The Lord of the Slaads-The Heart of Chaos

Chapter IX-The Army of Death

Scarr turned to look at Ki'lak remembering fond memories of how they met, "truth be told, he found me and I tried to kill him," Scarr said, Rickalas began to nod his head in a no motion as if to say that there's no surprise there. "That was my fault actually, I should not have been sneaking about in the dark, acting all inconspicuous," said Ki'lak as Scarr nodded in agreement. "Ok, can we get back to the task at hand please," asked Scarr, he also went on to say that everything discussed is on a need to know basis and only he and Rickalas may speak of it with anyone.
They all looked at him, smiled and nodded their heads in agreement, "by the way Rickalas, you have not seen Damo have you," asked Scarr, Rickalas said that he hadn't, "he has missed the entire meeting," as he finished speaking Damo arrived and rushed over to them, "oh look here what the sphinx dragged in, where have you been, brother," Scarr finished nodding his head in shame at Damo and getting ready to scald him for missing the meeting. "Sorry general, I bloody overslept," he replied, Scarr accepted his poor excuse for now and said someone will fill him in later.
Damo apologised again for being late and began to look at the floor in shame, "are you going to tell us what happened in Hydra brother," asked Niklaus, as he finished his sentence Lord Tirian accompanied by two elves approached them from the north, the two elves with him were of the royal guard, they both have long blond hair, blue eyes, they have a long red cape behind them, they wore a golden chest piece' with a picture of a great oak tree in the centre, they have golden bracers on their wrists and chainmail gloves on their hands.
They also wore greaves on their feet covering up to their kneecaps, chainmail covering their upper feet, torso and upper right and left arms, they had a golden helm on with loads of small red flowers going from the crown area of the helm all the way to the back of their head, they also have a short sword strapped to their right waist and finally a bow and a quiver of arrows on their back, the two elves didn't look at the Guardians, instead they just stared directly in front of them. "Greetings Guardians, I trust you are well," said Lord Tirian as he urged his guard to stand ground behind him as he walked to the Guardians.
Scarr told him that they are well and thanked him for asking, he also told him that Rickalas is about to explain what happened in Hydra, "yes. I will be setting of for Plutopua soon, I can report to Scabies on your behalf, please proceed," whispered Lord Tirian and on his request Rickalas proceeded to tell the events that transpired back in Hydra, in great detail I might add. As he was telling the events he focused solely on the presence of the wizard and the threats that he had made.
Lord Tirian became startled at what he heard and that they must prepare for an upcoming battle, he also stated that darkness really is upon them, "I must go prepare, it seems I need to meet with Scabies before the council begins, there is a lot he needs to know," Scarr agreed with Tirian and became quiet in order to let him finish, "may the god of thunder and king upon Olympus, shine a light upon us this day, good luck Guardians," Lord Tirian smiled slamming his fist against his breastplate once he finished speaking.
He then rejoined his royal guard and continued towards the palace. "Go rest now brothers and sisters, for we leave for Faryal soon," said Scarr as the Guardians scattered and walked their separate ways, Scarr, Rickalas and Ki'lak remained there awhile, discussing important events.
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It's the 22nd Poseidon 1900 ABM and dawn had already struck long ago, the Guardians and Ki'lak were already four days into their journey to Faryal, they left Tirian at first light as Scarr said they would, they traveled south out of the elven forest, then followed the tree line east past the village of Grington, then turned north again whilst still following the tree line, until eventually they turned east again and made their way towards the gap of Tirian, from there they proceeded east across an empty plain were they came across a forest, a forest none dared enter, the forest of lost souls it had been rightly nicknamed.
They all decided to take the longer way which would take them an extra day in their journey, they decided to follow the border of the tree line. They began to travel south until they reached the tip of the forest edge and from there they traveled northeast towards the city of Camel, which stood on the forest edge, upon arriving at the city they decided to rest a few hours, the city had a large castle at the end of the city, not a fortress and not as grand as Urik'daan. There's also a stone wall which surrounds the city, a load of houses and a market in the centre and they were all heading for the inn at the centre of the city where they all slept.
It was almost dusk on the fourth day from leaving Tirian when they all awoke from their much needed slumber, so they set of once again for the city of Faryal, they left the city through the same gate they entered and started following the wall east to the edge of the city were they then turned northeast because in that direction stood Faryal, a few more hours of travelling time and Haven had already set, but Jovenstar was still continuing its descent, although it was still light enough, Mintaka's a blue star and is far away in the solar system and didn't give much light, but it's light enough that they can see Faryal on the horizon.
As Mintaka disappeared and the blanket of night covered the entire sky, Scarr whispered, "there is is, the city of Faryal," luckily they all have a stick torch each which they lit moments before, "took long enough to get here," Scarr finished while Ki'lak heard something rushing them from behind which the others didn't hear, he took out his sword as quick as lightning, turned around in a blinding fury and struck the object in question from right shoulder to its left torso side, as he looked into its eyes, they were a burning inferno and he couldn't sense any emotion coming from it, only rage and the desire to kill, with no sense of free will and it seemed empty.
It's made up of nothing but smoke, it is the nothing, the Kananarku, the army of death and looking into its eyes felt like the end, the end of everything, it made him feel like giving up and laying down arms. But he quickly shifted the feeling as he's strong willed. In the same moment as Ki'lak striking the nothing, the nothing vanished in a puff of smoke and returned from once it came, wherever that may be. "What in the Nether, was that," asked Rickalas, they all became worried and slightly scared upon seeing the army of death for the first time, except for Scarr and Ki'lak for some strange reason, who looked as though they had encountered it before. "That would be the thing from my vision," replied Scarr.
They heard more noise in the distance rushing towards them, so Scarr warned them in a fearful voice, "Kananarku, weapons ready," while he said that they all took out their weapons except Ki'lak who already had his out, the nothing, rushed them one by one and two by two, one approached Trogen claws outstretched but he clambered it down with his war hammer as it vanished he dropped his torch, took out his great axe and duel wielded them both, another nothing, approached Spiros he sliced it up with his long sword and that too disappeared. "It seems to shy away from the torches," advised Lucyia.
Johnkal took her advice and hit one across its empty face with the flame end of the stick, "it really does fear the light," as the nothing, flew of in fear, as of that moment they all began to use their torches as a weapon as well as their main weapon, a nothing, tried to take Scarr on but he hit it with his duel swords in a downward cross motion from behind his head, they were all stood in a straight line along the narrow pathway cutting the nothing, down as and when they struck, eventually they started coming more frequently and they were now coming in groups of three.
Rosearlea's stood behind all the others as they were all protecting her, she tried to keep the numbers down using her bow and she saw one shooting towards them so she took an arrow out of her quiver, loaded the bow, flicked her long flowing red hair behind her, pulled back the string and let it fly, the arrow shot through the air in a blinding speed and hit the nothing right between the eyes, the nothing, vanished but the arrow continued to pass through as it disappeared and also hit the nothing, behind it causing it to also disappear, she loaded up another arrow and shot another nothing, causing it to disappear too.
As she continued to fire arrows at the army of death, she laughed and began to speak, "is this all you got," one Kananarku managed to slip passed one of Rosarlea's arrows and was rushing towards Damo, Damo just laughed and raised his long sword above his head and swung it downwards through the nothing's, body also causing it to disappear, he then proceeded to wipe the sweat of his brow from all the slaying he had done. Another nothing, had slipped passed everyone and sneaked up towards Damo, it's stood behind him as it raised its sharp claws above him.
Just as it was about to strike a long sword pierced the nothing's, upper body, as Damo turned around he witnessed the nothing, vanish and saw Spiros stood behind him smiling, Damo's heart sank, he was relieved, if it wasn't for Spiros he would have surely died in that moment, as he got his breath back he proceeded to thank him and nodded at him as a sign of respect. "You owe me one, brother," Spiros smirked, as another nothing, attacked Ja'nel but she parried it off with her short sword, Niklaus is back to back with Ja'nel and as she parried the blow he span around her and stabbed the nothing, with his scimitar in the chest area which forced it to vanish.
That was the last one, for but a moment they stopped coming, that's when they heard it, a sound that took Scarr straight back to his vision of Warican, a fearsome battle cry, Ki'lak realised they're regrouping for another assault, "we need to change formation, pick your torches up," advised Ki'lak. They all sheathed their weapons and the ones that dropped their torches picked them back up, "ok, place them in a circle, large enough for us to fit in, but small enough so the light is not spread out too much," and they all did as he said, they spaced them out in a circle around them as Scarr clicked onto his battle strategy.
The circle of torches is to act like a defence, a force field against the nothing, and to protect their flank, "well thought Ki'lak," Scarr nodded, Ki'lak nodded in kind before Scarr finished speaking, "I am glad you are here, brother," as they finished spreading the torches around them they all took back out their weapons and got ready. Ki'lak advised that they're not ready yet and said that he, Scarr and Rickalas shall be watching the front flank. He then said that Johnkal, Trogen and Lucyia will be protecting the right and as he finished speaking, they all agreed and moved into place.
Ki'lak then proceeded to advise Ja'nel, Rosarlea and Niklaus that they will have the left flank and that Spiros, Kelsia and Damo will be taking the back flank. As they were all finely ready, they noticed the nothing, rushing towards them in full force, "here we go," Kelsia trembled watching the nothing, smash into the wall of light, unable to get through because of their fear they began flying over it, looking for a weakness. Kelsia spoke again, "it is like Azra all over again," she looked to Scarr and Damo who both frowned at her and replied at the same time.
They told her that they remember the Azra Bilqis very differently while at the same time they were all stabbing and Rosarlea is shooting at the nothing, through the light, although even though the nothing's, afraid of the light some of the more tougher ones began to push through and attack them so they just parried them off and kept destroying them. "Are we having fun yet," Ki'lak laughed, they all looked at him and frowned whilst continuing to keep the nothing, at bay, "this is your idea of fun, you are crazy brother," Niklaus frowned whilst he parried a nothing's, razor sharp claw in order for Rosarlea to destroy it.
Ki'lak laughed at them in an insanely manner and spoke, "you do not know the half of it," the nothing, had found weak spots in the light and was beginning to drop through the top and getting behind them, Spiros, Rosarlea and Trogen doubled back to the middle to protect everyone's flanks from there and began destroying the nothing, as they fell through. Scarr didn't see any way out of this so he knelt down, pushed his feet of the ground and with his duel swords pointing straight up.
He smashed through the nothing, that was grouping together above him, destroyed them and landed outside the light circle causing all the nothing, to turn around and began to attack him, but as a half'pyr he was too quick for them and as they came he cut them down. The light circle's now clear of the nothing, because they're now focusing all their efforts on taking out Scarr and that's when the traitor whomever he was whispered the incantation, 'extinguisher,' which forced a gush of wind to blow all the torches out and left them all in total darkness and prey to the nothing.
As soon as the lights went out a load of nothing, broke of from attacking Scarr and proceeded to attack all the others at the same time. Rosarlea quickly dropped her bow and pulled out her short sword and began hacking and slicing at the nothing, but they were coming to fast. Before anyone had realised they had gotten through her defence and dragged her to the ground and they all covered her holding her down, until she couldn't be seen any more and her fate was not known, while it happened Niklaus turned to her with his heart breaking in two for reasons unknown to him and he screamed her name out loud.
He cut his way through the nothing, trying to get to her but they were too many, the nothing, kept coming together and making a wall blocking his approach to her. He cut through them and he continued to cut and slash with his scimitar until the nothing, managed to pull the weapon from his hand and they piled on him like a pack of wolves upon their prey. He too was then dragged to the ground until you could no longer see him. Moments later Ja'nel was overwhelmed, then it was Johnkal trying desperately to save Ja'nel. Then it was Kelsia, then Spiros who wouldn't let them take Kelsia away from him.
Then Damo went and after them Trogen finally went down. All the while Scarr, Ki'lak, Rickalas and Lucyia were still holding their own. Lucyia didn't go down yet because Rickalas is protecting her, until eventually she did, a nothing, went to claw her in the face which she parried and Rickalas stabbed it and it disappeared. But as he had his back to Lucyia a group of nothing, grabbed her from behind and dragged her away while she screamed out Rickalas's name so he turned and he went to give chase, "Lucyia, you will never take her away from me," he cried.
As he began to chase her the nothing, put up a great wall of smoke so he couldn't catch her and as he cut through them more nothing, had risen to take their places, no matter what he did he just couldn't cut through them. "Rickalas, do not lose your focus," shouted Scarr, but it was no use he continued to try to get Lucyia but the nothing, wouldn't budge, "you will share their fate," he warned, in which Rickalas violently replied, "Scarr, I do not care," cried he as the wall collapsed over him forcing him to share the same fate as the others, Scarr nodded his head in a no motion and sighed and thought he was a fool.
Scarr and Ki'lak moved towards each other placing themselves back to back whilst fending off the swarm of the nothing, and that's when Scarr spoke with a proud voice, "just you and me now Ki'lak, who would have thought it, a messenger of Warican, able to outlive my best," Ki'lak didn't say anything he just continued to kill the nothing, as and when he could. So Scarr continued to finish what he was saying, "there is more to you than meets the eye, I care not, know that you have earned my trust brother," Ki'lak smiled at Scarr.
Through those words a brotherhood is formed as they continued to kill the nothing, one wave at a time, but it seemed for every one they took down three more took its place and the location they seemed to be coming from is the forest of lost souls. "This is no good, the more we take down the more that takes their place," Ki'lak worried as he stabbed a nothing, in its blank face and sliced through another one with the second blade which he had gotten from All'maker knows where. "This is it. The end of the line," Scarr sighed, stabbing a few nothing's, he finished, "we are going to die," Ki'lak turned to look at him.
As Ki'lak was distracted a few nothing, knocked him flying and he hit the floor. As he sat up he noticed Scarr still holding out and slaying the nothing like a pro, but it was no good, with his flank exposed they all piled on top of him. Even then he still continued to slay them, he wouldn't give up, Azurdenea needed him, the nothing, ripped his duel swords away from him and still they struggled to bring him down. "No, you will not bring me down," Scarr shouted as he began tearing them apart with his bare hands.