Scorched Kingdom

by Daniel Guevara

  Stundroff charged at the bear and landed a solid punch that sent the bear straight into a pile of rocks just a few feet behind it. By then Licius was back on his feet and had started running towards the bear, no longer interested in extracting information.

  As the bear saw Licius it reduced size and transformed into a tiger and, with great speed, started to run away. But Licius was gaining on him.

  So the tiger took a drastic turn in a desperate attempt to shake him off, but his new path was interrupted by Stundroff who landed just in front of him after a considerable jump. Yet the tiger remained in its course and he ran towards the Dwarf at full speed, then jumped over the small Dwarf, transformed into an eagle and flew away.

  “No! He can’t get away,” Licius said.

  If only I had a bow and arrow. And less than a second later, the blade on his right hand retracted and the metal plate covering his right forearm opened in half, revealing a small crossbow. Licius raised his hand and pointed at the now far away eagle.

  “It’s too dark and he’s too far away now!”

  So Arius placed both of his hands in the handle of his hammer and raising it towards the sky created a bright light.

  As the sky lit up just enough for Licius to see the distant shape of the eagle, the Elf took the shot, grazing the eagle on one of its wings.

  The eagle was certainly hurt, but this was not enough to bring it down.

  “Impressive shot!” Stundroff said.

  “Thank you, but it could have been better. Thank you for the light, Arius.”

  “How did you know he would try to steal from us again tonight?” Arius asked.

  “I noticed that we had been followed by him these past few days, always keeping a distance and changing forms. But I spent two thousand years of my life with animals, so it is easy for me to notice strange behavior in them.”

  After a few hours of walking after their disturbed night’s rest, the three travelers made it to the lake’s shore. The castle showed no sign of having been attacked by the fire Orcs, but the pier on their side of the lake had been completely burned, along with all the boats on the shoreline.

  There was no way to get across except for swimming and even then it was a least two miles of water before reaching the castle.

  “Well, what now?” Stundroff asked.

  “We make it across any way we can,” Arius replied.

  “We could swim,” Stundroff suggested.

  “Yes, we could, but that would take a long time. And if my ears don’t fool me, we don’t have that luxury,” said Licius.

  “What do you mean by that?” Arius asked.

  “I hear Orcs in the distance and they’re getting closer, ten of them at least. If we’re lucky they might be regular Orcs. But if they’re like the one we faced yesterday, we could be in trouble.”

  “So what’s the plan then?” Stundroff asked.

  “Think you can throw me that far?” Licius asked.

  “Not sure, seems very far and I’m really hungry. But I can try.”

  “Just throw me as close as you can and I’ll make it the rest of the way. Maybe they have boats on their side and I can come and help you.”

  “Throw me too,” Arius said.

  “What for? You’ll sink to the bottom in that armor,” the Elf said.

  “Don’t you worry about that, the light always finds a way.”

  “I will jump after I throw you,” Stundroff said.

  “Very well then, I will see you on the other side,” said Licius.

  Licius then took a few steps back as Stundroff stood at the edge of the shore; the Elf then started to run as fast as he could and jumped straight into the Dwarf’s hands, who in one single motion tossed him over half the distance with ease.

  Once in the air, Licius deployed the wings from his armor and managed to glide almost all of the remaining distance. As he got close to the water he retracted the wing and took a nosedive straight into the water; using that speed he then flipped and landed on his feet, managing to run five steps over the water and getting to shore without getting wet.

  Arius’s heavy armor prevented him from jumping into Stundroff’s hands, so instead the Dwarf grabbed him firmly and tossed him as far he could in the same direction. Arius made it about one third of the distance before losing momentum and altitude, but the Human prince used his holy shield as a bubble keeping him afloat. He then focused all his energy into his feet and made the top part of the shield disappear, using it as a boat; he then pointed his hammer towards the water behind him and let out a powerful blast of holy energy that propelled him as he made it the rest of the way.

  Only the Dwarf remained on the other shore.

  He then took two steps back and using the incredible strength of his legs, he jumped all the way across the water, landing at the castle’s wall; he buried his fingers inside the solid rock of the wall as he managed to climb to the top, from where he yelled at his two friends,

  “Are you two coming?”

  “Yes, yes you little bastard,” Arius replied.

  Licius took a few steps back and then ran as fast as he could towards the wall. When he was no more than a few feet away he jumped towards it and managed to run six steps upwards before using his retractable blades as claws to climb the rest of the wall.

  Arius, seeing the incredible speed and agility of his Elf companion, decided to walk to the front gate and knock on it.

  It took no more than a few minutes for him to get a response. A small window in the huge gate opened, and through it the voice of a guard asked,

  “Who are you? And what do you want?”

  “My name is Prince Arius White Knight of Logrant city and I demand to speak with the person in charge.”

  “Right, wait a moment.” the voice said, as the small window closed.

  The Elf and the Dwarf kept their distance from the top of the wall, as they had no idea what kind of response the people of Water Siege Castle would have to strangers, especially if those strangers were from another race.

  About five minutes later the small window at the gate opened again and a new voice asked,

  “How can I know for sure that you are who you claim to be?”

  “Because this mace is a relic that only a White Knight’s descendant would carry.”

  “That means nothing, that mace could easily be a fake. The last time a royal family member came to this place, my grandfather was in charge. So no one would remember your so-called relic clearly.”

  “True, but can a non-royal family member do this?” Arius replied as he closed his eyes.

  The prince then held his hammer with both hands as a golden aura of light started to surround him. The light emanating from him grew bigger and brighter until it was almost hurtful to look straight at him.

  “To me, kings of old!” Arius exclaimed in a loud and commanding voice.

  There was a small explosion of light and as the brightness dissipated all the past kings of the White Knight family stood beside him, glowing in a pure golden light, each of them carrying their royal hammer or stave.

  “Do you know who I am?” one of the golden kings asked the man behind the door.

  “Yes, of course. You are King Logrant White Knight, the first king of men. We have portraits of you all over the castle.”

  “Yes, that is correct. And the young man you speak with is the last member of my direct bloodline, Arius White Knight. So open the door for your future king and let him pass,” the image of King Logrant said.

  “Of course, my lord.”

  And as the city gate slowly opened, the kings surrounding Arius dissolved into the air.

  The gate opened just enough to let Arius inside and closed immediately as he passed through.

  Inside the young prince found a beautiful city, where everything was clean and in its place. And in front of him was an old man with grayish hair, wearing an even older combat armor and crown.

  The craftsmanship of his armor was impeccable and the silk of h
is red cloak was even more so.

  “Well, I never thought I would live to see this day,” the old man said.

  “What day?”

  “The day a royal family member would step again through those doors. My name is Count Barosh and I am in charge of this city. I was no more than a child when your father last came to visit.”

  “Yes, it is unfortunate what the Orcs have done to this world. But we have been so preoccupied with defending our city, that we have left the rest of our settlements to fend for themselves against them. But from this day on, that will no longer be the case. For I am making it my sole purpose to unite all Humankind under one single banner and reclaim this world back from the Orcs.”

  “You are truly your father’s son.”

  “Why do you say that?” Arius asked.

  “Because… those were the exact words your father said to my grandfather many years ago.”

  “That may be the case, but I swear that I will not rest until I see my vision come true.” the young prince said.

  “Let us hope you are right, for I am an old man and I would like to go knowing that I’ve left a better world, for my grandsons to live in. Come, let us have a drink and discuss this plan of yours.”

  As the two men began to walk side by side, Arius glanced at the top of the city wall, from which Licius and Stundroff where watching, and by giving them the slightest of nods he let them knew he was alright. As he was sure that Licius’s elven eyes would catch the gesture, without him giving away their position.

  Once inside the main chambers of the count’s keep, the prince understood why the count recognized King Logrant so quickly, for a huge portrait of him hung above the throne where the count sat.

  The count handed him a cup of his finest wine.

  “So, Prince Arius. Tell me about this plan of yours.”

  “Well, it is my intention to travel the world and unite the three main clans of men under one banner, to take the fight against the Orcs. One by one, we will clean their camps and diminish their numbers until we can take the fight to their strongholds.”

  “Yes, that could work against the normal Orcs, but I am more preoccupied with the ones that spit fire and make the ground burn. But I am sure this should not be a problem for you and your two companions.”

  The prince tried his best to appear surprised by the count’s comment.

  “Come on,” said the count. “Don’t think that I don’t know about the Elf and the Dwarf you travel with, or much less the fact that you took on one of those monsters with ease even after days of traveling without food.”

  “I see you have been watching us.”

  “Let’s just say that it is my duty to know what happens in my territory. In fact, I have been paying close attention to your travels since not long after you left Logrant city.”

  “So, I guess that druid that has been following us has something to do with you?”

  “Yes, and I am surprised your Elf friend managed to sneak on him. It is usually the other way around. But I hope that this doesn’t make you distrust me, for I’m hoping to make powerful allies such as you three.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t say it’s the best way to earn my trust, but for now I’d rather stay friends with you, than with those monsters.”

  “Well then, I will tell my men to invite your friends to join us before we continue our conversation.”

  Moments later they were both joined by Licius and Stundroff.

  “Very well then, now that we are all here, we may discuss the matter at hand,” the count said.

  “And what matter would that be?” Licius asked.

  “You will have to excuse my friend, he’s not a huge fan of men,” Arius said.

  “That is perfectly understandable,” the count replied.

  “So, what can you tell us about those, fire spitting Orcs?” Arius asked the count.

  “Well, not much I am afraid. All we know is that unlike the regular Orcs, these new ones are smart. They have killed dozens of our finest warriors without a single casualty. And after we hid ourselves in the city, they burned the docks and boats making sure we could not get out. As far as we know, the one you killed is the first one they have lost.”

  “Yes, and I doubt they are very happy about it,” Licius added.

  “Indeed, but they seem to dislike water. So as long as we stay inside, we should be fine. But it’s only a matter of time before our food reserves run low.”

  “So you can’t tell us anything about where they come from, or how they came to be?” Arius asked the count.

  “I am afraid there is not much more about them that we know of. Our druid scout thinks they come from the east, from a volcanic zone known as the hell lands, where the Fire Mountains rest. But besides that, we are clueless about their powers and whereabouts.”

  “Well, at least that gives us a direction to investigate,” Licius said.

  “More like a direction to avoid,” Stundroff replied.

  “Cowardly as it may sound, I think our Dwarf friend may be right. We should avoid direct confrontation until we get some more information on them,” Arius said.

  “Agreed, but how do you propose we gather information about them without getting close to them? Because as far as I understand, they seem to kill everyone that has come near enough to find out anything,” Licius said.

  “Well there might be someone who can help you,” the count said.

  “And I suppose you will tell us freely, without anything in exchange for that information?” Licius asked.

  “Of course. As far as we know you three are the only ones capable of killing those things and, as I told you, my city is under siege.”

  “So you want us to clean the area, so you can start a trading route again?” Arius asked.

  “Indeed, I do. But I am aware that your journey has been long and hard, so I will let you eat and rest first.”

  “Well, I’m not keen to meet those things in battle again, but I do believe it is a fair deal,” Arius replied.

  “For once it seems we agree on something, Human,” Licius said.

  “All right, enough talk. Where’s the food?” Stundroff asked.

  They ate as much as they could and went to their chambers to rest, in the hopes they would have a day or two before they would have to fight the fire Orcs.

  But sadly their rest was cut short, for no more than a few hours later a soldier stormed into their room and asked them to follow him with the outmost urgency.

  The soldier took them to the top of the city’s south wall, where the count, in full battle armor, and at least a dozen soldiers were waiting for them.

  “What seems to be the problem?” Arius asked the count.

  But before the count could answer, Licius said,

  “Fire Orcs, at least twenty of them at the south shore. I can’t clearly hear what they’re saying, but I’m pretty sure they plan to attack.”

  “And just how do they plan to do that?” Arius asked.

  “I am not sure, but I had never seen so many of them in one place,” the count replied.

  And as they stood there talking, the sky lit up with a ball of fire.

  All of the men quickly turned around towards it, getting ready for the worst, but luckily the ball fell short and did not made it past half the distance from the shore.

  “Ha! You see, nothing to worry about, let’s just go back to bed,” Stundroff said.

  “I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Licius replied, as he kept staring at the Fire Orcs across the lake.

  Then the sky lit up again, but this time there were at least ten flame balls in the air. But again, none of them made it all the way across the lake.

  The count immediately ordered his archers to get to their battle stations as he feared the Fire Orcs would not stop until they found a way to reach their walls.

  Five of the Orcs gathered at the shore and started to make magma waves from the ground, pushing over the water. Moments later, another five Orcs joined them and
together created a bridge from the rocks that formed after the hot magma waves touched the cool water of the lake.

  It would take time, but little by little the Orcs were starting to gain ground towards the lake city.

  As soon as the Orcs got into bow and arrow range, the count ordered his men to fire at will. But the Orcs’ fire could destroy their arrows faster than the archers could throw them.

  Licius ordered the archers to stop.

  The archers looked at the count, who nodded in approval.

  “For the time being, we are all under these men’s command.”

  He turned to Licius.

  “So what should we do?”

  “For now, there is very little that we can do. Our best hope is to endure and wait till they make it close enough so we can take the fight to them.”

  And as he said that, the sky lit up once more with the light that came from the balls of flame. But this time, they could all feel the heat of the flames as they came crashing on top of them.

  Arius quickly rose his holy shield protecting as many of them as he could.

  Sadly some of the men were caught under the flames, and those inside the golden shield of light watched in horror as their friends burned alive in front of them.

  Some men panicked and ran towards the nearest ladder to make it down of the wall and into the city, but the fire kept raining on top of them and quickly turned them to nothing more than flaming skulls who still screamed from the pain as their lives escaped their bodies.

  The flames kept raining down against the holy shield and every time they did the shield sounded as if it was going to break.

  “How long can you keep this up?” the count asked Arius.

  “I doubt it will be much longer; I have never made a shield this big,” Arius replied, gasping for air.

  “We won’t need much longer, they’re almost at our shore,” Licius said.

  “So, is there any chance those old kings of yours could help us fight now?” Stundroff asked the prince.

  “I doubt I’ll be strong enough to summon them and fight, making them talk for a few seconds is one thing, but making them fight takes a whole lot of light energy. And even if I could summon them, it would most certainly kill my father in the process.”