A dragonslayers tale
Chapter 19: The song of the earth

Phraan and the others did run towards the exit, the building was abandoned now and they heard sounds from the outside which indicated that time were running out. Zaray did look a bit nervous and Phraan felt his heart beating fast. Something was happening out there and it didn’t feel good at all. Zaray bit her teeth together and she stopped them. “Listen, I think something is coming, I can sense it. We shouldn’t just rush out but try to be a bit sneakier than before. There is a chance that something may be waiting for us on the outside. “

Dhokay was growling and Ivran blinked, he did look very confused. “What?”

Zaray looked down. “Ivran, one of us may not be on the right side here, I don’t trust him. “

Ivran gasped. “Fastonar? But…”

Phraan petted the little dragon, she was still clinging onto his shoulders. “Don’t think about it Ivran, it is a thing between him and me now, I will replace the truth. Just…try to see if you can sense anything out there?”

Ivran swallowed and closed his eyes and he gasped. “The barrier is breaking, something has happened at the citadel, something terrible. And I feel Thiana and Taurin, they….oh Gods, it is…mad!”

Zaray was smiling, a very faint smile. “It will all end here, today. The evil against the light, nothing will be the same. It is as it was seen. We will have to fight now my friends, in every way we can”

Her eyes were glowing and there was sadness in her eyes. “I can do it once more, use my birth right. If it is needed that is what I have to do and then there is no way back”

Dhokay was smiling, there was some sort of serene admiration in his eyes. “Yes, I know. Do not worry, the Gods will show us the way”

Phraan stared at the corridor ahead of them, he wanted to go out there, to face his old friend and haul the truth out of him but something told him to wait.

Ivran swallowed. “I am afraid, Thiana and Taurin, the power is…”

Zaray did pet his shoulder gently. “Don’t worry about them, they are the ones among us who are strongest at this moment, just wait and behold what they are about to unleash. It will be salvation and damnation in one”

Ivran frowned but he didn’t ask any more questions, he felt it in his every bone, something was coming, something…wild!

Thiana and Taurin had been immersed in the magic of the land, they had dragged it to the surface and now it was growing stronger by the second, the force spread through the soil and washed away the contaminated magic and the ground seemed to shake. The two wood elves lay on the ground, hands in the dirt and their eyes were shining like gems, Shaluun had never seen anything like it and he was grasped by a deep feeling of awe. He was shivering, as an elf he felt the power which was awakening and it was terrible and wonderful at the same time, the wild free force of nature untamed and he held his axe and hoped that nothing unexpected would happen.

The shaking stopped and now the soil seemed to lift, it was a surreal sight as thousands of sprouts suddenly shot up and started to move like hands over a tightly packed crowd of people. And it didn’t happen just there at the fields, it happened everywhere. Pavements cracked, cobblestone was tossed sky high, walls started to buckle and towers shook. The two elves were glowing green, using all their strength and as they gave their last push the barrier at the wall gave way and the dragons came rushing forth. Shaluun let out a groan, this was no longer a safe place, they were out in the open and the goddamn beasts would replace them fast. Around them the green spread outwards in pulsing waves, more and more and it would reach the city itself soon. Shaluun turned to watch the two, they were still glowing and still immersed in the intense magic they had awakened.

He stared towards the wall and saw the veritable wave of monsters which was spreading out and he swallowed hard, he had to protect the two, even with his own life and he wasn’t afraid to die, he was just afraid to fail. Suddenly he saw movement up ahead, some soldiers and a mage came running, all terrified and trying to escape the dragons and Shaluun was a bit confused for he hadn’t seen people at all, it seemed as if the city itself had been evacuated, at least the poor areas. He had no idea of who had done it or how but he didn’t care. What he did care about was the fact that they were about to be discovered. The mage stopped, he stared at the crates and felt the magic there for sure and he did also see the green life which spread out now, growing stronger every second. The sprouts were soon knee high and the man let out a shout. “Soldiers, attack, there is something there, stop it”

Shaluun cussed, soldiers were one thing, and he could fight them with ease but the mage? He heard Thiana’s voice. “Fight the soldiers, we’ll take care of the mage!”

The soldiers saw only a few crates and they were afraid and wanted to run ahead to avoid the dragons but an order was an order and they didn’t dare to disobey the mage. They ran forth and Shaluun took a deep breath and stepped out behind the crates. The soldiers slowed down, shocked. It was an elf, a very tall elf with a terrifying axe and he did look like a true warrior. The mage frowned, an elf? Where did that creature come from? One elf couldn’t be that dangerous? He felt a sort of surge coming from the land underneath him and he wasn’t sure of what to do. He had escaped just because of his lack of courage and he would leave his brethren behind without hesitation. He swallowed and prepared to use his magic against the tall elf, how could anything be so beautiful and so terrifying at once?

The soldiers did yell to give themselves courage and rushed forth, eager to bring the enemy down so they could seek cover somewhere safe. Shaluun sneered, they were amateurs, not really warriors. They attacked like a herd of sheep, and he had fought in many battles. He had fought orcs and goblins too and these soldiers were hardly a challenge. The axe was a very special weapon and not at all like the ones the dwarves used, it was more like a crescent shaped swords blade with two long extra blades curling inwards, attaching it to the handle and it was both elegant and lethal. The first soldier who came at him got cut in half, the blade had been made to cut through the hide of a dragon, a man in a leather armour didn’t even offer any resistance.

Shaluun let out a roar and the remaining soldiers did hesitate once more, two more fell with their legs cut out from underneath them and the last one turned on his heel and fled. Shaluun growled and ran after the man and the mage threw off a spell but it didn’t hit the elf the way he thought it would, the magic from underneath sort of swallowed the power and the amount which reached the creature was weak. It made Shaluun gasp with pain but didn’t hinder him and he cut the fleeing soldier down with a swift movement. The mage prepared for another spell but suddenly he was grasped by vines and lifted off the ground, vines did twirl around his body and he screamed, tried to grasp his knife to break free but there was no chance. The vines did enter his mouth and nose, cut off his air and other vines did also enter his other bodily orifices, including his ears, boring their way into the brain He was dead within seconds and thrown away like a ragdoll. The two wood elves got up, both were weak and staggering but they managed to stand and Shaluun raced over to them. They saw that the dragons were spreading out but now the sprouts had reached the height of a small tree and they seemed to gather, to form figures which were treelike and yet of an almost humanoid shape. Trees did shoot out of the ground along the valley’s edge and the fire which spread in the city threw a terrible blood red light over it all. Thiana moaned. “We are spent, you have to protect us Shaluun. The forest has awakened, it will help fight the dragons but it cannot stop them all, not yet”

Shaluun nodded, he shook the blood off the blade and blinked, it looked as if some of the dragons were shrinking? Thiana gasped. “Oh by the Goddess, someone has undone the magic used to create them, blessed be!”

Taurin was leaning on her and his eyes were huge. “We have to go to the cliffs, I can sense life there, many people. Hurry.”

Thiana frowned. “Something has entered our world, in the citadel, something unholy! But…it is trapped?”

Shaluun shrugged. “I don’t care, come, we have to hurry. Taurin, lead the way”

The tracker nodded and grasped Thiana by the hand, they all ran towards the cliffs, the wood elves did feel the presence of the people who had fled and sought them using all their senses.

Peter did rush forth, Tersus didn’t seem to have been seriously injured but he was bleeding from several cuts and he was chuckling, it did sound absolutely insane. “By my mother’s breeches, that was one heck of a blast!”

Peter rolled his eyes. “Yes, goddamn it Tersus, you could have killed us both!”

Tersus just waved a hand and snickered. “Oh I am sure it would have worked out fine no matter what, I am lucky like that. Come now!”

He walked forth and entered the room. It was lighted by several huge lamps and in the middle of the room was a sort of circle carved into the floor and it was marked with gold. A pedestal was placed in the middle of the circle and a book laid on it, the air around it was crackling with magic and Tersus cocked his head, his eyes shining. “Oh my, I bet anyone trying to enter that circle will end up as a human shaped piece of coal right?”

Peter just nodded, the alchemist was getting more and more mad, the man had to have sniffed too much of his own chemicals for he was falling apart mentally, there was little doubt about that. Tersus did walk around the circle, he was playing with his hair and his eyes were narrow. “Disturbing the magic is dangerous, now there is a piece of information I didn’t really need for it is darn obvious. So, what to do, how to break it without getting fried?”

Peter shrugged. “Explosives?”

Tersus smiled and the eyes were shining. “See? I knew there was a reason I accepted you as an apprentice, we are two of a kind, yes we are. Of course I can blast the whole room to smithereens, I bet that will disturb the magic pretty well now won’t it? Oh yes!”

He grasped the bag and Peter bit his teeth together, dear Gods, he had said it in an attempt at sounding brave! Tersus did tie some small jars and vials together with string and then he found some flint and steel and his smile got even wider. “You see lad, there is something magic lack, it is so freaking absolute you see. A spell cannot work halfway, it works or it doesn’t. You cannot regulate the strength of it, but with alchemy, oh it is so elegant. It can be controlled and the effects regulated very carefully.”

Tersus did weight the small collection of jars and vials in his hands and Peter swallowed nervously. “Is that enough?`”

Tersus started to laugh. “This? Oh this is what I refer to as overkill, I would only need one jar to bring down this room but there is no point in being too frugal now is it? The bigger the blast the greater the fun!”

Peter whimpered. Fun? More like a serious attempt at killing them both. Tersus chuckled like a deranged hyena before he threw the bundle into the circle after having light the string on fire. The circle didn’t reject it, it just lay there. “See? It isn’t magic so the circle doesn’t see it as a threat. Now that is a weakness I tell you and a not insignificant one”

Peter grasped the alchemist by the collar and dragged him off. “Yes, yes, goddamn it, but we have to go!”

Tersus smiled. “Ah of course, yes, the blast, nasty things such blasts, one never knows how strong they will be. “

Peter was panting, they ran down the corridors and luckily there was nobody there now so they weren’t hindered by anyone. Tersus was chuckling the whole way, and Peter felt as if death was breathing down his neck, this was not fun, it was the direct opposite of fun. Compared with this fun was sitting in a pool filled with poisonous snakes and acid. They reached the main entrance and saw that the guards had gone and Tersus ran out onto the square hollering like a madman. “It will happen soon, it will happen soon, just you wait and see!”

Peter whimpered. “The dragons, they have breached the barrier, we have to go, they will be here soon”

Tersus let out a little squeal. “Oh we won’t go before we see the power of my inventions.”

Peter felt desperate now. “Oh goddamn it!”

He didn’t have time to say more, there was a deafening boom and the entire top of the citadel seemed to fly outwards before a fireball almost the size of the entire structure flew upwards and the air shivered in an almighty pressure wave. Tersus was screaming like a girl and Peter gasped. The citadel shivered, the ground did thunder and roar and the building started to collapse, rocks and debris started to rain down over them and Peter didn’t know what to do with himself, he was afraid they would get crushed. He didn’t have time to think before he was pushed upwards by something huge and he let out a squeal as he found himself straddling the back of the dragon which had followed them. The beast threw Tersus too onto his back and ran and now the two saw that grass and vines started to spread everywhere. Tersus did gape. “What in heavens name, I have never heard of anything from the plant kingdom acting thus?”

Peter did cling on to the back of the beast, it was running at full speed to get away from the debris but that meant that they were heading towards the oncoming dragons. “This is no time to discuss botanical issues!”

Tersus was giggling. “Oh I never believed that I would become a dragon rider, onward oh brave steed, and replace our friends”

Peter closed his eyes, Tersus was mad, definitely one hundred percent stark raving mad, and he was going mad too, just from being there with him.

The demons had gathered in the great hall, and they had been very self-assure and ready to go out and start the slaughter, but something had blocked them. They hadn’t been able to leave the room and it felt as if some sort of power field was trapping them there. The demons felt the magic deep within the ground and sought it but that too was blocked and they felt a sort of presence there and their anger and confusion grew. There was life out there, life they aimed to devour and they growled and didn’t really know what to do. The power which surrounded them was very pure and very different from their own and suddenly a shining figure did appear, wielding a bright rod of light like a sword. The lead demon hissed and attacked and the figure slid out of the way and the rod did touch the demon’s scaly skin and it screamed and smoke did rise from the wound. The other there realized that this being was what kept them there and they attacked. The anger and wrath which was the very core of their being couldn’t be hindered by fear or doubt and the being of light was fighting desperately to keep them at bay. She was new to this, her powers yet untried and they sensed it and now their goal was to devour this newly awakened goddess and then the source of her powers.

Her light did burn them and the barrier she had created to keep them there was very strong, they wouldn’t be able to escape the great hall. The fight went on for what felt like an eternity, their claws hit nothing but air but the dark energy did hurt her and she was getting desperate. If the demons did escape this place the disaster would be complete.

Sparks did fly, roars and screams did fill the air and she did drink from the heart stone and managed to hold the magic up. Eleven demons are no easy task to subdue and she was struggling. They had magic of their own and tried to make her flesh and blood so they could torment her further before they killed her and she was starting to feel a sense of despair. What was she to do? She had to get rid of them somehow! Outside the wild magic was spreading and she knew that the dragons were changing, and that the forests would take care of them but this was a much more serious problem. The rod of light did hurt the demons but it couldn’t kill them since they weren’t of this world and she knew that they somehow had to become flesh and blood of this place to be vulnerable. But she didn’t have that sort of skills. Then the whole citadel did tremble and a terrible boom was heard and the hall started to collapse, the demons shrieked in triumph, the magic which held them trapped did weaken for only a few seconds and that was enough. They broke through and the spirit which had been Imeah screamed in despair and anger, how was she to stop them now?!

Rhuk and Dabin had been leading the elves down through the servant’s corridors and they had entered the old potato cellar when they felt the whole building shake. The poor elves did scream in fear and Rhuk did cuss violently, he saw that the walls had started to crack and thunderous booms told him that the entire citadel was about to collapse. He smacked the behind of the one in front of him. “Run, put those long shanks of yours into work, you have gotta run now!”

They all ran, the two carrying the unconscious male were panting and trembling and Dabin ran in front to make sure that nobody did try to stop them if there were enemies about. They found the door open and now the thunder was even louder than before and Dabin yelled. “Stay close to the mountain side, the rock will protect us, hurry!”

The elves were tired and scared but they were driven by their fear and hope and Rhuk was forming the back, he was yelling to them. “Hurry, hurry, the whole shite is falling, they haven’t used really good rock for sure. Morons who cannot build a decent structure!”

There was rocks hitting the ground, a cloud of dust and smoke did almost catch up with them and they were dragging each other, most were barely able to walk. Rhuk grasped a willowy elven girl and carried her with him, he knew the dangers of a collapse and he remembered some rather nasty things which had happened back in the days. Not all dwarven cities had been built without causalities for the rock could be very treacherous some places and what seemed as a very safe and solid strata could turn out to be rotten rock whence they had dug through the first few meters. There was a loud crack and the ground did shake, they were hit by a blast of air and Rhuk coughed. The air was filled with dust. Dabin shouted. “I can see the tunnel, fast now!”

Everybody gathered their last energy and ran to the tunnel, it was still open but the two dwarves who controlled it stood there and they did look very impatient. They had not expected the two warriors to return alive and now that they suddenly appeared it was a shock. Rhuk grinned. “Here, we did hold our word, the elves are safe.”

The two stared at the stretcher and their eyes were large. “What happened to that one?”

Dabin swallowed and his face was rather stiff. “He has been raped by the goddamn leeches, I hope the building fell on top of them all”

The dwarf gasped and stared, his eyes huge. “Oh by the allfather, that is terrible. Hurry now, we are about to close the entrance”

Rhuk helped the last ones into the tunnel and they were about to start the process of lifting the barrier back into place when three figures did appear in the dust and Rhuk let out a yell of surprise. “Shaluun? Thiana and Taurin? Oh by the Gods and their aching teeth, where have you come from?”

Shaluun was supporting the two wood elves, he was snarling. “They have awakened the life of the valley, the forests are returning. Both have spent almost all of their strength, get them to safety”

He swung his axe. “I am going to see if I can replace the others, Phraan and the rest went to the city and I know that Tersus and Peter must be here somewhere too”

Rhuk nodded. “We left them in a guard hut but I think they must have gone to the citadel too, I am not sure if they are alive if they did. The whole thing went badaboom a little while ago”

Shaluun nodded. “We saw that thank you, everybody in the city did. I think Tersus had more than a finger involved in that explosion”

He made a grimace. “The dragons are returning to their original state, but it is not moving along very fast. Get going, get everyone out of here. “

Rhuk did hesitate, Dabin scowled. “Oh no, don’t you…don’t you dare…”

Rhuk grasped his axe and his eyes were shining. “We came to slay dragons and if they are changing we do have a chance now don’t we? “

Dabin let out a huge sigh of sheer despair. “Rhuk, we have done enough!”

The other dwarf grinned. “No, not until there are no dragons left, come on Dabin, it will be grand”

Dabin was gnashing his teeth, “Yeah, a spectacularly grand manner of dying. Come on, Goldren will be waiting for you”

Rhuk smiled even wider. “She’ll want to marry a dragon slayer now won’t she? It is a once in a lifetime chance”

Dabin groaned. “Yes, at being toasted and burned and crushed, gee, how can I possibly decline that?”

Rhuk nodded vigorously. “See? I told you so!”

Dabin let out another groan. “Damn it Rhuk, I was being sarcastical, you really are rather daft aren’t you?”

Shaluun had to grin. “We have a saying in our tribe, he is one antler short of being a boar”

Both dwarves stared at the tall elf. “Ha?!”

Shaluun just waved them off. “Right, it is an elven joke, come on, if you wanna kill dragons come with me but do as I say”

Rhuk smiled widely and Dabin rolled his eyes. “Fine! Fine! But if we die I am so going to haunt you”

The two dwarves who guarded the tunnel entrance frowned. “So what is it gonna be?”

Rhuk bowed his head. “Seal the tunnel, make sure that everybody stays safe”

The two did look as if they had their doubts but nodded and started lifting the magic which sealed the tunnel again. Rhuk petted Dabin on his shoulder. “Come on, the forest is awakening, the citadel has fallen and now it is up to us to get rid of those pesky dragons, aint it phenomenal?”

Dabin grunted. “Absolutely…wonderful”

Shaluun was chuckling as he was leading them back towards the city, both dwarves were tough and capable fighters, it would be needed for sure.

They had spent too much time turning those columns, Phraan was sure of it. The sounds they heard told them that the dragons were on the loose and Zaray was a bit pale, she was listening with her eyes half shut and Ivran looked rather scared too. Dhokay was swinging his hammer and Phraan made a grimace. “We’d better get going, there is nothing to gain by waiting here.”

The huge cat was nodding, the eyes were strangely calm and Phraan gathered his courage and started walking. The ground was shaking and there was cracks forming in the walls, the small dragons were making sharp squealing sounds and ran as fast as they could. They did look like a stream of mercury defying the laws of gravity. The light from the entrance was not as bright as it had been, the lamps had gone out and they felt a smell of smoke and something else, something acrid. Dhokay turned to Zaray. “Do we use this door?”

She shrugged. “I don’t see why not, we have to get out anyhow, this building may not be very tall but it will crumble, I can feel it.”

Phraan saw that thick vines already had started to crawl in through the door, like snakes, searching for something to grasp on to. It did look bizarre and he felt that this city would be naught but a memory whence this was over, whatever this was.

They ran outside and the tiny dragons did surround them, the air was indeed filled with dust and smoke and it was no lights anywhere so it was rather dark there. The barrier was gone and Phraan hissed, there were dragons heading their way, setting the buildings on fire as they moved forth and with them the other creations also came but he could see that the dragons had changed. They weren’t as large and seemed to return to their natural state. “Look, they are shrinking!”

Dhokay was raising a fist in the air. “Yes, it means we have a chance”

Phraan turned to see if Fastonar was there still, the soul sworn did appear from behind a wall and he was pale as a ghost and shivering. “The citadel, it…it fell, just moments ago”

Zaray frowned. “Fell? What do you mean?”

Fastonar was wetting his lips. “It exploded, or rather, the top did. It was terrible!”

Phraan just mumbled. “We felt that yes”

Fastonar was very nervous. “There are dragons coming, and the city is burning now. What is going on? The ground, there is trees and grass shooting up everywhere”

Zaray smiled, a stiff smile. “The land is awakening, that is what’s happening. Thiana and Taurin has succeeded, I think the dragons will be dealt with.”

Dhokay grinned. “Yes, and since they are becoming what they once were it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. I can sense the wrath in the air”

Fastonar was almost stepping in one place. “So, what are we to do? Flee?”

Phraan shook his head. “No, I think we are to fight, we cannot get out of here unseen anyway and even if the mages are dead there could be some of their followers alive here”

Zaray grinned widely. “The dragons have done the job for us, I don’t think any of the mages on the wall survived. The beasts have killed them all”

The smoke was very thick where the wind forced it down and suddenly something came out of the dark, something rather bizarre. It was the dragon and on its back was Tersus and Peter, both cheered when they saw the others and Tersus was pumping one hand in the air, he was hollering. “Did you see that ha? Did you see? I brought that nest of serpents down, with my own inventions!”

Dhokay helped the two down from the huge animal, it was staring forwards and it was very obvious that it was watching the transformation of its kin back to their original state. It appeared to be pleased. Fastonar was staring at the alchemist with huge eyes. “I…saw”

Tersus chuckled. “Cool ha? Oh what a wonderful blow to the brotherhood, their citadel in ruins, I don’t think that building is anything but rubble now”

Peter was brushing dust off his clothes and he was coughing. “And this entire city is gonna end as a huge pile of ash”

Zaray pointed at the grass and bushes which was popping up everywhere. “No, it is gonna become an oasis once more.”

Phraan heard roars and stared at the incoming horde of dragons and monsters, they had met resistance. Vines thick as tree logs were trapping the huge creatures and squeezing the very life out of them, others were being ripped apart and the dreghil and other monsters seemed to be sucked down as if the ground had turned into quick sand. Phraan was in awe of what he saw and he did almost pity the people who had been on the wall. None of them could have survived this. Zaray pointed, the area near the citadel hadn’t been evacuated and they saw people trying to run past the ruins, trying to seek cover near the cliffs. It had to be the more wealthy citizens and their families and some were probably the families of the members of the brotherhood who weren’t mages. The mages weren’t allowed to get married and Dhokay was frowning. “I bet some of those people have a thing or two to answer to, I doubt that the mages have done all the dirty work on their own”

Zaray just waved her hand. “Let them flee, there are innocent people among them, if they can make it to the canyons they deserve to get away. The wall is up again, I can feel it”

Ivran nodded. “It is, there is no way they can escape this valley now”

Tersus chuckled and his eyes did reveal his madness. “I destroyed the gem just like you told me to do, and then we managed to remove the protection against magical attacks too”

Zaray smiled, a very relieved smile. “Oh wonderful, then the cities can perhaps protect themselves. You have saved many lives now Tersus.”

The alchemist was practically beaming with pride and Peter had to admit that it had been smart, even if it hadn’t seemed that way when they did it. Suddenly the large cat which had been rather relaxed started to sneer and the tiny dragons gathered in tight formations, the queen shrieked and threw her head back, looking rather scared. Zaray gasped. “Something is coming, everybody, be careful. I have no idea of what this might be!”

Phraan felt a sudden gust of heat and his heart did drop, he felt that something indeed was on its way, something terrible. This was no dragon, this was malevolence at its worse, intelligent and wicked and he touched the ring without even thinking about it. The armour formed immediately, but it didn’t create a helmet this time and he felt that the sword felt heavy in his hands. Ivran whimpered and he seemed as if he was about to drop, what he felt there was terrible. Zaray cussed, her eyes wide and Dhokay turned to her. “What?”

She hissed. “Something out of this world!”

They saw that the vines and trees started to shrivel and die and the air changed, it became almost too hot to breathe and Peter let out a shriek of fear and pointed. Something was moving through the smoke and it was more than just one figure. It seemed to be several and they were huge and moved with a sort of floating elegance. Phraan swore, the dragons were being released from their bonds and this could yet end the wrong way now. Zaray swallowed hard. “Demons, don’t try to fight them, they are beyond you all!”

Tersus gaped and backed off and Fastonar was trembling, he did look like a man who has had his heart utterly broken. There was a howl coming from the smoke and Phraan wondered how they could hope to get out of this mess. The demons seemed to kill anything they came into contact with and Zaray hissed. “Tersus, take Peter and Dhokay and Fastonar, get out of here! Phraan, you have got to help me, Ivran, is there anything you can do?”

The young man swallowed, demons? What in heck’s name could he do which could affect such creatures? “I…I have no idea?”

Zaray seemed to tense up. “Wrong answer kid, none of us can fight them when they are like this, they are not of this creation, and they cannot be harmed by us”

It seemed as if the figures had discovered them and was heading their way and Dhokay grasped Tersus and started hauling the alchemist off. Peter just ran and Fastonar was staring at the approaching monsters, his mouth agape and his eyes wide open. Phraan swung his blade. “Can I harm them? Can Rivath do any damage?”

Zaray nodded. “Yes, but they have to be flesh and blood of this world for that to happen.”

The first demon appeared and Ivran let out a shriek, the creature was grotesque and gigantic and its red eyes were filled with triumph and wickedness. In that moment he saw its intentions, it was devouring the energy the wood elves had awakened and then it would take the dragons too and all life there. The demon sensed that the population had fled, those people would be just snacks too, and there was no escape. The thing laughed and reached out towards them and Ivran realized that he was the only one who could do anything at all. His magic was different from all other, it was true chaos, natural chaos. It was everything the dark mages had wanted to be and yet not a thing of darkness and he heard his grandfather’s voice in his head. “Go on son, you know what to do now.”

Ivran felt strangely calm, he knew his role, knew what it would ultimately take from him but he didn’t care. He let the energy flow through him and the demons felt it and cheered, started to gather, moving towards this source of such wonderful living power. Zaray gaped, she had no idea of what Ivran was doing, and he was becoming bait but why? Sparks started to fly of the young man, he was being lifted of the ground and finally he embraced everything that he was. The magic he carried was indeed a double edged sword, there was no going back whence it was awakened. His heart was beating like a drum, sweat flowing of him, what he was about to do was impossible, something only a God was supposed to achieve, something which went against the very laws of nature. He formed it in his mind, and as the demons reached out to devour his energy he reached back to them and changed everything that they were. It wasn’t easy, it pushed his very being to the borders of what he could do and beyond but he didn’t hesitate. This meant changing the very core of creation, forcing the creatures of a different realm to become of this and there was a bright flash of light and the air did explode around them. The demons did shriek, for a short moment they did look almost transparent and then they suddenly felt the weight of this world pulling on them, they were of this world now, unable to return to their own. Caught there for all eternity. Their magic was taken from them, they were just beasts now, nothing more.

Ivran had collapsed, he was barely breathing and Phraan saw that his hair had turned bright white and his skin was strangely discoloured, he did look terrible. Dhokay fell to his knees, shielding the young man and the demons roared in rage and realized that they no longer could draw the energy out of living beings like before. They were bound to this dimension. And the ones responsible for this terrible dishonour were ahead of them. Zaray yelled. “They are still lethal, still strong. You cannot harm them”

She did call the bow forth and shot a few arrows but the demons did still possess some magic and it made the arrows veer off into nothing, she couldn’t do anything to stop them thus and let the bow disappear again. The energy she had to spend to use it was too great, at least when it would be spent in vain.

Phraan saw that the little dragons had scattered, it looked as if they were preparing for something and he took a deep breath. The demons were still huge, and still fast and strong and they wouldn’t stop killing just because they no longer were of another dimension and not s magical as before. He swung Rivath and felt the blade almost singing to his soul, it was eager and it would kill. He had killed dragons’ way larger than any demon but dragons are not intelligent, they function through instinct. These were vicious and smart creatures and he roared an order to Dhokay. “Get Ivran out of the way, we have to stop them.”

Zaray was quiet and she did look as if she was in doubt, her hands were trembling. Phraan saw that the first demon was approaching fast and he stopped thinking, he just reacted. He ran forth and the demon did swing a massive fist at him, trying to send him flying but he dodged it and then the beast was hit by a flying cat which appeared out of the smoke like a sledgehammer. The huge claws did dig into flesh and the demon felt pain for the first time in its existence and it didn’t like it at all. Black blood did spurt from several deep gashes and the cat did snarl and jump out of the way, it avoided a vicious blow and bounced back, teeth sank deeply into the back of the demon’s neck and Phraan swung Rivath and the blade did sink deeply into the demon’s leg. The creature roared and tried to grasp him but the armour didn’t let it get a good grip, he just slid out of the grip and delivered a blow to the arm. These creatures were tough, much harder to kill than a dragon and they were many. He knew he couldn’t kill them all, just finishing this one was hard enough and Ivran was out cold.

The wounds seemed to close themselves rather fast and their bones were simply too dense to cut through. Rivath did cut deeply, an ordinary blade would have bounced off the hard tissue but even this magical sword didn’t seem to kill. Zaray saw that ten more demons were about to attack them and she realized that there was no choice this time. She could no longer hesitate. She ran back, got away from the group and sensed that Shaluun and the two dwarves were heading their way. The energy of the land was recovering now that the demons couldn’t drain it anymore and the vines and trees were recovering but the dragons were coming and coming fast. They would have to fight on two fronts now and she closed her eyes and abandoned the one she had been. This was the last time she could do this, and she wouldn’t be able to shift back again.

In the ruins of the citadel the source which rested so deep down was unharmed by the collapse, the power which had been Imeah recovered from the shock and she felt that the rift the mages had opened still was there. It was an opening through several dimensions and she also sensed the battle which was going on in the city. She wanted to help her friends but she couldn’t, not before the rift was repaired. She could feel that something was approaching the rift from some other dimension and she knew it was bad. No, she had to stop this, and she had to trust that the others could fight this fight and win. There was no other way.

Dhokay pulled Ivran behind a wall and hid him from sight, Peter kneeled next to the young man and he did look terrified. Tersus had grasped the bags and were going through the last vials he had left, he was shivering too. Dhokay swung the hammer, these creatures seemed to be made from much more dense material than a normal being, but that also meant that they should be more vulnerable to blunt force trauma. He was not going to just stand there and he let out a roar and attacked. Fastonar was hiding behind some rocks and now Shaluun and the two dwarves suddenly came out of the clouds of dust and debris. The city was still burning and the light was surreal. The vines and trees were trying to stop the dragons but some did get through and Dhokay shouted at Shaluun and the dwarves. “Keep the goddamn dragons out of the way!”

They nodded and ran off to form a battle line of their own and the dragon which had come with them snarled and seemed to hesitate for a few moments before it ran forth and engaged a demon. The beast hit the dragon and sent it flying and the animal hit the ground with a thud and a groan. The demons were so terribly strong. But the dragon wasn’t injured and now it rushed forth and did a mock attack. As the demon bent to grasp the dragon by its head the huge creature leaped upwards and the terrible maw closed around the demons neck. Teeth the size of short swords did pierce the flesh and the dragon did growl and threw its head back. There was a most disgusting sound, like someone ripping apart a rotten sheet and the demons head was pulled off so black blood shot sky high in a fountain. Phraan was roaring. “The head, take their heads”

One was dead but ten was left and Dhokay swung his hammer at the knee of one of the great monstrosities, it had a head which looked like that of a ram but it had the teeth of a shark and the eyes were filled with cold hatred. The impact was brutal, it would have crushed the very bones of anything of this world but the demon just reared back with a shriek of pain. It was thrown out of balance and Phraan yelled. “We have to cooperate”