Runefell_The Tempest's Fury

by Shawn Sodman

  The spell strikes Chance just as he takes flight. Though he can feel the spell make contact, it does not injure him. Suddenly he can hear A’ranah say to him, “Chance, Leanara tells me that the invisibility spell has been broken. You must return in order for us to re-cast the spell.”

  “The storm will shroud my approach,” Chance replies. “I shall work my way from the stern of the ship up to the stem. If I have to, I will use my talisman to burn the ship and retreat. So far it has not been that difficult.”

  On the other side of the tempest, Belron is diving on his second ship. This time, the shamans see him coming. A bolt of lightning almost strikes him, and soon he can see three shamans on deck preparing to hurl more bolts at him. He pulls the rains of Nimbus to the left, and as the shamans release their spells, they avoid them. He veers back to the right and strafes this ship before the shamans can prepare more spells. He drops his remaining two alchemy jars, and they explode on the orcnea ship’s deck. Belron commands Nimbus up once again as he says to A’ranah, “The other orcneas have been warned. They were waiting for me. At least while they are focused on me, the storm seems to be breaking up a bit.”

  The very center of the storm over the ships begins to break up first. Chance has just landed on the second ship when the orcnea at the wheel notices him and yells out in Orcneish, “Intruder!”

  Chance targets a shaman standing next to the helmsman and unleashes two flame jets at him. The orcnea is unable to react in time, and is engulfed in fire. The helmsman draws his sword and lunges at Chance. Chance dodges the attack, and as he does, he turns his flames onto the attacker. The orcnea howls out in agony, and five more orcneas turn their attention to Chance.

  High above, Commander Belron has rejoined the other sky drake riders. He yells out to them, “The storm is clearing! Ashden and Toren, you two assist Chance with the back row. He cannot be harmed from your fire elixirs. I will draw fire from the middle row of ships so that you can get through. Laycor and Re’ann, you two will finish off the last two ships in the front row. After that, we will return to Sheathelm and re-supply.”

  The drake riders begin their descent as Belron leads the way. He maneuvers in an erratic pattern to avoid the shamans’ spells. Re’ann heads toward her target on the left while Laycor targets the right. Soon they are in range of the shamans and begin to evade the spells being hurled their way. They are continuing toward their targets when Laycor’s drake is struck by a bolt of lightning and is injured. He pulls up and climbs to safety while Re’ann streaks by her target and successfully ignites the deck with her elixirs. Her drake starts to ascend back into the clouds when two of the ships in the center row begin to target her. Her drake is also struck, and lets out a screech. Though it is wounded, Re'ann's drake is still able to fly, and soon they reach a safe distance.

  Re'ann reaches down to touch her mount's neck. She concentrates on a healing spell, mending her beast's wound. “Good girl,” she says.

  Belron dives through the middle row of ships and draws their fire as Ashden and Toren continue toward the last two ships in the back row. Chance is still at the stern of the ship on the quarterdeck as orcneas charge up the stairs at him. He tries to use his flame jets on one of them, but the orcnea has a shield and blocks the fire.

  An ogre emerges from the wide stairs leading below deck. Chance hurls a fireball at the massive enemy, but it has no effect. The ogre laughs as Chance studies the markings all over its chest. “That’s not good.”

  “What isn’t good?” A’ranah asks.

  “There is an ogre here,” Chance replies to the voice in his head, “and it is immune to fire.”

  “Just get out of there, Chance,” A’ranah says. “We have done enough damage for now. We can strike them again later.”

  The ogre picks up a crate and throws it at Chance. Even with his protection spell still active, it is not enough to protect from something so large. Chance dives for cover, narrowly avoiding the crate. The ogre picks up a barrel and begins to head toward the stairs to the quarterdeck.

  Chance spots the incoming drake riders and smiles. He says to A’ranah, “He may be immune to fire, but the ship isn’t.”

  Ashden has the ogre in his sights, and readies his fire elixir just as the ogre throws the barrel at Chance. The barrel crashes to the deck and breaks open as Chance retreats to the edge of the ship. Black powder spills everywhere. Ashden throws his glass jar, unaware of the new danger. Chance looks at the black powder, wondering what it is, as the fire explodes near the ogre and the flames quickly spread to the entire surrounding deck.

  The black powder ignites violently when the flames reach it, and though Chance is immune to fire, he suffers the full effect from the shock-wave of the explosion. The drake riders are stunned as the orcnea ship is destroyed and Chance is sent into the sea.

  Chance looks up through the water at the fire above, but soon everything fades into darkness.

  Chapter 16

  Ogre's Mead

  To the north, Princess Kianna's group and the Amazons of the Silver Moon are waiting patiently. They have hidden themselves among the ruins of Ogre's Mead in an abandoned stone mill on the river's western bank. The old city of Ogre's Mead stretches along both sides of the river and is about one mile in length. All the buildings on the western side are completely in ruin, while a handful of structures to the east appear to have been repaired.

  A small bridge has recently been built to connect both sides of the city once again. It is next to the mill, in which the group has taken refuge.

  Lyra is sitting and concentrating on a spell.

  Kel'ana quietly asks the others, “How long has Ja'noa been gone? I'm getting worried.”

  Evelena replies, “I'm sure she's fine. We would have heard some kind of commotion had they discovered her.”

  “I think she's coming,” Gelana says as she backs away from the doorway overlooking the bridge. “I hear something.”

  The others all listen closely, and soon they hear Ja'noa's voice whisper, “It's me.” Then Ja'noa becomes visible as Lyra ends her spell.

  The group is relieved that their friend has returned safely. Ja'noa sits down on the ground and smooths the dirt in front of her. The others all gather as Ja'noa begins drawing on the ground, saying, “From what I can tell, there are about twenty of them.” She draws a wavy line and says, “This is the river.” She then draws a box. “The first group is in the building right across the river. There are three of them cooking. It appears to be their dining hall.”

  “What about the brewery?” Garrin asks. “Is it active?”

  Sven chuckles as Ja'noa answers, “Yes, it is.” She draws three more squares along the line representing the river. “These three are abandoned. At the end of this street is the brewery. This is where most of them are. I counted at least seven.”

  “Any women or children?” Evelena asks.

  “No,” she answers. “All male adults from what I could see.”

  “Good,” Evelena replies.

  Ja'noa draws another row of squares in the sand. She points to two of them. “There are a few others is these two buildings, doing repairs. Then there are about six more out in the far field gathering the hops.”

  “What kinds of weapons do they have?” Kianna asks.

  Ja'noa answers, “They don't have any armor, but they do have maces, axes and hammers.”

  Evelena sighs. “Sounds like regular townsfolk.”

  There is brief silence that is broken when Kel'ana asks, “Do we have to do this?”

  Isen says, “It's no different from the last two farms we came from. There are just more of them.”

  “I know,” Kel'ana replies. “This just isn't what I expected.”

  Evelena puts her hand on her shoulder. “I know. It isn't what I expected, either.”

  Sven suggests, “If you would like, Isen, Garrin, and Sven can take care of them.”

  Ja'noa sighs with disgust as Rehma shakes her head and says, “No, we can do this. Ri
ght, ladies?” She looks at the others, who reluctantly nod their heads.

  “All right then,” Evelena says, “Rehma, Gelana, and Sven will take point. You will take out the three in the mess hall. Lyra, Kel'ana, and myself will be right behind them. After that, Yentroc and Ja'noa will stay close to Garrin.”

  “What about me?” Isen asks.

  Evelena tells him, “You are going to do what you're supposed to and protect the princess.”

  “And what about me?” Ya'leigh asks.

  “The way I have it now,” Evelena explains, “we have one person with a shield in each group in case we come under fire. Kianna is the only one left with a shield, so the rest of you have to stay back with her. Besides, Ya'leigh, you have your bow, and Kianna and Gena have spells. The only two who will not have much to do will be Kristieana and Isen.”

  “And us,” Kelik adds, pointing to Ambra.

  Ya'leigh turns to her brother and sister and says, “You two stay close to Kianna.”

  “Don't worry,” Isen says to Ambra and Kelik. “I won't let anything happen to you.”

  Evelena looks around and says, “If there aren't any questions, we should go now, before they move from where Ja'noa saw them. We will all cross the bridge, then Kianna and the others will stay back while Rehma's group goes in first. Kel'ana and Lyra will cover them while I look out for trouble. Garrin's group will stand ready to assist with healing from Yentroc or more ranged attacks from Ja'noa. Does everyone understand?”

  They all look at each other and nod. Sven draws Hellfire as Rehma draws her two Vallo swords. Gelana uses her ring, Infragilis, to summon her shield. They head out across the bridge as the others draw their weapons and follow.

  Once they reach the other side, they watch the doorway to the first building closely as they approach. Rehma is poised to go in first. Just as she reaches the door, an arrow flies past her, grazing her right arm. The arrow did not come from inside the building. Rehma and the others look down the street towards the brewery and see an orcnea out front with his bow drawn. The orcnea yells out in his native language and begins to notch his bow once more.

  “He's warning the others,” Rehma says. She begins to charge at the enemy, even though he is more than forty paces away.

  “Wait!” Evelena yells. “Rehma, stop!” Rehma continues to sprint towards the brewery as an orcnea charges out of the building they were just about to enter. Gelana is tackled to the ground by an orcnea. It tries to stab her with a dagger, but Gelana blocks it with shield.

  Sven, who was also watching Rehma, quickly turns his attention to the orcnea attacking Gelana. He swings his massive ax at the orcnea, killing it and knocking it off Gelana. Another orcnea charges out from the doorway as Gelana makes it back to her feet. Before it reaches her, an arrow from Kel'ana's bow pierces its skull, killing it.

  Gelana looks at Sven and says, “Go, help Rehma. I'll take the last one here.”

  Sven begins to run after Rehma, who has now almost reached the orcnea at the brewery. Evelena says, “Kel'ana, can you hit that orcnea without hitting Rehma?”

  “I'll try,” she says. Kel'ana moves to the right to get a better angle when an arrow flies past her. They look to see two more orcneas standing behind a small pile of stone. The other orcnea shoots his bow at them and ducks down. Evelena steps forward, intercepting the arrow with her shield. Kel'ana and Lyra quickly fall behind Evelena. Kel'ana begins to aim in the direction of the rock pile and waits for one of them to appear again.

  Gelana enters the mess hall, and the last orcnea inside charges at her with a large club. She blocks it easily with Infragilis, then slashes the orcnea with her sword. The orcnea falls as Gelana looks around quickly, making sure there are no more enemies. When she doesn't find any, she exits the building to rejoin her friends.

  Nearing the brewery, Rehma lets out a battle cry as the orcnea releases another arrow at her. She uses both swords to swipe the arrow out of the air before driving them into the orcnea's chest. Rehma then turns her attention to the two orcneas behind the pile of stone. The reddish-skinned enemies have finished notching new arrows, but instead of targeting Kel'ana, they now see Rehma staring in their direction. One of them fires his arrow at Rehma but misses.

  Another orcnea comes out from the brewery with an ax. Rehma has her back to it, still focused on the two archers. The enemy charges at Rehma and begins to swing his ax, but just before he hits Rehma, Sven collides with him and strikes him down with Hellfire. Rehma does not even notice what has happened and starts to run towards the archers.

  “Wait,” Sven gasps.

  Rehma does not hear Sven, and continues to sprint.

  “Come on,” Evelena says to the others. “We have to help them.”

  Kel'ana and Lyra continue to watch for the archers to appear from behind the stone as they start to advance. Gelana starts to run towards the brewery where Sven is standing.

  Garrin advances along with Ja'noa and Yentroc. Ja'noa, with her Star Steel daggers in hand, is ready to throw them at the first target she sees.

  Kianna looks at Ya'leigh and says. “We have to stay closer to the rest of the group.”

  Ya'leigh looks at her brother and sister and asks, “Are you ready?”

  Kelik replies, “Yes.” Ambra simply nods her head nervously.

  “Alright,” Isen says as he starts to follow the other groups. “Stay behind me.”

  On the other side of the battle, the two archers stand and take aim with their bows. They release their arrows, and one of them strikes Rehma in the left shoulder. Undaunted by the pain, Rehma continues straight for them. The other arrow flies past Rehma and strikes Sven in his right thigh.

  Before the two archers can do anything else, they are both struck down. An arrow from Kel'ana and a bolt of light from Lyra kill the first orcnea. The second falls when Ja'noa's daggers strike its skull.

  Rehma stops her run and turns around to see Sven clutching the arrow in his leg. She begins to walk back when three more orcneas emerge from the brewery. The one in the lead has a mace, and, before anyone else can act, he strikes Sven in the back. The other has an ax and also delivers a blow to Sven, cutting the back of his left leg. Sven falls to his knees.

  The third orcnea has a spear. He, too, targets the massive man from the north, but before he can thrust the spear into Sven's back, Gelana lowers her shoulder, putting her full weight behind her shield, and slams into the orcnea. The magical properties of Infragilis make Gelana's momentum almost unstoppable. The orcnea is sent into the wall with such velocity that he goes through the stone and mortar, leaving a hole.

  Gelana turns her attention to the orcnea with the ax. The enemy swings its weapon at Gelana, but she blocks it with Infragilis. The orcnea with the mace readies his weapon and targets the vulnerable Sven. Lyra unleashes a powerful beam of light that scorches the orcnea before it can strike.

  Sven falls face down as two more of the reddish-orange foes come out from the building. Rehma slashes the orcnea that is engaged with Gelana. Rehma warns, “Gelana, behind you!”

  Gelana turns just in time to block one of the orcneas as it tries to hit her with his mace. She counterattacks with her sword, but the enemy backs out of her range. The second orcnea comes around and tries to flank Gelana, only to be struck by one of Kel'ana's arrows.

  The last orcnea from inside tries again to hit Gelana. With her magical shield, she is able to block the attack without any problem. Before she can counter, an arrow pierces its side, and the orcnea falls. This arrow did not come from Kel'ana, however. It was a fiery arrow from Ya'leigh's Incendia. Gelana looks over to Ya'leigh and gives her a nod.

  Yentroc and Kristieana rush to Sven, who is unconscious on the ground. Everyone else gathers around. “I'll heal him first,” Kristieana says. She casts a healing spell, but Sven does not move. “We have to roll him over,” Kristieana says.

  “I'll do it,” Isen says as he rolls Sven onto his back.

  “Hurry,” Ja'noa says. “The other orcneas
are not that far away. They must have heard us.”

  “Someone pull the arrow out,” Kristieana says.

  Yentroc moves to Sven's legs and tries to grip the shaft of the arrow lodged in his thigh. All that remains is a short portion of the arrow. The rest has broken off. “I can't grip it,” Yentroc says.

  “Get back,” Garrin says. “I'll get it out.” He kneels down and leans over Sven. He places his hands on either side of the wound and bites down on what remains of the arrow. He is able use his teeth to pull the arrow out.

  “Good work,” Yentroc says. “I'll heal him now.” She grasps the white crystal around her neck and heals their friend.

  “Sven,” Lyra says. “Can you hear me?” She shakes him. “Sven, wake up.”

  “They're coming,” Ja'noa warns.

  The others look down the desolate street to the east, and can see a wagon led by two horses making its way towards them. On each side of the wagon is an ogre.

  “Two ogres?” Isen groans. “You didn't say anything about ogres.”

  “They were far out in the field,” Ja'noa replies. “It was hard to tell what they were.”

  “It's easy to tell now,” Rehma says as she pulls the arrow out of her shoulder.

  “Sven, wake up!” Lyra yells.

  Yentroc walks over to Rehma. “Let me heal that.” She casts another healing spell that mends Rehma's shoulder.

  “Thanks,” Rehma says.

  The wagon of orcneas stop and the two ogres step forward. They are about fifty paces away. One of the ogres picks up a large stone and hurls it into the air. Gelana steps forward and intercepts the rock with Infragilis before it lands on Sven. The stone shatters, and dust fills the air. Gelana shakes her arm and says, “I felt that one.”

  Lyra pours her wineskin over Sven's head. The water wakes him. He coughs as he sits up and says, “What is happening?”

  “Everyone lookout!” Evelena warns as the second ogre hurls another small boulder at them. Kel'ana and Ja'noa move out of the way as the giant rock lands near them. “Return fire!” Evelena orders.