962901 Battle of the Wastelands

8/14/2019 962901 Battle of the Wastelands

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Battle of the Wastelands Jason Rayburn

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Battle of the WastelandsA Jerucia Short Story

By Jason Rayburn

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2007 by Jason RayburnAll Rights Reserved

First Electronic Printing July 2007

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For my mom

You were always there for me. You've always believed in me and encouraged me. No matter what I've

done, and what life has thrown at me, you still love me. I love you too, Mom.

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If there must be trouble let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.Thomas Paine

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Authors Note

Let me just say before we kick things off that I wrote this story a couple of years ago. To a middle agedman, a couple of years is nothing. To a teenager, a couple of years is a lot. We're still developing, stillfinding our personalities and our voices. I've wanted to publish an e-book for fun for a while now, andI really love this story, but I also know that a couple of years can make quite a difference in a teenager'svoice. I've gone through and tried to spruce it up some--I've fixed some of the grammar and I fixedsome mistakes in the story itself. Also, I went through and using my pen like a katana, I sliced out asmany blasted adverbs as I could find. I way overused them, and thanks to articles that I've found byHolly Lisle and Lynn Viehl, my writing has (hopefully) improved some. I hope I've caught at least themost glaring of errors, but more than that, I hope you enjoy this book, because its the readers'enjoyment that really matters.

Okay, enough excuses, you wanna get to the story don't you? Well, then turn the page.

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Battle of the Wastelands

The man stood high in the nearby mountains and looked down upon the ongoing battle. The

ground, stained red with blood, now looked black in the moonlight, and the dead and injured lay

scattered everywhere. The cries of the dying mingled with roars of werewolves and the screams of

vampires.

This is what Gradolie Hornacle looked upon as the actions of his leader were carried out. He

watched as his men were slaughtered in an attempt to lead the enemy forces attention away from the

second and smaller group that were sneaking into the castle through a hidden entrance in the back.

The third group, Gradolies group, would ride out with their battle horns bellowing after the

archershalf armed with silver, half with wooden headed arrowsfire upon the opposing army.

Its time, Gradolie said.

He called to his archers and ordered them to fire. Then, he raised his sword, and sounded the

charge. Down they rode, atop their horses, swords drawn. With the battle cries of his men ringing in

his ears, Gradolie rode down with his men, knowing he was probably doomed to die.

* * *

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Behind the castle, Archelon broke his group into two smaller groups. One would stay behind

and guard the door while the second half would accompany Archelon to Montiouss chamber. Armed

with the Roaring Flame , he led his troops inside the castle.The castle was made entirely of stone. The torches hung along the walls could never burn

bright enough to get rid of that sense of darkness. The darkness wasnt there physically, but it wormed

its way into Archelons and his mens minds. Archelon glanced around expecting to find the walls of

the castle had melted away and they were deep in the mouth of a beast.

They wandered for an hour, Archelon tracking the way to Montiouss chamber. A split in the

hallway caused the group to halt once again. Archelon knelt down and began to run his fingers over the

stone floor. He brought in a deep breath and exhaled, then did it again, tasting the air. Werewolves and

vampires had been here. Something else had followed shortly after that. He couldnt quite figure out

what it was. It wasnt a troll, but it was big and powerful.

Archelon took in another deep breath. Then, he realized what it was. He couldnt let his breath

out. The stench of it clogged his nose and lungs, making any other breathing impossible. On top of

that, fear began to tighten his chest and close up his throat. He gagged both in fear, and trying to warn

his men. Finally, he barked out a cough that echoed through the empty halls.

A hand was on his shoulder. Archelon gasped. He looked over his shoulder to see a concerned

soldier named Jaemin.

Whats wrong? Jaemin asked.

Archelons eyes bulged as he wrestled with the fear. He managed to finally gasp out, S-

Cyclopst-t-two!

That was when they heard the footsteps.

* * *

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Gradolie glanced around the battlefield, looking for his next kill. He spurred his horse and

trampled three Gnomes trying to gang up on one man. The man thanked him and then sliced a

vampires head in half.From behind, Gradolie heard rapid, ground muffled thumps. He turned his horse just in time to

see a werewolf pounce into him, its fangs glistening in the moonlight.

Gradolie struggled for his bow, meaning to stab a silver arrow into the beast, but it grabbed his

bow and snapped it over its knee. Then it pounced on him.

A man screamed from nearby as a vampire bent down and tore his throat out. A horse gave a

dying neigh as six Gnomes pushed it over and began to slaughter it. All this and Gradolie could do

nothing because the werewolf had pinned his arms down with its knees.

Thrashing wildly, Gradolie tried to escape the creature. It bent down and roared in his face,

assuring him he was going nowhere. The werewolf raised one strong arm in the air. It flexed its

fingers, letting the claws shine in the moonlight. Then it brought its arm down in a lightning fast

motion. Just before it struck, an arrow zipped into its head, knocking the werewolf off Gradolies

chest.

Gradolie stood and watched as the werewolf thrashed and screeched, the wound glowing and

smoldering. Its hair began to thin, its claws shortened and began to turn transparent, and the

werewolfs body began to shrink. Its face flattened and the roar began to sound like human shrieks of

pain.

Soon a dead man laid where a werewolf used to be.

Screams snapped Gradolies attention back to the battle. He looked everywhere, trying to find

the cause of the new screams. A shadow passed over his face. What he saw made his blood chill. He

began to tremble violently and rushed forward, keeping the new nightmares in his sight. He tripped

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over the carcass of a werewolf and fell to the ground in a heap, still staring up.

No! No! You were just made up! NO! He just made you up!!

* * *They were on top of Archelons men before they could even react. Out of nowhere, hundreds upon

hundreds of werewolves crawled on the walls from around the corner. Then an equal number of

vampires dropped from the ceiling, hissing and gnashing their teeth in lust for blood.

Moments later, Archelon was up, slashing through the swarms of beasts. Arrows were shot,

wooden stakes stabbed, swords slashed, and still the Elves couldnt dent the enemies forces. Archelon

became uneasy. He yelled to his men to get ready. The once-distant thumps gradually becoming

louder and louder. The floor trembled with the power of each new crash.

Then, Cyclops meandered in.

In some ways, Cyclops and Trolls are similar. Both are very large, both are extremely strong,

and muscled, and both prefer to fight with clubs. However, Cyclops are not green. They are flesh

colored, and theyre much taller, stronger, and heavier than a Troll.

One Cyclops blinked its large eye and swung its club, thick and as long as two humans, and

crushed three men into the wall.

One young Elf, a new recruit who had only joined a few months ago, ran toward Archelon. He

was holding his right arm. Blood seeped between his fingers and there were cuts all over him.

We werent expecting an attack of this size! We cant last! His voice rose in pitch. He

looked like he was teetering on the edge of madness.

We have to fight on! Blow the Thorjinn, alert the others at the gate!

The young Elf sighed and nodded solemnly. He pulled out a leather pouch from behind his

back. He took out a funnel shaped instrument, thirteen inches long, made of gold, with Elvish writing

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along the side.

The young Elf put the Thorjinn, the Elvish battle horn, to his lips and blew fiercely. The sound

it produced was as deep as the ocean, and it echoed throughout the halls, making the very walls rattle.That was it. All they could do was hold off the enemy until reinforcements arrive.

* * *

As a child, Gradolie had been plagued by nightmares. Hed awake in the night, screaming and

crying out for his parents. The story that caused these nightmares were thanks to stories his grandfather

used to tell. His grandfather was a nasty man who found joy in picking on young kids. The story that

haunted Gradolie most vividly was the story of the Rengomes.

Rengomes were winged creatures that flew around villages eating little children. They had a

body like a horse, with four long legs with three inch long toes. The toes had two inch long claws.

Their necks were about one foot long, and they had four big, black eyes. Their noses looked like they

were mushed into their faces, making their skin wrinkle around it and giving their faces a melted,

skeletal look. Their mouth was huge, and when opened, it nearly cut their head in half horizontally.

And inside those huge mouths were 3 rows of pointed teeth, one behind the other.

Screams erupted from behind. Gradolie spun around and saw one of his men held in the air in

one of the Rengomes mouths. All three rows of teeth were sunk into his body to its thin, black lips.

Put him down you monster! said an Elf with shoulder length, black hair.

Hearing the defiant mans cry, the Rengome opened its mouth then slammed its powerful jaws

together.

In a final cry of pain, the man in the Rengomes jaws died.

The Rengomes shook the dead body out of its mouth and rolled its big black eyes towards the

Elf with the black hair. It screeched, making a sound like a sword scraping against stone.

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Gradolie dashed towards the Elf and cried, Drinsoo! Run! Get away! Run!

Drinsoo slowed to a stop, hypnotized by the horrible sight. He began trembling violently, and

sweat began to soak his hair.RUN!

Finally, Gradolies cries reached Drinsoo. He looked up at the creature, which was nearly on

top of him by then, and tried to turn and run, but it was too late. The tail of the Rengome was too fast

and too long to outrun. It whipped around Drinsoos ankle and yanked him off the ground.

Drinsoo!

The creature opened its mouth and ran its tongue along its front row of teeth. In a last ditch

effort, Gradolie yanked a bow and an arrow away from a nearby Elf and fired an arrow into the

Rengomes head.

The Rengome squawked in pain and pulled the arrow out of its top, right eye and snapped it into

two pieces. It started making a gurgling noise in its throat, followed by a howling sound which seemed

to come from everywhere at once. It cocked its head back and launched a large, purple, steaming glob.

Gradolie dove sideways as the large mass missed him by inches, and spattered against a rock beside

him. The glob began to hiss, and soon the rock was reduced to a bubbling gray puddle.

Gradolie looked up as four more Rengomes landed beside the first one.

How can it be? My grandfather made that story up just to scare me. I was the only one he ever

told.

Gradolie drew his sword and stood defiantly against the creatures.

No matter what, I swore to serve Archelon.

Back you winged demons! He cried as he charged for the closest one.

Above the clang of the swords and the cries of the dead, the Thorjinn bellowed across the field.

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* * *

At the back gate, the other half of Archelons troops stood alertly. One was pretending to sleep, another

was carving a sculpture out of a block of wood, but all were alert and ready for anything. Suddenly, theThorjinn sounded, deep and slow, rattling the stones of the very castle.

Everyone was on their feet and ready for battle in an instant. Projects lay scattered around

forgotten as they rushed into the castle, swords drawn. They followed the tracks quickly, silently

scanning for their distressed brothers. At one turn, they all halted and stood listening. From the other

side came the clangs of swords and the twangs of bowstrings.

Alright, said the head of the group. Ready? All bows were brought out and the strings

tightened. The whole troop moved slowly forward. Aim! All bows pointed up. Fire!

* * *

Archelon pulled out of his bow and fired two arrows, one right after the other. One hit a

werewolf in the chest. It screamed and fell to the floor. The second hit a vampire in the heart. It

screamed, grabbed its chest and turned to dust.

Fire!

Those words echoed throughout the room. Then a barrage of arrows flew up at one of the

Cyclops as it tore through a archers firing arrows into its abdomen.

Fifteen arrows pierced into the soft, wet flesh of the Cyclops eye. It screamed and smashed a

nearby Gnome into the wall, then stumbled and fell, crushing a large group of vampires, werewolves,

Gnomes, and Elves.

Fire!

Arrows shot through the air, spearing the second Cyclops eye. It roared in anger and pain and

fell to its knees, swinging blindly. Archers crowded around it, firing arrows at its head while

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swordsmen climbed on top of the other Cyclops and began stabbing it.

My men have this now. Theyve got reinforcements. I need to find Montious and end this,

Archelon thought to himself. And with that, he slipped away around the corner.* * *

Gradolie lunged at one of the Rengomes. It shrieked and dodged his blade. Another rushed him

from the side. His arms were pulled behind his back. He cried out in pain. A third was joined with a

fourth. Both raised their arms, claws poised for the strike.

A cry from Gradolies right startled the two monsters. A blast of fire rushed at the two ready to

strike. They were engulfed in flames immediately. The one holding Gradolies arms released him and

took to the sky, three others following close behind. The two on fire tried to fly after the other three but

their bodies began to be covered in ice. Their wings made cracking noises as they lifted off the ground.

Both monsters were about a foot in the air when they froze and fell back to the earth, shattering at

Gradolies feet.

Gradolie looked around, searching for the conjurer.

Drinsoo!

I owed you one, he said with a grave look on his face as he studied the remaining five

Rengomes.

What was that?

Drinsoo blinked, shook his head, and looked at Gradolie as if hed just seen him for the first

time.

Oh! That? He smiled at Gradolie. That was Blazing Blizzard. Ive been practicing that

spell about four years.

Do you think you can do it again?

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Drinsoo looked into the sky at the Rengomes as they circled around for another kill. His smile

faded, his eyes narrowed and he said, I could do this all night.

Gradolie smiled, clapped Drinsoo on the shoulder and said, Then go get the others.With a nod and a dark smile, Drinsoo raced after them, calling the magic to his hands as he

locked his eyes on the winged creatures.

* * *

Bourhann launched himself into the air, bounced off a wall, pulled a stake out of his belt pouch,

and crammed it into the heart of a vampire on the way down.

The creature glanced at the stake, looked up, and saw Bourhann. It snarled at him and started

forward but before it reached Bourhann, it turned to dust.

Bourhann walked over to the dust pile, and spat on it.

Stupid mosquitoes.

Bourhann spun around when he heard a roar coming from behind. A werewolf crouched in

front of him, its hair and teeth covered in blood. It snarled at him and lunged forward.

Its too close for an arrow! Bourhann thought frantically.

The werewolf hurled itself into the air, going for Bourhanns throat.

This is it! Bourhann thought. He squeezed his eyes tight so he wouldnt see the nightmare as it

flew towards him. It was too late. He was dead.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Bourhann opened his eyes. The werewolf was squirming on its side. It screamed as it resumed

its human form and died. He glanced around and saw Soojan Nomeen hanging from a torch, bow in

hand. He saluted Bourhann and jumped down, running after a werewolf with an arrow in hand.

Bourhann looked around, watching his brothers fight. Suddenly he started glancing around

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rapidly. He looked worried.

Where is Archelon? he thought.

* * *Archelon crept down the dark corridor, all his senses on high alert. His ears detected footsteps.

Two sets, from the sound of it. His bow was out and an arrow in place in an instant. They were

Gnomes, about one and half meters away. Archelon stepped out from around the corner and fired an

arrow into the first Gnomes throat. The second watched his partner fall, then drew his sword. It didnt

have time to react as another arrow embedded itself into the second Gnomes chest.

Putting the bow back on his back, Archelon trekked on. Using the slightest amount of Elven

magic, Archelon put out a light from the palm of his hand so he could see in the black corridors.

Right, left, straight, right, straight, up the staircaseArchelon wandered through the halls

forever. He came across another pair of Gnomes, and a vampire, werewolf pair. The two Gnomes and

the vampire were taken out with arrows, but the werewolf had smelled him. Crouching down as the

creature lunged, he sliced open the beasts belly and grimaced as he felt entrails and blood pour onto

him.

Finally, Archelon found Montiouss chamber. It was guarded by a vampire, three Gnomes, and

a werewolf.

Somethings not right, they look like theyre expecting company. Archelon stepped out form

around the corner. All five heads snapped in his direction.

Hello, guys!

Before he could react, two vampires smashed into his back. He spun around and sliced the head

off of one of the vampires, and kicked the other off, sending it crashing into the wall behind it. By

then, the others were on him. Archelon grabbed one of the Gnomes and threw it into the rest of them,

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giving him just an instant. He drew Roaring Flame, licked his first two fingers, and ran it up along the

flat side of the blade, whispering, Incinerate!

Suddenly, the sword exploded in blue flames.The Gnomes stopped when they saw this. They began trembling and whispering to each other

and pointing at the sword. The vampire didnt shoved past the two Gnomes and charged forward,

ditching the spear it was carrying and ran on all fours.

In one move, Archelon spun sideways, dodging the vampires charge, and stabbed it with Flame .

The vampire screeched as it erupted into flames. It stumbled along, fell, and turned to dust.

Archelon smiled. The man that made the sword told him it would break rules and kill things that could

normally only die one way.

The Gnomes turned and fled. Archelon pulled his bow out, fired three arrows, dropped his bow,

dodged the werewolfs swipe of its claws, relit Flame , and stabbed it in the back of the neck. Then he

turned and dodged the other two vampires. He stabbed the headless one through the gut and sliced the

blade sideways, cutting into the other vampire and cutting it in half.

Archelon retrieved his sword, and entered Montiouss chamber, still hearing the dying cries of

his victims.

* * *

Drinsoos feet flew rapidly, thudding on the charred dirt of the Wasteland. He was keeping pace

with the Rengomes, but how long could he keep it up.

He still couldnt believe how much they had terrified him. They had left him feeling weak, like

a scared child. He had never felt like that, not even as a child. He would get those things, he would

make them pay for making him feel weak.

Directly beneath the Rengomes, Drinsoo concentrated hard, thinking about the spell he wanted,

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drawing the energy from the earth around him. It was harder than normal, the earth of the wasteland

was mostly ruined, its life and energy stripped by years of pointless wars. Finally, he turned his gaze

skyward and cried out as he felt the spell burn through his body and fly into the night sky.* * *

Gradolie charged after a pair of Gnomes that were fleeing toward a pack of werewolves that

were still quite a distance away He threw two dagger and nailed both of them in the back of the legs.

They both bleated as they tumbled to the ground. Gradolie stabbed on in the back of the head as it

landed. He withdrew his sword and raised his blade to finish the other. The blood on the blade looked

black in the moonlight, and the sight of his own blade made him halt for a moment. It chilled him to

the bone to think of what hed done tonight, and it probably would for a long time to come. He shook

out these useless thoughts, there would be time for those later. Before he could swing his blade down,

it was jerked from his hands. Then, a large furry hand grabbed his throat and lifted him off the ground.

* * *

Archelons senses went crazy. The room was dark and smelled of death. There was no

light no windows to allow moonlight to enter the room, no torches, no candles. Even still, there was

an evil light that seemed to radiate from nowhere and everywhere that allowed him to see. The room

was unfurnished; completely empty. A large stone doorway led to a balcony where archers would have

been posted in the event of an attack on the rear of the castle

Archelon turned in a complete circle, looked out the doorway, and checked the balcony.

No Montious.

Maybe he went to fight our decoy army .

A terrible whooshing sound came from behind him and suddenly Archelons senses jumped off

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the charts. A massive magic force had just entered the room.

A large hole formed in the ceiling. Black smoked swirled around it, and it seemed to draw up

all the warmth in the room. A man clad in black seemed to melt out of the whole and levitated sixinches above the floor in front of Archelon.

It or he let out a ferocious roar and dropped to the floor.

Archelon tried not to lose his composure, but the fear when he saw the creature that killed his

parents gnawed at his stomach.

Montious reached inside his cloak and pulled out a sword. The blade was black and seemed to

absorb all the light around it. It was said to have been forged in the blood of a thousand women and

children. The handle had dozens of designs molded into it, and it was enchanted to be as hard as

dragon scales. The worst part were the screams. It sounded like a thousand shrieks of terror and pain

were emanating from the hellish blade.

Archelons eyes widened as one name entered his mind: Phantom Whisper.

The creature, Montious, crouched down, his muscles tensed, and in an instant he flew across theroom, past Archelon, whipped his sword around, and slammed the blade into the shoulder of a Gnome.

Archelon hadnt even seen the poor creature come in. The sword began to pulse and the Gnome

howled in agony. He began tearing at his own eyes as the sword shown brighter and brighter. A shiny,

silvery substance floated out of the Gnomes mouth. The sword pulsed again, and the silver substance

and was pulled into the sword.

The Gnomes body stood for a moment, and then crashed forward on the floor in a heap.

Montious wiped his blade clean and pitched the body outside.

Sorry about that, he said in a deep, granite-like voice, this matter must be taken care of in

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private.

What did you do to him! Archelon cried.

Nothing he didnt deserve. Montious grinned widely, revealing two rows of abnormally pointed teeth. Archelon saw they had been filed that way.

Archelons rage burned through is veins. He couldnt control it anymore, and in one motion

licked his finger, ran it along the flat side of Flame and screamed, Incinerate!

Once again, flames burst from the sword as if it had been impatiently waiting for that one

command to act.

This is for my parents you monster!

The flames danced in Archelons eyes as he swung his sword at Montiouss head.

Clang!

Archelon looked up to see Phantom Whisper raised, blocking the blow Roaring Flame would

have brought. The swords were vibrating powerfully. Montious smirked at Archelon winked, and the

fight began. Both men were slinging their weapons, with every clang, a spark. Montious slashed his

sword in a U and Archelon jumped and dodged swinging left and right at Montiouss head.

Archelon ducked and rolled to the side as Montious sliced at Archelons shoulder, jumped to his

feet and sprinted forward. He plowed into Montious, pushing him into the wall. There was a sickening

thud as the back of Montiouss head bounced off the stone wall.

Montious saw a glowing, and in a flash, he pulled his head to the right. In the next instant,

Flame was buried into the wall up to the its hilt. The stone around the blade was melted and glowed

red in the darkness, casting a sinister look over Archelons face and for a moment, he thought he saw

fear in Montiouss eyes.

Whisper was up in a flash, about to slice Archelons neck. Archelon saw the blade and in the

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next instant had spun to his left narrowly avoiding the blade.

And so the fight went on, the clang of steel and the spark of the blades collisions filling the

room. Sweat poured off both of them a they tried to overcome each other.The war raged outside, and the more intense the fight between Montious and Archelon became,

the more intense the storm and the war seemed to become.

There was an explosion and both fighters were flung backwards. Archelon climbed shakily to

his feet. He wiped sweat from his eyes and braced himself with his sword. He surveyed the room.

Thick smoke fogged the room, filling every corner and every crevice. Archelons nose burned

with it. His lungs were filled and he coughed roughly in it.

Wheres Montious?

Archelons ears jerked; he heard a soft thudlike a foot step.

Archelons sword was out in a flash. It was relit, but light helped none in the thick smoke.

There was a cry from behind as Montious took his sword and swung it at Archelons legs.

Archelon felt searing, red hot pain as the blade sliced across his calf. His legs gave out and he

crashed backward, landing on his back. Flame fell from his hands and he heard it crash as it bounced

away from him. Hed tried to find Montious, but the pain was keeping him from thinking clearly. He

closed his eyes as his vision began to swim with tears. When he opened his eyes again, Montious was

standing over him, his sword raised, an evil gleamed in his eye.

Archelon looked over to his right. His sword was three feet from him. There was no way he

could reach it. He glanced left, but couldnt see anything past the rock next to his head.

Thats it!

Archelon grabbed the rock beside him and hurled it at Montiouss head. Montious wasnt ready

for it, and it struck him in the face. There was a horrible crunching sound as the rock broke Montiouss

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nose. He stumbled back and brought his hands to his face a blood spurted out of his nose and ran down

his chin.

Archelon darted to his sword, let the blue flame erupt once again, and launched himself into theair. Montious looked up in time to see Archelon sailing at him, sword put forth like a spear. Once

Flame pierced Montiouss skin, Montious erupted into flames.

A huge blast from within Montious shot Archelon and Flame into the far wall.

Flames devoured Montious in seconds and he screamed and slapped his chest and legs, trying to

put the flames out, and dropped Whisper by accident. Still rushing around wildly, he stepped on it,

slipped, and fell to the floor. Whisper slid out the doorway to the archer balcony and stopped at edge.

No! I cant lose it! Itll ruin everything! Montious jumped to his feet in alarm and sprinted

after his weapon.

Archelon pulled out his bow and fired an arrow at Montiouss back. He was so distracted, he

didnt think to block it with magic and it struck him between the shoulders, causing him to pitch

forward. He waved his arms wildly, trying to regain balance. Archelon rushed forward and kicked him

in the small of his back, sending him sailing over the edge. Montious shrieked with rage and sorrow

and stared up at his sword.

* * *

Screams echoed across the field. The battle all but ceased as everyone stopped to see a flaming

body fly from the castle. It thrashed wildly, still trying to save itself, then, was speared on the top spike

of the surrounding gate.

* * *

Archelon stared in awe. He couldnt stop; he couldnt look away. He got to his feet and walked

to the balcony where Montious fell. Way down below, Montious was speared on the gate. Flames still

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covered his body, but they had began to weaken. Archelon remembered something the man who forged

Flame said, It burns their soul, and wont stop until its gone.

Archelon stared at the sword in his hands. He couldnt believe it. How had he ever beenchosen to wield such a deadly weapon? Then realization hit him. He had beaten Montious! He had

saved the world! Archelon jumped and whooped for joy.

His celebration was cut short by a high pitched screeching, Archelon looked over the balcony

once again.

White light poured out of Montiouss wounds. The light began to intensify. Archelon covered

his eyes and stumbled backward. There was a large explosion and white light swept through the castle.

* * *

Gradolie tried to scream. He couldnt. He could barely breath. A werewolf had Gradolie by

the neck, and was holding him two feet off the ground. He went for his dagger, but the werewolf

caught his hand and squeezed it. Gradolie felt his bones snap under the unbearable pressure of the

werewolfs grip. He tried to cry out in pain, but he could barely let out a wheeze.

The werewolf looked at Gradolie and licked his chops. It opened its mouth and revealed long,

sharp, glistening fangs. Gradolie closed his eyes.

This is it .

A scream and a blast and the grip on Gradolies neck was loosened. The werewolf let go of

Gradolie and began to dance around, slapping fire, but at the same time, turning to ice.

Gradolie drew in breath. He gasped and coughed, thankful for air. Then he looked up and

hoarsely said, Drinsoo!

Drinsoo was hunched over, panting. His face was beaded with sweat.

M-magictook a lot out of m-me, he wheezed.

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Gradolie stood and clapped his friend on the back.

Thats twice youve saved my hide.

Dont mention it.A young mans screams drew both mens attention. The poor man, barely old enough to be

called a man, raced through the field, his armor clinking and rattling as he ran. He held a short sword

in his hands, but he seemed to have forgotten that he held it. Behind him, a large creature, probably

twelve feet tall with multiple eyes and glistening fangs raced after him. They raced into action, but

were too late, as the man was lifted in the air by the creatures thick, powerful arms, and devoured in a

single bite. Drinsoo cringed, and Gradolie felt sick. Theyd been too slow.

Gradolie felt a rage build up inside of him he hadnt felt in a long time. He raced forward. His

sword flashed in the moonlight, throwing a lightshow around the field. He scrambled up the creatures

back and stabbed deep, relishing the feel of the blade as it pierced the creatures flesh and drove deep.

Drinsoo, not to be overdone, managed to build up a good amount of magic. He felt it draw into

him from the air and the earth, and he welcomed it, smiling darkly. He raced forward, dodged as the

creature tried to slash him with its sword length claws. He managed, through some grace he never

could understand, crawl up the creatures stomach and plant his hands on a few of the creatures eyes.

The few not covered glared back in anger and rage. Drinsoo gritted his teeth and let the magic loose in

a blast of fire and energy so large the creature was reduced to mere ash.

Gradolie rose from the ground, dusting himself off. He smiled warily at Drinsoo.

Good shot.

Drinsoo tried to shrug nonchalantly, but could only manage a half hearted twitch. Eh, itit

was nothing.

Another one, this one a few feet taller than the one they had just dispatched, lumbered up to

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them.

I dont think Ill be able to take this one, Gradolie said.

Drinsoo smiled. Nor I, old friend.They shook hands and stared back at the creature.

It was a pleasure serving with you, Gradolie said.

Nay, the pleasure was mine.

And with that, the two men brought their swords up and charged. Gradolie felt the creatures

large hands grab him by the waist and lift him into the air. He stabbed his sword into the beasts hand,

laughing.

Cmon then, you ugly brute! This is for Archelon!!!

Just as Gradolie was sure that this creature was going to tear him to pieces, he heard a loud

whistling sound. He turned his head to look and saw an enormous dome of white energy pulsing

outward at breakneck speed. Soon, they were engulfed in the blast. As they were, Gradolie felt the

creature that held him crumble to dust around him. As he fell, the blast picked him up and threw him

backward. He felt like he was fallingfallingfalling forever. Then he was engulfed in darkness.

* * *

Archelon rose from the ground sorely. He whimpered a little in pain and grabbed at his slashed

calf. He limped over to where his sword landed and was surprised to find it stuck in the stone wall, still

aflame and still ready for battle.

He pulled the sword from the wall easily and smiled at it. He gazed around the room, taking in

the fact that it was all over. He could rest now, his parents were avenged, the evil was stopped, and the

war was over. A rumble deep within the core of the castles startled Archelon. He looked down and saw

that the walls and the stone floor were beginning to crumble apart. Archelons heart raced as he

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charged out of the room and down the stairs. All he could think was, Will my men make it out?

* * *

Gradolie rose and wiped the ash of the monster that had held him from his body. He turned tostare a werewolfs skull in its empty eyes. Apparently, the blast had been strong enough to disintegrate

it before it could even be changed back. He winced as he tried to move his right hand and remembered

that it had been broken earlier in the battle.

He glanced around the field and saw that all that was left of their army was getting to their feet,

unharmed by the blast and looking around in amazement. The blast had eliminated all of their enemies.

All of them. Not a hellish creature remained. Gradolie smiled in victory and laid back down.

Oy! Over here!

Gradolie looked to see Drinsoo buried under ash and bones and parts of a few dead trees. He

got to his feet and limped over. After his friend had been uncovered, he bounced to his feet and hugged

Gradolie fiercely.

We did it! We won!

As Gradolie was about to respond, a rumble from the castle drew everyones attention. They

watched in horror as the castle began to crumble apart.

* * *

Bourhann had been flung against a wall after the enormous blast. He opened his eyes and

winced. His head hurt, and when he touched it, he drew back blood. Probably no more than a bump,

but it hurt. He rose to his feet shakily, using his sword as a crutch.

Is everyone all right? he called.

A few scattered weak replies came back and he sighed in relief. They won. They actually won.

His victory was short lived as the castle began to rumble and shake. Enormous stones dropped

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from the ceiling and Bourhann cried out in horror, Run! The castles coming down!

He raced forward, getting men to their feet and pushing them toward their exit. After everyone

was helped, he rushed out after them.They dodged and ducked as rocks came tumbling down like monstrous solid raindrops from

hell. Bourhann cried out as a rock, luckily a small one, smashed him in the head. He stumbled, but

someone helped him to his feet. Then he got an idea.

Bourhann had spent the summer studying with the healers at the Elven kingdom. He thought

back and knew what to do. Running straight into the middle of the crowd, he raised his hands and

began to draw his own life energy into them. With this, he cast a net around the men, covering them in

a shimmering gold light.

Just keep running! Dont worry! he called to them.

They ran on, as fast as their feet could carry them. Boulders crashed and smashed into

Bourhanns net. Each time, he felt pain rocket through his body like the rocks were hitting him and not

his net. He couldnt worry about that, though. He had to get his men out safely, and thats what he was

going to do.

The faster they ran, the harder the rocks seemed to fall. Finally, the exit came into their sight.

Bourhann ran ahead and put his net against the wooden doors and the iron gate, keeping the door open

and the rocks off.

Come on! Go! I cant hold this for long!

The men raced through the door, scurrying to safety and familiarity.

Ill be glad when I get out of this hell-hole, Bourhann thought, and then laughed to himself. He

knew he wasnt getting out.

As each man came forward, Bourhanns strength faded. Each boulder that fell jolted him and

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pain tore through his body, unmatched by anything hed ever felt before. He sniffed as blood began to

drip from his nose.

Only a few men left, come on! * * *

Archelon raced through the castle as fast as he could. His feet didnt seem to touch the ground

as he flew through the passages, leaped over rocks and dodged falling debris. He passed a Gnome skull

grinning back at him, as if it knew where he was going if he didnt make it and the sick pleasure of it

entertained it.

I gotta keep going, he thought to himself.

Down, down, down, he passed through flight after flight of stairs, and through numerous

hallways, always thinking, just stay alive, just stay alive.

A rock the size of Archelons fist crashed into his head, and he tumbled to the ground limply.

He tried to see, but the world went blurry, then began to spin around him, and he saw he was laying in a

puddle of blood. Somehow, he force himself to his feet and continued on, stumbling over the obstacles

in his path.

Finally, he heard something, and looked up to see his men racing through the door. Bourhann,

gentle Bourhann, who wanted to learn to be a Healer, was holding the iron gate up, the heavy oak doors

open, and a least two tons of boulders up with his Life-Net. He was almost gone though, his muscles

bulged to their limit, his nose pouring blood like a faucet.

Archelon found new strength in Bourhanns bravery and he raced forward. The last guy had

already gone through, and Bourhann was about to collapse. It was a race between the rocks and

Archelon, and it remained to be seen which would get to Bourhann first. Archelon strained with all his

might, and felt his heart sink as Bourhanns net flickered, and then faded. Archelon closed his eyes, put

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on a final burst of speed, and collided with Bourhann.

* * *

Gradolie squinted as the castle finally collapsed. A few people were weeping and calling outthe names of their loved ones. Some had brothers, fathers, even sons in there. He shook his head

solemnly. He was about to turn his back when someone shouted, Look! There they are!

Gradolie turned to see the group jogging forward, happily, yet wearily waving at their kinsmen.

It was an emotional reunion for everyone. People were hugging and smiling and laughing and crying

and jumping, and the whole world seemed to be right.

Except that a young man approached Gradolie sadly and asked him, Gradolie, sir, wheres

Bourhann, my brother. I cant find him.

Aye, and I havent seen Archelon either, Drinsoo said.

Gradolie closed his eyes to hold back the tears when he saw a glimmer.

There they are! he shouted, and dashed forward.

Archelon was battered and bruised and slashed and bleeding all over the place. Bourhann was

in no better condition. He was covered in dust, and his nose was pouring blood. Archelon was

supporting and dragging Bourhann, who appeared to be unconscious.

Someone help them! called Drinsoo. Five people rushed forward and took Bourhann from

Archelon. Archelon collapsed in a heap, exhausted and in terrible pain.

How is he? Bourhanns brother asked.

Drinsoo examined him and smiled. Hell live, but Im surprised hes not dead already.

Th-thats good, Archelon whispered softly.

Archelon! Dont move. Try not to talk, Gradolie said, rushing to help his leader, his

commander, his friend.

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Archelon dropped his head back and sighed. He went limp, his hand dropping off of Gradolies

shoulder.

Is he someone began.No, Drinsoo growled, hes just exhausted. Hes went through three times what any of us

have gone through.

Drinsoo rose to his feet and scanned the crowd.

Someone get me a cart. Well all take turns hauling him back to the castle. Im sure well all

feel great honor in assisting the Savior of the Elves.

And with that, they loaded Archelon and Bourhann on the cart and began the trek home.

Archelon opened his eyes for a moment. He was on his back and the world was moving around

him. The sky was a brilliant shade of blue and the world felt right again.

This is truly the dawning of a new age for the Elves , he thought. And then the darkness took

him. This darkness was not dangerous; not life threatening in the least. This darkness was healing and

comfortable and away from the pain. Archelon welcomed the darkness and slept, dreaming of the new

age.

As he slept, a smile came his face.

Date post:	30-May-2018
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962901 Battle of the Wastelands

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