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Merentha: Armageddon
Chapter 5
Chapter 7

Chapter 6



.....Pain. Every muscle screamed in pure agony. Something seemed strange about those muscles, as if something were not right, but Cory was unable to understand what it was. His head swam from what the Asmar had done to put him back to sleep. At least Runt was silent.
.....He had never heard Runt scream before, until today. The knowledge that those screams had paled beside his own was almost as horrid as the memories. Cory shuddered, sending another agonizing jolt through his body.
.....Grunting, he sat up and glanced around nervously. The smooth stone walls of the cell glared back at him. He was trapped, unable to escape...until the Asmar returned. He shuddered again, ignoring the pain. Smells washed over him, sweat and blood, not all of it was his own. It was odd, smelling. His nose had never been very keen.
.....His gaze settled on the others who shared his confinement. Simoriah lay in one corner of the cell, unconscious. Blood matted her hair and almost covered her face. A troll he recognized as Krook lay nearby, also unconscious. The others were gone.
.....Suppressing another shudder, Cory tried to stand. His muscles refused to obey, dropping him back to the floor. Snarling, he tried again with the same result. Why? Something was dreadfully wrong.
.....Simoriah groaned and began to stir. Shaking her head, as if to clear it, she sat up. The expression on her face was one of stark terror, but only for an instant. She starred at him as though she had never seen him before. The smell of fear was so strong it stung his nose.
.....For the first time since waking, he looked at himself. He tried to scream, but his throat was raw, the sound that came out was a strangled howl. Now he understood why he had been unable to stand. His body had changed, though he couldn't remember when it had happened, or how.
.....This body had only four limbs, impossible to tell if they were arms and legs or just legs--they seemed to be suitable for both--, almost humanoid and covered with a thick black fur. No wonder his nose had seemed to keen, it was more of a muzzle than a nose, a long muzzle filled with sharp teeth.
....."I won't harm you," He croaked. She tensed and another smell almost replaced the fear scent. Defiance. "I..." He trailed off, hearing the sounds coming from his strange mouth, brutal barks and snarls. He scream/howled again.
.....He strained his entire will, forcing his mouth to form the sounds he wanted. "I-I won't hurt you."
.....Simoriah starred. Hearing a monster speak Farsi was almost more than she could take. "What do you want?" She asked. The fear was not evident in her voice.
....."It's Cory." He replied.
.....Simoriah just starred. She sat there for what seemed like hours, looking at him, studying, considering. "How?" She finally asked.
....."I don't know. It must be something the Asmar did." He shuddered again, trying not to remember everything the Asmar had done. She saw his shudder, but said nothing. She sat there for so long that he almost thought she had gone back to sleep.
.....Cory lay back down, wondering if he could ever sleep again.

***

.....The first rays of the sun crept over the horizon, shedding their light on the eastern parts of the world. The sun should have burned off the perpetual fog that shrouded the small town of Lanerell. The sunrise on this morning was usually greeted with festivals, celebrating the end of winter and the coming of spring, celebrating good luck and good harvests in the coming year, but this morning there was little joy to be found on the continent of Cardinia. Blood and fire had long since burned away all hope.
.....Myou Juan reined in her gray gelding and sat, in the very foothills of the Death Spiral Moutains, watching the sun rise. To her, the significance of that sunrise was not forgotten among the strife and turmoil. She shifted in her saddle to better see the forest. Fires still raged among the trees, but the armies that had warred below were gone. Despite the cursed fog and the smoke from the flames, the town of Lanerell seemed almost as it had been before the war had begun. That was not to last.
.....She spun the horse at a crashing sound behind her, readying a paralyzing spell for any Asmar still lurking in the area. The creature crashing through the forest behind her was no Asmar, though she almost wished it had been. A tall bay horse leapt out of the forest at a run, an elf on its back, draped in blue robes. Myou Juan let go of her spell with a sigh and waved at the rider. The elf drew up beside her, following her gaze to the fires.
....."Solaris," She said in greeting.
....."I have a message for Auroka," He replied. "It's urgent."
.....Myou Juan grunted. "I'm well aware that the kingdoms have hired the Explorers as scouts and spies. Don't forget that I'm an Explorer too." Solaris starred at her. "You're here to report what you've learned to the Guild Council. Well they aren't here. The Council is gone on business. You'll have to leave the message with me and I'll make sure it gets to them."
....."Where did they go?" Solaris asked.
....."I can't tell you that. The only reason I know is so I can carry messages."
....."Tell them that the Jeweled Mages believe that the Magus himself participated in the battle in the forest. There were several unexplained occurrences during the final hours of the battle, with high casualties for both sides. Xenora has sent an envoy to meet with this Magus fellow and discover his intentions."
.....Myou Juan glanced back to the forest below, to the fires and devastation. Even from this distance she could almost make out the small tree house where the fabled Magus was said to reside. Even as untrained in the tactical arts as she was, Myou Juan understood the man's intentions. His goal had been to stop the destruction of his beloved forest, to stop the armies from destroying anymore than they already had.
.....She realized that Solaris had gone. Smiling she turned her horse in the direction of the Explorers' new home. There they would wait, and watch, until the war passed over their homeland and moved on to other lands.

***


.....Rashka the Slayer dismounted and crawled to the edge of the cliff. Slowly, he raised up and peered into the valley below. What he saw was terrifying. Hundreds of Asmar, some mounted and some on foot, marching below. Rams, catapults, and other siege machines dotted the ranks in numbers suitable for attacking Whitestorm itself. Worse, if they kept up the direction of their march they would come out of the mountains directly in line with the City of Jewels.
.....Cursing, he scrambled back towards the waiting horses. Leaping to his feet, he turned and ran. This message was much too important. They would need every bit of haste and stealth to get around so large an army.
.....He was so caught up in his errand that he never saw the Asmar step out of the trees behind him, never saw the axe coming down to cleave his skull. The Asmar would allow no message to get through to the Knights. It must be seen to that no one knew of their passage. These so-called Explorers would be dealt with, in time.

***


.....Scapegoat stood on the rampart above the walls of the Jeweled Castle. In the days since the battle at Lanerell the Knights had fallen back to their city in hopes that their Queen and the army dispatched to Haven might have returned. What they had found was far worse than anything they could imagine. First, a message from Kyria stating that the Queen had been captured by Asmar and the army there was trapped. Then, just this afternoon, an army of Asmar had appeared in the forest!
.....Luckily the evacuation efforts had gone smoothly and most of the common folk had been moved into the castle before the Asmar army had made camp in the city. Archers in the blue and gold colors of Jewel patrolled the wall around him, discouraging the Asmar when they tried to get close.
.....A loud noise split the air, followed by another. Massive rocks taken from the mountains slammed into the wall, shaking the castle to its foundations. Cracks streaked through the wall.
....."Mages!" Scapegoat shouted. "Mages NOW!" Catapults fired. Scapegoat braced himself against the impact. Balls of fire flashed across the sky. Where they touched them the stones broke apart and crumbled in mid air.
.....An elf in black robes stormed onto the wall, seeming to glide rather than walk. Energy danced over his clothes in small arcs of lightning. The elf paused to stare down at the army camped beyond the walls. His sneer of contempt was broken by another round of stones. Balls of lightning flew from his hands, striking the rocks and blowing them apart. The elf turned away from the battlefield and glided to Scapegoat's side.
....."I can not hold them forever," He said. "Eventually I will falter and some will get through. I would save my energies for the attack."
.....Scapegoat nodded thoughtfully. Footfalls on the stairs told him that others were coming to the wall. Three kobolds appeared together, one each in blue, black, and red robes. They stopped at the top panting from their run.
....."You called?" The red robed one asked.
....."The Asmar are beginning their assault." Scapegoat replied. "Get to your positions." The kobolds stared for a moment and then ran off in various directions. Other mages were gathering on the walls as well.
.....The catapults fired again, followed swiftly by a hail of balista bolts, arrows as large as spears, fired with enough force to punch through armor. Two of the kobolds let loose with flurries of fire balls catching the stones long before impact. Several of the balista bolts shattered, as if they had come up against solid walls, a few managed to rain down on the gathered soldiers.
.....Scapegoat sighed. Some of the mages had received training in this type of thing, but few compared to the numbers actually in the castle. Those other mages needed coordination if they were going to pull this off.
.....Then the Asmar charged. KilRoy bolted up from where he had been leaning on the wall, waving his hands. Balls of fire flew from everywhere along the wall, burning down the Asmar where they stood. Thousands of Asmar still rushed the walls with ladders, siege towers, and rams, ready to lay the entire city to waste.
.....Priests called upon their gods, mages hurled lightning and fireballs, the archers on the wall launching volleys of arrows. The Asmar charged on, undaunted as their fellows fell all around them. Snarling, KilRoy gathered balls of lightning and hurled them into the oncoming troops. Everything exploded; troops, horses, ground, and even the air. Lightning flashed through the army ripping apart everything in its path. They fell back.
.....Scapegoat stared at the carnage created by the mages in shock. Even in all his years as a Knight, after all his campaigns, all the battlefields he had seen, nothing could compare to this. He could only stare. "That will keep them back for awhile," He managed, "They won't want to face us again so quickly after that." He almost wished he believed the words.

***


.....Cory starred into the blackness of the cell, even in the darkness he could make out the smallest details. He heard the slight clanking of an Asmar's boots on the stone. He tensed, flexing the large claws that currently graced his forepaws. The door to the cell creaked loudly as it opened, three Asmar, just like always. Two guards and the Inquisitor. That one would go first.
.....Howling with rage, he sprang. The Inquisitor screamed and fell back as Cory's jaws closed on his throat. His claws tearing the Asmar's flesh. The guards screamed and flailed at him with their cudgels. Rijer and Simoriah followed his lead, falling on the guards with fists and feet. The Inquisitor stopped thrashing as Cory tore himself away from the creature. Snarling he turned on Rijer's attacker. Krook had already joined Simoriah. With claws and teeth he ripped the Asmar to shreds.
.....Panting, he howled again. Rijer was watching him, with a sickened look. Cory turned away and began sniffing the corridor. Bakeneko trotted out of the cell, starring at the corpses wide-eyed. Cory tried not to think about what was left of the Inquisitor.
....."Which way?" Simoriah asked. Her voice was steady, but she too smelled slightly sickened. Cory sniffed and pointed down the corridor. He dropped to all fours and trotted in that direction with the others following behind.

***


.....Three dragons circled above the main city of the Asmar, the sun at their backs. The largest of the dragons was a shimmering white, with large almost golden horns sprouting from his head. The next was the light blue of the sky, the other was dark orange.
....."The caverns," Aard said. "They must be holding them there."
.....Sleet nodded thoughtfully. "Do as you must. There is one below with power that rivals my own. I must find and defeat him or all is lost."
.....Tijir and Aard banked and dropped towards the city below. Sleet watched them go sadly. He was confident in their abilities. They would find Simoriah and Cory, the one who had given his soul into the dragon's keeping. His own duties lay elsewhere. He could feel his opponent, even from this distance. The pulse of his power was strong.
.....Sleet perched on the wall, sweeping the Asmar standing guard over the edge with his tail. He watched them fall, screaming, then raising his head to the sky he roared. His roar echoed across the grassy plains, echoed from every wall and tower in the city. Fire flew from his throat in a plume dozens off feet high.
.....The few civilians in the street at this hour, ran screaming into their houses. Guards were rushing down the wall in his direction. Sleet felt power gathering to his right, his quarry was there. Launching himself from the wall, Sleet spat fire, catching buildings on fire and burning greenery. The Asmar's spell erupted over the wall where he had been. Sleet circled, honing in on his target. Fire shot from his mouth, incinerating buildings.
.....There. He saw the creature below, sending up a prayer to its gods. Sleet snarled. Something tore into him, ripped at his soul. He roared in pain, his own prayer causing balls of fire to crash down on the shaman. Sleet folded his wings and dropped, praying for the paralyzation the Asmar. The monster was still. Landing in the streets, Sleet called more fire. "Petrarch is the King of the gods." He snarled. "And Jewel is his Queen." The fireballs struck the Asmar.
.....The monster suddenly grinned back at him, tearing at his soul. Sleet snarled and threw himself at the Asmar, raking his claws across its chest.

***


.....Cory pulled himself away from a fallen Asmar and sniffed. Far down the passage he could smell even more soldiers. If they could get out of these tunnels they might get off the continent alive. If their luck held out. So far they had only tangled with guards in small groups. The ground around them shook.
.....Cory sniffed. He could smell blood somewhere, Asmar blood. He turned to Bakeneko. "Is the field still up?"
.....The mage nodded. "It is."
.....The area around the cells had been somehow shielded against magic, to prevent prisoners from gating away he supposed. If the field covered the entire city it would be impossible to get away.
.....They kept running, hoping that the field would evaporate. Further down the corridor something moved. Cory stopped, sniffing. There was an odd, somehow familiar smell. It seemed as if he should recognize it from somewhere, long ago.
.....Suddenly a large blue scaled dragon trotted around the corner. Cory grinned, revealing rows of sharp teeth. "Tijir!" Simoriah shouted.

***


.....Sleet roared in agony as he thrashed the Asmar shaman with his tail. The tearing feeling had grown unbearable. His claws tore into the Asmar again as fire fell like rain. The guards had long since decided to stay back. They saw the fight for what it was, a war between champions of the Gods.
.....The Shaman's torn clothes were crimson with blood, but he did not seem to notice. He was too busy fighting for his life. Sleet pummeled the Asmar with his paws. He was weakening much too quickly. Light flared. Sleet screamed and staggered back as the light seared into his eyes. He thrashed wildly with tail and paws, striking the Asmar and the gathered soldiers.
.....The shaman struck again and Sleet felt the touch of death. He roared, spurting streams of fire. His wings flapped madly, pulling him towards the sky. He felt power gathering below him, and he knew that the end was near. Something impacted against his side and he heard an anguished roar. Blackness took him.

***


..... Aard backed down the passage, careful to keep his claws between himself and the horde of Asmar. He had long since given up trying to burn them with his fiery breath, their shields made them invulnerable to such things. Aard slashed his tail like a whip, catching an overly eager warrior in the chest. The brute fell back into its fellows.
..... Aard paced back and felt himself come up against something hard. Risking a glance he realized that he had reached the end of the tunnel, and the end of his life. Snarling, he sat back on his haunches and watched the Asmar come.
..... An eerie howl drifted down a side passage. He didn't know what type of creature would make such a sound, but it was down here, in these tunnels. Slashing Asmar with his claws, he managed to make his way to the side-tunnel and began backing down it. He came out into a larger cavern, risked a glance over his shoulder, and sighed with relief. Tijir, Krook, Simoriah, Rijer, and a faerie he didn't know were clustered around a horrid looking mass of shifting flesh.
....."We have Asmar coming." He shouted. Tijir and Krook dashed across the cavern and were almost instantly met by Asmar coming out of the tunnel. Before the odds had been bad, now it was a slaughter. The few Asmar who could fled, the rest would never move again.
.....Sighing, Aard turned and gasp. Cory stood beside Simoriah and Rijer, the mutating thing was gone. There was no time to ask questions, only to flee. Above Aard could feel Sleet battling the other he had spoken of, but that too was not his concern.
....."Lets get back to the surface."

***


.....The tunnels Tijir chose ended on a grassy plain just beyond the walls of the city. The prisoners blinked at the sudden sunlight, their faces a mixture of delight and determination. Simoriah and Krook climbed onto Tijir's back. The faerie onto Aard, who was trying to find a way to carry the two centaurs in his claws.
.....An anguished cry ripped the silence of the morning, causing everyone to glance back towards the city. Two huge winged shapes flailed through the sky, dragons. The larger, pearly white with almost golden horns, seemed unconscious, while the smaller, brown scaled creature latched onto him with her claws, dragging him into the sky.
.....Simoriah gasp. Cory watched in horror. He recognized the dragons. The white one was Sleet and the other his mate, Dirt.
....."Petrarch." Aard muttered.
.....Dirt screeched at something on the ground below her and spat fire. Someone screamed, audible even from this distance. Dirt's wings pulled the two dragons into the sky, and they vanished, leaving the others to stare.
....."He has failed." Tijir's voice was sad.
....."He lives yet." Aard replied. "If anyone can return him from the edge it is she."
....."This evil must be defeated." Simoriah added softly. "It will be defeated."