Private Tales In the Moonless Night

[Phyrra]

The angel descended on wings of gold. Blinded by her radiance, Arkhivom's warband shrank back in fear as Oriane, champion of the Thirteen, laid about with spear and magic. Leaping to her sister's defence, Phyrra stood over the fallen Vailë, the sword in her hand awash with light. Few made it past the Spear.

The Third Blade put down those that did, each slash and thrust made in the measure of heartbeats.

The current of the battle started to change, then. No longer the aggressors, the corrupted monsters and men fell back en masse, some of the larger fell-beasts crushing each other in their haste to escape. They knew what was coming; Phyrra could hear the distant warning shrieks of the monsters outside the keep. Most ran in blind panic, unaware of the trap Ostára and Syr Triton had set for them.

The ground shook, spilling dust and loose scree from the rafters. Phyrra nearly lost her footing until a strong hand caught her by the arm.

'My thanks!' Looking up at Ulka, the she-elf smiled, embarrassed by her own display of weakness. Wiping the blood from her sword, she returned it to its scabbard. 'I believe they've had enough for one day,' she continued, turning to regard Oriane and Vaile. 'And if not, well, I imagine your fellows will show them the error of their ways soon enough.'

Fighting through the exhaustion, Phyrra bowed.

'Our gratitude for your timely arrival, Lady! On behalf of everyone here... thank you.'

Vailë Ostára Oriane Magdeline

 

[Vailë]

"I can still fight," she said with a smile and a firm grasp upon Oriane's offered hand.

She rose to her feet, her morale renewed at the sight of their golden saviour, and the presence of her dear friend Phyrra by her side. And though as she held once again her sword in her hand, it soon became apparent that the work of their allies had brought a great calamity upon their enemies. Though a small bit of skirmishing did persist, Vaile, Oriane, and Phyrra all soon found themselves in the midst of only those of their number that remained, and the now departed, both friend and foe.

"I believe you are right, sister," Vailë called out, her sword finding its place at her side at long last after this ordeal.

The dust still settled, but not long after the arrival of the reinforcing Thirteen, the dark army's forces were made short work of, either being dispatched or fleeing into the darkness. And this would mark for the first time a change in the behaviour of the dark army's monsters. For the first time this night were any of them ever seen running away. To those more observing, it seemed now that these fiends were far more than a menace to be dealt with. They were now an asset to contend with.

"I'd run too if I saw an angel descending to vanquish me," she uttered with a smirk.

 

[Ostára]

The Arrow sighed in relief as her boulder gave way soon followed by half of the cliff face at the Geomancers urging. An almost delirious smile took possession of her lips as they stood at the top and watched rocks tumble down the side. Where they crashed into one another they split and became two, or three, or even four sharper and nastier looking boulders. They gathered up dirt, ripped up trees, and dislodged other rocks in its angry stampede down the cliff face. Everything it touched it took with it then threw it in the face of the army of the dark.

Dust hung like an ominous cloud over their allies and enemies alike.

"You did it!" Ostára exclaimed with giddy delight and turned to her Knightly companion. Riding the high of her emotions she swept Triton into a bone crushing hug.

 

[Rûhn]

Those dark fiends that found the strength to stand or were able to claw their way out from under the rockfall soon regretted their actions.

Rûhn landed whilst the dust had not quite settled. Demons who had been hoping for an easy escape pulled up short at the sight of golden armour and flared wings. The anger and fear for his only child had honed into a deadly edge during the mad flight and it was on the unfortunate souls who had not made the wise decision to stay beneath the earth he took it out on. With powerful swings of the hammer it was easy for the avariel to pick off beast after beast with relentless intent.

It was a short, quick job that almost seemed anti-climatic in a way, how quickly the demons fell.

He picked his way through rock and death to reach The Spear and an elf he recognised as Vailë, and one he did not. He paused enough to give a swift bow before his features twisted into true distress.

"My daughter? Lady Vailë where is Ostára?"

 

[Oriane]

'Our gratitude for your timely arrival, Lady! On behalf of everyone here... thank you.'

"I'd run too if I saw an angel descending to vanquish me,"

Oriane was able to twirl the spear to come to a rest at her side, flashing a winning smile to both elven ladies that had thanked her. "Always happy to be of service to dear allies."

But her shine in their gratitude did not last long. Her amber eyes flicked to the racing figure of the Hammer, Oriane springing back to a readying stance should he give her a command. How foolish of her to forget that the Arrow had been stationed here, and that the lack of presence of the young Avariel should of raised concern with her.

But she could not offer words of comfort to him. He was a father searching for his only daughter, the only family he had left.

So her eyes turned to the Aerai, watchful, serious.

 

[Magdeline]

All manner of pained noises spilled out from Triton's mouth. Crushed as he was by the Arrow's embrace. "We-" he croaked, face half twist up and down by joy and agony alike. "We did it," he managed. Laughed, till his breath wheezed out from his lungs. "We did it," he squeaked.

But how the fire of life burned warm in his chest. Made him feel like he was floating. Or, maybe that was the lack of breath getting to his brain.

All buzz and pleasant tingle.

---

Magdeline clutched her weapon close, even as the last dregs of the enemy were caught upon by spear, sword, and arrow alike.

Syr Ilvisar pulled his blade free from the crook of one beast. A spatter of dark blood against the torn up stone floor that steamed. The Arai knight grimaced. Heard The Hammer's voice rise over the rest.

Ulka huffed. Nudged her head towards the outside, where the sound of the earth come rumble and crash still tremored across the air. "She is there," the proud knight said simply. "Where the earth falls and breaks our foe,"

 

[Ostára]

Tára stepped back and gave the knight an apologetic smile. Yes, humans were a little more squishy. Her father had told her several times but when she saw how hard they fought it was easy to forget. She would need to remember when she hugged them in the future. Half lifting her injured wing she gave another small wince.

"I'm afraid it looks like we're going to have to walk..."

And so the knight and avariel did return, though a good hour had passed since the true end of the war. Her face lit up with true joy when she saw familiar sets of wings and she hurled herself unabashedly at her father who swept her up tight into his arms.

The return of the two who had caused the avalanche seemed to have been a breaking point for the survivors for they erupted into great cheers. The foe was defeated, and some of them had survived. In a war such as this that was all the Light they could hope for.