"Men, thank you for coming," Yukio welcomed them.
"Thank you for calling us together, General," Commander Favian replied.
"Right, let us get down to business then. Behind you is a secret entrance that will take the troops into the courtyard of the royal palace. It is placed to the left of where the wall meets the mountain. This passage is large enough to take horses and some heavy equipment, so that is exactly what we are going to do. Commander Favian will lead his men tonight through this hidden path so he can spring the trap at high noon tomorrow," explained Yukio.
"Will we be able to take the large siege weapons?" asked Commander Drujien.
"You will be able to take the arrow launchers but not the catapults," replied Yukio.
"Is there a room large enough within the mountainside to hide us until wait to spring our trap?" queried Favian.
"Yes, there is enough room to gather within the mountain. There is an area that I had created for a different purpose that will suit our need now. During the night, I will need to have you lay out some traps and drag some oil lines. This way we will maximize the amount of confusion when we set the oil ablaze. The smoke will lead many of the high elves to the traps you laid and allow us to gain the upper hand in the battle and enable us to crush them swiftly," Yukio said as he slammed his fist into his other hand.
"What will be the signal to attack, and who will lead the men from the outer wall?" asked Commander Favian.
"I will have Master Aiden send a volley of arrows at the home guards protecting the main entrance. He will lead the main body of the army into battle while I take care of the council members," he explained. At the mention of Master Igrol's name, a collective intake of breath was heard from the group gathered together around General Yukio. They did not understand how this master of the sword could do such a thing since he was back in Nairi. They all feared and revered the master and were excited at the possibility of his help in the fight.
"How will Master Aiden reach us in time to lead the army?" asked one of the captains. Aiden walked out of the rock wall where the secret entrance was supposed to be as if the question was his queue to appear. More gasps of amazement came from Yukio's leaders. It was clear that some of the captains were having trouble processing the ever-changing situation.
"General Yukio, I have come as fast as I could. I take it from your councils thus far that I am in time to fulfill your request," Master Aiden said solemnly.
Yukio bowed before the master, recognizing his abilities as a swordsman and as a warrior. The rest of the group quickly bowed themselves following their general's example. Many were too surprised still to say anything. They simply stood there with their mouths open in awe. Aiden had a long, violent-red goatee that was braided with gems. His bald head shone brilliantly in the sun as he stood before them. He was shorter than the general, but not by much. He had a much more muscular physique than any other warrior and was as powerful as Yukio himself. His legendary sword, Keahi, was strapped across his back in the custom of master swordsmen. The blade had been imbued with the power of fire by dwarves and was of such fine craftsmanship that it looked as if it had never been used.
"As Aiden just demonstrated for us, the passageway is not sealed and does not have to be opened. It is camouflaged with a concealment charm to make it look like the rock around it. The opening is actually ten feet high and is thirty feet across. All you have to do is walk straight at it, and you will gain access to the secret path," explained the general.
"It should be noted that it is very cold in the passageway and chamber our general created, so dress warm," added Commander Favian.
"Good point, Commander. I had almost forgotten to bring that up. Thank you," said General Yukio graciously. "Now, Master Aiden, you must keep the attack on the homes at the south end of the city as quiet as possible. Our goal is to wipe out the residents before we even engage the home guard."
"Do you want me to begin the attack tonight?" asked Aiden.
"Yes, that sounds like a good idea. That way you will be able to use the darkness of the night to give you additional cover. I can guarantee a night of black cloud cover. I have spoken with the goddess Kana, and she has informed me that she will cause a thunder and lightning storm that will drive everyone into their homes," Yukio said with a sly smile. The men in the circle all smiled with great delight at the news that the Elemental was backing them in this campaign. These men will believe anything I tell them.
"What else did the goddess of wind and fire say?" asked one of the captains eagerly.
"She informed me that my assumptions about the murders were correct and that she would back our attack as long as we wipe them all out. She feels betrayed by this treachery and the high elves' high-mindedness. She will assist us in any way needed to punish the fools properly," said the general confidently.
"It would appear that the immortal elves are no longer favored by the guardians. It is the time for man to lead the lands of Tuwa," said Master Aiden darkly. His bejeweled goatee sparkled in the afternoon sun as he spoke.
"You are right, Aiden. Kana feels that it is the time for man to rule the lands. The defeat of the high elves will be a sign to the rest of the races that it is our time, and the people of Nairi will lead the way into a new era," Yukio continued.
"Now, let us get to work. There is much to do before the sun sets. I need to get ready for my performance in the council chambers tomorrow, and you all have preparations to make in order for us to be successful. If we follow our plan perfectly, we will not fail!" exclaimed General Yukio.
As the sun hid itself once again below the horizon, a wicked storm swept in from the north. Cold winds came rushing down the mountainside, sending many people running for cover. Then there was a flash of lightning that struck a building near the inner wall, and a deafening boom followed the strike. There was a brief pause before the black clouds dumped so much rain on the city that there were ankle-high streams running down the roads within minutes. The only light that could be seen was the lightning and the brief fires the strikes caused. It was so wet that nothing could burn for longer than a few minutes. The sounds and darkness were the perfect cover for the attacks led by Master Aiden.
Aiden started his house-to-house hunt after the first loud boom of thunder. Mistress Kana was doing her part to give them cover, and now it was his turn to show his resolve by quietly eliminating the wicked high elves before the home guard knew what was happening. He divided up the troops into groups of twelve and sent them down each block. Each street would have two groups attacking from opposite ends so that they would meet in the middle. This tactic would help to distract the residents if they heard anything other than the rain and thunder just long enough to have one of the teams neutralize the potential threat.
The army swarmed over the southern half of the city like locusts. No one in their path survived, and no alarms were sent up as the troops executed the plan. In the history of Tuwa, there had never been an assault by any of the good races where both male and female, young and old, were slaughtered. Blood ran down the streets, turning the rivers of water caused by the violent storm red. The wind howled like an angry pack of wolves as the soldiers finished phase one of their gruesome campaign. No fires were set as the men went from house to house, so their secret was kept safe from the eyes of the home guard. The high elves guarding the inner wall and castle did not see the army of General Yukio waiting in the shadows of the homes. Aiden and his men now had to wait until noon to complete phase three of the operation.
Commander Favian looked up at the ominous clouds forming overhead and knew that Mistress Kana was providing the cover that she had promised General Yukio. After the first loud boom of thunder was heard, the troops gathered up into a formation that would allow them easy passage into the secret cavern. When the rain began to hail down upon them, they began their silent march into the cavity in the mountainside. The men listened carefully as they walked toward the entrance to see if they could hear anything from Aiden
and his men who were carrying out phase one. They heard nothing as they walked into the pitch-black tunnel. Torches were lit, and the massive number of troops and siege weapons crept slowly toward their destination inside the mountain. The men who were in charge of carrying out phase two were at the front of the formation alongside their commander.
As the facilitators of the second phase gathered in the cavern near the hidden exit, they went over their plans again to make sure they set the traps in the proper places. This particular part of the plan actually had two parts to it. The first part was the trap setting, which would be carried out immediately. The second part would be to move the siege weapons into position in the courtyard. They would be set up with their backs to the castle in such a way that would lead the home guard to believe that they were there as an extra precaution for tomorrow's important meeting. General Yukio would be helping out with this part of the plan. He had informed the guards surrounding the castle to allow the siege weapons to be stationed in the royal courtyard as an additional defensive measure. They would not argue, considering that they had allowed the queen and the head of the council to be assassinated on their watch. The rain was coming down so hard that the high elves could not tell which direction they were coming from, so there would not be any questions about their sudden appearance.
The first part was completed without incident. The ironic thing about the placing of the siege weapons was that the home guard helped to position the weapons so that the inner wall was covered from every angle, basically ensuring their own destruction. Once all the artillery was in place, the guards who had helped Yukio's men were executed and replaced with Commander Favian's men. General Yukio wanted to take this extra precaution even though he knew that if the rain subsided before the meeting, their plans could be discovered. He felt that even if this happened that they would prevail in a fight. At the end of phase two, there was still no sign from the high elves that they knew what had taken place. It was nearly dawn by now, and the rains showed no signs of halting. Phase three was only six hours away now, and the men were anxious to finish this bloody campaign. They all felt like heroes and that they were invincible. They really believed that not one soldier would fall in this violent campaign.
As the morning wore on, the home guard was having difficulties seeing anything through the deluge of rain. They sent a messenger to General Yukio to give him a warning about the terrible weather and the feeling they were having about a possible surprise attack. Yukio had the messenger return with the instructions to be on their guard and to watch for any suspicious behavior. He also said to make sure that no one approached the hall once the council meeting had begun. He believed that additional assassination attempts would be directed at members of the High Council, so the council chambers must be protected at all costs. He thought that this message would open some gaps in the inner wall's defenses, but he was sadly mistaken. While the guards did not know of the plan thus far, they had taken extra steps to ensure the meeting would not be interrupted. Yukio did not know about the archers stationed on the mountainside above the city. This would be the undoing of the general's hope that none of his men would be lost.
As the time neared for the meeting to commence, General Yukio got dressed in his kingly armor and armed himself to the teeth. No one would question what he was doing considering his beloved wife's recent demise. He smiled grimly at his reflection in a mirror as he surveyed his armor to make sure there were no weak points. I will be remembered as the right hand of thegods. There will be none who will dare question our deeds! All the peoples ofTuwa will all fall down and worship us as the true advocates of the guardians.
He continued to contemplate exactly what he would say and do once in the chambers. He needed to make sure that all of the members were there before starting the meeting. He wanted to ensure that they would be leaderless before the assault began on the inner wall. He would have to be quick in his execution; otherwise a warning would be sent to the home guard. The plan had appeared to work perfectly thus far, so it was up to him now to make sure it ended according to their designs. His men had not let him down, so he would do his best not to disappoint them.
He was at the back entrance to the council chambers before he knew it. If he had not been lost in his thoughts, he would have noticed the archers stationed on the mountainside. He would have also noticed a vanguard heading toward Queen Kishi's domain. Many of the high elves had actually escaped before the assault had taken place. A third of the main body had left before the nighttime slaughter began because of their misgivings they had toward Yukio. The general walked through the entrance full of confidence and with a smile on his face. The entire council had already taken their seats and was waiting for him to get the meeting started. The general walked purposefully to his seat but did not sit down. He had a wicked gleam in his eye that made the council shudder at his gaze.
"I have discovered who the culprit was that killed the queen and Chairman Merindiel," he began coldly. "It was the work of an entire council. It was all of you!" At this bold declaration, Yukio sent several daggers flying across the round table into several of the council members' heads. Chaos erupted in the chambers as hidden guards attacked General Yukio. Many of the council members escaped out the front door, and they immediately warned the home guard.
Yukio was being assaulted by six of the finest swordsmen that the high elves had. First, he reached out with his magic to infiltrate their minds of those around him. He felt their mental barriers and saw the animalistic thoughts they used to shield their thoughts. He chuckled to himself at the basic defense measures they employed. He exerted his force of will like a battering ram against these barriers and they splintered like a wooden door. He forced the high elves to turn on each other, and within seconds four of them lay dead on the floor, and the remaining pair were fighting one another with such ferocity that the general had to get out of the way. Their blades were a blur of precision and years of training. They fought as though the thought of stopping was unconscionable. He immediately left the hall in pursuit of the council members who had escaped. As soon as he left the chamber the two guards fighting one another came to their senses. Apparently the general was conserving his energy for the battle so he did not force the pair to kill one another.
As he stepped out into the open, he was blinded by the sun. The rain had not only stopped; the clouds were gone. As his mind caught up with reality, he heard the sounds of a heated battle taking place. He then heard several whooshing sounds as objects flew past his head. Before he could turn around, he had been struck twice in the back with arrows from the hidden archers on the mountainside. His effort to conserve energy had left him open to this surprise attack.
He dropped to his knees and reached back to remove the arrows that were lodged in his lower back. Amazingly, each hit had missed anything vital, so he was able to remove the arrows without doing further damage. Raged burned through him as he stood erect and saw that his plans had been foiled. His eyes literally burned red like fire, and he quickly began to use his mind-controlling ability to turn the home guard on one another. He directed his silent assault on the archers stationed on the mountainside first. He had them attack the high elves protecting the wall. He continued to survey the battle around him and was shocked to see many of his men were dead or dying. This only fueled his thirst for revenge. His break in focus allowed the bowmen to come back to their senses and redirect their assault at Yukio's men.
He whistled for his stallion to come to him and then made a different noise that called his faithful war hawk. His horse appeared suddenly from behind the castle and ran at top speed to aid his master. Yukio did a running jump to get on his steed without the beast breaking stride. Shortly after mounting his horse, the hawk appeared out of the clear sky. The bird landed roughly on the general's outstretched arm. Yukio quickly spoke to his hawk words of command, and the bird took off immediately. The fowl flew west out over the wall where there was no fighting and then turned north. Yukio had s
ent his messenger to report to Queen Daria of what had transpired. He knew that the high elves would unify under Queen Kishi and that they would want revenge for what they would perceive to be an unwarranted attack. He needed help as soon as possible. He knew that he would win this day, but he did not know how he would survive an attack from Queen Kishi.
The battle continued to rage on around him, but the tide was steadily shifting in the general's favor. Yukio returned his attention to the archers on the mountainside. They had thinned out the numbers on the wall enough to allow for the army outside the wall to finally gain the edge they needed to capture the inner wall. The general focused his power on them again and forced them to face one another. Many of the archers resisted his commands to shoot one. After several moments of mental conflict, which drained the general of a significant amount of energy, the archers let fly their arrows. Within minutes all the archers lay dead or dying at one another's hands. Now he had the advantage, and his battle cry inspired his men to finish the bloody conflict.
As the men under Commander Favian swept across the courtyard, Master Aiden was cleaning the walls off by himself. His blade, Keahi, flashed in the light of the noonday sun as he tore through the heavily armored high elves. The blade burned red and sent massive fireballs into crowds of guards. He cleared the entire wall alone while his men stood there and watched the finest swordsmen in the world annihilate at least fifty soldiers.
Within minutes, the remaining high elves had been killed and the battle came to abrupt end. A third of Yukio's men had fallen in the confrontation, but they had won the day. As the general stood panting from the physical and mental exertion, it dawned on him that Mistress Kana had not kept her end of the bargain. He had the feeling that the other guardians were involved somehow and they were fighting against her and her allies. He was overwhelmed with feelings of betrayal and loss. He did not think this day would cost so much in blood. He walked slowly to the wall to speak with his men and his faithful commander. Everyone had gathered together at the wall to discuss what had happened and were trying to figure out what went wrong. They all came to attention when they saw the general approaching.
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