Chapter 18
The ground trembles as an army of goblins and trolls march forward. Hundreds of thousands armed in swords, staves, shields, knives, were making their way towards the ‘Doomcollar’ alongside another hundred creatures. The troll kingdom took the bait. Croon and the five’s army are heavily armed with rifles and shotguns. The thumping steps of armored giants can be heard only faintly as the sounds of war mounts drown out the sounds of muzzles firing at the hordes. Croon readies his army of mechs and the assault begins.
It’s a massacre. Croon’s army has the advantage. Their rifles fire again and again. The goblins and trolls ranks are filled with many regiments, slave soldiers flee, defensive units dig themselves into the ground. Foot soldiers with huge maces and axes and elite soldiers with swords and shields. All useless against the firepower of mankind. The bigger the target the harder they fall. The creatures follow Croon’s commands and attack from above. Within 24 hours the battlefield is drenched in blood and there is nothing but bodies too bury and burn.
Three silhouettes appear in the sky.
“Get a missile team together and knock out those birds,” Croon cried out. He ran his mission objectives through his head again and again. The battlefield was eerily quiet this hour. For days now they had been holding their own against hordes of trolls, goblins, and monsters. Thousands of creatures had been marching on them as they gunned them down with a variety of rifles and artillery. Three strange birds were flying towards them now.
“Make visual confirmation and fire,” he ordered. Croon was use to working solo but he was more than capable of leading this distraction while the others made their way to the troll kingdom. He only hoped it wasn’t all in vain.
——————
We crossed over the goblin kingdom in our ships and saw it was in ruins. Seven small towers burned. They were once a strong and defensive line connected by a massive fortified wall made of sandstone. Small dull windows and broken glass scattered the plains below. The vast gate with hefty metal doors had been twisted and looked like a piece of abstract art. A large landslide of mud and rock covered the rest of what must have once been a goblin castle. You could still see gardens with flowers that were beginning to die, large trees without green and bushes that still raged with fire. The castle itself looked like it had been ancient with new parts of it added recently.
Small bioluminescent creatures covered the ruined ground. The goblin castle had once stood the test of time, the rocks of the walls lines with vines and plants that grew inside the cracks. Now it was decaying. The wild was taking it and the area around it back. Miles away pits burned with the stench of flesh melting away. Goblin bodies turned to ash in mass.
The road that we flew over towards the troll kingdom was unrecognizable as nature had begun reclaiming the now unused area. Broken branches and leaves cover the roads inside the town of Uxil, a goblin stronghold while tall grasses of unkempt gardens swayed in the wind. Buildings had collapsed, perhaps destroyed by trolls left a welcoming entrance for creatures of all shapes and sizes. Dry rot, vines, undesirable vegetation had taken the place of paint and decoration.
Uxil had once been a major hub for the goblins, now it was left to rot alone. There was an eerie silence that had taken over. No matter how you looked at it, even if you hated goblins the ruins of their world, their homes, their collapsed caves and empire was horror.
“That same thing could happen to us,” said Jace over the comm.
“It won’t, we’ll turn Molto over and the troll king will step down, he will get his blood thirst settled and we can begin again,” said Ariane.
“What if he doesn’t accept our terms,” I said.
“Only then will we fight,” said Jace.
—————
“When the moment comes and the sun turns dark, a promise shall mark an end to our suffering and an age of inhumanity,” said Croon as the three birds approached. They were jets but they weren’t human.
“When the hell did trolls get that tech?” shouted one of the soldiers. A young paladin named Fen who had been fighting by Croon’s side for days at a time now. Fen was independent, decisive, and methodical. In smaller doses and spoiled by habits of being coarse. For the most part he was pretty popular among his fellow soldiers and just like him he was a slave to Molto’s curse. Nobody was perfect. Fen had a range of flaws. He was impatient and argumentative. Fortunately he trusted Croon and had for a very long time. Croon had mentored the young Fen in his youth, teaching him to fight with a sword and read runes. Fen had originally started working as a scout because it was something his family had always done. He had the support of his parents, great parents, and he managed to thrive in this absurd world with his cunning. To reach his full potential he eventually found himself joining the ranks of the fives army.
“Upon the day wolves howl together, a true leader shall mark an aeon of brutality and an age of warlords,” said Croon.
“The end is upon us,” said Fen.
“No, the age is just beginning, we have fought too hard for this,” said Croon.
Garrick flew into the air at Croons command. The jets that were coming at them now were a different design than the ones that belonged to humanity. They were asymmetrical and cut across the sky like daggers with large dragon-like wings. They were almost organic.
The dragon blew a cloud of fire in the air as the strange jets began their assault. Two of the jets dodged the blast while the third turned into a fireball and crashed into the ground. Garrick began soaring after one flying upwards towards the heavens. Garrick’s massive jaws opened as he stretched outwards towards the ship. The second jet circled around and came up behind both of them and began firing at the dragon.
Croon let out a scream as Garrick fell.
—————
I’m tired again. I can feel the wear and tear of flying but there is something more bringing me down. Bendi, sitting behind me in my cockpit begins putting something together from its satchel.
2 pinches of Witch’s Aniseed
1 teaspoon of knettle
5 bits of sage
4 tablespoons of Venom Creeper
2 heaps of hops.
Bendi puts the ingredients in a bottle and shakes it. I watch as it turns into a red liquid. Bendi hands it to me and insists I drink it.
“Only small sip,” it says.
I can feel my stamina and mana increase along with my perception. I feel awake. The potion hits me like a shot of adrenaline. He hands me a small vial of it to hold onto and puts the rest in his bag.
Below us I can see another village. This one is littered with wounded fighters, blood, and weapons. Black smoke, small embers, no survivor will ever forget what happened. The goblins are slaves to the trolls and they are sending more and more of their army against Croon, against humanity. Our map indicates we are nearing the Douvre mountains. A part of me wishes we had a way to stop and scavenge all of the loot we are flying over at the same time it feels wrong. None of this feels earned. If the troll king is willing to use these type of extreme measures will he really listen to us?
“May Vudione be with us,” I hear one of the soldiers flying in front of us say just before his ship lights up in an array of fire. There is nothing left. Through the fire flies another craft. Another jet. This one is alien though. Strange and unfamilar. It doesn’t look futuristic and human nor does it look fantasy. We were flying in a triangular pattern with the dropship in the center. I was near the back. As the first ship lights up we break away.
“What in the hell is that?” I hear Jace say across the comms.
“We’re under heavy fire, repeat, heavy fire,” another soldier chimes in.
Another two ships go down in a blaze as the alien jet screams across the sky ripping through us like we’re paper.
“We just have to make it a little further,” I hear another say.
“Keep him off our tail,” I hear Jace command. The other fighters b
reak away while Jace, Ariane, myself stay the course. My raid party drops from 15 to 13, 12, 11, 10. The alien jet disappears for a moment.
“It’s circling for another attack,” I yell.
I can’t explain it but I can feel it. Perhaps its the potion Bendi gave me.
My perception has a +10
Enhanced senses, a new ability.
I watch as the alien fighter comes back around. “Take control of my ship Jace,” I yell into my comm. I unlatch the glass of my cockpit and watch as it flies upward and begins to fall to the ground. I can feel the intense pull of air rush around me as I create an ice wall around the front of my ship. The wind blows around the wall and away from me. I position myself as Jace carefully flies my jet. I aim down Bendi’s rifle as steady as I can and fire at the alien craft. I hit its wing and watch as it begins to descend downward. A creature emerges from the alien cockpit. It looks humanoid but not like the being I saw in my dream. No, this looks part man and part bat. Its shows its fangs as it moves towards me in the air. “Its fast,” I say to no one in particular. Bendi is looking at me with pure horror on his face. “Batbones, Batbones!” Bendi cries.
The bat creature pulls out a rifle from a sling around its side.
“God damnit,” I cry.
I watch as it steadies itself to fire. I do my best to aim but miss again and again.
The backdoor of the dropship opens and a soldier begins firing outwards towards the creature with a rifle. The creature fires. One shot. One kill. I now have 9 members of my party left. As I curse again and again I finally fire a gust of ice in the air. The bat creature gets caught in the ice cold hurricane I have created. It begins to fall but recovers halfway down and attaches itself to another jet. I stands onto of the ship and fires downward at the pilot. 8 members in my party. The jet falls as the creature pushes off of it. I watch it explode in the distance.
“Almost there, we’re going to take this battle to the ground if we have to, we’re near the border, we can’t draw any attention to ourselves near the troll kings fortress,” Jace said. All the ships begin to descend. The bat creature stops chasing us as we pass over another burning village.
—————
Croons forces begin to feel weakened as the jets fire from the skies above. Victory was determined but now it is becoming more and more unlikely as the losing side fights with new found strength. The undead begin to rise along with several daemonic creatures. Trolls and goblins succumbed to bloodlust move on a rampage against anybody standing in their way. They break through the front line of the five’s army. Others on the battlefield merely fight for the sake of survival. The toll on both the world around and his humanity is too much for old Croon. Debris, bodies, weaponry. Mechs fire at the alien jets and another one falls. A three armed figure emerges with a pulse rifle and fires at one of the mechs.
‘The Nullifier’
Exotic rifle that shoots a beam of dark energy
Damage: 100
Weight: 10
The mech disintegrates. Croon pulls out a secret compartment from the inside of his guitar case saying a small prayer as he tosses aside his eight string beauty. He holds a long, slim, warped blade made of silver held together by a leather grip. With its sharp, dual edges he holds it in the air. It looks powerful, versatile, and generally awesome. It has a large twisted cross-guard, creating the ideal weight balance to allow for smooth and accurate swings. The blade itself is simple, no engravings. It is a blade made for a bard, to be decorated in battle when all else fails. Croon begins to order a retreat but it is already too late.
The five’s army has held Fort Ariamas and the ‘Doomcollar’ for three days. All the old man can do now is pray it was enough. The three armed creature moves towards the five’s army firing with a secondary rifle.
‘Ballistic Rifle - The Ambassador’
An energy rifle made illegal in half the galaxy.
Damage: 90
Weight: 15
Croon pulls out a pistol. A glowing wave of light wraps around his hand. From the corner of his eye Croon can see a two headed shadow daemon. The creature looks at him and looks away and disappears. Another rune appears on Croons forearm. Another near his neck. They glow in a dark blue hue. The ancient looking weapon has its receiver located in front of a pistol grip. It has a strange alien design. Something Croon found long ago and kept hidden until now. Found in the northern territories hidden inside an ancient temple. The gun wasn’t meant to be used but under the most dire of circumstances. The stock is made from obsidian while the other materials are exotic and unknown. Other parts of it look organic while others look like they are made of stone. The pistol is covered in small runes that light up as soon as he touches it. It is a cursed weapon. A rifle made by daemons.
‘Oathkeeper’
Bound. When activated this weapon drains the life force from its user until death.
Damage: Based on HP
Weight: 20
—————
The dropship crashed hard into the ground followed by a halfway decent landing by myself and Bendi. Our party drops down to 7. Someone didn’t survive the crash. Jace has brought us outside the troll’s stronghold. We will have to move the rest of the way on foot.
Day 27
I stand in the cold outside surrounded by snowfall next to the largest stone door I have ever seen in my life. The entrance to the troll’s stronghold. The stronghold itself is built into the side of a mountain. The door is several stories high with a massive embossed troll engraved over the front. The door looks ancient. Built during the first ages of this world when there were trolls, goblins, elves, dwarves, and other fantasy creatures all living in relatively peaceful times. I can’t believe my eyes. There were no guards protecting the outside and no signs of any kind of security. Not that they needed it. The mountain itself was security.
Jace had put himself in making sure Molto didn’t escape dragging him by chains alongside us. “How did you get in before, when you killed his son?” Ariane asked. Molto looked at us and laughed. “You think I’ll tell you, I know what you plant to do with me, I would rather freeze out here than be ripped to shreds by that beast,” he answered. He continued to talk but Jace shut him up with a punch to the face.
“Fine, we do this the hard way,” said Jace.
His eyes lit up and began turning red, his mana and stamina drained to zero and with his blade he cut across the gate.
A few seconds later a small crack appeared and from inside we heard a howl.
Chapter 19
There is a whimper in the void. A cold breeze blows in from the east where there should be nothing but stillness. A troll guard stands just behind the giant stone door to their palace. A loud crash is heard against it from the outside. The guard looks at the impenetrable door. Less of a door, its a wall. The king himself had it closed permanently shut after his sons death sealing himself and his strongest warriors inside their own personal prison commanding his forces through technology found scattered in the ruins of the valley. The king never meant to see the outside world again. The troll kings palace was a tomb and yet here the guard stood listening to the screech of a sword outside.
“Intruders!” he shouted. Another guard released a hellhound. An incredible beast that looked like a a giant dog with black fur, sharp curved teeth and a muscular build. The guard looks at the door / wall again and sees a small faint crack. The cold air blows again against his dark gray skin. His face turns from curious to one full of rage. The hellhound moves forward and stands in front of him lowering its neck towards the crack. It sniffs the air outside. The smell of the enemy on the other side of the gate. The troll calls out a command in a foreign language that can’t be understood by any man or woman. The hellhound growls and the door / wall cracks again.
We stand on the outside of the troll kings lair. Jace continuously slashes at the large door. Every so often we see a small crack appear.
“Only a few more h
its and we’ll be inside, prepare yourselves for a fight, breaking down their door isn’t how I wanted to get their attention but we have to get an audience with the king if we are to stop his assault,” Jace says nearly out of breath. He’s breaking a sweat. He’s already near zero on his mana and stamina, his health is starting to take a beating too.
“You need to rest,” Ariane says, “your body can’t take much more,”
“I can’t rest knowing my friends, my brothers and sisters are dying,” he answers.
Jace moves towards one of the cracks in the wall.
“Tell your king we have brought the traitor who killed his son,” he screams at the top of his lungs. There is no answer.
“You really think they are going to listen to you, your best chance is to cut me lose now before they open those gates themselves, we can’t stand against an army,” said Molto almost snickering.
“Someone gag him,” shouted Jace taking his sword and ramming it through one of the cracks. There is a yelp on the other side. An animal groaning.
Glimmer, A Throne of Souls (Convergence Book 1) Page 15
