Scaled creatures with fleshy wings swooped down, breathing fire as they dove. If the creatures were not stopped soon, they would tear through all of Cape Gythmel’s defenses in moments, killing Xilor’s opposition. Judas reached out for his essence, the magic encompassing him, leeching it from the hordes of trolls and goblins and dragons above. In a mighty blast, the magic surged upward, forming a protective cocoon about Cape Gythmel. The shield reflected the fiery breath, the airborne predators incinerated by their flames. The apex predators were impervious to almost everything except surgical, magical attacks, the claws of another dragon, or their inferno breath. Even their cousins, the saricrocians, could scarcely hurt them.
Shrieks escaped the dying beasts as they plunged to the ground. As they fell, Judas launched each of the dying carcasses towards the invading army, obliterating hundreds beneath the crushing weight of the colossal creatures, the momentum rolling them through the invading ranks. Try as he might, Judas couldn’t deflect them all. Two beasts plunged within the defenses, the tail of the second dragon cleaved a massive gap in the wall. The trolls hastily capitalized on the opening.
With the remaining few dragons retreating, the master serjynts formed their troops in ranks, spears in front, kneeling while swords and shields stood behind. Archers offset behind them, arrows nocked and ready for the approaching storm. Before the dust cleared, the rushing horde broke through the gap, clambering over the lifeless, burnt carcass. The horde was lightly armored with boiled leather at most, save a sparse few sets of chain mail.
Vulnerable pawns, Judas recognized. They don’t win by surviving, they mean to win by sheer numbers.
The goblin populace alone outnumbered wizardkind seven to one. Millions of goblins were at Xilor’s disposal. Any other race swearing fealty was more fodder for his war machine.
The first wave crashed against the spears and fell by the dozens; guts, blood, and other matter spewed from deep gouges, but the throng didn’t slow, only stepped on the bodies of the deceased and continued their attack. The only saving grace came when the trolls stopped to feast on the dead, dropping the number of attackers sharply. Goblins swarmed through the opening, overwhelming the soldiers. Bodies fell upon spears, rebuffed with shields; swords whistled through the air cutting through skin, muscle, and bone. The limbs and heads of the enemy fell expeditiously, but the soldiers gave precious ground. Some were lost, torn with claws, teeth, or blades before trampled underfoot, buried in the slick mud churned with blood from the fallen.
Judas could only watch as he held the protective shield in place, consuming his focus and strength. When he first placed the protective barrier, over half of the attacking dragons died in the first few moments. The others pulled out of their dives and circled, wary of the barrier. The commands of the xicx couldn’t be ignored for long, and soon they swooped down again with fire only to die by their own breath. Others skimmed the barrier, searching for a way through. Unfortunately, the soldiers were on their own.
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The first rank of conscripts fell, as did the second. It seemed they fought a lost cause. Then, a massive wall of fire split Xilor’s army from the Grand Royal Army before sweeping over the goblins and trolls, pushing them back. A black wave of plate flew through the air and landed in front of the men-at-arms, a wedge of shields and gleaming swords. Protected behind them stood two of the three battlemages that accompanied the Krey; the third attained the rampart, overlooking the battle from high ground. With fluid grace, they advanced through the breach in the wall and fell upon the multitudes. Their irises gleamed scarlet with bloodlust, the whites of their eyes a pale pink hue.
With a fluid grace formed through years of practice and drilling couldn’t come close to describing their prowess. Their gleaming weapons turned red and black, filth drenching steel. When one attacked, another stepped forward on each side to defend the vulnerable member. The Krey fell upon their enemies in a frenzy, granting no quarter, showing neither mercy or pity. Rarely, but a few times, a sword would break through their defenses and bite into the flesh of a squad member. Their wounds did not bleed, the bloodlust keeping their muscles and bodies taut, barely registering the pain.
An A’uri standing in the center of the formation reached out with her hand, a yellow-white light flowing from her hand across the gap and in to the cut Krey, healing his wound immediately. A faint, narrow white scar rose where the cut healed.
From the left, a mass rushed the Krey. The wedge pivoted in unison, the center person changing to another member. An eruption of fire arced out from the other A’uri in the group, felling hundreds with the torrid blast. The threat eliminated, the group turned to the front again. They shifted like a gentle ripple in a pond moving out in all directions at once.
Judas only managed furtive and alacritous glances while holding the shield, but even he was impressed with the Krey. He glanced at the sky, noticing the aerial retreat, the beasts flying back towards the Corridor of Cruelty, most of their numbers consumed by their flames. Of the few dozen that had attacked, only seven withdrew. Judas relinquished the aerial shield and searched for a flat, reflective surface. A sparkle gleamed at him in response; a small shard of glass lay just a few feet away, most likely blown up here from an earlier explosion.
He snatched it up, not caring if he cut his hands, and waved a hand over the surface. A green-yellow fog swirled over the shard. A familiar and beautiful face with hair the color of flame, amethyst eyes, and porcelain-white, aristocratic features appeared on the other end.
“Meristal,” he shouted. “Xilor brought dragons! I didn’t count on it, and it took us by surprise. The wall has fallen. We need help from the royal battlemages. Send reinforcements! The Krey have taken the fight to the enemy, and I don’t know how long they can hold them. Send us whatever you can and quickly!”
