Winds of Awakening

A border dispute turns into a massacre, as Wind-Wielder Sudryl makes an appearance to turn the tides of the battlefield with his incredible magic powers.

   The battlefield lit up in flames.

   It was not clear which side would win the battle. Both were in dire conditions, having lost hundreds upon thousands of soldiers. The flanks were diverse and sparse, having lost all sense of tactical movements across the plains. Fear took over the field among the soldiers; fear that none of them would be victorious and the battle they so valiantly fought in would be forgotten.

   Sudryl watched from a distance; calm and firm he stood as his gaze followed the waves of soldiers crashing into each other, making seemingly no progress on either side. He had to await his moment from High-Lord Yagul, but he felt it was time to finally show his skill in battle soon. It was not uncommon for him to stand with his commander outside of the battlefield; he stood there for the safety of their leader in the field if someone were to come for him. But all soldiers were focused on one another, crashing and slashing through their enemies as more and more fell to the muddy shores. No one even thought of being heroic anymore, all were now fighting for their own lives.

   The Wind in his vials was filling up; a sparkling white light emitted from them as Sudryl grabbed his sword and slowly let his hand drift across the blade. It started glowing as one of the vials on his belt lost its sparkling light, before immediately filling up again. Outside, Sudryl was dangerous like that; he had a never-ending supply of the deadliest power one could have in the Continent. He looked back once again, waiting for the yellow flag to wave. There was still none.

   Back in the field, the dead soldiers in the center started to pile up. Sudryl didn’t think a border dispute was worth this many lives, but who was he to judge? He once pledged his loyalty to his High-Lord and followed commands ever since. He trusted High-Lord Yagul more than anything, and hoped he was not wrong to do so.

   High-Lord Farkas stood on the other side of the field; he had no commander, or rather he acted like commander himself. Sudryl did not know much about him, only that he was not born in a rich family like most High-Lords, but rather proved himself on the battlefield many times and became rich, and retired before someone could lay the final blow on him. Now, he had lands and armies to control outside the reach of the Kingdoms. He knew how to control an army and he knew how to fight. What he did not know was that a Wind-Wielder was watching him. If he did, he would’ve already crossed his own borders running away to his home. Sudryl almost felt bad for the poor man.

   A horn behind him echoed across the plains. The yellow flag was raised as Yagul’s soldiers in the field took a defensive stance, retreating and protecting one another from incoming blows. Everyone in Yagul’s army knew what that horn meant; it was time for Sudryl to win the battle. 

   He galloped his horse as he focused his Eye on the first swarm of soldiers in front of him. He used a massive shockwave to scatter the first group of enemies, before jumping off his horse and cutting his way through. He saw the fear in the soldiers’ eyes. If only they had known a Wind-Wielder had been among them.

   Farkas’ soldiers backed away, forming ranks behind the shield-bearers. Spears reached between the shields towards Sudryl. With simple, but quick gestures of his hand he tapped upon the wind under his feet and made light jumps over the baffled group of soldiers who now saw him jump lightly above them. Panic now struck them, as each ran their own way trying to get as far away as possible from the Wind-Wielder. Sudryl formed a Wind-push above his body downwards as he slammed amidst the panic-stricken soldiers. A few still dared to reach their weapons to him, but he simply parried and blocked the incoming attacks as he spun small tornadoes around him, making soldiers fall down and trip over one another. The field of soldiers around him quickly vanished, running in all directions to get away from him. Sudryl didn’t go after them; after all, he had only one job in this battle. He focused his Eye on the Wind around him again, refilling the empty vials on his belt. He had used a lot in this display of his strength, but he could afford to do so when outside. He hoped that the other groups of soldiers had seen or heard the commotion he had created and had run off as well. 

   But Farkas’ soldiers were well trained. A battalion of soldiers who stood standby until now charged forward directly towards Sudryl. He smiled as he closed his eyes, focussing on his powers and made a swirling movement with both hands, emptying all vials at once. Tornadoes came again, only this time much bigger and louder. They swarmed forwards as the battalion did their best to avoid the danger coming towards them. Many made it to Sudryl’s surprise; they must’ve been trained to expect such tricks from a Wind-Wielder. 

   He grabbed his still infused sword as his enemies came closer and began in a defensive stance. His Wind ready, he dodged and spun among the first group of soldiers. His abilities helped him move much faster than the average soldier could comprehend and he slashed his way through a dozen soldiers in a matter of seconds. Bodies piled up around him as he kept spinning, dodging and reflecting the blades coming at him. With his Eye, he occasionally focused on the swirls of Wind around him, taking as much as he could for later use. A small shockwave scattered a group of incoming attacks, causing them to crash down. Sudryl could see an opening in the back of their ranks. These soldiers were trained well, for they formed a circle around him of hundreds of soldiers. The only way out was through.

   He spun, slashed and pushed through the soldiers who were starting to lose in numbers. No one could keep up with the swiftness of which Sudryl moved across the field; most of them were dead before they could process Sudryl’s blade coming at them. The ranks soon scattered again, and Sudryl made one final Wind-push beneath him as he launched himself over the final ranks of soldiers. He took an enhanced sprint over the field as Farkas reeled in his horse and galloped away as fast as he could. The wrong move, for Sudryl could now run much faster than a horse ever could. 

   He soon caught up to him and smashed his blade in the hooves of the beast, throwing Farkas through the air. He landed on his face a couple yards further before the fallen horse with a loud thump. Sudryl watched Farkas catch his breath on the muddy floor, before focussing his attention to the beast. The horse squirmed in agony as Sudryl let his hand drift across its manes. He grabbed his sword with two hands and with a swift movement he relieved the beast of its pain. He then turned around slowly to confront the fear in the man’s eyes before him.

   “Please, I’ll retreat and you won’t ever hear from me again Lord.”

   Sudryl looked at him curiously. This was the commander and High-Lord he had heard so much about? He looked pathetic begging for his life on the ground without having made a single kill on the battlefield. Sudryl guessed he was either putting up an act to catch him off-guard or he was actually terrified of the Wind-Wielder in front of him. Yet his curiosity took over and  Sudryl made a daring guess. He carefully made 2 small wind walls between the High-Lord, slowly squeezing them together and letting the man feel the increased pressure from around him. He didn’t show any sign of discomfort and slowly stood up.

   “Very well, I guess it was obvious after all, even though I thought I had hidden it well.” He smirked as he removed the turban around his head, revealing the third Eye in the middle of his forehead. 

   Immediately, Sudryl felt a shockwave as he was thrown backwards. With swift movements, he managed to land on his 2 feet and formed a Wind ball between his hands he sent flying through Farkas. With a dodge through the air, Farkas jumped upon the Wind and drew his own dagger from beneath his commander’s cloak. Sudryl was ready. He spun as Farkas landed beside him, slashing through the empty air. The wind around them picked up; 2 Wind-Wielders in battle were known to draw in storms of winds from their environment. Sand formed swirling waves around them, as Sudryl counter attacked and attacked with his sword by using an enhanced thrust. The sword hit the dagger as Farkas revealed a second and slashed towards Sudryl. By surprise of another weapon he had not expected, Sudryl was hit by the second blade and felt a throbbing wound form across his face. He could barely avoid a second slash, pushing himself lightly, before turning and spinning around the arena of Wind now formed around him. Blood trickled down his skin as his vision blurred, yet he knew he had to keep attacking if were to make it out alive. A quick dodge on one of Farkas’ attacks created an opening and he slashed the right leg. Farkas screamed and went down on one knee as Sudryl charged with his sword on his now weakened opponent. But Farkas caught him off-guard again by parrying the blow right as it was supposed to hit, staggering Sudryl with his own sword. Another bleeding slash, now across his chest as it seeped through underneath his black vest.

   Farkas looked at him defyingly, waiting for him to make the first move. Sudryl did, and jumped through the air as he unexpectedly threw his sword at Farkas. Farkas easily dodged with a smirk, watching the now unarmed Wind-Wielder fly through the air above him. But Sudryl wanted him distracted, for he pulled the air around the blade back to him before he hit the ground. The sword made a swirling motion around his enemy and Farkas had to quickly deflect the incoming swirling blade from behind. As he turned around, he was met with yet another surprise as the blood from Sudryl’s wounds were formed in a small liquid ball, coming towards his face. The ball splashed across his face, making him blind and cough for just a brief moment. 

   That was enough. Sudryl grabbed his sword that still flew through the air and thrust it through the belly of the High-Lord. Farkas looked up at him with an indifferent look in his eyes. A mix of fear and respect looked back at Sudryl as he pulled his sword back and watched the lifeless body fall to the ground. 

   High-Lord Farkas was dead.

   Sudryl confirmed the kill and made his way out. The swirling winds around him vanished as soon as Farkas was killed. With his sword in his hand he walked towards the battlefield and called his horn. Immediately, all soldiers turned to him and he showed them the head of their High-Lord. A silence fell over the field, a mix of disbelief and terror, for a Wind-Wielder was first seen and victorious in a conflict of border. All soldiers lay down their arms and kneeled before him.

   Sudryl gave a glance back at Farkas’ body one last time and was met with an unexpected frown. Above the body, a tear through the air could be seen.

   It was like reality was a canvas through which a knife was sliced. Beyond the tear was darkness, but different forms of darkness, like something was moving through it. Sudryl squeezed his eyes trying to get a better look, but the tear was gone before he could move. Confused, he turned back, processing what he had just seen. His fellow soldiers cheered to him and Sudryl soon forgot he had seen anything strange, for the soldiers formed around him and clapped him on his back and cheered for him. The battle was over, but a new era now officially had started.

Author's Note

I felt the pacing being a bit off; what did you think of it?

Reviews

[Megafiction]

You have some very good stuff here. The pacing starts very strong, "The battlefield lit up in flames" is a great opener. I don't think it's the pacing you sense, but the rushed words to get from A-B as fast as it appears in your head. Your words sometimes conflict or graze over the description of a miraculous event like it's just 'another Drizzt novel." Like, "Smashing Blades" has a different pacing and impact than "Looking Curiously." This could be a 3 chapter battle without losing pacing because we want to feel the weight of the armor, and to smell the fumes of Sudryl's magic. We want to feel the might of his enemies so that we can truly relish in the power Sudryl wields.

[Lore Keeper]

I felt that the pacing was fine and the wind powers were pretty cool. Overall it was a good story, my only real complaint (and it’s a minor one) is that I personally would have liked you to hit a little more on the overall senses of the combatants.

For example the first line “The battlefield lit up in flames” was quite evocative but perhaps you could have done the following to capture the horror of the battlefield with “The battlefield lit up in flames, Sudryl was thankful the wind was in his favor as the smell of burnt human flesh had its own distinct stench.”

Overall with that being said, well done.