Chiz’s eyes widened as a fist suddenly came within inches of his face. There was a blur of motion, and the tattooed man vanished from the spot where he had been standing. Kkel Solaar’s bare knuckles broke through the rock, shattered stone raining down to the ground below. Tearing his hand free, he turned to find Pixel’s abducter several feet away, clinging to the rock and still gaping in amazement. He saw instantly that Chiz’s hasty escape had cost him something quite dear.
On the ground below Kkel, looking up in open-mouthed astonishment, was Pixel. Chiz had dropped her, and now the Sunserpent stood between them. The development was not lost on either of them.
“Dammit!” Chiz spat, grinding his teeth. “This is impossible! It’s not supposed to happen this way!”
Kkel had no words to respond. Instead, he shot out his hand, and a crack of black lightning sliced forward. It struck only basalt, blasting the rock face apart. The blonde Elvaan lowered his hand in anger. Chiz was gone, melted into the shadows. Not a trace of the tattooed Hume remained.
Their antagonist's escape did not seem to overly trouble the Serpent General. His focus was elsewhere.
Pixel was clinging to him, tears openly streaming down her face. He kneeled down, embracing the Tarutaru and holding her in a close embrace. "I, I never thought . . . " she looked up at him with glittering eyes. "I never even hoped," the Bard gripped him tightly. "It's impossible. Once a Blue Mage turns, they . . .how . . . how did it happen?"
Kkel smiled at her warmly, turning to look at Jinxie. The Red Mage had managed to rise, wavering unsteadily on her feet. Her face and hair were streaked with ash, and she felt like she looked. Every ounce of strength was gone from her, and it was taking everything she had left just not to fall over. Even in her weakened state, she still looked over at Kkel in disbelief. The terrifying fiend which she knew him as was gone. In its place stood the proud Elvaan soldier she had seen in the images of Pixel's Gjallarhorn. And now he was looking at her with the same sense of wonder Pixel was directing at him.
"It was you, Jinxie," he marveled at her. "That moment, fighting Cerberus, I could feel my humanity slipping away. The power was taking me over, but then . . . " he stopped, looking at his hands. A fierce smile broke across his face. "Something reached out to me. Something with overwhelming purity gave of itself willingly. It felt like seeing a lighthouse beacon in the middle of storm in the black of night." The Serpent General had made his way back to her, and now kneeled in front of her in admiration. She stared down at him in surprise. "I followed that light, your light, and it guided me through the darkness. It brought me out of that nightmare and back to myself." Now he rose, brushing a streak of ash from her cheek. "You've done the impossible, Jinxie. You rescued a Soulflayer."
She offered him a weak smile. It was all she could manage. "I'm so happy, Kkel," she breathed, "but I wouldn't want to do it again."
He gave a hearty laugh, embracing the Red Mage tightly. When he released her, she looked down to find Pixel smiling up at her. "Thank you," she said simply, "Thank you."
Kkel began glowing with a soothing white light. A breeze rushed over Jinxie, carrying away her wounds. She sighed, the pain in her joints subsiding, but she still felt as if she hadn't eaten in days. "A trick I picked up from the Dhalmels," he told her, and then turned resolutely to the east, clutching his robe tightly. The garment had appeared blacker than night itself when he had been a Soulflayer, as if made of woven shadow. Now it was simple cloth, and made for a being twice the size of the one currently wearing it. "We've got to get back to Al Zahbi," he stated.
"What's wrong?" Pixel asked, catching the note of warning in his voice.
He put a hand out, indicating the empty battlements around them, scarred by the battle with Cerberus. "There are no Trolls," the Sunserpent observed ominously. "They only leave this area for one reason."
The Tarutaru gripped Gjallarhorn tightly. "They're attacking the city."
Kkel nodded. "Jinxie, can you walk?" She took a halting step, and almost fell. Wasting no time, Kkel suddenly scooped her up in his arms, nodding to Pixel. The Bard played a lively, fast-paced mazurka, and the spellsong wrapped around the duo. "Let's go, Pix!" Jinxie could feel the excitement emanating from both of them. She realized this was the first time in a very long time that the two were facing a new adventure together. She would have smiled if she could find the energy.
Propelled by her song, the Bard and the Blue Mage sped back through Mount Zhayolm. They were back through the enormous iron gates before Jinxie knew it, and moments later were rushing by the barren wastes where the Wamoura flew. Within minutes, they were back at the portal they had come in from. Jinxie felt the same dizzying sensation as she was enveloped in a purplish glow, and her surroundings rapidly altered.
She staggered as Kkel set her down. Blinking, she examined her surroundings. This was the Hall of Transference, she realized. They were back in Whitegate. Surprisingly, she found her bearings had returned, as well as some semblance of balance. The Red Mage was able to walk down the stairs as Kkel marched out in front of her, greeted by gasps from the Hall's attendants.
"G- General Solaar!" One of them blurted out, dumbfounded.
"Where did you come from?"
"The Sunserpent! He's back!"
"Did you kill the Soulflayer?"
"General Solaar!" A Tarutaru Jinxie recognized as the one whom had been gibbering in the corner when she came through here the first time shouted. "General, General! The city is under attack! You've got to help us!"
"Enough!" Kkel threw out a hand, his blue eyes gleaming. The attendants fell silent in an instant. From the smile on his face, Jinxie could tell he was enjoying this a great deal. "Somebody go find my armor. And it sure as hell better be red!" He stopped, turning on his heel. He and Pixel shared a look of untethered excitement. "Ready, Pixel?"
She nodded. "Always."
"Then let's go save the Empire."
Rughadjeen swung his double-bladed sword like a hammer, battering back Gurfurlur the Menacing. The Troll angrily bellowed at the Skyserpent as the algol swept over his bark-like sin. Gurfurlur hastily defended himself, but the Serpent General’s unforgiving assault was quickly proving more than the Troll had bargained for. Rughadjeen was relentless, weapon a blur as it repeatedly sliced into him. A thick, orange blood was trickling out of a dozen different wounds on Gurfurlur’s body. Behind them, the battle was raging as the Imperials fought to beat the Trolls back. Spurred on by their leader’s bravery, the Empire’s soldiers were managing to regain the ground they had lost.
Gurfurlur shouted an obvious threat in Trollish, and then tore a piece of the street from its foundation. With impeccable accuracy, he hurled the chunk of Al Zahbi’s firmament at the Serpent General, striking him in the chest. Rughadjeen skidded back several feet, leaving a scar in the ground as the algol scraped across it, slowing his momentum. Shaking off the impact, the Elvaan tore his weapon free and ran forward, blade meeting Gurfurlur’s fists. Ignoring the stinging cuts inflicted on his own knuckles, Gurfurlur met the Skyserpent’s swings with ferocious blows. Rughadjeen pulled back for fear that he would drop his weapon in the face of such power.
Taking advantage of the Elvaan’s momentary lapse, Gurfurlur smashed his fists into the ground at Rughadjeen’s feet. A tremor plowed forward from the point of impact, throwing the Serpent General from his feet. As he sailed through the air, the Troll King ran forward, muscles going taut, and released a devastating haymaker on the airborne Skyserpent. Like a cannonball, Rughadjeen shot into the gates to the Residential quarter, disappearing behind a wall of debris as he broke through the brick and mortar. His soldiers reacted in shock, swarming defensively towards the site of impact. They need not have bothered.
Only seconds after careening through a brick wall, Rughadjeen came roaring back out again. Dust fell from him in a cloud as he broke free from the mass of fallen stones, cutting through the Trolls before him in seconds. Gurfurlur growled in surprise and anger, but then, with a cry of victory from its owner, the algol was in the air. From the Serpent General’s blade, a blinding flash of energy radiated out into the Troll ranks. They howled as Rughadjeen’s energy sliced through them, leaving those which survived sightless in the aftermath. Gurfurlur the Menacing howled as he struck out blindly, fists searching for the body of his opponent. He roared in Trollish with a voice full of fury.
“The Boss says you’re too scared to fight him fair!” The Moblin at Gurfurlur’s side was shouting angrily, hopping up and down. “He says he’ll tear you apart when he can see you!”
“Megomak!” Rughadjeen raged over the sound of battle. “This is your doing! Criminal scum, I’ll put an end to you right here!” The Serpent General surged forward, beating through the Troll ranks with fire in his eyes.
“N-n-no!” Megomak faltered in the face of Rughadjeen’s anger, stepping back behind Gurfurlur. “I – I’m just the middle-Moblin! P-p-protect me, Gurfurlur!”
The Troll King was still blinking spots from his eyes, his world a dim blur. The Skyserpent was rushing towards the both of them, pulling back his sword with intent to skewer the beastman on its dual ends. Megomak crouched down, simpering as Rughadjeen inexorably closed in upon him.
A great cry of confusion suddenly spilled out across the battlefield. Rughadjeen never reached Megomak or Gurfurlur, and the Moblin opened his eyes at the sound of a titanic clashing of blades.
The twin heads of Gulool Ja Ja hissed at General Rughadjeen. From the north, an entire column of Mamool Ja had broken off from the fighting in Ulthalam’s Parade Grounds and gone to reinforce the Trolls. The Imperial units were now swarmed under by two consecutive waves of beastmen. Assaulted by Troll and lizardman alike, they were pushed back almost immediately, leaving Rughadjeen alone to battle Gulool Ja Ja and Gurfurlur the Menacing on his own. Gulool slashed down with his twin blades, and Rughadjeen leaped backwards. A spray of broken stones assailed him as the ground was smashed apart by the Autarch’s swords. He landed, the algol held upwards protectively, as Gurfurlur stepped forward to Gulool Ja Ja’s side.
And the Skyserpent knew why they would take such a risk, weakening their main unit to support the secondary offensive. Because they knew as long as he stood, the door to their treasure would never open.
Faced with the lords of two beastmen hordes, Rughadjeen was forced to wonder how long even he could hold out.
“I will not allow this atrocity to take place,” Razfahd snarled at his soldiers. The Immortals were lined up en masse before him at the Imperial Palace. Aht Urghan’s crack Blue Mages shared uncertain glances between them as their Grand Vizier detailed his orders to them. “We will ourselves join the battle and teach these animals what it means to trespass on the Empire’s land.”
“But – Grand Vizier,” one of them said uncertainly, “The palace . . . “
“The palace will not fall under attack,” Razfahd asserted. “We can leave it unguarded for the time it will take to clean up this mess.”
“Sir, with all due respect, the Empress will be undefended. We cannot simply abandon our most important duty!” Somewhat bolder than the rest, the Immortal’s words stirred a murmur of agreement from their ranks.
Razfahd glared. “And what of the Empress should the Astral Candescence fall into beastmen hands?” he demanded. “Tell me what you would make of duty then, Rishfee!”
“My job is to defend the Empress, sir,” the Blue Mage told him coolly, “not to clean up after your mistakes.”
A hush fell over the room as the Grand Vizier stared at the Immortal. Rishfee kept his eyes forward, Razfahd’s burning gaze washing over him in the uncomfortable silence. To the astonishment of all gathered, Razfahd turned away, his back now to the Imperial Guard. His voice was hushed, and tinged with a regret they had never before heard from their commander.
“You don’t understand,” it was almost a plea, “I’ve got to set things right. I must defend the Empire. No matter what.”
Glances were exchanged between the Immortals. Most were aching to get outside and fight the beastmen, but their duty to the Empress came first. None were sure what to do.
The silence was suddenly broken by the sound of boots slapping against the marble floors. Razfahd’s head darted up as a messenger suddenly swung open the doors to the Imperial chamber. His uniform was ragged, and he appeared totally winded as he panted his way towards the Grand Vizier. Razfahd drew himself up, the fire returning to his eyes at the intrusion.
“What is the meaning of this?” He demanded.
“Sir – sir, news from the battlefield!” The soldier stopped, bending over and panting raggedly. Waving a hand to beg for a moment to recover, he soon took a gasp and stood up straight. “Sir, the Undead Swarm!” He breathed out heavily, and it was obvious he must have sprinted clear from Al Zahbi to the palace.
“What of them?” There was alarm in Razfahd’s voice. “Are they attacking Whitegate? Are they approaching the palace?” He ground his teeth as the soldier shook his head rapidly. “Then speak, man! What are you trying to tell us?”
He stood at attention again, spitting out his words in a great deluge. “The Lamiae are retreating, sir! They’ve left the field of battle and the Mamool Ja have split their forces in half and now they have no reinforcements on the front lines and – “ he took another deep gasp, his face turning red.
Razfahd, however, was already speaking over him. “Retreating?” He gaped. “Why would they . . . there’s no time to wonder about that now.” Rounding on the Immortals, he raised up his hands imploringly. “There will be no better opportunity than this. We will strike now and drive them back. With the Lamiae gone we will not need the entire palace guard – some of you remain here and defend Nashmeira! The rest of you, with me to Al Zahbi! Let us eliminate this menace!”
A fierce cry went up from the Immortals. Swords were drawn into the air as a circle of them were quickly chosen to stay behind and the others rushed forth into battle. They charged past the messenger, who feebly attempted to regain their attention. His breathless voice was lost beneath their rallying cries and boots clapping against marble floors. By the time he was able to finally get out the rest of his message, the hall was empty.
“Wait!” He cried feebly. “You didn’t let me tell you –“ he trailed off as he realized there was no one left to hear him. “ – about what happened in Whitegate . . .”
His words reached no one as he finally collapsed, the sound of his labored breathing echoing through the palace.
General Rughadjeen sailed through the air, straining to stay conscious. He went limp, landing back-first against the Al Zahbi streets and skipping like a stone upon them until he hit a wall. Groaning, he struggled to his knees, using the algol for support. A bloody gash had opened up on his cheek, mixing with the dust and sweat covering his face. The Elvaan strained, rising to his feet again as a booming sound began growing steadily closer. Bracing himself, Rughadjeen faced down Gurfurlur, charging at him like an enraged Wivre. The Skyserpent stood his ground, meeting the Troll’s fists with his sword. His muscles strained to keep his grip on the hilt as the Menacing’s gargantuan fists tore into his flagging defenses.
A moment later, the ground lurched as Gulool Ja Ja smashed down from a spectacular leap. Rughadjeen quickly slashed at Gurfurlur’s massive frame, causing the Troll to leap back. Just in time, he was able to swing the algol around, meeting Ja Ja’s blades with his own. He parried the lizardman’s stroke, the ringing of steel on steel echoing in his ears. With a heave, he pushed the Autarch away, returning his attention to Gurfurlur. The two exchanged fearsome blows, but the Troll’s strength won out. A shattering punch caught Rughadjeen square in the chest, and the Serpent General collapsed, gasping for air. An indentation of Gurfurlur’s fist dented his breastplate, and he stared down at it as he struggled to breath.
He looked up again. Neither beastman commander was attacking. Their attention had been diverted by something else.
“Where are you going?” Gulool Ja Ja’s wizard head demanded of someone Rughadjeen could not see.
“Stay and fight!” the warrior head ordered, brandishing its sword threateningly.
Something suddenly brushed by him, and he gagged on the stench of swamp gas and stagnant water. A Merrow, he realized, seeing its muck-covered tail slide past him. Then the clatter of bones rattling against one another filled his ears. The Skyserpent finally caught his breath, looking up to find the undead swarm in full retreat. Medusa gently swayed her hips in front of an incessant Gulool Ja Ja, her expression bored and dismissive.
“We have what we came for,” she told him. “Our dance is complete.”
Gurfurlur roared at her in Trollish, and Megomak leaped up and down simultaneously. “This wasn’t part of our deal, Medusa! You’re going behind our back!”
She smiled, revealing a mouth full of pointed teeth. “What a funny little two-legs,” she said, and Megomak quickly scrambled behind Gurfurlur. “My Lamiae have won the day. The tide of battle is turning, and we will not dance when we cannot lead.” She glided onwards, leaving an irate pair of beastmen behind her.
“Pay for this, you shall!” Gulool Ja Ja’s warrior head promised.
“Our lines shall surely crumble without their support,” the wizard head warned.
“No, no, no!” Megomak stomped his feet. “The Astral Candescence was supposed to be ours!”
Rughadjeen was on his feet now. Their attention was off of him, and their defenses down.
Gurfurlur growled, and Gulool Ja Ja shook his swords menacingly. “Have Medusa’s hide, we will . . . “ the lizardman swore.
“We can still win this,” Megomak insisted. “If we swing all of our forces towards the Hall of Binding now . . . “
The Skyserpent saw his opening. In a flash, he ran forward with all the speed he had left, swinging the algol in a perfect spinning arc, aimed directly at Gurfurlur the Menacing’s back. Rughadjeen’s speed and skill were both formidable, greater than that of any of the other Serpent Generals they had faced today.
Yet he was still not the equal of Gulool Ja Ja, who lashed out his hand like a whip. Before the algol had so much as creased Gurfurlur’s skin, the lizardman’s sword hit Rughadjeen like a whirlwind, driving him back into the wall from whence he had came. The algol fell to the ground in a clatter. The Elvaan’s head cracked against the stone wall of Chocobo Alley, and his helmet dropped from his drooping head. He struggled to rise, one last time, but a shadow fell over him and he knew the day was lost.
Gurfurlur’s fist smashed Rughadjeen into the ground. The Serpent General’s body cracked the stones, and a gush of blood shot from his mouth. He gave a final twitch, an involuntary spasm which rocked his whole body. Then he went still, sunken in to the streets of Al Zahbi by the Troll King’s power, a red puddle forming around his head. There was nothing left in him to give. Skyserpent General Rughadjeen finally fell.
Gurfurlur took no time to appreciate his handiwork. A roar of triumph broke from his lips, and the ground shook as he began running north. Soldiers were fighting near the Bastion - the Mamool Ja had been nearly completely pushed from the Ulthalam Parade Grounds. It mattered little to Gurfurlur. He simply pushed aside anyone in his way, rampaging forward and nearly creating a new front all by himself. The beastmen in the southern sector began charging north again, spurred on by Gulool Ja Ja. This was the distraction he needed.
With Rughadjeen down, the seals upon the Hall of Binding were broken. The Astral Candescence was in their grasp.
The soldiers of the Empire knew it, too. They were striving to head north towards the Hall and defend the doors, but the Trolls were harrying them from the south. In the confusion, the Mamool Ja gained a new edge, locking the soldiers in combat at the Bastion. Gurfurlur met practically no resistance on his way, and what he did encounter the Troll King easily smashed his way through. He was practically frothing in anticipation. He encountered a narrow gateway, and plowed his way through, widening the entrance with his fists. The scarred gate left a trail of rubble behind him, obstructing the path of any in pursuit. The Hall of Binding lay before him, practically undefended. Megomak ran at his heels, barely containing squeals of glee as he saw the gate in front of him, the seals which had frustrated them so many times in the past now gone.
Clenching his fist, Gurfurlur gave a mighty howl, and then let loose upon the Hall of Binding. His punch was enough to make the thick gates swing open, all locks upon them snapping like twigs. The path to Hall lay open for the Troll King. Wasting no time, he rushed inside.
The sensation of being completely hurled from his feet by a force greater than his own was not one he encountered often. Thus Gurfurlur the Menacing lay on the ground in shocked surprise for quite a few more moments than he had actually been stunned. Haltingly, he planted his hands beneath him, sitting upright and staring at the trail he had made when he was thrown backwards. When his body was thrown backwards, he left a trench in the street from the force. A confused sound escaped his lips.
The doors to the Hall of Binding had shut themselves up tight.
A warding seal blazed brightly above the five which had been extinguished.
“We got here just in time,” Kkel told Pixel, and the Tarutaru nodded with a smile, bringing Gjallarhorn to her lips. From his place atop the Hall of Binding, the Sunserpent General leaped down to confront the strongest of the beastmen.
His red-and-black armor shone brightly in the Aht Urghan sun as he took to the air. The gloves and boots he wore were black with golden inlayings identical to those Razfahd had been sporting. The rest of his battle raiment, however, was uniquely his own. A thick red corazza protected his body, and bore upon it his crest – a blazing sun. When he landed, he straightened with an excited grin. Drawing two curved blades from either side of his waist, Kkel Solaar attacked.
He thought of the oversized rams which roamed Caedarva Mire. The rush of blue magic charged through his body, augmented by Pixel’s spellsong. Unheard of strength flooded his limbs, and he charged forward as one of the beasts would do to one if its foes. Impact doubled Gurfurlur over, striking him the stomach. Kkel deftly avoided the Troll’s attempts to grab at him, slicing his blades at its midsection as he leaped back. He was thinking of the Mamool Ja, an easy task with so many in the city, using their evasiveness against his foe.
Gurfurlur roared angrily, charging forward. Kkel thought of the Puks wandering Bhaflau Thickets, and the confusing images the giant dragonflies created with their rapidly beating wings. The Menacing flew directly past the Sunserpent, already sidestepping his clumsy strike and leaving a phantom image in his way. No sooner was Gurfurlur past him than he began thinking of Imps. The Menacing howled as Kkel unleashed a three-fold strike on his exposed back, ripping into him as the fierce claws of one of the dark messengers would. Gurfurlur swung his arm out, and again the Blue Mage dodged it easily. His swords sang as he brushed them against one another, daring the Troll King to attack him.
Enraged, Gurfurlur ran forward, drawing back his fist. The mammoth Troll’s muscles bulged unbelievably as he tore the ground apart with every stride. With unforgiving power, he smashed his fist into the side of Kkel’s head, whipping it sideways as his other fists rocketed forward, tearing the Sunserpent from his feet as it caught him the ribs. He flew high into the air, his body limp, and came down with a resounding crash.
Gurfurlur swung his gaze about excitedly, and then growled in a tone befitting of the title “The Menacing.”
The seal was still in place.
Kkel Solaar stood up behind him, diamond-hard skin cracking as his thoughts shifted again. “I took that one from you,” he smiled, and Gurfurlur roared in response. Kkel ignored it. He was thinking of the red dragons of Mount Zhayolm.
Blue magic created a crater as the Sunserpent leaped into the air and then came spiraling down. His mass increased exponentially, and when he landed a great upheaval rippled out from the ground. Gurfurlur was nearly torn from his feet as the concussive wave shook him. Kkel stood before his opponent, eyes gleaming the color of his namesake as Pixel played on. The spellsong in the air enervated him, bringing him to new heights of power. Atop the Hall of Binding, the Tarutaru was giving Kkel everything she had. Gjallarhorn’s music was more beautiful right now than any symphony the Serpent General had ever heard.
His mind traveled to trips abroad, and the Manticores of Zepwell Island’s desert sprang to mind.
First there was a billowing of smoke from his nose, and then the aura of blue magic around him went red-hot. Kkel inhaled deeply, the air heating up around him. With a tremendous exhalation, a wave of flame shot from the Blue Mage’s mouth, sweeping over Gurfurlur the Menacing. The Troll King howled as he was overtaken by fire, made all the worse by Pixel’s song changing to swift threnody directed at the brute. With the spellsong making him even more vulnerable to fire, Gurfurlur cried out in pain as Kkel’s heat breath engulfed him.
A final trickle of fire dripped from the Sunserpent’s lips as he cut off the stream. Pixel’s song went silent, and they both watched the inferno before the Hall of Binding as it burned Gurfurlur down. A simpering whine behind him turned the Blue Mage’s head, and he found Megomak watching the scene in terror.
“So, the Martial Maester himself walks in Al Zahbi’s streets,” Kkel said mockingly, his voice still bearing the qualities of a burning fire. “You must think you’ve come quite far.” His aura flared up around him, and a number of thoughts raced through his head. The Moblin was one of the Empire’s most wanted criminals, even since before Solaar had left. It was his money which had purchased the services of the Troll Mercenaries, often for the single purpose of opposing the Empress. If a deal were negotiated between the beastmen and Chiz’s organization, Megomak was almost assuredly the one behind it.
And now, he was in Kkel’s clutches. The Moblin gazed at him questioningly as he sheathed one of his swords. Then he started blubbering when the black lightning of a Soulflayer began crackling in the Sunserpent’s palm.
“P-p-please!” he begged, blubbering at Kkel. “I’ll tell you everything! You’ve got to know I have secrets! Just don’t kill me! Don’t kill me, please!”
“I’m going to put you out of a lot more people’s misery than just your own,” the Sunserpent promised, and the Moblin fell to his knees with a miserable cry as Kkel leveled his blast at him.
“Kkel! Look out!”
Pixel’s voice reached him too late to stop the massive fingers encompassing his skull.
Gurfurlur rose from the flames with an ear-shattering roar, snatching Kkel’s head and swinging the Serpent General about as if he were weightless. He felt his body smack against the door to the Hall of Binding, reflected by his own seal. Gurfurlur ground him into it, and then angrily tossed him aside into a wall. The impact shook his other sword from his hand, leaving him stunned. He came back to his senses just in time for the raging Troll King to wrap a mammoth hand around one of his ankles. Gurfurlur swang Kkel like a club, bashing him into the ground three times over.
Writhing, Kkel’s mind flashed to Lamiae, and he desperately released a sudden burst of blue magic which slapped the Troll across his face. He let go of the Sunserpent, stunned, but not long enough. No sooner had Kkel come back to his feet than Gurfurlur’s fist buffeted him back against the door. He let loose the crackling bolt of lightning he had brought forth for Megomak, but Gurfurlur took it full in the chest and kept right on coming. His enormous arms swung out, and he brought them down like clubs to batter the Sunserpent into nothingness.
Kkel filled himself with Gurfurlur’s own power, and caught the Menacing’s fists in the air. Even as his skin hardened, he could feel the Troll King’s awesome power bearing down on him. The ground quavered at his feet, and then broke apart. The Serpent General began being pushed into his own grave as Gurfurlur’s impossible might crushed him. He wagered he was at least as resilient as a diamond at the moment. As Gurfurlur’s hands wrapped around his arm up to the elbow, it became clear the Troll could crush diamonds in his palm.
“That’s right!” Megomak yelled, and Gurfurlur started bellowing at Kkel in his native tongue. “Gurfurlur says he is the mightiest! All your magic tricks are meaningless before him! Gurfurlur is mighty!” The Troll King barked out a string of words, and Megomak gleefully translated. “Gurfurlur says he will take Al Zahbi when he is done! He says if you are the strongest they have, then this city is done for! Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Nothing is stronger than Gurfurlur the Menacing, Imperial! What do you think about that, huh? What are your last words for your better, Gurfurlur?”
Kkel ground his teeth, straining to stay focused. His arms were about to be snapped off at the elbow, if he wasn’t crushed up against the ground first. Blue eyes glared into Gurfurlur’s bulging red as the Sunserpent struggled with all he had to get out his next sentence.
“Tell him. . . “ he grunted as the ground sank in again, the pressure being brought against it more than mere stone could stand. “Tell . . . him . . . “ Kkel Solaar’s brilliant blue aura suddenly flared up higher than it had been yet, before suddenly collapsing down, gathering just in front of his chest.
“Tell him I’m thinking of Wamouracampa.”
A cannonball-shaped sphere of pure energy ripped out of Kkel Solaar’s being. Gurfurlur choked on his orange blood as he was struck. It tore through his body, punching through him as he had done to so many others. It erupted from his back, a fountain of blood pouring out as chunks of dense Trollish bones sailed through the air. Gurfurlur the Menacing, leader of the Trolls, staggered backwards uncertainly. He gaped at the sucking wound in his chest, burned clean through to the other side. Gingerly, he reached one hand up to touch it, and then looked at Kkel, confused. The Troll King took a step forward, mumbling something in his own language, and then his eyes rolled up into his head.
The tremor shook the area before the Hall of Binding as Gurfurur the Menacing fell, collapsing dead on the streets of Al Zahbi.
“Cowards, you are!” Gulool Ja Ja screamed as the Troll Mercenaries broke and ran. They had all seen Gurfurlur fall, and the sight of the greatest among them being killed was too much for even the stalwart beastmen. The Mamool Ja were quickly finding themselves alone against an increasingly emboldened enemy.
“We’ve come so far!” The warrior head shouted. “We can defeat these smoothskins, we can!”
“Mamool Ja, fight!” The wizard head ordered. “Not the end, it is!”
The lizardmen began regrouping, staving off the Imperial forces now threatening to surround them. One more push and they could break into the Hall of Binding, and then they would see how this Elvaan fared against an entire army.
Gulool Ja Ja howled as explosions suddenly rocked the ground at his feet. His soldiers began bursting apart, spilling green blood in torrents as they were blasted limb from limb. The bombardment targeted their front lines, pulverizing the strongest amongst them in seconds. A demoralizing wave of fear swept through them as in droves they began to break and run.
“Yar har har har! Lookit how they run, Akisu!” Arvin laughed as he set off another round of cannon fire. “It was well worth th’ time it took t’ haul these up th’ walls, don’t ye agree?”
“Absolutely, Captain!” Akisu agreed, running across the line of the Proteus’s heavy armament now situated on the walls of Al Zahbi. “The Captain wants another barrage! Load them up, men! Let’s show these snakes that you can’t beat a pirate!”
“You can’t beat the Imperial Army either,” a voice on the ground warned, and Gulool Ja Ja turned to find Razfahd standing before an entire company of Blue Mages. “Surrender!” He demanded, and Gulool Ja Ja hissed at him defiantly.
“Never, smoothskin!” retorted the Autrach, brandishing both his blades.
“You’re finished!” A woman shouted at him, and he saw to his south the Imperial Army had regrouped. Isset and Shoki stood at the front of an invigorated Imperial troop, along with Speed, who appeared completely focused.
And then the gates of Whitegate flew open, and Autarch snarled at what he saw next.
Jinxie strode out from behind them, and at her feet came the assembled citizens of Whitegate. Spurred on by the call of the Sunserpent, hundreds had leapt to volunteer in his name. Brandishing everything from miner’s picks to family heirloom swords, the people of Aht Urghan assembled to stand with their fighting men and woman.
“Your allies are gone and your legions are in disarray,” she declared in a strong, resolute voice. “Leave this city, Mamool Ja,” she drew her sword forth, and hundreds of weapons rang free in response, “while you still have the chance.”
Immediately, the lizardmen began throwing down their weapons. Gulool Ja Ja roared at the soliders as they ran, shaking his swords at them and shouting dire threats.
“What are you doing?” The warrior head shrieked. “Advance! Adva –“
His voice was cut off as another series of explosions shook the ground at his feet. Arvin’s laughter rang out in unison with the shock of cannonballs peppering the ground.
“Mamool Ja, retreat!” The wizard head had seen enough. “Retreat!”
Melting away like a serpent shedding its skin, the last of the beastmen forces fled from Al Zahbi. A resounding cheer went up from their forces. As Gulool Ja Ja himself turned tail and ran from the Empire’s might, even Razfahd allowed himself a moment of exultation. The celebration only grew when Kkel and Pixel emerged from the site of their battle with Gurfurlur. Shouts of victory rang through the streets as the citizens of the Empire relished in their triumph. Their strongest foes had assailed them, and had found themselves lacking.
Jinxie allowed herself a moment to soak it all in. Her weakness was beginning to fade, and she was thinking with perfect clarity. She had done it, everything she had to and more. Now the Empire would assist her with the horror of what was happening across the ocean.
Finally, finally, she could go home.
Showing posts with label Besieged. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Besieged. Show all posts
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Chapter LXXIX: Giant Monster Number Two
Isset’s feet scraped the Mamool Ja’s skin as she ran up its chest, backflipping off of it to land atop a Troll soldier. The beastman lurched as she wrapped her legs around the back of his neck. Reaching back, it attempted to throw her off, but not before she thrust the two blades surmounting her knuckles into the sides of its throat. She slipped free as it fell forward, purplish blood spurting from its wounds. The lizardman which had been used as a springboard came at her, swinging its serrated sword. Isset roundhouse kicked it in the face, sending it sprawling. Shoki leaped from her back where he had been patiently coiled. Its arms deployed at the Puppetmaster’s command, and a burst of light shot from it like an arrow. The Mamool Ja was struck in the chest, and gave a great heave at the wound. It fell, and did not rise again.
Two down, and it seemed countless hundreds to go. She paused for a moment to catch her breath. Other mercenaries were starting to rush into action from Whitegate as well, while Imperial units battled the beastmen in the streets of Al Zahbi. Already their efforts were starting to have an impact. The monsters the beastmen had in tow were being decimated by the mercenaries, the majority of them adventurers well-versed in dealing with the creatures which prowled the land. Still, the bulk of what faced them was the beastmen themselves. It was all they could do to hold their own against such a host.
The Mamool Ja remained the most pressing threat. They flooded into Ulthalam’s Parade Grounds, with but one more gate between them and the Hall of Binding. The undead swarm bolstered their ranks, and the ever-deadly Lamiae peppered the Imperial ranks from afar. Without Najelith’s unit providing cover for them, the Empire’s soldiers were now faced with bombardment themselves. Mages tried to attack the Lamiae from afar, but such tactics only got them targeted themselves. Isset had tried to reach them several times herself now, but the legions were packed too tightly. Just as the Empire had learned from so many battles with the beastmen, so to were they adapting their tactics.
A standstill was being reached in the eastern sector of Al Zahbi. Meanwhile, in the southern portion, an entirely different battle was transpiring.
The Stoneserpent Zazarg hammered at Gurfurlur the Menacing with his mighty fists. The Troll King grunted as blows rained down upon his tree trunk-like arms. Zazarg laughed, rearing back and delivering a shattering blow with his steel-bladed knuckles. Gurfurlur’s feet bit into the ground as the Galkan general pushed him away from the southern gates. Imperial regulars continued their back-and-forth with the Troll soldiers as Zazarg’s elite strongarms took on their bulky hammer-wielders. Making a bold declaration in his native tongue, Gurfurlur pushed back at the Stoneserpent. Zazarg met his challenge head on, bracing himself against the Troll's unforgiving strength. Beneath them, the stone walkways of Al Zahbi cracked from the strain of maintaining two brutes such as they, neither one willing to move for the other. Suddeny going limp, Zazarg let Gurfurlur fall forward against the unexpected shift in momentum. His punch collided against the Troll King's rounded jaw, snapping his head to the side. Gurfurlur reared back from the blow. He ran a hand aross his jaw, staring down speculatively at the Stoneserpent.
The Troll was clearly larger than the Galka, and had the obvious physical advantage. Still, Zazarg was formidably powerful, and moved with speed which belied his size. Gurfurlur’s mighty fists caught Zazarg full in the chest, to which the Galka skidded backwards on his heels, and then looked up smiling. Rearing his fist back, he unleashed a blistering wave of energy into his opponent. His shattering fist struck Gurfurlur straight on, and staggered the Troll King backwards. Zazarg took the opportunity to rush forward, viciously uppercutting Gurfurlur. With the mountainous Troll stunned, the Stoneserpent hammered at his exposed stomach. The Menacing doubled over, and then Zazarg executed a truly legendary feat. Bracing his arms against the Troll’s barklike skin, he strained his muscles until his veins nearly burst from his skin. With a tremendous heave, the Stoneserpent lifted Gurfurlur the Menacing off the ground, hefting his entire incredible weight over his head. With a powerful hurl, the massive bulk which was the Troll King slammed to the ground, and Al Zahbi shook at the impact.
The Trolls faltered at the sight of Zazarg standing over the fallen Gurfurlur. The Serpent General’s men rallied, pushing the giant beastmen back, regaining ground they had lost. The Stoneserpent reared back, preparing to drive his fist into the Troll’s head, ending it once and for all.
Like a serpent striking, Gurfurlur’s hand snatched the Galka’s head. His massive palm completely encased Zazarg’s skull. Slowly, a growl on his lips and a malicious glint in his eyes, he rose from the trench his fall had created. The Stoneserpent struggled mightily, but the Menacing’s grip was stronger than any vise. The red-armored Moblin by his side leaped up and down as Gurfurlur held Zazarg aloft, shouting at the Imperial army.
“The Boss says, this one is too weak! There’s no one strong enough to face down the Boss!” Gurfurlur brought Zazarg in close, whispering something in the Troll language. No translation was necessary. With crushing force, Zazarg was driven face-first into the ground, and then scraped viciously against the stone. Gurfurlur scraped the gasping Serpent General from the ground, only to smash a fist into his torso. Zazarg spat blood as Gurfurlur once again grabbed him by the head, a smile creasing his face as he looked off into the distance.
The Galka shot through the air like an arrow as he was hurled with obscene might towards the stone walls separating the Trolls from the Chocobo Alley. The Stoneserpent slid down to the ground, his body leaving an indentation where he had struck. Gurfurlur stood, slowly turning his head towards the Imperial opposition. They shrank back from his gaze, and the Trolls pushed forward stronger than ever.
“Gaha . . . hahaha . . . gwahahahahahaha!”
Gurfurlur turned in disbelief. Zazarg’s arm broke free from the ground, and a moment later the Galka pushed himself up. He stood, wavering on his feet. Shaking his head rapidly, he squinted to focus his eyes on the Troll King. His Moblin accomplice quickly hid behind the beastman’s bulk. The Galka and the Troll stared one another down across the intervening distance.
Gurfurlur shouted something in Trollish, but his meaning was clear.
Zazarg laughed again. “Come on then!” He beckoned. “Let’s settle this now!”
The Stoneserpent broke forward at a dead run. Gurfurlur did the same, both picking up speed as they ran. Cries rose from both their throats as they reared back their fists. The gap between them was closed in an eyeblink. With all their might, both fighters swung at one another.
The cobblestones at their feet shattered. Granite cracked and fissured, and the ground quaked. Soldiers from both sides were thrown off their feet from the shockwave as Stoneserpent General Zazarg and Gurfurlur the Menacing both simultaneously struck with all they had. A haze of dust billowed up from the pulverized stone which had been at their feet. In the southern sector of Al Zahbi, there was a moment of improbable silence as Troll and Imperial alike stared at the impenetrable cloud.
A mighty roar shattered the stillness as a fourth seal vanished from the Hall of Binding.
Gulool Ja Ja’s two heads hissed impatiently as Speed continued to fumble his way through a successful defense. The walls of Al Zahbi were beginning to crumble beneath the lizardman’s onslaught as it grew angrier at his foe. Speed handled his Amood like he was juggling it, clumsily slipping it from one hand to the next just in time to deflect the glancing blows directed his way. He tripped over his own feet, stumbling backwards just in time to avoid being caught by one of the Autarch’s swords. The weapon hit the brick wall beside them with such force that it buried itself up to the hilt. With a mighty tug, the Mamool Ja’s leader tore his weapon free, bringing half the wall down with it.
Stone and bricks rained down from upon Imperial and beastman alike as Gulool Ja Ja hacked away at Speed. His frustration grew with every accidental parry and lucky evasion. The Hume seemed almost unaware of what he was doing, and in fact often stopped where he was and then looked up at the Mamool Ja, astonished. However accidentally, he had thus far successfully kept Najelith safe. She lay still unconscious some distance away from the both of them, where she had fallen at Gulool Ja Ja’s hands. The Galeserpent’s soldiers were scattered now, pushed off the walls by Ja Ja’s fierce attack and devastating power. Only Speed remained to thwart him.
“Stay still, smoothskin!” The warrior head shouted, furiously slashing with his serrated blade. Speed nearly dropped his Amood, and as he caught it, the weapon twirled around, coming up to slap Gulool Ja Ja’s own sword away. The wizard head spat fire at him, but he avoided the ball of greasy flames with a swaggering sidestep. Bleary-eyed, he blinked multiple times at the lizardman, and then frowned.
“Whoa, you could really hurt me there, dude.” Speed gripped his Amood in both hands. “I know, I know, this is a fight, right? Man, so not cool. This is starting to kill my buzz, guy.”
“Speak nonsense, smoothskin does.” The wizard head hissed at him, bringing up its longsword.
“Speak no more, he shall!” The warrior head shouted, and they lunged for Speed again. The Mamool Ja Autarch’s blades flashed as he hammered at the Warrior. Each new strike came faster and faster, tearing through the stone walkways and smashing through the walls as they were deflected. Speed’s clarity was growing, and with it the power of his namesake. His moves seemed less often simple dumb luck now. The Aht Urghanian was starting to get faster, fast enough to keep pace with Gulool Ja Ja himself.
Still, the Autarch was one of the most powerful beastmen alive. When both of his heads reared up and let loose a roar of power, Speed was blown backwards, nearly off his feet. The walls shook as the walkway crumbled, now trembling under the lizardman’s weight. With some distance now between them, Gulool Ja Ja ran forward, bringing both his wicked swords forward to slash repeatedly at the off-balance Speed. The first two strikes he missed as Speed continued to reel backwards, practically tumbling over his own great axe. On the third attack, the Hume suddenly found his footing, deftly avoiding being disemboweled. An angered Ja Ja finally caught Speed with the flat of his blade, smacking him against the wall. The Warrior dropped down, recapturing his Amood even as the crescent-bladed weapon clattered to the floor.
Nimbly, Speed hopped away, spinning his great axe skillfully before landing in a defensive position. His eyes were starting to clear. The Speed which had so ruthlessly attacked the Hydra was beginning to show through. For the first time, he launched an assault of his own. Launching himself forward, he rapidly beat against Gulool Ja Ja’s swords. The Mamool Ja’s tan and blue scales glittered brilliantly in the sun as he repelled Speed’s attack, gnashing its two mouths full of teeth at the indignity. He clapped his blades together, releasing a torrent of power which blew Speed away. The Warrior somersaulted in the air, skidding to a halt as his feet touched the walkway stones.
“You have just flat out pissed me off,” Speed muttered darkly. The words left his mouth, and were still audible in the spot he had said them, though he was suddenly no longer there.
The collision of his Amood with Gulool Ja Ja’s swords nearly shook the weapons from the Autarch’s hands. Both fighters stood locked there for a moment, but then the lizardman powered Speed away. With a serpentine snarl, he hurled one of his swords at a blinding rate. It twirled so quickly it looked like a wheel rather than a weapon, but Speed sidestepped it without a thought, grimly staring forward. Gulool Ja Ja stood in place, still holding his remaining sword. The two heads both anxiously eyed Speed as the Warrior glared. In the span of a heartbeat, Speed came forward once again.
Then Gulool Ja Ja’s sword sliced back through the air, returning to the hand of its owner. Speed heard it coming, and screeched to a halt, pressing up against the battered stone wall. The Autarch cackled, leaping into the air as his sword smashed through the walkway. The entire structure quavered, and Speed gasped as it began giving way under his feet. His head snapped up. Just a few yards away, Najelith still lay unmoving, a wall coming down on top of her.
The entire walkway over the eastern gate collapsed as Speed rocketed towards her fallen form. Tons of brick and mortar fell atop of him as he scooped the Galeserpent into his arms. His head finally clear, he took off for safety.
Gulool Ja Ja’s other sword crashed into the crumbling walkway just in front of him. The structure collapsed into a cloud of debris, burying half the gate itself in the wreckage. A portion of the wall itself crumbled down, massive stones and countless bricks toppling over in a spectacular display of destruction. Within moments, there was nothing left of what had moments before been a sturdy wall and broad avenue but a thick white dust billowing into the air.
The Mamool Ja Autarch crunched down into the rubble, powerful legs cushioning his fall. With a jerk of his arm, he tore one of his swords free, eyes hunting about for the other one. He had already counted his annoying opponent amongst the dead. It was time now to rejoin the battle amongst his soldiers.
He never thought to look for the Puppetmaster and her automaton hurriedly ushering two unconscious bodies as far from the fighting as she could manage.
“This is – “ Xaerus’s words were cut off as she was forced to twirl away from yet another arrow fired her way. Medusa fired three more in rapid succession, and the Mithra let out a noise of irritation while engulfing the projectiles in flame. Their ashes fell harmlessly at her feet, but the Gorgon merely smiled.
“You are quite a dance partner, two-legs,” she called out, the snakes which comprised her hair snapping and hissing. “I wonder, can you keep it up forever?”
Xaerus responded by calling up some of the endless debris now at her disposal. Jagged shards of stone and granite shot through the air towards the Lamaie Queen. Raising her arms, she easily danced between them, swiveling her hips rhythmically. Drawing forth another three arrows from her seemingly inexhaustible quiver, she fired them simultaneously at the Red Mage. Xaerus leaped back, letting them spiral past her. The battlefield around the two was scarred with Medusa’s arrows, strong enough to burrow through the stones of Al Zahbi when fired from her bow.
“Tedious, I was going to say.” Xaerus sighed, and once again used her magic to hurtle rocks towards the Gorgon. Once again, Medusa easily slid between them as they came her way. She was too fast for Xaerus to strike with anything besides lightning, and that strategy had proven largely worthless. The snake-woman’s skin would sizzle for a moment, then regenerate as good as new.
Of course, Xaerus was under no illusions of being anywhere near the same level as such a foe. Medusa was a fiend beyond mortal reckoning, an ancient terror brought to life. Perhaps the Lamiae were, as some dark rumors contended, given life by the hands of man. Even if that were the case, a creature like Medusa was far past what science or magic could bring into being. She was the stuff of legend, fairy tale lore and stories used to frighten children, willed into being by no force other than itself. Against such a primordial evil, Xaerus knew she had no chance of victory.
However, she was just fast and clever enough to keep the Lamia Queen from diverting her attention to the real battle. For their transmuting properties to take effect, one had to actually see into the Medusa’s deadly eyes. The Mithra had no such weakness to exploit. Xaerus sufficiently managed to string the deadly snake-woman along, denying her the chance to wreak more havoc upon the Imperial forces. That was good enough for her. She possessed more than enough strength to continue dragging Medusa away, so long as the Gorgon’s attention remained focused on her. More debris sailed through the air at Xaerus’s command. Medusa languidly avoided that which she did not simply bat away, and responded with more arrows.
Of course, Xaerus knew where they were going to strike before she even fired them. Medusa could fire as rapidly as she liked, she possessed literally no chance of ever landing a shot against her target. The Lamia seemed to either not realize or care about this fact. She continued slinking closer even as Xaerus retreated back. All the while she hissed pleasurably, as if this were all some mildly amusing game. Her soulless eyes sought out the Mithra, and smiling she nocked an arrow and let it fly. As with others, Xaerus filled the air with fire, reducing it to powder before it ever reached her. Medusa’s tail slapped against the stones below her as she laughed.
“You are quite the amusement, two-legs,” the Gorgon complimented. “I may keep you by my side. Would you like that? To be my pet?”
“I’ve had better offers . . .” Xaerus responded, sending a whirlwind of debris Medusa’s way. This time she did not even bother to avoid it. She let the Red Mage’s attack swirl right past her, ignoring the heavy slabs of Al Zahbi’s firmament which broke against her scaly skin.
“A pity,” she said regretfully, “I have often wondered what it would be like to have a living two-legs by my side.” She shrugged, and the serpents which made up her hair suddenly stretched out in front of her, their forked tongues hissing wickedly. “Ah, well. A corpse shall dance just the same.”
Xaerus ducked, clutching her hands over her head. Arrows sailed past her from behind. A moment later she was forced to roll away as the spot she had landed on erupted upwards in a torrent of flame. She whipped around, staff in hand, but only just in time to leap aside, an arrow tearing a hole through her cloak. Medusa’s light chuckle caught her ears.
Five, seven . . . ten of them in all. Obeying the unspoken commands of their mistress, Medusa’s Lamiae had surrounded the Mithra. She could feel their malevolent presence in a circle all around her now. Far too many to avoid, even if she knew what they were all going to do ahead of time. And in this case, she didn’t. There was too much to focus on to maintain a clear image. Against such numbers, she would be caught unawares sooner rather than later. She turned towards Medusa, frowning behind her blindfold. For all her clever strategy, the Mithra had still be outsmarted. The Lamia Queen smiled as two of her followers shuffled in by her side, readying a barrage of arrows to put their mistress’s opponent down.
“I only hope I’ve done enough,” Xaerus said aloud. Then, a hole opened up around her, swallowing her entirely. A swarm of arrows passed through the spot where she had been, falling harmlessly to the ground as they passed through empty space. In an eyeblink of undulating black and purple, Xaerus vanished. She had no other recourse if she were to survive.
“A waste,” Medusa sighed, and then immediately turned back towards the battle. The momentary distraction over, she could focus on the Lamiae’s true objective. While Imperial and beastman alike battled for control of the Astral Candescence, she alone sought out the true target of the day.
The southern portion of the city was in disarray. Trolls rampaged unchecked through shopfronts and businesses, looting what they could carry and destroying what they could not. Overwhelmed, the Imperial soldiers were forced to abandon their positions as Troll gunners bombarded them. Thickly-muscled Trolls carrying hammers too large for human hands wantonly smashed their way through the city, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. Walking amongst them, surveying with an almost bored expression the sacking of Al Zahbi, was Gurfurlur the Menacing. He occasionally grunted in Trollish at his soldiers, but mostly just stompd along behind them. There was no one left to challenge him, and thus he was rapidly losing interest in the battle. He turned his head eastward, towards where the Mamool Ja were engaged with the Imperials. More fighting was to be had there, as well as the path to the Astral Candescence. Gurfurlur grunted, lumbering onward. Certain victory was satisfying, but he longed for another opponent. It seemed nothing the Empire could produce was worthy of his power. His Trolls marched in to the residential district, Imperials fleeing at their advance. Without their Serpent General, it seemed they were helpless to halt the beastmen's swift and brutal momentum.
Gurfurlur stretched his head out curiously. His men were grinding past the Imperials a moment before, but now tey seemed to have stalled. Soldiers were massing to meet them before the gates of Al Zahbi's residential district. These men had no signs of combat upon their armor as the ones whom had been struggling to hold back the Trolls did. They were fresh, newly entered into the battlefield, and by the decisive way in which they put a stop to the Troll's march, exceptionally skilled. Having trapped the Trolls in a bottleneck at the gate, they were relentlessly pushing them backwards. Gurfurlur frowned, calling out in Trollish as he started stomping towards the front lines. Moments earlier they had been all but beaten. How had this sudden wave of revitalization swept over the Imperials? Where had these reinforcements come from?
Then the Troll King heard a voice caling out above the fray. The words meant nothing to him, he could not be bothered to learn the weak tongue of the Empire. Imbibed within them, however, were a spirit which Gurfurlur recognized right off. This was a battle cry, a call to arms, and one to which the Imperials were responding.
"Do not despair! The Goddess of Victory fights by our side!"
There, in the thick of the fighting, was the leader of the Serpent Generals. Shining armor spotted by dust and blood, his double-bladed sword biting into the Troll's front lines, was the Elvaan Rughadjeen. He had come at last to the aid of his men, bringing with him his elite personal guard to bolster their ranks. His fighting spirit was a blaze which ignited the soldiers surrounding him. Being in the presence of the Skyserpent had brought their flagging defenses back to life, and now the Imperials were gaining ground, forcing the Trolls back one step at a time. Gurfurlur's eyes narrowed as he watched Rughadjeen in action. This, he knew, was the strongest the Empire had. He recognized strength when he saw it, and not even the troubling Galka which had plagued him earlier possessed the power of this man.
A grin of satisfaction creased his lips as Gurfurlur began pushing forward. There would be a challenge for him after all.
There was no rightful description to capture the power in the form of Cerberus. Its power was nothing short of awe-inspiring, palpable in the air as the spike in temperature which accompanied its arrival. The monster tore thruogh volcanic rock like paper as it clawed its way up from the depths from which it came. Lava fell from its mouth, the three-headed beast using fire as normal creatures would blood. Those three heads saw every movement, and snapped with terrible fangs at whatever came close to it. The sheer presence it bore was overwhelming. Jinxie knew before the fight even began that there was no hope of defeating it. By the amused smirk on Chiz's face as he casually leaned against the rock wall, Pixel in his grasp, he knew it too.
Kkel threw his arms up, roaring something in a tongue foreign to mortal ears. Cerberus stared down at the Soulflayer, and then effortlessly batted him away. The impact from the three-headed beast's paw tore Kkel from the ground and sent him spiraling into one of the Troll battlements surrounding them. He cracked the stone with his impact, sliding to the ground limply. Jinxie called out to him, running to his side. Before she could reach him, a wall of flame leaped up at her feet. She skidded to a halt, putting her hands defensively up before her. The black rock beneath her boiled and bubbled as lava from Cerberus's mouth was spat down upon it. She turned to face it, sword in hand. The monster was so vast in scope that she could barely comprehend it. On the other side of the blaze, Kkel began to stir, struggling to push himself upright. His skin had gone completely white, and behind a set of pure blue eyes flickered only the dimmest remnants of humanity. He was losing himself, and quickly.
Jinxie broke to the side, trying to lead Cerberus's attention away from him. Magic swelled up inside of her, bursting to break free as she waited for the right moment. The left and central heads swiveled to watch her, snarling as the right head remained fixed on Kkel. It spat liquid magma again, and the ground at Jinxie's feet became a fiery swamp. She just barely avoided being swallowed by that intensely hot flame, but found her opportunity. Casting a simple spell to alter perception, the Red Mage slowed down its reaction speed, muddling its thoughts and thickening the air surrounding it. Cerberus swayed uncertainly, giving a piercing bark that spilled from the left head's muzzle with confused slowness. As it fought against the enchantment, Jinxie cast a similar spell on herself, but with the opposite effect. Her body felt lighter, her thoughts came quicker, and everything around her seemed slowed down by comparison. Maybe she had no hope of winning, but she could still escape.
She just had to rescue Pixel first. Darting forward, she sprinted towards Chiz, drawing back her sword. The tattooed man was moving at a snail's pace compared to her now. Cerberus bit at her, but his fangs fell short as she easily evaded his clumsy strike, making a leap towards Chiz. It might be too late for Kkel, but she could still save one of them. All she had to do was snatch the Bard from his arms and she could get away.
His hand lashed out so swiftly that she never even saw him move before his slap caught her across the face. She was knocked out of the air, falling to the ground before him as he looked down upon her, laughing.
"Please," he scoffed, "you'd have an easier time hitting the moon. Now be a good girl and let my dog kill you."
"Let Pixel go!" she demanded, dragging herself back to her feet and leveling her sword. Arcane fury sprang up around her as her magic strained to break free. She wanted to strike him down with her power where he stood, but she dare not risk hitting Pixel. "She has nothing to do with this."
He raised an eyebrow, tattoos wrinkling on his brow. "That's kind of a moot point, don't you think? None of you are getting out of here alive."
Jinxie's aura flared outwards, but in the same moment Cerberus struck her from behind. The breath left her body as she tasted blood fill her mouth. The back of her tabard was shredded as she was thrown forward, smacking against the rocks to the suond of Chiz's laughter. Her ribs creaked as she fell from the rock face, ash streaking her hair and skin. Almost instinctively, she threw up a warding of stoneskin, and in the next instant she found herself locked in Cerberus's teeth. It scooped her entire body up in the jaws of its right head with a single swipe. The heat inside its maw was so intense she could feel her skin starting to blister. Only her hastily woven stoneskin charm saved her from being impaled on its massive fangs. When the monster found it could not bite through her, it instead spit her to the ground. She bounced off the basalt, her spell shattering, along with the rest of her magical defenses. Sweat and blood mingled across her face as she vainly tried to scrape herself from the ground. Cerberus turned, its tail scraping the rocks of the confined space as its eyes searched for her.
A bolt of force suddenly struck the beast, drilling in to the thickly muscled shoulder of its right foreleg. It yelped, swinging its heads around towards the source of the disruption. Jinxie, gasping, summoned what healing strength she had to put her body back in order. A stopgap measure, she knew. If it got near her again she was as good as dead. For just a moment though, it was distracted. The Red Mage's heart skipped a beat when she saw why.
Kkel was standing defiantly before the Cerberus, ebon robes billowing in the heat rising from the rock. The Soulflayer's staff was glowing in his hands as he slashed it through the air. Waves of energy struck the monster with every swipe of his gnarled weapon, and he attacked relentlessly. A tenebrous purple light burst from Kkel's body as he struck, finally taking the staff in both hands, lancing out a bolt of eldritch force that struck Cerberus full in the chest. The beast cried out again, yelping like any dog would. Then its three sets of eyes narrowed, blazing with the furnace-like heat radiating from within it. Lava dripping from its muzzle, Cerberus began to growl.
Shaking his staff wildly, Kkel screeched out something defiantly. Cerberus apparently did not care for his tone, and smacked him away with a sweep of its paw. The Soulflayer landed face-first on the rock, a thick purple blood streaming down his face. Without hesitation, he tore himself from the black stone. Jinxie ran to his side, but he was already standing again, keeping her at arm's length.
His pale blue eyes fixed on her, then darted back to Cerberus. His voice came in a quavering rasp, sounding like he was speaking from underwater. Jinxie was shocked he could still speak at all.
"Pix . . . el . . " he managed. "Get . . . her . . . I'll . . . " He stopped, the words lost in a meaningless jumble of sounds coming from his throat.
"Kkel," Jinxie protested. "You've barely got anything left. If you try to fight this . . . "
He screeched at her, a bolt of purple lightning streaking from his staff to crackle against Cerberus's hide. His eyes looked at hers, and she was taken aback by the all too-human sadness reflecting within them. Cerberus roared, spitting flame at the Soulflayer. It struck him like a battering ram, his robes burning as he was thrown backwards by the force. Jinxie cried out for him, but he had already risen, flame sloughing off him as a sinister aura began to envelop his twisted form.
"Worth it," he rasped, "anything . . . for her."
She screamed for him to stop as he once again threw his might against Cerberus. The beast's baleful stare leveled murderously on Kkel as he snarled at it, raining forth the dark magic filling his body. Again, he was knocked down, and this time Cerberus pounced on his fallen form. He barely managed to avoid being crushed beneath is paws as it stomped down upon where he had been. It swiped at him again, seeking to eviscerate him with its claws. Shreds of his robe tore off as Kkel glided backwards. Jinxie caught sight of Chiz, languidly leaning against the rock face, watching the battle disinterestedly. Pixel was still firmly in his grasp, and Kkel was willing to give his life, and more than that, his humanity, to save her.
A sudden image struck Jinxie. In he rmind's eye, she could see Hubby as clear as day.
Her husband had gripped in his hands the great katana they had found in the treasure trove of an ancient Goobbue in the Boyahda Tree. His black hair billowed out behind him, the Mhaura sun gleaming across his armor as he stood resolutely in the path of the advancing demon horde. He turned his head ever so slightly towards her, a sad final smile on his lips. Hard, battleworn features softened as his glittering dark eyes looked longingly back at his wife. He began growing further and further away, and soon he was gone altogether, lost in a swarm of demons he willingly ran into so that she might escape. The echo of his face still held fast in her memory. His laugh, his smile, his voice, his touch. All gone now, left only in her mind. He had willingly stayed behind to make sure she and their child survived. No price had been too great for him if it meant she was safe. Not even his life.
She realized she had tears running down her face as she watched Kkel, battered, wounded, barely able to keep standing, stare up at Cerberus. Pixel seemed miles away, being held in Chiz's grasp behind Cerberus. Yet still he relentlessly struggled against the monster, uncaring of how much stronger it was, how impenetrable its hide, how feeble his attempts. All that mattered was getting her to safety.
All three of the hellish dog's heads were focused on the annoyance which continud to pester it. Chiz was yawning, waiting for the inevitable to play out.
Jinxie took off at a dead run. Her eyes were fixed on Pixel. Cerberus's hide radiated heat towards her, but its eyes remained fixed on Kkel. This was her only chance. She called forth the magic, quickening her gait, propelling her past the giant beast before it ever took notice of her. Pixel's eyes widened, and she struggled against the hand Chiz had clapped over her mouth. Jinxie reached out to her, stretching her arms out to snatch the Bard right out of his grasp.
She gasped as a hand snapped down over her wrists. Chiz pulled her up with one hand, holding her outstretched with a questioning look. Jinxie kicked at him, but he easily avoided her awkward strikes.
"Stop making this harder than it has to be," he sighed. The tattooed man tossed her away, letting her tumble to the ground. "If it helps, I'll wait until after you're dead to kill this Bard. You won't have to watch." He pursed his lips, looking out at Cerberus. "Speaking of which, this has gone on entirely too long. The beastmen are probably finished by now. Cerberus," a smile curled across his lips, "open the gates."
The hound reacted to the command immediately. At Chiz's urging, it stiffened its four powerful legs, heads all stretching upright. Red flames began appearing on its skin as the ground began to bubble at his feet. Jinxie felt a fresh wave of heat sweep through the enclave. Cerberus's eyes started glowing, and Kkel took an involuntary step back. She did as well, moving behind the Soulflayer as whatever terrible power building up within the beast swelled to the breaking point.
And then something happened to Kkel. An inhuman shriek burst from his skinless lips, tendrils flaring out from his face. He hefted his staff before him, and lightning both purple and black started to cascade from his body. A sphere of his power enveloped him, and a chill swept over Jinxie even in the midst of the inferno of Cerberus's fire. She tried to call out to Kkel, but her voice was lost in the sudden explosion of colliding energy.
Everything that was in Kkel poured out in the form of thick, crackling bolts of black lightning. At the same moment, A sphere of incandescent red-and-orange flame erupted from Cerberus, burning through rock and stone with heat which seared Jinxie's flesh. The noise was terrible, shaking the entire canyon as the Troll battlements began melting away. The ground at her feet was turning into tar and magma, and she struggled to breath as the oxygen in the area was burned through. She would have been incinerated in a flash, save for that the bulk of the energy wave was being held back. Like a leaf in a hurricane, Kkel stood at the forefront of the attack, fighting back with everything he had. Slowly, the tide building against him was beginning to move forward. Soulflayers were powerful fiends, absorbing the strength of others, but he simply did not have the power to withstand a monster like Cerberus on his own, and he had nowhere to draw power from.
Jinxie froze for just a moment. He did have one source which had gone untapped.
"Kkel!" She shouted, as loud as she could. "Kkel," her voice was nearly lost in the storm, but she struggled forward, stretching out her palm. The skin started to burn as she got closer to Cerberus's swirling conflagration, pressing down practically on top of the Soulflayer now. "Take it, Kkel! Take the power from me!!" She screamed, pressing her hand against his back. Instantly she felt deathly cold, as if the world were not melting around her. A wail broke through the noise as Kkel felt Jinxie's soul bared plain for him to take.
Like a cocoon, the dark energy surrounding Kkel wrapped around her, closing her up in its grasp. They both vanished within the swirling black embrace, even as the Soulflayer's final attack held back Cerberus's wall of flames. Then the power Kkel was supplying cut off, and it swept over the womb of darkness containing the Red Mage and the monster. Flames cut through everything as Cerberus howled, shaking Mount Zhayolm to its bedrock. The volcano nearby began billowing up smoke as the ground quaked, steaming fissures breaking loose as rivers of magma burst up from below. Fire swept over everything, until there was nothing left to burn.
In the midst of it all, a blinding white light suddenly shot forth from the epicenter. Shouting in surprise, Chiz covered his eyes hurriedly. From his distance behind the monster, not even Cerberus's flames had touched him, yet this brilliant beam was fllling up everything. Cerberus's howl was cut off, and the last vestiges of his outpouring ended in a shattering explosion as the halo swelled up from the middle of it. The beacon shot into the air, spiraling high into the skies of Mount Zhayolm, breaking through the clouds and into the heavens themselves.
Gradually, the fires died down, the quaking subsided, and the light faded away. A stillness settled over the volcanic terrain as nothing dared stir in the wake of what had just transpired. The air shimmered as the incredible heat released sizzled through it. A single breath of air dared stir through, fanning the few dying flames remaining burning across the stone itself.
Jinxie was on her knees. She felt completely drained, barely possessing the strength to even lift her head. Kkel's inky black robe was still in front of her, but her eyes were having trouble focusing on it. She felt lightheaded, and her breathing came in halting gasps. Slowly, she managed to look upwards, perception coming in hazily.
Cerberus was sprawled out on the ground before her, unmoving. The heat from its body was turning the rock beneath it to tar, and it was sinking into the very sediment. A gaping hole festered where its middle head had been, as well as a good portion of its chest. The other two heads hung limply at the side, eyes staring out into nothing. Its wound looked as if some great battering ram had simply punched clean through it. Lava flowed from the open mouths of its two remaining heads, sputtering and bubbling as it pooled beneath it. It trembled occasionally, convulsing as liquid flame dripped down from its wound. Inconceivably, unbelievably, the monster was dead.
Straining, Jinxie raised her neck up higher, realizing something was standing over her. Kkel, she realized. The Soulflayer had survived. He had reached into her soul and taken what he needed to eradicate the great beast. Slowly, her eyes came into focus, staring up at the creature looming over her.
Pitch black robes hung loosely over a body far too small to fill them. A firm grasp held its folds tightly against a thin, yet heavily defined frame. Carefully cropped blonde hair waved in the rising heat as two Elvaan ears twitched involuntarily. A hand was raised in front of a smooth face with a strong jaw. It came down gradually, and a pair of brilliant blue eyes met Jinxie's own. She knew those eyes. They had belonged to a Soulflayer. There were no Soulflayers here, however.
Chiz gave a cry of disbelief as those eyes turned on him, and Jinxie felt a wave of fresh power surge into the air. It cascaded from the body of the blonde Elvaan which had appeared in front of her. An awesome, incredible might welled up from his being, and a too-large black robe fluttered in the wind as suddenly he was in the air, surging towards the tattooed kidnapper. Comprehension dawned on Jinxie as slowly, her senses began to return.
The Soulflayer was gone.
The Sunserpent had returned.
Two down, and it seemed countless hundreds to go. She paused for a moment to catch her breath. Other mercenaries were starting to rush into action from Whitegate as well, while Imperial units battled the beastmen in the streets of Al Zahbi. Already their efforts were starting to have an impact. The monsters the beastmen had in tow were being decimated by the mercenaries, the majority of them adventurers well-versed in dealing with the creatures which prowled the land. Still, the bulk of what faced them was the beastmen themselves. It was all they could do to hold their own against such a host.
The Mamool Ja remained the most pressing threat. They flooded into Ulthalam’s Parade Grounds, with but one more gate between them and the Hall of Binding. The undead swarm bolstered their ranks, and the ever-deadly Lamiae peppered the Imperial ranks from afar. Without Najelith’s unit providing cover for them, the Empire’s soldiers were now faced with bombardment themselves. Mages tried to attack the Lamiae from afar, but such tactics only got them targeted themselves. Isset had tried to reach them several times herself now, but the legions were packed too tightly. Just as the Empire had learned from so many battles with the beastmen, so to were they adapting their tactics.
A standstill was being reached in the eastern sector of Al Zahbi. Meanwhile, in the southern portion, an entirely different battle was transpiring.
The Stoneserpent Zazarg hammered at Gurfurlur the Menacing with his mighty fists. The Troll King grunted as blows rained down upon his tree trunk-like arms. Zazarg laughed, rearing back and delivering a shattering blow with his steel-bladed knuckles. Gurfurlur’s feet bit into the ground as the Galkan general pushed him away from the southern gates. Imperial regulars continued their back-and-forth with the Troll soldiers as Zazarg’s elite strongarms took on their bulky hammer-wielders. Making a bold declaration in his native tongue, Gurfurlur pushed back at the Stoneserpent. Zazarg met his challenge head on, bracing himself against the Troll's unforgiving strength. Beneath them, the stone walkways of Al Zahbi cracked from the strain of maintaining two brutes such as they, neither one willing to move for the other. Suddeny going limp, Zazarg let Gurfurlur fall forward against the unexpected shift in momentum. His punch collided against the Troll King's rounded jaw, snapping his head to the side. Gurfurlur reared back from the blow. He ran a hand aross his jaw, staring down speculatively at the Stoneserpent.
The Troll was clearly larger than the Galka, and had the obvious physical advantage. Still, Zazarg was formidably powerful, and moved with speed which belied his size. Gurfurlur’s mighty fists caught Zazarg full in the chest, to which the Galka skidded backwards on his heels, and then looked up smiling. Rearing his fist back, he unleashed a blistering wave of energy into his opponent. His shattering fist struck Gurfurlur straight on, and staggered the Troll King backwards. Zazarg took the opportunity to rush forward, viciously uppercutting Gurfurlur. With the mountainous Troll stunned, the Stoneserpent hammered at his exposed stomach. The Menacing doubled over, and then Zazarg executed a truly legendary feat. Bracing his arms against the Troll’s barklike skin, he strained his muscles until his veins nearly burst from his skin. With a tremendous heave, the Stoneserpent lifted Gurfurlur the Menacing off the ground, hefting his entire incredible weight over his head. With a powerful hurl, the massive bulk which was the Troll King slammed to the ground, and Al Zahbi shook at the impact.
The Trolls faltered at the sight of Zazarg standing over the fallen Gurfurlur. The Serpent General’s men rallied, pushing the giant beastmen back, regaining ground they had lost. The Stoneserpent reared back, preparing to drive his fist into the Troll’s head, ending it once and for all.
Like a serpent striking, Gurfurlur’s hand snatched the Galka’s head. His massive palm completely encased Zazarg’s skull. Slowly, a growl on his lips and a malicious glint in his eyes, he rose from the trench his fall had created. The Stoneserpent struggled mightily, but the Menacing’s grip was stronger than any vise. The red-armored Moblin by his side leaped up and down as Gurfurlur held Zazarg aloft, shouting at the Imperial army.
“The Boss says, this one is too weak! There’s no one strong enough to face down the Boss!” Gurfurlur brought Zazarg in close, whispering something in the Troll language. No translation was necessary. With crushing force, Zazarg was driven face-first into the ground, and then scraped viciously against the stone. Gurfurlur scraped the gasping Serpent General from the ground, only to smash a fist into his torso. Zazarg spat blood as Gurfurlur once again grabbed him by the head, a smile creasing his face as he looked off into the distance.
The Galka shot through the air like an arrow as he was hurled with obscene might towards the stone walls separating the Trolls from the Chocobo Alley. The Stoneserpent slid down to the ground, his body leaving an indentation where he had struck. Gurfurlur stood, slowly turning his head towards the Imperial opposition. They shrank back from his gaze, and the Trolls pushed forward stronger than ever.
“Gaha . . . hahaha . . . gwahahahahahaha!”
Gurfurlur turned in disbelief. Zazarg’s arm broke free from the ground, and a moment later the Galka pushed himself up. He stood, wavering on his feet. Shaking his head rapidly, he squinted to focus his eyes on the Troll King. His Moblin accomplice quickly hid behind the beastman’s bulk. The Galka and the Troll stared one another down across the intervening distance.
Gurfurlur shouted something in Trollish, but his meaning was clear.
Zazarg laughed again. “Come on then!” He beckoned. “Let’s settle this now!”
The Stoneserpent broke forward at a dead run. Gurfurlur did the same, both picking up speed as they ran. Cries rose from both their throats as they reared back their fists. The gap between them was closed in an eyeblink. With all their might, both fighters swung at one another.
The cobblestones at their feet shattered. Granite cracked and fissured, and the ground quaked. Soldiers from both sides were thrown off their feet from the shockwave as Stoneserpent General Zazarg and Gurfurlur the Menacing both simultaneously struck with all they had. A haze of dust billowed up from the pulverized stone which had been at their feet. In the southern sector of Al Zahbi, there was a moment of improbable silence as Troll and Imperial alike stared at the impenetrable cloud.
A mighty roar shattered the stillness as a fourth seal vanished from the Hall of Binding.
Gulool Ja Ja’s two heads hissed impatiently as Speed continued to fumble his way through a successful defense. The walls of Al Zahbi were beginning to crumble beneath the lizardman’s onslaught as it grew angrier at his foe. Speed handled his Amood like he was juggling it, clumsily slipping it from one hand to the next just in time to deflect the glancing blows directed his way. He tripped over his own feet, stumbling backwards just in time to avoid being caught by one of the Autarch’s swords. The weapon hit the brick wall beside them with such force that it buried itself up to the hilt. With a mighty tug, the Mamool Ja’s leader tore his weapon free, bringing half the wall down with it.
Stone and bricks rained down from upon Imperial and beastman alike as Gulool Ja Ja hacked away at Speed. His frustration grew with every accidental parry and lucky evasion. The Hume seemed almost unaware of what he was doing, and in fact often stopped where he was and then looked up at the Mamool Ja, astonished. However accidentally, he had thus far successfully kept Najelith safe. She lay still unconscious some distance away from the both of them, where she had fallen at Gulool Ja Ja’s hands. The Galeserpent’s soldiers were scattered now, pushed off the walls by Ja Ja’s fierce attack and devastating power. Only Speed remained to thwart him.
“Stay still, smoothskin!” The warrior head shouted, furiously slashing with his serrated blade. Speed nearly dropped his Amood, and as he caught it, the weapon twirled around, coming up to slap Gulool Ja Ja’s own sword away. The wizard head spat fire at him, but he avoided the ball of greasy flames with a swaggering sidestep. Bleary-eyed, he blinked multiple times at the lizardman, and then frowned.
“Whoa, you could really hurt me there, dude.” Speed gripped his Amood in both hands. “I know, I know, this is a fight, right? Man, so not cool. This is starting to kill my buzz, guy.”
“Speak nonsense, smoothskin does.” The wizard head hissed at him, bringing up its longsword.
“Speak no more, he shall!” The warrior head shouted, and they lunged for Speed again. The Mamool Ja Autarch’s blades flashed as he hammered at the Warrior. Each new strike came faster and faster, tearing through the stone walkways and smashing through the walls as they were deflected. Speed’s clarity was growing, and with it the power of his namesake. His moves seemed less often simple dumb luck now. The Aht Urghanian was starting to get faster, fast enough to keep pace with Gulool Ja Ja himself.
Still, the Autarch was one of the most powerful beastmen alive. When both of his heads reared up and let loose a roar of power, Speed was blown backwards, nearly off his feet. The walls shook as the walkway crumbled, now trembling under the lizardman’s weight. With some distance now between them, Gulool Ja Ja ran forward, bringing both his wicked swords forward to slash repeatedly at the off-balance Speed. The first two strikes he missed as Speed continued to reel backwards, practically tumbling over his own great axe. On the third attack, the Hume suddenly found his footing, deftly avoiding being disemboweled. An angered Ja Ja finally caught Speed with the flat of his blade, smacking him against the wall. The Warrior dropped down, recapturing his Amood even as the crescent-bladed weapon clattered to the floor.
Nimbly, Speed hopped away, spinning his great axe skillfully before landing in a defensive position. His eyes were starting to clear. The Speed which had so ruthlessly attacked the Hydra was beginning to show through. For the first time, he launched an assault of his own. Launching himself forward, he rapidly beat against Gulool Ja Ja’s swords. The Mamool Ja’s tan and blue scales glittered brilliantly in the sun as he repelled Speed’s attack, gnashing its two mouths full of teeth at the indignity. He clapped his blades together, releasing a torrent of power which blew Speed away. The Warrior somersaulted in the air, skidding to a halt as his feet touched the walkway stones.
“You have just flat out pissed me off,” Speed muttered darkly. The words left his mouth, and were still audible in the spot he had said them, though he was suddenly no longer there.
The collision of his Amood with Gulool Ja Ja’s swords nearly shook the weapons from the Autarch’s hands. Both fighters stood locked there for a moment, but then the lizardman powered Speed away. With a serpentine snarl, he hurled one of his swords at a blinding rate. It twirled so quickly it looked like a wheel rather than a weapon, but Speed sidestepped it without a thought, grimly staring forward. Gulool Ja Ja stood in place, still holding his remaining sword. The two heads both anxiously eyed Speed as the Warrior glared. In the span of a heartbeat, Speed came forward once again.
Then Gulool Ja Ja’s sword sliced back through the air, returning to the hand of its owner. Speed heard it coming, and screeched to a halt, pressing up against the battered stone wall. The Autarch cackled, leaping into the air as his sword smashed through the walkway. The entire structure quavered, and Speed gasped as it began giving way under his feet. His head snapped up. Just a few yards away, Najelith still lay unmoving, a wall coming down on top of her.
The entire walkway over the eastern gate collapsed as Speed rocketed towards her fallen form. Tons of brick and mortar fell atop of him as he scooped the Galeserpent into his arms. His head finally clear, he took off for safety.
Gulool Ja Ja’s other sword crashed into the crumbling walkway just in front of him. The structure collapsed into a cloud of debris, burying half the gate itself in the wreckage. A portion of the wall itself crumbled down, massive stones and countless bricks toppling over in a spectacular display of destruction. Within moments, there was nothing left of what had moments before been a sturdy wall and broad avenue but a thick white dust billowing into the air.
The Mamool Ja Autarch crunched down into the rubble, powerful legs cushioning his fall. With a jerk of his arm, he tore one of his swords free, eyes hunting about for the other one. He had already counted his annoying opponent amongst the dead. It was time now to rejoin the battle amongst his soldiers.
He never thought to look for the Puppetmaster and her automaton hurriedly ushering two unconscious bodies as far from the fighting as she could manage.
“This is – “ Xaerus’s words were cut off as she was forced to twirl away from yet another arrow fired her way. Medusa fired three more in rapid succession, and the Mithra let out a noise of irritation while engulfing the projectiles in flame. Their ashes fell harmlessly at her feet, but the Gorgon merely smiled.
“You are quite a dance partner, two-legs,” she called out, the snakes which comprised her hair snapping and hissing. “I wonder, can you keep it up forever?”
Xaerus responded by calling up some of the endless debris now at her disposal. Jagged shards of stone and granite shot through the air towards the Lamaie Queen. Raising her arms, she easily danced between them, swiveling her hips rhythmically. Drawing forth another three arrows from her seemingly inexhaustible quiver, she fired them simultaneously at the Red Mage. Xaerus leaped back, letting them spiral past her. The battlefield around the two was scarred with Medusa’s arrows, strong enough to burrow through the stones of Al Zahbi when fired from her bow.
“Tedious, I was going to say.” Xaerus sighed, and once again used her magic to hurtle rocks towards the Gorgon. Once again, Medusa easily slid between them as they came her way. She was too fast for Xaerus to strike with anything besides lightning, and that strategy had proven largely worthless. The snake-woman’s skin would sizzle for a moment, then regenerate as good as new.
Of course, Xaerus was under no illusions of being anywhere near the same level as such a foe. Medusa was a fiend beyond mortal reckoning, an ancient terror brought to life. Perhaps the Lamiae were, as some dark rumors contended, given life by the hands of man. Even if that were the case, a creature like Medusa was far past what science or magic could bring into being. She was the stuff of legend, fairy tale lore and stories used to frighten children, willed into being by no force other than itself. Against such a primordial evil, Xaerus knew she had no chance of victory.
However, she was just fast and clever enough to keep the Lamia Queen from diverting her attention to the real battle. For their transmuting properties to take effect, one had to actually see into the Medusa’s deadly eyes. The Mithra had no such weakness to exploit. Xaerus sufficiently managed to string the deadly snake-woman along, denying her the chance to wreak more havoc upon the Imperial forces. That was good enough for her. She possessed more than enough strength to continue dragging Medusa away, so long as the Gorgon’s attention remained focused on her. More debris sailed through the air at Xaerus’s command. Medusa languidly avoided that which she did not simply bat away, and responded with more arrows.
Of course, Xaerus knew where they were going to strike before she even fired them. Medusa could fire as rapidly as she liked, she possessed literally no chance of ever landing a shot against her target. The Lamia seemed to either not realize or care about this fact. She continued slinking closer even as Xaerus retreated back. All the while she hissed pleasurably, as if this were all some mildly amusing game. Her soulless eyes sought out the Mithra, and smiling she nocked an arrow and let it fly. As with others, Xaerus filled the air with fire, reducing it to powder before it ever reached her. Medusa’s tail slapped against the stones below her as she laughed.
“You are quite the amusement, two-legs,” the Gorgon complimented. “I may keep you by my side. Would you like that? To be my pet?”
“I’ve had better offers . . .” Xaerus responded, sending a whirlwind of debris Medusa’s way. This time she did not even bother to avoid it. She let the Red Mage’s attack swirl right past her, ignoring the heavy slabs of Al Zahbi’s firmament which broke against her scaly skin.
“A pity,” she said regretfully, “I have often wondered what it would be like to have a living two-legs by my side.” She shrugged, and the serpents which made up her hair suddenly stretched out in front of her, their forked tongues hissing wickedly. “Ah, well. A corpse shall dance just the same.”
Xaerus ducked, clutching her hands over her head. Arrows sailed past her from behind. A moment later she was forced to roll away as the spot she had landed on erupted upwards in a torrent of flame. She whipped around, staff in hand, but only just in time to leap aside, an arrow tearing a hole through her cloak. Medusa’s light chuckle caught her ears.
Five, seven . . . ten of them in all. Obeying the unspoken commands of their mistress, Medusa’s Lamiae had surrounded the Mithra. She could feel their malevolent presence in a circle all around her now. Far too many to avoid, even if she knew what they were all going to do ahead of time. And in this case, she didn’t. There was too much to focus on to maintain a clear image. Against such numbers, she would be caught unawares sooner rather than later. She turned towards Medusa, frowning behind her blindfold. For all her clever strategy, the Mithra had still be outsmarted. The Lamia Queen smiled as two of her followers shuffled in by her side, readying a barrage of arrows to put their mistress’s opponent down.
“I only hope I’ve done enough,” Xaerus said aloud. Then, a hole opened up around her, swallowing her entirely. A swarm of arrows passed through the spot where she had been, falling harmlessly to the ground as they passed through empty space. In an eyeblink of undulating black and purple, Xaerus vanished. She had no other recourse if she were to survive.
“A waste,” Medusa sighed, and then immediately turned back towards the battle. The momentary distraction over, she could focus on the Lamiae’s true objective. While Imperial and beastman alike battled for control of the Astral Candescence, she alone sought out the true target of the day.
The southern portion of the city was in disarray. Trolls rampaged unchecked through shopfronts and businesses, looting what they could carry and destroying what they could not. Overwhelmed, the Imperial soldiers were forced to abandon their positions as Troll gunners bombarded them. Thickly-muscled Trolls carrying hammers too large for human hands wantonly smashed their way through the city, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. Walking amongst them, surveying with an almost bored expression the sacking of Al Zahbi, was Gurfurlur the Menacing. He occasionally grunted in Trollish at his soldiers, but mostly just stompd along behind them. There was no one left to challenge him, and thus he was rapidly losing interest in the battle. He turned his head eastward, towards where the Mamool Ja were engaged with the Imperials. More fighting was to be had there, as well as the path to the Astral Candescence. Gurfurlur grunted, lumbering onward. Certain victory was satisfying, but he longed for another opponent. It seemed nothing the Empire could produce was worthy of his power. His Trolls marched in to the residential district, Imperials fleeing at their advance. Without their Serpent General, it seemed they were helpless to halt the beastmen's swift and brutal momentum.
Gurfurlur stretched his head out curiously. His men were grinding past the Imperials a moment before, but now tey seemed to have stalled. Soldiers were massing to meet them before the gates of Al Zahbi's residential district. These men had no signs of combat upon their armor as the ones whom had been struggling to hold back the Trolls did. They were fresh, newly entered into the battlefield, and by the decisive way in which they put a stop to the Troll's march, exceptionally skilled. Having trapped the Trolls in a bottleneck at the gate, they were relentlessly pushing them backwards. Gurfurlur frowned, calling out in Trollish as he started stomping towards the front lines. Moments earlier they had been all but beaten. How had this sudden wave of revitalization swept over the Imperials? Where had these reinforcements come from?
Then the Troll King heard a voice caling out above the fray. The words meant nothing to him, he could not be bothered to learn the weak tongue of the Empire. Imbibed within them, however, were a spirit which Gurfurlur recognized right off. This was a battle cry, a call to arms, and one to which the Imperials were responding.
"Do not despair! The Goddess of Victory fights by our side!"
There, in the thick of the fighting, was the leader of the Serpent Generals. Shining armor spotted by dust and blood, his double-bladed sword biting into the Troll's front lines, was the Elvaan Rughadjeen. He had come at last to the aid of his men, bringing with him his elite personal guard to bolster their ranks. His fighting spirit was a blaze which ignited the soldiers surrounding him. Being in the presence of the Skyserpent had brought their flagging defenses back to life, and now the Imperials were gaining ground, forcing the Trolls back one step at a time. Gurfurlur's eyes narrowed as he watched Rughadjeen in action. This, he knew, was the strongest the Empire had. He recognized strength when he saw it, and not even the troubling Galka which had plagued him earlier possessed the power of this man.
A grin of satisfaction creased his lips as Gurfurlur began pushing forward. There would be a challenge for him after all.
There was no rightful description to capture the power in the form of Cerberus. Its power was nothing short of awe-inspiring, palpable in the air as the spike in temperature which accompanied its arrival. The monster tore thruogh volcanic rock like paper as it clawed its way up from the depths from which it came. Lava fell from its mouth, the three-headed beast using fire as normal creatures would blood. Those three heads saw every movement, and snapped with terrible fangs at whatever came close to it. The sheer presence it bore was overwhelming. Jinxie knew before the fight even began that there was no hope of defeating it. By the amused smirk on Chiz's face as he casually leaned against the rock wall, Pixel in his grasp, he knew it too.
Kkel threw his arms up, roaring something in a tongue foreign to mortal ears. Cerberus stared down at the Soulflayer, and then effortlessly batted him away. The impact from the three-headed beast's paw tore Kkel from the ground and sent him spiraling into one of the Troll battlements surrounding them. He cracked the stone with his impact, sliding to the ground limply. Jinxie called out to him, running to his side. Before she could reach him, a wall of flame leaped up at her feet. She skidded to a halt, putting her hands defensively up before her. The black rock beneath her boiled and bubbled as lava from Cerberus's mouth was spat down upon it. She turned to face it, sword in hand. The monster was so vast in scope that she could barely comprehend it. On the other side of the blaze, Kkel began to stir, struggling to push himself upright. His skin had gone completely white, and behind a set of pure blue eyes flickered only the dimmest remnants of humanity. He was losing himself, and quickly.
Jinxie broke to the side, trying to lead Cerberus's attention away from him. Magic swelled up inside of her, bursting to break free as she waited for the right moment. The left and central heads swiveled to watch her, snarling as the right head remained fixed on Kkel. It spat liquid magma again, and the ground at Jinxie's feet became a fiery swamp. She just barely avoided being swallowed by that intensely hot flame, but found her opportunity. Casting a simple spell to alter perception, the Red Mage slowed down its reaction speed, muddling its thoughts and thickening the air surrounding it. Cerberus swayed uncertainly, giving a piercing bark that spilled from the left head's muzzle with confused slowness. As it fought against the enchantment, Jinxie cast a similar spell on herself, but with the opposite effect. Her body felt lighter, her thoughts came quicker, and everything around her seemed slowed down by comparison. Maybe she had no hope of winning, but she could still escape.
She just had to rescue Pixel first. Darting forward, she sprinted towards Chiz, drawing back her sword. The tattooed man was moving at a snail's pace compared to her now. Cerberus bit at her, but his fangs fell short as she easily evaded his clumsy strike, making a leap towards Chiz. It might be too late for Kkel, but she could still save one of them. All she had to do was snatch the Bard from his arms and she could get away.
His hand lashed out so swiftly that she never even saw him move before his slap caught her across the face. She was knocked out of the air, falling to the ground before him as he looked down upon her, laughing.
"Please," he scoffed, "you'd have an easier time hitting the moon. Now be a good girl and let my dog kill you."
"Let Pixel go!" she demanded, dragging herself back to her feet and leveling her sword. Arcane fury sprang up around her as her magic strained to break free. She wanted to strike him down with her power where he stood, but she dare not risk hitting Pixel. "She has nothing to do with this."
He raised an eyebrow, tattoos wrinkling on his brow. "That's kind of a moot point, don't you think? None of you are getting out of here alive."
Jinxie's aura flared outwards, but in the same moment Cerberus struck her from behind. The breath left her body as she tasted blood fill her mouth. The back of her tabard was shredded as she was thrown forward, smacking against the rocks to the suond of Chiz's laughter. Her ribs creaked as she fell from the rock face, ash streaking her hair and skin. Almost instinctively, she threw up a warding of stoneskin, and in the next instant she found herself locked in Cerberus's teeth. It scooped her entire body up in the jaws of its right head with a single swipe. The heat inside its maw was so intense she could feel her skin starting to blister. Only her hastily woven stoneskin charm saved her from being impaled on its massive fangs. When the monster found it could not bite through her, it instead spit her to the ground. She bounced off the basalt, her spell shattering, along with the rest of her magical defenses. Sweat and blood mingled across her face as she vainly tried to scrape herself from the ground. Cerberus turned, its tail scraping the rocks of the confined space as its eyes searched for her.
A bolt of force suddenly struck the beast, drilling in to the thickly muscled shoulder of its right foreleg. It yelped, swinging its heads around towards the source of the disruption. Jinxie, gasping, summoned what healing strength she had to put her body back in order. A stopgap measure, she knew. If it got near her again she was as good as dead. For just a moment though, it was distracted. The Red Mage's heart skipped a beat when she saw why.
Kkel was standing defiantly before the Cerberus, ebon robes billowing in the heat rising from the rock. The Soulflayer's staff was glowing in his hands as he slashed it through the air. Waves of energy struck the monster with every swipe of his gnarled weapon, and he attacked relentlessly. A tenebrous purple light burst from Kkel's body as he struck, finally taking the staff in both hands, lancing out a bolt of eldritch force that struck Cerberus full in the chest. The beast cried out again, yelping like any dog would. Then its three sets of eyes narrowed, blazing with the furnace-like heat radiating from within it. Lava dripping from its muzzle, Cerberus began to growl.
Shaking his staff wildly, Kkel screeched out something defiantly. Cerberus apparently did not care for his tone, and smacked him away with a sweep of its paw. The Soulflayer landed face-first on the rock, a thick purple blood streaming down his face. Without hesitation, he tore himself from the black stone. Jinxie ran to his side, but he was already standing again, keeping her at arm's length.
His pale blue eyes fixed on her, then darted back to Cerberus. His voice came in a quavering rasp, sounding like he was speaking from underwater. Jinxie was shocked he could still speak at all.
"Pix . . . el . . " he managed. "Get . . . her . . . I'll . . . " He stopped, the words lost in a meaningless jumble of sounds coming from his throat.
"Kkel," Jinxie protested. "You've barely got anything left. If you try to fight this . . . "
He screeched at her, a bolt of purple lightning streaking from his staff to crackle against Cerberus's hide. His eyes looked at hers, and she was taken aback by the all too-human sadness reflecting within them. Cerberus roared, spitting flame at the Soulflayer. It struck him like a battering ram, his robes burning as he was thrown backwards by the force. Jinxie cried out for him, but he had already risen, flame sloughing off him as a sinister aura began to envelop his twisted form.
"Worth it," he rasped, "anything . . . for her."
She screamed for him to stop as he once again threw his might against Cerberus. The beast's baleful stare leveled murderously on Kkel as he snarled at it, raining forth the dark magic filling his body. Again, he was knocked down, and this time Cerberus pounced on his fallen form. He barely managed to avoid being crushed beneath is paws as it stomped down upon where he had been. It swiped at him again, seeking to eviscerate him with its claws. Shreds of his robe tore off as Kkel glided backwards. Jinxie caught sight of Chiz, languidly leaning against the rock face, watching the battle disinterestedly. Pixel was still firmly in his grasp, and Kkel was willing to give his life, and more than that, his humanity, to save her.
A sudden image struck Jinxie. In he rmind's eye, she could see Hubby as clear as day.
Her husband had gripped in his hands the great katana they had found in the treasure trove of an ancient Goobbue in the Boyahda Tree. His black hair billowed out behind him, the Mhaura sun gleaming across his armor as he stood resolutely in the path of the advancing demon horde. He turned his head ever so slightly towards her, a sad final smile on his lips. Hard, battleworn features softened as his glittering dark eyes looked longingly back at his wife. He began growing further and further away, and soon he was gone altogether, lost in a swarm of demons he willingly ran into so that she might escape. The echo of his face still held fast in her memory. His laugh, his smile, his voice, his touch. All gone now, left only in her mind. He had willingly stayed behind to make sure she and their child survived. No price had been too great for him if it meant she was safe. Not even his life.
She realized she had tears running down her face as she watched Kkel, battered, wounded, barely able to keep standing, stare up at Cerberus. Pixel seemed miles away, being held in Chiz's grasp behind Cerberus. Yet still he relentlessly struggled against the monster, uncaring of how much stronger it was, how impenetrable its hide, how feeble his attempts. All that mattered was getting her to safety.
All three of the hellish dog's heads were focused on the annoyance which continud to pester it. Chiz was yawning, waiting for the inevitable to play out.
Jinxie took off at a dead run. Her eyes were fixed on Pixel. Cerberus's hide radiated heat towards her, but its eyes remained fixed on Kkel. This was her only chance. She called forth the magic, quickening her gait, propelling her past the giant beast before it ever took notice of her. Pixel's eyes widened, and she struggled against the hand Chiz had clapped over her mouth. Jinxie reached out to her, stretching her arms out to snatch the Bard right out of his grasp.
She gasped as a hand snapped down over her wrists. Chiz pulled her up with one hand, holding her outstretched with a questioning look. Jinxie kicked at him, but he easily avoided her awkward strikes.
"Stop making this harder than it has to be," he sighed. The tattooed man tossed her away, letting her tumble to the ground. "If it helps, I'll wait until after you're dead to kill this Bard. You won't have to watch." He pursed his lips, looking out at Cerberus. "Speaking of which, this has gone on entirely too long. The beastmen are probably finished by now. Cerberus," a smile curled across his lips, "open the gates."
The hound reacted to the command immediately. At Chiz's urging, it stiffened its four powerful legs, heads all stretching upright. Red flames began appearing on its skin as the ground began to bubble at his feet. Jinxie felt a fresh wave of heat sweep through the enclave. Cerberus's eyes started glowing, and Kkel took an involuntary step back. She did as well, moving behind the Soulflayer as whatever terrible power building up within the beast swelled to the breaking point.
And then something happened to Kkel. An inhuman shriek burst from his skinless lips, tendrils flaring out from his face. He hefted his staff before him, and lightning both purple and black started to cascade from his body. A sphere of his power enveloped him, and a chill swept over Jinxie even in the midst of the inferno of Cerberus's fire. She tried to call out to Kkel, but her voice was lost in the sudden explosion of colliding energy.
Everything that was in Kkel poured out in the form of thick, crackling bolts of black lightning. At the same moment, A sphere of incandescent red-and-orange flame erupted from Cerberus, burning through rock and stone with heat which seared Jinxie's flesh. The noise was terrible, shaking the entire canyon as the Troll battlements began melting away. The ground at her feet was turning into tar and magma, and she struggled to breath as the oxygen in the area was burned through. She would have been incinerated in a flash, save for that the bulk of the energy wave was being held back. Like a leaf in a hurricane, Kkel stood at the forefront of the attack, fighting back with everything he had. Slowly, the tide building against him was beginning to move forward. Soulflayers were powerful fiends, absorbing the strength of others, but he simply did not have the power to withstand a monster like Cerberus on his own, and he had nowhere to draw power from.
Jinxie froze for just a moment. He did have one source which had gone untapped.
"Kkel!" She shouted, as loud as she could. "Kkel," her voice was nearly lost in the storm, but she struggled forward, stretching out her palm. The skin started to burn as she got closer to Cerberus's swirling conflagration, pressing down practically on top of the Soulflayer now. "Take it, Kkel! Take the power from me!!" She screamed, pressing her hand against his back. Instantly she felt deathly cold, as if the world were not melting around her. A wail broke through the noise as Kkel felt Jinxie's soul bared plain for him to take.
Like a cocoon, the dark energy surrounding Kkel wrapped around her, closing her up in its grasp. They both vanished within the swirling black embrace, even as the Soulflayer's final attack held back Cerberus's wall of flames. Then the power Kkel was supplying cut off, and it swept over the womb of darkness containing the Red Mage and the monster. Flames cut through everything as Cerberus howled, shaking Mount Zhayolm to its bedrock. The volcano nearby began billowing up smoke as the ground quaked, steaming fissures breaking loose as rivers of magma burst up from below. Fire swept over everything, until there was nothing left to burn.
In the midst of it all, a blinding white light suddenly shot forth from the epicenter. Shouting in surprise, Chiz covered his eyes hurriedly. From his distance behind the monster, not even Cerberus's flames had touched him, yet this brilliant beam was fllling up everything. Cerberus's howl was cut off, and the last vestiges of his outpouring ended in a shattering explosion as the halo swelled up from the middle of it. The beacon shot into the air, spiraling high into the skies of Mount Zhayolm, breaking through the clouds and into the heavens themselves.
Gradually, the fires died down, the quaking subsided, and the light faded away. A stillness settled over the volcanic terrain as nothing dared stir in the wake of what had just transpired. The air shimmered as the incredible heat released sizzled through it. A single breath of air dared stir through, fanning the few dying flames remaining burning across the stone itself.
Jinxie was on her knees. She felt completely drained, barely possessing the strength to even lift her head. Kkel's inky black robe was still in front of her, but her eyes were having trouble focusing on it. She felt lightheaded, and her breathing came in halting gasps. Slowly, she managed to look upwards, perception coming in hazily.
Cerberus was sprawled out on the ground before her, unmoving. The heat from its body was turning the rock beneath it to tar, and it was sinking into the very sediment. A gaping hole festered where its middle head had been, as well as a good portion of its chest. The other two heads hung limply at the side, eyes staring out into nothing. Its wound looked as if some great battering ram had simply punched clean through it. Lava flowed from the open mouths of its two remaining heads, sputtering and bubbling as it pooled beneath it. It trembled occasionally, convulsing as liquid flame dripped down from its wound. Inconceivably, unbelievably, the monster was dead.
Straining, Jinxie raised her neck up higher, realizing something was standing over her. Kkel, she realized. The Soulflayer had survived. He had reached into her soul and taken what he needed to eradicate the great beast. Slowly, her eyes came into focus, staring up at the creature looming over her.
Pitch black robes hung loosely over a body far too small to fill them. A firm grasp held its folds tightly against a thin, yet heavily defined frame. Carefully cropped blonde hair waved in the rising heat as two Elvaan ears twitched involuntarily. A hand was raised in front of a smooth face with a strong jaw. It came down gradually, and a pair of brilliant blue eyes met Jinxie's own. She knew those eyes. They had belonged to a Soulflayer. There were no Soulflayers here, however.
Chiz gave a cry of disbelief as those eyes turned on him, and Jinxie felt a wave of fresh power surge into the air. It cascaded from the body of the blonde Elvaan which had appeared in front of her. An awesome, incredible might welled up from his being, and a too-large black robe fluttered in the wind as suddenly he was in the air, surging towards the tattooed kidnapper. Comprehension dawned on Jinxie as slowly, her senses began to return.
The Soulflayer was gone.
The Sunserpent had returned.
Chapter LXXVIII: Besieged
A strong rush of hot, dry air struck Jinxie as she materialized. The sensation of using the Empire's Hall of Transference was completely unlike that of magical teleportation. She staggered, disoriented, the world spinning around her. Another gust passed over her, tearing her trireme hat from her head. Reflexively, she snatched it back and tightened it over her blonde hair. Taking a steadying breath, she waited for the feeling of vertigo to pass her by. When her feet felt firm beneath her again, she paused to take in her surroundings.
High cliffs of volcanic rock engulfed the area. The ground below her was yellowed and cracked, with a dusting of sulfer caking over everything. The heat was extraordinary, but the air was completely devoid of moisture. This was nothing like the humid woodlands she had explored previously. Even without extensive knowledge of the Empire, she still knew this was the treacherous Mount Zhayolm. She and Hubby had planned to bring Drake here to see the Apkallus which nested in the volcano's shadow. Jinxie fought down the emotions which leaped up unbidden at the memory. There was a task to deal with now.
In front of her, she saw one of the Empire's Immortals laying unconscious in a heap. A sturdy gate in front of him was reduced to so much scrap iron, torn from the wooden palisade and nearly bent in two by some remarkable strength. Jinxie didn't need any more confirmation to know Kkel had passed through here. She could feel his malevolent energy in the air. A shudder passed through her at its touch. He was being driven over the edge by Pixel's abduction. Even if he did find her, would he be too far gone for it to matter? Would his mind finally become as twisted as his body? She realized that he may not even be on her trail. The former Sunserpent may have simply snapped already, and teleported away as his last conscious act to protect the people of the Empire.
Then again, she thought, remembering the trail of destruction he had left in his wake, that issue did not seem paramount to him at the moment.
She had to trust in Kkel's humanity at least a little longer. So the Red Mage ran, heat stealing her breath away. Zhayolm was like an oven, she could even see parts of the ground which were literally on fire. Mounds of sulferic ash rose and fell to create a hilly landscape upon which the Empire's famous giant moths, the Wamoura, made their nests. Jinxie kept her distance, understanding they were aggressive to outsiders. The creatures themselves, insects bigger than a man with wings which glittered in the afternoon sun, seemed to be skittish themselves. Something unnerving had definitely passed by them recently. When Jinxie came across the shredded corpse of one of the monsters, she understood. She kept on running. There was a noise growing louder as she ran further inland. The sight of the Silver Seas in the distance grew fainter as she grew closer to its source.
Magma veins beneath the sediment radiated scorching heat through her boots as she pressed onwards. In the distance a titanic metal gate began looming over the hills of ash. As she closed in on it she could clearly see where the booming echo filling Zhayolm was coming from. The gates were indeed colossal in scope, towering over the smoke-saturated ground and blackened, dead trees. They were doubtlessly strong enough to hold back an army, and Jinxie knew that was indeed likely their purpose. Mount Zhayolm was home to the Trolls which plagued Aht Urghan. Preserving its integrity seemed of little concern for Kkel Solaar. He stood before the gates, howling madly, attempting to pry them open. Every impact of his gnarled staff upon their steel surface caused another reverberating gong to sound out through the hills.
Jinxie came to a halt behind the Soulflayer. He screamed something in a language she did not recognize, again hammering at the gates. A swarm of decisions assaulted her. Should she help him? Or would he attack her? Should the gates even be opened at all? She knew so little about the Empire still. How many Trolls were on the other side? Was Kkel lunging into disaster? Would they even attack a Soulflayer? And if not, did that mean he was too far gone to ever get his mind back again? What was the right thing to do?
She had brought Kkel back safely. That had been her only charge. Her mission for the Empire was at an end. If she left now, it would be far wiser in respect to her own interests.
But then, she was the reason Kkel left his home in the Emptiness. She was the one whom had talked him into coming back to Aht Urghan. Ultimately, this was all her responsibility. It was her fault Kkel had come, and thus the blame for Pixel's kidnapping was on her as well. She had to make this right. She owed it to the both of them.
Staring resolutely at the gates, she stepped forward to Kkel's side.
He spun on her aggressively, but then halted when he saw her. His whole body froze indecisively. The fingers around his staff unclenched and then tightened again, and the tendrils before his mouth slithered frightfully. The thin membrane of skin covering him had become a pale white, and his robes seemed even darker than before. He screeched something at her, but then seemed to calm himself with a visible effort.
"Through . . . there." The sound of his voice was startling. He was fighting to get out every word. "I am . . . still . . . here . .. Jinxie. Pixel is . . . through the Gates . . . I must . . . "
"I understand," the Hume said, and she placed a hand on his chest. His body was deathly cold to the touch. She had meant to calm him, but he shuddered, turning away.
"Please it is . . . " Kkel snarled something unintelligible, then craned his head up at the gates. " . . . too tempting."
She was losing him. The gates sprawled upwards, dauntingly. They had no key, but Jinxie could see the small square Kkel had been hammering at with his staff. Something fit in there, pressing down a latch mechanism. She cast her eyes about. Nothing resembling the gap was nearby. Kkel started shaking, gripping his staff tightly in his elongated fingers. Jinxie had to open this door, but the only thing she could see in any direction was volcanic rock and ash. There was no tool, no key available to her. Yet something had to fit in that gap. So how could she . . . ?
The gleaming basalt caught her eye. An idea took form. She called upon the magic within her, letting it fill her body. With it she called out to the earth, feeling it in her grasp. With one gesture of her hand, Jinxie tore a piece of rock from the sediment, and moved it into the gap in the gate. It did not fit, but she had anticipated that. She shifted the focus of her magic, and suddenly the hot volcanic winds began slicing at the slab. Segments of it broke free, and she carefully manipulated the winds to carve it just right. Many times she had seen crafters manipulate the elements with crystals to obtain a specific outcome of their base materials. She wasn't aiming for anything nearly so exact. All that was necessary was that the rock fit in.
Another shard broke free at the top, and suddenly her rock was pushed forward, settling into place within the gate. Jinxie waited, and Kkel stared at it intently. For a moment which felt like eternity, nothing happened. The Soulflayer's throat began emitting a deep, wet-sounding growl. Then, something inside the gates audibly clicked. A moment later, accompanied by a grinding as steel scraped over stone, the massive metal doors started sliding open, vanishing into the hills from which they came. They were barely open wide enough to see through before Kkel was charging through. Like a serpent he slid through the narrow gap, too narrow for even Jinxie to squeeze through. By the time the gates had ponderously slid apart for her to follow, he was nearly out of sight.
She knew now that he was right. As soon as she emerged past the gate, she could hear music.
As fast as she could, Jinxie sped after Kkel. Sweat began running into her eyes as she panted for breath. Her chest felt dry and her legs were beginning to ache. Yet the Serpent General raced on, faster than ever, and she could hear his terrible shrieks as he closed in on his objective.
While running, she noticed that the Trolls she had been expecting were nowhere to be found. Were they frightened of a Soulflayer and staying out of sight? They were approaching what had to be Trollish battlements, yet she saw no patrols, no guardsmen on the walls. Where could they have gone? The music was growing louder. Jinxie pressed on.
She almost bumped into Kkel when he stopped. The Red Mage crested a hill leading her into a circle surrounded by the Troll-made stone ramparts and found the Soulflayer there, staring forward. Jinxie surveyed her surroundings quickly. Half of the walls surrounding her were forged by Trollish hands, the other were natural walls of granite and volcanic rock. A cave she could not quite see into through the curtain of ash falling down it loomed over the hill. The ground was hotter here than anywhere else she had been yet in Zhayolm, and magma was visibly running through the rock below. Kkel stood on it as if the flowing lava were no more than a babbling brook. His attention was firmly focused in front of them.
Pixel was softly playing Gjallarhorn, steam from the fissure at her feet matting her silver hair to her forehead. The Tarutaru appeared exhausted, barely on her feet as she swayed back and forth. Chiz loomed over her. The tattoed man had a knife in each hand, arms outstretched as he coolly faced Kkel's furious gaze.
"So," Chiz said evenly, "you finally got here."
"PIXEL!" It was clearly a demand. Kkel lunged forward, but Chiz brandished his knife over the Tarutaru and he stopped instantly.
"Look at you, you pathetic monster," he chuckled. "Why Doshu finds you so important is lost on me."
"Whoever you are, just return Pixel to us," Jinxie ordered, stepping forward. She drew the rapier at her side, letting her magic fill her again.
"I don't even know who you are," Chiz replied, sounding bored. Then he took a closer look at her, his eyes narrowing. "Wait . . ." A flash of recognition passed over him, and he suddenly smiled expansively. It was a terrifying sight coupled with the glint in his eyes.
"PIXEL!" Kkel again snarled, waving his staff erratically. He was on the verge of losing control altogether.
"How fortuitious," he smiled, running a gloved hand over his hairless head. "This is the definition of two birds with one stone. Three if you count the fancy horn I'll be taking back with me."
"You think you can take us?" Jinxie challenged, lightning leaping from her blade.
He shrugged indifferently. "Probably," in a flash he suddenly had Pixel in his grasp, cutting off her tune. Kkel roared, but dared not risk her life. “but why would I want to? All I have to do is watch to make sure the two of you get killed.”
“What – “ Jinxie began, but was cut off. Chiz snapped his fingers, and a howl like nothing she had ever heard before ripped out of the cave. The stones around them shook out of the ground, and loose bricks fell from the Troll battlements. Chiz laughed, holding the struggling Pixel easily as a set of gleaming white eyes suddenly appeared at the mouth of the cave, burning forth balefully. Jinxie and Kkel braced themselves, both bringing up their weapons in the face of those enormous, terrifying eyes.
Then another pair appeared. And then another.
When she saw the three fang-filled muzzles step into the light, Jinxie let out a shout of frustration.
“For crying out loud!” She raged. “Are there any giant monsters in this stupid empire that DON’T have three heads?”
The beast stepped forth into the light. It did indeed have three monstrous heads, each one snapping and snarling. Its maw was flecked with spittle that sizzled like lava as it dropped to the ground. The middle head peered down, eyes fixated on the two in front of it as the other two stretched upwards, howling. There were thick ridges of muscle on its chest and shoulders, and its skin pulsated with an unforgiving heat. It was a mass of skin which looked like granite and four paws each sporting three thick, curved claws. Behind it stretched an elongated tail that dragged along the surface of Mount Zhayolm, hissing and steaming. Chiz stood behind it, an amused smirk on his face.
“Cerberus,” he ordered loudly, “kill.”
Al Zahbi was in chaos. The attack had come so swiftly that some of their units were even now still mobilizing. The beastmen, on the other hand, were well into the city. The Bastion had been breached, lizard-like Mamool Ja riding on fearsome Wivres laying waste to the gates. Trolls were charging in, shelled thicker than an Uraganite in their armor. Lamaie were slithering in amongst them, the serpentine women commanding hordes of the soulless undead. Never before had Al Zahbi faced a joint attack by the beastmen armies before. Isset entered the fray unflinchingly. This was not the first time she had been called upon to protect the city from invaders. She gripped the bladed knuckles at her waist, taking them in hand. Beside her, Shoki assumed a fighting stance. They knew where to head.
The Hall of Binding contained within it the Empire’s greatest treasure. The Astral Candescence, an instrument of such remarkable power that even the greatest scholars still argued over its full extent, and over how it came to be. What was common knowledge was that the effect of being near it enriched all of Aht Urghan. Their water remained clear and fresh even if stagnant for weeks. The air was fresher, energizing to those who breathed it. Creativity blossomed in the hearts of artists, and courage came to their soldiers. The amazing machines of the Empire all ran as smooth as they did in part because they required so little power – much of it came naturally from the Astral Wind. The Candescence was indeed a marvel like none other, unique in all of Vana’diel.
It was ever the ambition of Aradjiah’s beastmen to steal it for their own. However, that is where the ingenuity of the Hall of Binding lay. Through enchantment Isset did not pretend to understand, the doors could be made completely impenetrable. A magic warding placed on the gates made them immovable, so long as there was a living being tied to the charm within the vicinity of the Hall. Only one seal was needed to ensure that the doors would hold. The Empire took no chances, however. Glowing radiantly upon those double doors was five of the mystic seals, one for each of the Serpent Generals upon whom they were bound. So long as they remained conscious, the spell would be in effect.
The Mamool Ja were leading the charge into Al Zahbi. With the Bastion breached, they were pouring in from the Bhaflau Thickets. Slim and beady-eyed warrior breeds were clashing with Imperial soldiers at the gates as staff-wielding mage breeds supported them. A slew of monsters followed in their path, everything from the dragonfly-like puks to enourmous tan-scaled wyverns. The lizardmen were fierce, bred for combat, and possessing a hatred of everything warm-blooded. Fortunately, the Empire was long used to dealing with their kind. A group of hardened veterans held their ground, pushing their advance into the city back as much as they could. However, with so many pressing against them, they could not prevent all who simply broke off and went to ravage the city.
Isset sped forward, leaping forward to slam the bladed points of her knuckles into a Mamool Ja. It reared back, hissing at her, and then swiped at the Puppetmaster with a curved blade. She flipped backwards, and as she gracefully arched through the air, Shoki ran underneath her. The automaton shot out a burst of electricity generated from within its shell. The beastman screeched, and then toppled over, smoke pouring from its eyes. Isset landed, sweeping her view around. There were so many. And now the Trolls were breaking through.
As the Imperial army battled the Mamool Ja charging east, the Trolls marched to the south. The business district of Al Zahbi lay in their view. Massive and bulky, the Trolls were also the beneficiaries of feats of engineering even the Empire had trouble replicating. Allied with the Moblins which dwelled in Mount Zhayolm, the beastmen bore not only complex suits of plate mail, but also enormous guns which fired stone-shattering payloads. They were perhaps even worse than the Mamool Ja, for though they lacked the aggression of the lizardmen, the Trolls had instead great physical strength, and a strict militaristic society. Largely mercenaries by trade, they longed for the Astral Candescence, and regularly mobilized free of charge when they saw a chance to capture it. A smattering of beasts from their lair in Halvung, deep within Zhayolm, was amongst them. The magic slimes called Flans left trails of corrosive muck in their wake. Gigantic scorpions skittered across the stone walkways. The enormous Wamoura hovered above, releasing venomous pollen. They were the Empire’s greatest threat, from a military standpoint.
A group of archers positioned on the walls slowed their advance, forcing the leading Trolls to form a turtle formation with their shields. As they did so, Imperial soldiers rushed in and began hacking at their thick armor. This barred their fearsome hand-to-hand fighters and frighteningly strong hammer-wielders from entering the battle. A long history of stand-offs with the Trolls had taught the Empire the tactics they needed to win.
Until the final part of the newly-forged triumvirate joined the fray. The Lamiae, smallest in number, yet most terrifying in battle, slithered in amongst the other beastmen. Though short on ranks, they bolstered themselves in two ways. First, they were allied with the Merrow, an amphibious offshoot of their race which commanded powerful magic. Second, the fallen walked among them. Using their twisted necromancy, the Lamiae raised the dead to march beside them, creating a crawling legion of the undead. Warriors and sailors long dead rose from the earth or watery graves to heed the call of their mistresses. The Lamiae themselves were content to remain apart from the battle, utilizing deathly accurate skills in archery to pick off targets from afar while their undead swarm roved free. Creatures from the swamps were dragged along by their siren’s song just as easily as the dead. Fleshy Jnuns crawled alongside the hordes of undead. Spirits from the moor floated through the air, casting their magic wherever their hands were guided. Most frighteningly, the automatons the Lamaie had somehow constructed had begun appearing at the gates. The gold-plated Acroliths, hulking in scale and possessed of boundless physical power, obeyed their commands just as the undead did. Of all the creatures which prowled the streets of Al Zahbi, they were the most brutally efficient in commiting murder.
Imperial mages ran along the wall, countering Merrow spells and bombarding the undead swarm with holy magic. So numerous were they that even great losses mattered little to them, but they were effectively kept at bay. With the strategies put into place by the Empire, the battle-hardened soldiers and mercenaries fighting in Al Zahbi’s defense knew counters for all the tactics of the beastmen. With the Serpent Generals fighting alongside them, Isset knew that not even a combined siege such as this one would breach their walls. Whatever promises Chiz had given them would soon turn empty.
A sudden booming sound at the gates caught her attention. She and Shoki both turned from the undead warrior lying at her feet, bones a splintered mess. A Mamool Ja charged at her, wielding a spear. Shoki let loose a blinding light, and Isset took the moment of its blindness to forcefully ram her bladed fists into its chest. She kicked the spear from its hands, and then backhanded it fiercely. Her puppet caught it with another jolt of lightning as it fell. Running forward, the Puppetmaster sprang off the back of Troll’s shoulders, leaping into the air and landing atop the higher ground of the Bastion’s rampart. From here she could clearly see all the fiends swarming the city.
And at the gates, the mountainous form of Gurfurlur the Menacing stood, slowly appraising the battlefield. Isset’s breath caught in her throat. The leader of the Trolls himself was here, filling up the gates to Wajaom Woodlands. Gurfurlur was twice the size of the other Trolls, stripped bare to the waist and clenching fists which looked strong enough to crush a man in their grasp. His muscles were like hills bursting out from rocky flesh. He was quite literally the biggest thing Isset had ever seen walk on two legs. He was also not alone.
At the gate across from him, a blade in each hand, was Gulool Ja Ja. The Autrach of the Mamool Ja had joined with his soldiers. The lizard had two heads, one the sleek, brown-scaled warrior type, the other the chameleon-eyed wizard breed. They were both shouting orders independent of one another. He was almost as large as Gurfurlur, and no less fearsome. A clutch of elite Mamool Ja flanked him, shouting out oaths of destruction to the Imperial defenders.
Two of the strongest beastmen in all of Vana’diel, feared in every corner of the Empire, were now in Al Zahbi itself. For a moment Isset could only stare, dumbfounded, awestruck by the size and scope of the legendary Imperial foes. Then a barrage of arrows streaked towards the Bastion, and she dove for cover at the last moment. She had to put some distance between herself and those gates. That kind of opponent was a job for the Serpent Generals, not a mercenary. She felt relief sweep through her when she saw exactly that rushing towards the gates.
Gadalar, the Flameserpent, and Mihli Aliapoh had reached Al Zahbi along with reinforcements to their ranks. Gadalar rained down fire upon the Mamool Ja as the Waterserpent savagely beat her way through the ranks of the undead. Bolstered by their appearance, the Imperial army struck back hard, trying to force their attackers back beyond the Bastion wall. Now, Isset thought, these invaders would see what the Empire was really made of.
It felt like a literal wave of dread washing over the Imperial Army as two of the sigils warding the Hall of Binding disappeared.
Gulool Ja Ja burst through to the front ranks, quite literally tearing Gadalar and Mihli from the ground, each of them catching a swing from his lethal swords. The two Serpent Generals were hurled almost completely away from the Bastion, landing against the gates to the Ulthalam Parade Grounds. Both slumped down, not moving, as their attendants rushed to their sides. In the very next moment, the Mamool Ja broke through completely, overrunning the Empire’s guards and filling the square behind the Bastion. The Imperials were pushed back hard, but halted as help suddenly arrived again.
Gulool Ja Ja growled in anger as a sudden hail of arrows overtook him. A row of arrowheads pierced the arm he placed up defensively. Both his heads shouted out menacingly as the Galeserpent took her place amongst Al Zahbi’s defenders. General Najelith, most feared archer in the Empire, appeared on the walls. The sun was suddenly blackened with arrows as her elite regiment flocked to her, pelting those on the ground with their barrage. Najelith urged them on, providing cover as a renewed offensive pushed back just as hard as they had come. The east gate remained guarded for just a moment more.
At the south gate, the Trolls were pushing through. Slowly but steadily, they were forcing the Imperials to give up ground. When Gurfurlur the Menacing joined them, the cause was lost. He pushed his way through to the front, throwing his own soldiers out of the way when he had to. Arrows rained down ineffectively on his bark-like skin. With a mighty thunderclap from his hands, the front lines were blown apart. As they struggled to recover, the new Troll offensive rushed through, hammering the army back and breaching into the Chocobo Alley. One more push and they would be at the Residential area itself, attacking and looting people’s homes.
“Gwahahahahahahaha! This is the best they’ve got?!”
Gurfurlur looked up. Perched atop the entryway to Chocobo Alley, a towering form appeared, the sun at his back. Isset restrained the urge to cheer, and instead continued beating back the Mamool Ja assaulting her. The Stoneserpent, General Zazarg, leaped down towards Gurfurlur himself. The Troll King roared something in the deep language of Trolls, a complex tongue consisting of throaty clicks and grunts. Galka and Troll collided, and surprise clearly crossed Gurfurlur the Menacing’s face as he pushed Zazarg away, using considerably more effort than he thought he would have to. He shouted something again, and a Moblin by his side called out as he roared.
“The Boss says you’re a fool to challenge him! He’ll tear your scrawny head from your shoulders!” The red-armored beastman leaped up emphatically with his words, then quickly scurried back behind the behemoth of a Troll. Gurfurlur called out again in his own language, and Zazarg smiled.
“Let’s get to it then! Our fists will decide this one!” Without hesitation, the Galka launched into battle with Gurfurlur himself, even as his own strongarms began battling back against the Trolls battering the Imperial lines. Isset felt exultation run through her. They were still holding them back. They could still win this one.
The skeleton rushing towards her collapsed into dust as Shoki leaped up and let loose a shockwave into it. Isset looked up to view her automaton’s handiwork and froze.
A tall, slender figure had appeared before the gates of the Bastion. A dozen Lamia formed a ring around her, pushing outwards with arrows as they came. She had writhing snakes for hair, and was adorned in a wealth of jewelry stolen from a thousand dead soldiers. She watched the battle impassively, her hips gently swaying upon the serpentine tail which supported them. Like the other Lamiae, she was blue-skinned and snakelike, but there could be no confusing this creature with any other of her ilk, or any other monster at all.
It was Medusa. The Queen of the Undead Swarm, loose in Al Zahbi.
Her eyes shone red, and Isset screamed as a score of Imperial soldiers froze in their tracks. They would have too, save for that their throats had turned to stone. The Lamiae leader turned, and once again her eyes fell upon a column of her enemies. Statues replaced men, rooting them to the spot behind flesh turned to stone. Isset covered her eyes, fleeing in fear. Medusa. Slayer of men by the thousands. Commander of the countless hordes of the walking dead. Able to turn men to stone with her gaze. Now she was here, and nothing the Imperial army had encountered before could prepare them for her coming. She advanced practically unimpeded as panic caused the soldiers in her path to turn tail and run.
At the western gate, Gulool Ja Ja suddenly leaped into the air. Isset’s eyes went wide as she watched the attack unfold. With one jump, the Autrach crashed down upon the wall Najelith stood upon, scattering her soldiers with his impact. They rushed towards him, but with a roar he spit fire upon their ranks. Archers engulfed in flame screamed as they toppled over the sides of the walls. The Galeserpent held her ground, peppering Gulool Ja Ja with arrows. The lizardman brushed them off, and the warrior side of it rushed forward, cracking her against the skull with one its swords. She flew through the air and landed hard on her back. At the Hall of Binding, a third seal disappeared.
The Mamool Ja Autrach loomed over her for a moment, and then raised both of its swords high in the air, ready to finish her off once and for all. Isset leaped off the collapsing stone wall, projecting herself towards him fearlessly. She realized too late she could not possibly reach the General in time.
As it turned out, she didn’t need to.
Gulool Ja Ja’s swords scraped noisily off the surface of a hastily raised Amood. The crescent-bladed axe hung in the air, then repulsed the lizard ruler’s blades with a mighty sweep. Dull-eyed and blinking, Speed stood between Gulool Ja Ja and Najelith.
“Yo, dude . . . “ he said to the giant, “that ain’t cool.” He squinted, staring up at the lizard looming over him. “Whoa,” he said, “you’re like . . . this big.” He spread his arms out suggestively, and then stopped, puzzling over his own hands.
Gulool Ja Ja’s two heads stared at one another in confusion.
“Kill him, we shall?” The wizard head inquired.
“Kill him, we must!” The warrior head agreed.
The Warrior again fended off Gulool Ja Ja’s blows, though seemingly unaware of why. Isset crouched down behind the duo as they battled. Speed was still clearly under the influence. Could he really face off against a foe like this without his full power? She heard more screams from below, but turned away from them almost as soon as her eyes flicked towards their source.
Medusa had advanced further, now pressing the undead to break through the already weakened gate and enter Ulthalam’s Parade Ground. From there the Hall of Binding would be within their reach. Around her was a circle of stone warriors. Some had fallen to the ground, shattering into pieces. The Imperial army fled at her coming. They had no defense against such a creature.
Until a crack of lightning struck Medusa in the back. The Lamia hissed, the snakes on her brow rising up in protest as a scorch mark appeared in her flesh. She spun, eyes gleaming red as she sought to encase the mage who dared strike her.
Xaerus stared back at her, unflinching. Medusa’s gaze had no effect upon the blind woman. With a flick of her staff, another round of electric force sizzled off of Medusa’s flesh. She crossed her arms defensively, warding off the spell. The Lamia lowered her arms, and drew her own slender bow from he back. Her snakes hissed and bit at Xaerus, who merely stood her ground.
“Well, well, two-legs,” Medusa said in a hypnotic voice, “it looks as though you wish to dance.”
“It would seem this is my fate . . . “ Xaerus replied, and then snatched her staff roughly, defensive spells blossoming around her. The Lamia Queen began rapidly firing her bow, and Xaerus dove to the side as her arrows tore apart the stone beneath her.
All around, the beastmen were pushing forward. Even with their leaders held at bay, their numbers and early victories were now mounting upon the Imperial forces. With Medusa temporarily neutralized, the defenders of the western gate were able to fight back again, but it was too late. Beastmen were rushing into the Ulthalam Parade Grounds, battling Imperial soldiers every step of the way. The entire expanse was quickly degenerating into an all-out melee. The beastmen would do anything to break through to the Hall of Binding, and the Imperials would do anything to hold them back.
Spurred on perhaps by the Astral Wind, or the sight of Speed and Xaerus holding their own, or maybe just her own sense of national pride, Isset ran forward and dove off the wall. She and Shoki landed in the thick of the fighting in front of the shattered western gate. Immediately, they went to work, battling back as hard and as fast as they could.
The whole of Al Zahbi shook with combat. Isset just prayed that wherever she was, Jinxie was safe, and had found Kkel and Pixel.
Had the air in Aht Urghan been still, rather than overwhelmed with the din of battle, the distant howl carried on the winds from Mount Zhayolm would have been just loud enough to echo in her ears.
High cliffs of volcanic rock engulfed the area. The ground below her was yellowed and cracked, with a dusting of sulfer caking over everything. The heat was extraordinary, but the air was completely devoid of moisture. This was nothing like the humid woodlands she had explored previously. Even without extensive knowledge of the Empire, she still knew this was the treacherous Mount Zhayolm. She and Hubby had planned to bring Drake here to see the Apkallus which nested in the volcano's shadow. Jinxie fought down the emotions which leaped up unbidden at the memory. There was a task to deal with now.
In front of her, she saw one of the Empire's Immortals laying unconscious in a heap. A sturdy gate in front of him was reduced to so much scrap iron, torn from the wooden palisade and nearly bent in two by some remarkable strength. Jinxie didn't need any more confirmation to know Kkel had passed through here. She could feel his malevolent energy in the air. A shudder passed through her at its touch. He was being driven over the edge by Pixel's abduction. Even if he did find her, would he be too far gone for it to matter? Would his mind finally become as twisted as his body? She realized that he may not even be on her trail. The former Sunserpent may have simply snapped already, and teleported away as his last conscious act to protect the people of the Empire.
Then again, she thought, remembering the trail of destruction he had left in his wake, that issue did not seem paramount to him at the moment.
She had to trust in Kkel's humanity at least a little longer. So the Red Mage ran, heat stealing her breath away. Zhayolm was like an oven, she could even see parts of the ground which were literally on fire. Mounds of sulferic ash rose and fell to create a hilly landscape upon which the Empire's famous giant moths, the Wamoura, made their nests. Jinxie kept her distance, understanding they were aggressive to outsiders. The creatures themselves, insects bigger than a man with wings which glittered in the afternoon sun, seemed to be skittish themselves. Something unnerving had definitely passed by them recently. When Jinxie came across the shredded corpse of one of the monsters, she understood. She kept on running. There was a noise growing louder as she ran further inland. The sight of the Silver Seas in the distance grew fainter as she grew closer to its source.
Magma veins beneath the sediment radiated scorching heat through her boots as she pressed onwards. In the distance a titanic metal gate began looming over the hills of ash. As she closed in on it she could clearly see where the booming echo filling Zhayolm was coming from. The gates were indeed colossal in scope, towering over the smoke-saturated ground and blackened, dead trees. They were doubtlessly strong enough to hold back an army, and Jinxie knew that was indeed likely their purpose. Mount Zhayolm was home to the Trolls which plagued Aht Urghan. Preserving its integrity seemed of little concern for Kkel Solaar. He stood before the gates, howling madly, attempting to pry them open. Every impact of his gnarled staff upon their steel surface caused another reverberating gong to sound out through the hills.
Jinxie came to a halt behind the Soulflayer. He screamed something in a language she did not recognize, again hammering at the gates. A swarm of decisions assaulted her. Should she help him? Or would he attack her? Should the gates even be opened at all? She knew so little about the Empire still. How many Trolls were on the other side? Was Kkel lunging into disaster? Would they even attack a Soulflayer? And if not, did that mean he was too far gone to ever get his mind back again? What was the right thing to do?
She had brought Kkel back safely. That had been her only charge. Her mission for the Empire was at an end. If she left now, it would be far wiser in respect to her own interests.
But then, she was the reason Kkel left his home in the Emptiness. She was the one whom had talked him into coming back to Aht Urghan. Ultimately, this was all her responsibility. It was her fault Kkel had come, and thus the blame for Pixel's kidnapping was on her as well. She had to make this right. She owed it to the both of them.
Staring resolutely at the gates, she stepped forward to Kkel's side.
He spun on her aggressively, but then halted when he saw her. His whole body froze indecisively. The fingers around his staff unclenched and then tightened again, and the tendrils before his mouth slithered frightfully. The thin membrane of skin covering him had become a pale white, and his robes seemed even darker than before. He screeched something at her, but then seemed to calm himself with a visible effort.
"Through . . . there." The sound of his voice was startling. He was fighting to get out every word. "I am . . . still . . . here . .. Jinxie. Pixel is . . . through the Gates . . . I must . . . "
"I understand," the Hume said, and she placed a hand on his chest. His body was deathly cold to the touch. She had meant to calm him, but he shuddered, turning away.
"Please it is . . . " Kkel snarled something unintelligible, then craned his head up at the gates. " . . . too tempting."
She was losing him. The gates sprawled upwards, dauntingly. They had no key, but Jinxie could see the small square Kkel had been hammering at with his staff. Something fit in there, pressing down a latch mechanism. She cast her eyes about. Nothing resembling the gap was nearby. Kkel started shaking, gripping his staff tightly in his elongated fingers. Jinxie had to open this door, but the only thing she could see in any direction was volcanic rock and ash. There was no tool, no key available to her. Yet something had to fit in that gap. So how could she . . . ?
The gleaming basalt caught her eye. An idea took form. She called upon the magic within her, letting it fill her body. With it she called out to the earth, feeling it in her grasp. With one gesture of her hand, Jinxie tore a piece of rock from the sediment, and moved it into the gap in the gate. It did not fit, but she had anticipated that. She shifted the focus of her magic, and suddenly the hot volcanic winds began slicing at the slab. Segments of it broke free, and she carefully manipulated the winds to carve it just right. Many times she had seen crafters manipulate the elements with crystals to obtain a specific outcome of their base materials. She wasn't aiming for anything nearly so exact. All that was necessary was that the rock fit in.
Another shard broke free at the top, and suddenly her rock was pushed forward, settling into place within the gate. Jinxie waited, and Kkel stared at it intently. For a moment which felt like eternity, nothing happened. The Soulflayer's throat began emitting a deep, wet-sounding growl. Then, something inside the gates audibly clicked. A moment later, accompanied by a grinding as steel scraped over stone, the massive metal doors started sliding open, vanishing into the hills from which they came. They were barely open wide enough to see through before Kkel was charging through. Like a serpent he slid through the narrow gap, too narrow for even Jinxie to squeeze through. By the time the gates had ponderously slid apart for her to follow, he was nearly out of sight.
She knew now that he was right. As soon as she emerged past the gate, she could hear music.
As fast as she could, Jinxie sped after Kkel. Sweat began running into her eyes as she panted for breath. Her chest felt dry and her legs were beginning to ache. Yet the Serpent General raced on, faster than ever, and she could hear his terrible shrieks as he closed in on his objective.
While running, she noticed that the Trolls she had been expecting were nowhere to be found. Were they frightened of a Soulflayer and staying out of sight? They were approaching what had to be Trollish battlements, yet she saw no patrols, no guardsmen on the walls. Where could they have gone? The music was growing louder. Jinxie pressed on.
She almost bumped into Kkel when he stopped. The Red Mage crested a hill leading her into a circle surrounded by the Troll-made stone ramparts and found the Soulflayer there, staring forward. Jinxie surveyed her surroundings quickly. Half of the walls surrounding her were forged by Trollish hands, the other were natural walls of granite and volcanic rock. A cave she could not quite see into through the curtain of ash falling down it loomed over the hill. The ground was hotter here than anywhere else she had been yet in Zhayolm, and magma was visibly running through the rock below. Kkel stood on it as if the flowing lava were no more than a babbling brook. His attention was firmly focused in front of them.
Pixel was softly playing Gjallarhorn, steam from the fissure at her feet matting her silver hair to her forehead. The Tarutaru appeared exhausted, barely on her feet as she swayed back and forth. Chiz loomed over her. The tattoed man had a knife in each hand, arms outstretched as he coolly faced Kkel's furious gaze.
"So," Chiz said evenly, "you finally got here."
"PIXEL!" It was clearly a demand. Kkel lunged forward, but Chiz brandished his knife over the Tarutaru and he stopped instantly.
"Look at you, you pathetic monster," he chuckled. "Why Doshu finds you so important is lost on me."
"Whoever you are, just return Pixel to us," Jinxie ordered, stepping forward. She drew the rapier at her side, letting her magic fill her again.
"I don't even know who you are," Chiz replied, sounding bored. Then he took a closer look at her, his eyes narrowing. "Wait . . ." A flash of recognition passed over him, and he suddenly smiled expansively. It was a terrifying sight coupled with the glint in his eyes.
"PIXEL!" Kkel again snarled, waving his staff erratically. He was on the verge of losing control altogether.
"How fortuitious," he smiled, running a gloved hand over his hairless head. "This is the definition of two birds with one stone. Three if you count the fancy horn I'll be taking back with me."
"You think you can take us?" Jinxie challenged, lightning leaping from her blade.
He shrugged indifferently. "Probably," in a flash he suddenly had Pixel in his grasp, cutting off her tune. Kkel roared, but dared not risk her life. “but why would I want to? All I have to do is watch to make sure the two of you get killed.”
“What – “ Jinxie began, but was cut off. Chiz snapped his fingers, and a howl like nothing she had ever heard before ripped out of the cave. The stones around them shook out of the ground, and loose bricks fell from the Troll battlements. Chiz laughed, holding the struggling Pixel easily as a set of gleaming white eyes suddenly appeared at the mouth of the cave, burning forth balefully. Jinxie and Kkel braced themselves, both bringing up their weapons in the face of those enormous, terrifying eyes.
Then another pair appeared. And then another.
When she saw the three fang-filled muzzles step into the light, Jinxie let out a shout of frustration.
“For crying out loud!” She raged. “Are there any giant monsters in this stupid empire that DON’T have three heads?”
The beast stepped forth into the light. It did indeed have three monstrous heads, each one snapping and snarling. Its maw was flecked with spittle that sizzled like lava as it dropped to the ground. The middle head peered down, eyes fixated on the two in front of it as the other two stretched upwards, howling. There were thick ridges of muscle on its chest and shoulders, and its skin pulsated with an unforgiving heat. It was a mass of skin which looked like granite and four paws each sporting three thick, curved claws. Behind it stretched an elongated tail that dragged along the surface of Mount Zhayolm, hissing and steaming. Chiz stood behind it, an amused smirk on his face.
“Cerberus,” he ordered loudly, “kill.”
Al Zahbi was in chaos. The attack had come so swiftly that some of their units were even now still mobilizing. The beastmen, on the other hand, were well into the city. The Bastion had been breached, lizard-like Mamool Ja riding on fearsome Wivres laying waste to the gates. Trolls were charging in, shelled thicker than an Uraganite in their armor. Lamaie were slithering in amongst them, the serpentine women commanding hordes of the soulless undead. Never before had Al Zahbi faced a joint attack by the beastmen armies before. Isset entered the fray unflinchingly. This was not the first time she had been called upon to protect the city from invaders. She gripped the bladed knuckles at her waist, taking them in hand. Beside her, Shoki assumed a fighting stance. They knew where to head.
The Hall of Binding contained within it the Empire’s greatest treasure. The Astral Candescence, an instrument of such remarkable power that even the greatest scholars still argued over its full extent, and over how it came to be. What was common knowledge was that the effect of being near it enriched all of Aht Urghan. Their water remained clear and fresh even if stagnant for weeks. The air was fresher, energizing to those who breathed it. Creativity blossomed in the hearts of artists, and courage came to their soldiers. The amazing machines of the Empire all ran as smooth as they did in part because they required so little power – much of it came naturally from the Astral Wind. The Candescence was indeed a marvel like none other, unique in all of Vana’diel.
It was ever the ambition of Aradjiah’s beastmen to steal it for their own. However, that is where the ingenuity of the Hall of Binding lay. Through enchantment Isset did not pretend to understand, the doors could be made completely impenetrable. A magic warding placed on the gates made them immovable, so long as there was a living being tied to the charm within the vicinity of the Hall. Only one seal was needed to ensure that the doors would hold. The Empire took no chances, however. Glowing radiantly upon those double doors was five of the mystic seals, one for each of the Serpent Generals upon whom they were bound. So long as they remained conscious, the spell would be in effect.
The Mamool Ja were leading the charge into Al Zahbi. With the Bastion breached, they were pouring in from the Bhaflau Thickets. Slim and beady-eyed warrior breeds were clashing with Imperial soldiers at the gates as staff-wielding mage breeds supported them. A slew of monsters followed in their path, everything from the dragonfly-like puks to enourmous tan-scaled wyverns. The lizardmen were fierce, bred for combat, and possessing a hatred of everything warm-blooded. Fortunately, the Empire was long used to dealing with their kind. A group of hardened veterans held their ground, pushing their advance into the city back as much as they could. However, with so many pressing against them, they could not prevent all who simply broke off and went to ravage the city.
Isset sped forward, leaping forward to slam the bladed points of her knuckles into a Mamool Ja. It reared back, hissing at her, and then swiped at the Puppetmaster with a curved blade. She flipped backwards, and as she gracefully arched through the air, Shoki ran underneath her. The automaton shot out a burst of electricity generated from within its shell. The beastman screeched, and then toppled over, smoke pouring from its eyes. Isset landed, sweeping her view around. There were so many. And now the Trolls were breaking through.
As the Imperial army battled the Mamool Ja charging east, the Trolls marched to the south. The business district of Al Zahbi lay in their view. Massive and bulky, the Trolls were also the beneficiaries of feats of engineering even the Empire had trouble replicating. Allied with the Moblins which dwelled in Mount Zhayolm, the beastmen bore not only complex suits of plate mail, but also enormous guns which fired stone-shattering payloads. They were perhaps even worse than the Mamool Ja, for though they lacked the aggression of the lizardmen, the Trolls had instead great physical strength, and a strict militaristic society. Largely mercenaries by trade, they longed for the Astral Candescence, and regularly mobilized free of charge when they saw a chance to capture it. A smattering of beasts from their lair in Halvung, deep within Zhayolm, was amongst them. The magic slimes called Flans left trails of corrosive muck in their wake. Gigantic scorpions skittered across the stone walkways. The enormous Wamoura hovered above, releasing venomous pollen. They were the Empire’s greatest threat, from a military standpoint.
A group of archers positioned on the walls slowed their advance, forcing the leading Trolls to form a turtle formation with their shields. As they did so, Imperial soldiers rushed in and began hacking at their thick armor. This barred their fearsome hand-to-hand fighters and frighteningly strong hammer-wielders from entering the battle. A long history of stand-offs with the Trolls had taught the Empire the tactics they needed to win.
Until the final part of the newly-forged triumvirate joined the fray. The Lamiae, smallest in number, yet most terrifying in battle, slithered in amongst the other beastmen. Though short on ranks, they bolstered themselves in two ways. First, they were allied with the Merrow, an amphibious offshoot of their race which commanded powerful magic. Second, the fallen walked among them. Using their twisted necromancy, the Lamiae raised the dead to march beside them, creating a crawling legion of the undead. Warriors and sailors long dead rose from the earth or watery graves to heed the call of their mistresses. The Lamiae themselves were content to remain apart from the battle, utilizing deathly accurate skills in archery to pick off targets from afar while their undead swarm roved free. Creatures from the swamps were dragged along by their siren’s song just as easily as the dead. Fleshy Jnuns crawled alongside the hordes of undead. Spirits from the moor floated through the air, casting their magic wherever their hands were guided. Most frighteningly, the automatons the Lamaie had somehow constructed had begun appearing at the gates. The gold-plated Acroliths, hulking in scale and possessed of boundless physical power, obeyed their commands just as the undead did. Of all the creatures which prowled the streets of Al Zahbi, they were the most brutally efficient in commiting murder.
Imperial mages ran along the wall, countering Merrow spells and bombarding the undead swarm with holy magic. So numerous were they that even great losses mattered little to them, but they were effectively kept at bay. With the strategies put into place by the Empire, the battle-hardened soldiers and mercenaries fighting in Al Zahbi’s defense knew counters for all the tactics of the beastmen. With the Serpent Generals fighting alongside them, Isset knew that not even a combined siege such as this one would breach their walls. Whatever promises Chiz had given them would soon turn empty.
A sudden booming sound at the gates caught her attention. She and Shoki both turned from the undead warrior lying at her feet, bones a splintered mess. A Mamool Ja charged at her, wielding a spear. Shoki let loose a blinding light, and Isset took the moment of its blindness to forcefully ram her bladed fists into its chest. She kicked the spear from its hands, and then backhanded it fiercely. Her puppet caught it with another jolt of lightning as it fell. Running forward, the Puppetmaster sprang off the back of Troll’s shoulders, leaping into the air and landing atop the higher ground of the Bastion’s rampart. From here she could clearly see all the fiends swarming the city.
And at the gates, the mountainous form of Gurfurlur the Menacing stood, slowly appraising the battlefield. Isset’s breath caught in her throat. The leader of the Trolls himself was here, filling up the gates to Wajaom Woodlands. Gurfurlur was twice the size of the other Trolls, stripped bare to the waist and clenching fists which looked strong enough to crush a man in their grasp. His muscles were like hills bursting out from rocky flesh. He was quite literally the biggest thing Isset had ever seen walk on two legs. He was also not alone.
At the gate across from him, a blade in each hand, was Gulool Ja Ja. The Autrach of the Mamool Ja had joined with his soldiers. The lizard had two heads, one the sleek, brown-scaled warrior type, the other the chameleon-eyed wizard breed. They were both shouting orders independent of one another. He was almost as large as Gurfurlur, and no less fearsome. A clutch of elite Mamool Ja flanked him, shouting out oaths of destruction to the Imperial defenders.
Two of the strongest beastmen in all of Vana’diel, feared in every corner of the Empire, were now in Al Zahbi itself. For a moment Isset could only stare, dumbfounded, awestruck by the size and scope of the legendary Imperial foes. Then a barrage of arrows streaked towards the Bastion, and she dove for cover at the last moment. She had to put some distance between herself and those gates. That kind of opponent was a job for the Serpent Generals, not a mercenary. She felt relief sweep through her when she saw exactly that rushing towards the gates.
Gadalar, the Flameserpent, and Mihli Aliapoh had reached Al Zahbi along with reinforcements to their ranks. Gadalar rained down fire upon the Mamool Ja as the Waterserpent savagely beat her way through the ranks of the undead. Bolstered by their appearance, the Imperial army struck back hard, trying to force their attackers back beyond the Bastion wall. Now, Isset thought, these invaders would see what the Empire was really made of.
It felt like a literal wave of dread washing over the Imperial Army as two of the sigils warding the Hall of Binding disappeared.
Gulool Ja Ja burst through to the front ranks, quite literally tearing Gadalar and Mihli from the ground, each of them catching a swing from his lethal swords. The two Serpent Generals were hurled almost completely away from the Bastion, landing against the gates to the Ulthalam Parade Grounds. Both slumped down, not moving, as their attendants rushed to their sides. In the very next moment, the Mamool Ja broke through completely, overrunning the Empire’s guards and filling the square behind the Bastion. The Imperials were pushed back hard, but halted as help suddenly arrived again.
Gulool Ja Ja growled in anger as a sudden hail of arrows overtook him. A row of arrowheads pierced the arm he placed up defensively. Both his heads shouted out menacingly as the Galeserpent took her place amongst Al Zahbi’s defenders. General Najelith, most feared archer in the Empire, appeared on the walls. The sun was suddenly blackened with arrows as her elite regiment flocked to her, pelting those on the ground with their barrage. Najelith urged them on, providing cover as a renewed offensive pushed back just as hard as they had come. The east gate remained guarded for just a moment more.
At the south gate, the Trolls were pushing through. Slowly but steadily, they were forcing the Imperials to give up ground. When Gurfurlur the Menacing joined them, the cause was lost. He pushed his way through to the front, throwing his own soldiers out of the way when he had to. Arrows rained down ineffectively on his bark-like skin. With a mighty thunderclap from his hands, the front lines were blown apart. As they struggled to recover, the new Troll offensive rushed through, hammering the army back and breaching into the Chocobo Alley. One more push and they would be at the Residential area itself, attacking and looting people’s homes.
“Gwahahahahahahaha! This is the best they’ve got?!”
Gurfurlur looked up. Perched atop the entryway to Chocobo Alley, a towering form appeared, the sun at his back. Isset restrained the urge to cheer, and instead continued beating back the Mamool Ja assaulting her. The Stoneserpent, General Zazarg, leaped down towards Gurfurlur himself. The Troll King roared something in the deep language of Trolls, a complex tongue consisting of throaty clicks and grunts. Galka and Troll collided, and surprise clearly crossed Gurfurlur the Menacing’s face as he pushed Zazarg away, using considerably more effort than he thought he would have to. He shouted something again, and a Moblin by his side called out as he roared.
“The Boss says you’re a fool to challenge him! He’ll tear your scrawny head from your shoulders!” The red-armored beastman leaped up emphatically with his words, then quickly scurried back behind the behemoth of a Troll. Gurfurlur called out again in his own language, and Zazarg smiled.
“Let’s get to it then! Our fists will decide this one!” Without hesitation, the Galka launched into battle with Gurfurlur himself, even as his own strongarms began battling back against the Trolls battering the Imperial lines. Isset felt exultation run through her. They were still holding them back. They could still win this one.
The skeleton rushing towards her collapsed into dust as Shoki leaped up and let loose a shockwave into it. Isset looked up to view her automaton’s handiwork and froze.
A tall, slender figure had appeared before the gates of the Bastion. A dozen Lamia formed a ring around her, pushing outwards with arrows as they came. She had writhing snakes for hair, and was adorned in a wealth of jewelry stolen from a thousand dead soldiers. She watched the battle impassively, her hips gently swaying upon the serpentine tail which supported them. Like the other Lamiae, she was blue-skinned and snakelike, but there could be no confusing this creature with any other of her ilk, or any other monster at all.
It was Medusa. The Queen of the Undead Swarm, loose in Al Zahbi.
Her eyes shone red, and Isset screamed as a score of Imperial soldiers froze in their tracks. They would have too, save for that their throats had turned to stone. The Lamiae leader turned, and once again her eyes fell upon a column of her enemies. Statues replaced men, rooting them to the spot behind flesh turned to stone. Isset covered her eyes, fleeing in fear. Medusa. Slayer of men by the thousands. Commander of the countless hordes of the walking dead. Able to turn men to stone with her gaze. Now she was here, and nothing the Imperial army had encountered before could prepare them for her coming. She advanced practically unimpeded as panic caused the soldiers in her path to turn tail and run.
At the western gate, Gulool Ja Ja suddenly leaped into the air. Isset’s eyes went wide as she watched the attack unfold. With one jump, the Autrach crashed down upon the wall Najelith stood upon, scattering her soldiers with his impact. They rushed towards him, but with a roar he spit fire upon their ranks. Archers engulfed in flame screamed as they toppled over the sides of the walls. The Galeserpent held her ground, peppering Gulool Ja Ja with arrows. The lizardman brushed them off, and the warrior side of it rushed forward, cracking her against the skull with one its swords. She flew through the air and landed hard on her back. At the Hall of Binding, a third seal disappeared.
The Mamool Ja Autrach loomed over her for a moment, and then raised both of its swords high in the air, ready to finish her off once and for all. Isset leaped off the collapsing stone wall, projecting herself towards him fearlessly. She realized too late she could not possibly reach the General in time.
As it turned out, she didn’t need to.
Gulool Ja Ja’s swords scraped noisily off the surface of a hastily raised Amood. The crescent-bladed axe hung in the air, then repulsed the lizard ruler’s blades with a mighty sweep. Dull-eyed and blinking, Speed stood between Gulool Ja Ja and Najelith.
“Yo, dude . . . “ he said to the giant, “that ain’t cool.” He squinted, staring up at the lizard looming over him. “Whoa,” he said, “you’re like . . . this big.” He spread his arms out suggestively, and then stopped, puzzling over his own hands.
Gulool Ja Ja’s two heads stared at one another in confusion.
“Kill him, we shall?” The wizard head inquired.
“Kill him, we must!” The warrior head agreed.
The Warrior again fended off Gulool Ja Ja’s blows, though seemingly unaware of why. Isset crouched down behind the duo as they battled. Speed was still clearly under the influence. Could he really face off against a foe like this without his full power? She heard more screams from below, but turned away from them almost as soon as her eyes flicked towards their source.
Medusa had advanced further, now pressing the undead to break through the already weakened gate and enter Ulthalam’s Parade Ground. From there the Hall of Binding would be within their reach. Around her was a circle of stone warriors. Some had fallen to the ground, shattering into pieces. The Imperial army fled at her coming. They had no defense against such a creature.
Until a crack of lightning struck Medusa in the back. The Lamia hissed, the snakes on her brow rising up in protest as a scorch mark appeared in her flesh. She spun, eyes gleaming red as she sought to encase the mage who dared strike her.
Xaerus stared back at her, unflinching. Medusa’s gaze had no effect upon the blind woman. With a flick of her staff, another round of electric force sizzled off of Medusa’s flesh. She crossed her arms defensively, warding off the spell. The Lamia lowered her arms, and drew her own slender bow from he back. Her snakes hissed and bit at Xaerus, who merely stood her ground.
“Well, well, two-legs,” Medusa said in a hypnotic voice, “it looks as though you wish to dance.”
“It would seem this is my fate . . . “ Xaerus replied, and then snatched her staff roughly, defensive spells blossoming around her. The Lamia Queen began rapidly firing her bow, and Xaerus dove to the side as her arrows tore apart the stone beneath her.
All around, the beastmen were pushing forward. Even with their leaders held at bay, their numbers and early victories were now mounting upon the Imperial forces. With Medusa temporarily neutralized, the defenders of the western gate were able to fight back again, but it was too late. Beastmen were rushing into the Ulthalam Parade Grounds, battling Imperial soldiers every step of the way. The entire expanse was quickly degenerating into an all-out melee. The beastmen would do anything to break through to the Hall of Binding, and the Imperials would do anything to hold them back.
Spurred on perhaps by the Astral Wind, or the sight of Speed and Xaerus holding their own, or maybe just her own sense of national pride, Isset ran forward and dove off the wall. She and Shoki landed in the thick of the fighting in front of the shattered western gate. Immediately, they went to work, battling back as hard and as fast as they could.
The whole of Al Zahbi shook with combat. Isset just prayed that wherever she was, Jinxie was safe, and had found Kkel and Pixel.
Had the air in Aht Urghan been still, rather than overwhelmed with the din of battle, the distant howl carried on the winds from Mount Zhayolm would have been just loud enough to echo in her ears.
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