by the time he recovered, at any rate.

As if answering the silent prayer Henk had made, Alistair seemed to arrive from thin air, firing off a volley of spells at the cavalry group nearest them. Henk couldn't see too well with all the light crossing over his retinas, but it certainly looked like he scored some solid hits, and the forward progress of the cavalry headed towards the tower seemed to come to a screeching, albeit temporary, halt.

"Very good, Alistair! Just... keep buying me time!"

The others would have to deal with the second cavalry on their own, and he trusted Alistair could finish the first. Henk had to devote all his attention to coming up with a way to deter and manipulate the hurricane of muscle storming towards them down the center. Everything was riding on him now. If he couldn't do this...

He could do this. He had a plan. It was borderline suicidal, but there was a chance...

"Zael! Bait them in closer! Let them approach!"

Henk turned his head to Alistair, nodding his head up to the roof of the tower.

"Change of plans. I need this roof gone. Can you do it?"

If these beasts wanted real fire, Henk would give it to them.

Ralene Edric Alistair Krixus Zael Castomir

 

[Zael Castomir]

Zael could've called himself an honorary Avariel (might have even done so, if he knew what those were and was in a more jovial mood). He flew not with wings but with jets of fire and explosions propelling him along at breakneck speeds and throwing him into gut-wrenching turns and arcs. The gigantic weapons of the mounted ogres swung at him as he zipped in and out of the cavalry formation, huge slabs of sharpened metal that passed barely as swords or thick trunks of trees which passed barely as maces streaked by him. He had to be as careful as he was quick—one hit from any of those weapons and he was dead. The alacrity of his mind and his situational awareness were in heightened to a peak never before felt in his life, for so much was on the line.

The backblast from a jet of propelling flame scorched one rider.

A fly-by Fireblast from his palm blew off the face of another.

An impaling dive with his sword on the descent of a flight arc got him at least one definite kill, for the rider toppled from his Horned Crusher and was promptly trampled by his mates. Maybe there were more bodies strewn out along the Eastern flank. Maybe there weren't. Zael wasn't counting. He might have done that, just like making an Avariel joke, had—again—the circumstances not been so dire.

And they were about to get worse.

Zael was at the height of another flying arc, streams of flame roaring from his feet and from the side of his waist as he prepared to dive again. But something was wrong. Something felt immediately wrong. Zael winced, and the sensation of tearing, tearing, something pulling not at his flesh but perhaps at the spirit beneath became harsh and palpable and strong.

No. Not the spirit beneath. At his very magic.

He lost control while in mid-flight, soaring over the Eastern cavalry detachment. Quick, alarmed glances around revealed that his flames—all of them, the ones left in his burning wake and more importantly the ones about his body that he needed to fly—were being siphoned away. Like bright orange strings of pasta they zipped back through the air and spiraled back toward the ogres' main formation (and, unseen and unknown by Zael, coalesced in the palm of one Visha Sofka, self-proclaimed adherent of the legendary pyromancer Maho Sparhawk).

Zael, approaching a small panic, tried to fight it. He found only small success, enough to direct his flight away from the Eastern cavalry detachment, but then no more. All the flames he attempted to summon were instantly siphoned away.

Zael plummeted toward the walls of Vel Janix. Fell. Fell. Fell. He stretched out his flailing arms, stretching for dear life to catch onto the edge and to not go tumbling down outside and be left practically naked without his magic outside the wall.

He didn't make it. Zael smacked into the wooden wall of the town, his hands falling short of the edge he'd sought. There was intense pain in his head and in his chest. The world spun. There was the taste of blood in his mouth.

And then the ground slammed into him—or at least that's what it felt like, all of Arethil clobbering him specifically instead of him crashing into a small patch of dirt. Everything hurt. "Ahhhhh...fuck." Dazed, trembling, feeling like his armor was now more of a cage than a suit of protection, Zael forced himself to slowly rise back up to his feet. The Eastern cavalry detachment had continued on with their flanking maneuver, either not noticing him or ignoring him. Goddamn it, so much for baiting them back—sorry Henk, let you down, brother.

Then a horn sounded, and the entire front rank of the ogres' main line let out an earthshaking bellow and began to charge.

Which put Zael in the worst spot imaginable, exactly where he didn't want to be. He was stuck outside without his magic, and now he only had a narrow window of time to haul ass back to the northern gate and get through it before the ogre charge cut him off. Oh yeah...the northern gate laced with traps, don't forget.

He swore. He swore and he fucking ran. As the ogre charge was barreling toward the northern wall, Zael was sprinting as fast as he possibly could alongside it, desperately trying to reach to the gate before the assault did.

And he had a sinking feeling that he wasn't going to make it.

Edric Henk Alistair Krixus Ralene

 

[Visha Sofka]

"Mine...mine! Allllll~ mine!" Visha cooed as her shifting palms and flexing fingers siphoned away the flames of the flying, armored Anirian. She watched him fall. Watched him smack into the outer wall of the shithole town Romguul had decided to attack. Ha ha! Dummy! The flames were HERS to command!

Visha was cradling an orb of Zael's collected fire when Demdoz blew the warhorn and gave the order, "First rank! GO GET 'EM!" The collective bellow of the ogre warriors pierced the landscape as they eagerly obeyed, their thundering footsteps rumbling the earth.

"Hmmhmmhmm! How are we going to make Great Maho proud today? So many possi—What? WHAT?? What do you want? I'm talking to myself, don't interrupt my me time!"

Demdoz had poked her shoulder with a single enormous finger, and even that was enough to make it feel like a full-grown bull was politely nudging her out of its way. "Romguul says wait for them gobbos."

"Gaaaaahblins. What gaaaaahblins?" Visha said, somewhat annoyed.

Demdoz pointed. "Them gobbos." Yup. There was a group of a few dozen goblins charging in with the first rank. Some had grappling hooks and rope about their shoulders, some had picks for climbing. "He says wait 'til they go in, then rain yer magic down on top of them. Kill them gobbos and everything they'z fightin'."

"Awwwww, that's so sweet. Tell Romguul I'm gonna bake him another blueberry muffin AND I won't burn half of it this time!"

Demdoz, a bit confused, just said. "O...kay."

 

[Edric]

Edric watched Zael fall, his fingers twisting into a tight fist. Lips thinned and he took in a sharp breath. He watched the tide of Ogre's surge forward, moving like a tidal wave. The figures within flickered, moved, the flame drawing towards that strange girl.

I should wait. He told himself.

The struggle within his mind pressed.

The Ogre's needed to commit. Needed to be fully drawn in. Edric knew that if he went too soon their attention would turn. It was part of the plan. He could only strike when their bestial foe was already occupied. The surprise would be best then.

But...in that moment Edric knew if he waited Zael would die.

He was alone, beyond the wall. Just a few leaping bounds away from the wave of monsters that charged towards him.

Edric felt his heart thunder in his chest. A thousand considerations running through his mind. Fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword. His chest slowly rose and fell, and then...and then he made a decision. Bright silvery steel drew forth from it's sheath. Edric dropped to the ground with a quiet thud, and then he rushed forward.

The first Ogre died without ever seeing him. A blade thrust through the back of his skull. The second had time enough to open his mouth before he died. The third?

Her head thudded against the ground before she even realized what was happening.

Edric rushed into battle. Life pulling into him, his sword biting and cutting at whatever he could reach. He carved into his enemy, no cry of battle echoing from his lips. No declaration of war calling out. He was silent death.

An executioner come calling.

The only warning of his presence being the howling cries of those dying.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Everything was going wrong so quickly. He tried his best to his eyes on the battlefield, but he was now splitting his focus into three different areas. The cavalry to his left would be getting here soon. The orc army would soon be smashing into Zael. Edric had also moved into battle ahead of schedule, likely to give Zael time to run.

Then there was Henk over here asking him to take the roof off of this place. Who the hell did he think Alistair was? He could not just do that type of stuff on the fly...Ok, Alistair had already planned to do it, but it was supposed to be one of his trump cards.

"Keep your head down."

Alistair rushed over his series of runes that he had not finished yet. Hurriedly scribbling out the remainder of the formula he looked towards the approaching front of the orc army. He could do this. Alistair placed his hand down on the runes and they began to glow. Brighter and brighter the runes grew as Alistair's vision dimmed. He could no longer cast his gaze around the battlefield, he needed all his energy for this.

A loud crunch would be heard above as the roof of the tower began to crumble. Bits and pieces of the two roofs would split into small shards before shooting off through the air. First, the shards landed among the cavalry to the left seriously damaging anything they came in contact with. The tower, now a newly made magical turret then turned to the front line of orcs and began to pepper them with rapid fire. The turret last for several seconds, tearing through the lines.

The spell finally came to the end when the roof was completely gone from the tower. Henk now standing in the full sunlight.

Alistair slumped to his knees. The sound of sizzling was coming from Alistair's left arm. He could feel several severe burns along his runes that essentially rendered his left arm useless until he could get some healing. The rune must not have been properly drawn, probably from him hurrying the last bit of the formula.

He could feel blood dripping from his nose, but he dug deep and yelled out as loud as he could to the battlefield below. His voice felt course and suddenly dry causing him even more pain.

"Ral, Zael needs help!"

Al slumped to the ground his back against the wall for a minute. He took in deep breaths trying to recover energy back into his legs. The magical backlash from the spell would limit how much magic he could use, but he just needed to be able to swing his sword. That would be enough.

Ralene Zael Castomir Henk Edric