Chapter Four: The Legend

Chapter Four of War Cry

"This isn't my idea of a joke, Loraina...I don't think whoever this man is was actually by himself out there..."  Leyesha looked down at the corpse with a dubious raised eyebrow.  Her hands were placed delicately on her hips, her fingers tugging slightly at the fabric of her tight tunic.  A lock of long brown hair covered her right eye and a look of purest sincerity was painted on her pretty heart-shaped face.  "I don't like it..."

 

Loraina shook her head as she knelt before the corpse.  The insignia on his shoulder was very familiar to her and she sighed.  The emblem was dark green and black, showing the head of a hawk with an evil slanted black eye and a bloody beak.  "He's a Forestgyre Mercenary...they don't send scouts out alone...I know that for a fact.  They're our number one contender...but what could this one be doing so close to Freluna without the rest of his forces?"

 

"I couldn't tell you...I've never fought them before...everybody knows that you have."  Leyesha looked about and stared past the gates of Freluna, suddenly sensing something very disturbing.  "Somethings coming..."

 

"I know, I sense it too," Loraina said and stood up, staring out the gates as well.

 

Suddenly, thunder boomed overhead and a flash of lightning ripped through the sky in a torrent of light and heat.  Heavy drops of rain began to fall from the darkened overcast clouds, hitting the ground all the while making that heavy splattering sound rain usually did.

 

Leyesha only smirked and shook her head.  "They have mages."

 

"Private!"  Loraina stopped a mercenary that was running by them at the moment to get out of the rain.  The private stopped and stood at attention, performing a perfectly formed salute.  Both Loraina and Leyesha returned the salute.

 

"Yes, ma'am?"

 

"Sound the battle alarm, we've got incoming!"

 

"Yes, ma'am!"  The private ran off to the nearest building and pulled a single small lever hidden behind a secret compartment in the wall.  A bell blared throughout the city of Freluna and immediate mobilization of the Phoenix Fire Mercenaries took place.

 

It was useless.

 

A sudden explosion knocked the bricks in the east tower of one of the barracks to shreds, sending shrapnel, and large chunks of masonry everywhere.  A few Phoenix Fires were caught in the debris and killed, but the others were quickly getting their weapons and defenses up.

 

"CAPTAIN!  THE EAST WALL IS ABOUT TO GO!"

 

Loraina looked up and immediately began running toward the east wall, Leyesha was right on her heels, strapping her platemail armor to her chest as she ran.  Her wings slowly unfolded from her back and burst into flaming life.

 

"Damn it!"

 

Another blast of fire and debris sent the east wall into the air. The plume of dust and smoke left flames and a few corpses in its wake.  By now the entire corps was armed and ready for combat, falling in perfect ranks at different parts of the town.  The largest force was with Loraina and Leyesha at the east wall where Forestgyre Mercenaries were now pouring into the opening their blades drawn, their armor glistening in the protected torchlight of the buildings.

 

"SWORDS!"  The sound of metal on leather welcome Loraina's ears as her mercenaries drew their weapons, all letting out ear-splitting war cries.  "CHARGE!"

 

Leyesha swung her blade forward and the Phoenix Fire Mercenaries charged, their mass colliding with the mass of the Forestgyre Mercenaries.  Thus, the bloodshed began.

 

 

*     *     *

 

"Xethal...I do believe we are too late..."  Juthen looked down on Freluna from the hill, eyeing the mass that was the Forestgyre Mercenaries.  But this was not the force that they had been looking at earlier.  No, it was a different one entirely.  They had brought in a second force from behind them and flanked the town from the east.

 

"It's a different force, Juthen...they flanked the town from the east.  This is just a small army to weaken Freluna.  The bulk of the Forestgyre Mercenaries are still back there, waiting to strike..."

 

"I do believe we should help, Xethal."

 

An angry howl caught their attention as yet another Forestgyre scouting party launched three arrows at them.  Xethal expertly sliced them down with his blade while Juthen notched four arrows in his fingers.  Quickly, but gently, he pulled back on the string and let the arrows loose, opening his fingers and letting the fletching of the arrows brush across his wrist.  All four found their marks, leaving only four members of the scouting party left.  These Xethal took care of with one careful slash to each of their chests.

 

Xethal then clapped his hands together and formed a large bolt of energy which he threw at the mass below them.  It hit one Forestgyre in the side, holding him in place and sending powerful electric currents through his body.  Only a few seconds into the attack, the body exploded, sending several more smaller versions of the shock to those around him within an area of about ten feet.

 

Part of the mass was breaking off and heading in their direction now.  Juthen notched his bow with several arrows per volley, letting them loose to find their targets as they would.

 

"Juthen!  We need to get out of here and into the city, we are two, they are...a lot!  We can't hold them off."

 

"You are right...go, I will cover you on your way."

 

Xethal nodded and headed down the hill and toward the main gates of Freluna.  Juthen continued to send arrows at the mass that came toward them.  Out of the corner of his eye he watched Xathen as he headed toward the town.  Once his partner disappeared behind those cold iron gates he notched another set of four arrows.  This time, he winked and they began to glow and pulse with purple energy.  He loosed them and they impacted the mass with several arcane explosions.

 

Juthen used this as his distraction to get out of sight.  He made it into the main gates safely, but not before yet another explosion blew them inward.  "FIRE!"  Juthen cried and the force that was mustered at the gates let out a huge volley of arrows at their attackers.

 

"JUTHEN!"

 

Leyesha swooped down to a landing, helping her friend up and awarding him a smile. 

 

"Lady Leyesha...sorry we're late...but we have to get rid of these b******s NOW!  There's another force on its way, and it's much much bigger!"

 

"They're trying to weaken us..."

 

Battledrums cut her off.  Deep, booming, horrifying...paralyzing.  The trees at the hill that Juthen and Xethal had just been standing at gave way, showing that force that they had seen.

 

"How in the f**k did they catch up!?" Xethal cried.

 

Loraina caught up to them.  "Prepare to fire arcane arrows!"  She said as the bulk force quickly got closer and closer, and they were moving quickly.  "FIRE!"

 

A blazing sight of pulsing arrows flew through the sky, landing on the enemy mass, causing several hundred arcane explosions.

 

"INCOMING!"  Another explosion hit the east tower and it came crumbling down.  Now explosions were coming at an alarmingly high rate.  Magical blasts being hurled by mages in the mid-section of the enemy mass caused them.  "We need our mages out here NOW!" Loraina cried.

 

She ran across the courtyard, avoiding the eruptions of fire and smoke and threw a few blasts herself.  Leyesha caught up to her quickly, but didn't stay long.  Another explosion caught them off guard and Loraina was blown into the second barracks the wall crumbling partially on top of her.

 

"LORAINA!"  Leyesha tried to stand but there was debris through her leg and more in her side.  Cuts stole away from the perfect form of her face.  "Damn it...what...the f**k..."

 

The mass was inside the gates now, and Leyesha was beginning to lose hope.  But something caught her eye, a flash of light zipping across the sky.  It passed over the enemy mass and as it did so, enormous eruptions of energy put a rather large dent in their numbers.

 

The flash of light then zipped back around and hit the ground directly in front of her, causing yet another explosion, but this one just passed over her harmlessly.  Before her, with black and gold wings blazing, and the same colored black and gold armor glinting in the light of his blazing inferno of a body flame.  Long black hair down to his knees dripped with lighted water and as he turned, Ley's eyes widened.

 

"F-Fyrethil?"

 

The handsome face of her legendary cousin smiled down at her, a noticeable scar across his face which was very much known for.  "You look like you could use some help..."  he said softly, his voice deep but kind.

 

"Y-yes..."

 

He knelt down beside her, his deep ebony eyes falling on her wounds.  Carefully, he placed a hand on her side and sent his energies inside her.  The wounds healed, the bleeding stopped and the pain faded.  "Go aid Loraina...I will deal with them..."  He said softly and stood up, drawing the legendary blade that had destroyed so many of Freluna's enemies.

 

Fyrethil smirked and charged alone into the ranks of his enemy, slashing with his blade, which was as long as he was tall, not counting the hilt.  As his slashes flew, an energy in the form of an extention of his blade lanced out and caught the onces he missed.  Blood flew in all directions as every challenger fell before his blade.

 

In one last dazzling image of flame and blade, he spun, turning himself into a vortex of flaming blades, slicing down every last one of the enemy mercenaries in sight.  When the last one fell, he stopped spinning and simply stood there, his blade covered in crimson. 

 

He was untouched.

Author's Note

I know this is a long one...I know it is...but please read it anyway xD