Astrid ran up the staircase to the bell tower. He looked over the docks and noticed more ships approach from the horizon. Being up high did allow him to use his undead troops much better. He spread the undead forces evenly among the docks with their shields ready. The church was now the only building in the town not on fire.
The barrage of arrows had stopped, but the ground now quaked violently. Astrid watched as the large spikes Dakho had made sank into the sea. A swarm of Yin and Greelong advanced in all directions towards them. He then saw figures come out from the sea. The sight filled Astrid with fear and dread, it was something that he had not seen for many years and hoped never to see again.
“Oh, this is bad,” Astrid said. He ran down the stairs as quickly as he could. He had to warn the others.
Chapter 17
A chain of massive translucent blue figures came out of the sea. They looked like Ogres but twice the size. They were made entirely from diamond and had no faces. Astrid made them many years ago when he was undercover with the enemy, but he was sure he was the only one able to control them, but clearly he was wrong. Astrid had used this army to destroy many towns by himself and the Crystal Golems, as he called them, were ruthlessly efficient.
A small portion of Astrid’s Crystal Golem army smashed into the docks and quickly waded through the rubble that was thrown into the sea. They cleared a path for the boats and they swiftly docked. Hordes of Ogres and Seckle poured from the ships.
The Seckle weaved in and out of the Golems, which were slow and bulky. Astrid relayed what he knew about them and everyone admitted that if they stayed in the church, it would kill them all. They ran out of the church and into the unbearable heat of the flaming town outside.
The Ogres and Seckle had already spread through the town and rummaged through houses looking for someone or something to kill.
They soon met the bite of the Great Wolves who were again first to attack. This time, the fight was much more dangerous. These troops had been in battle before and the Great Wolves were cautious.
The Greelong and Yin had joined the fight and sent spells and arrows into the fray. The Gnomes sent spells back at them but were at a disadvantage. They not only had to dodge the Yin and Greelong, but the Seckle and Ogres were on foot also. The blazing town limited their paths and made things even harder.
The Crystal Golems stretched out into a single long line. They slowly made their way forward and broke through anything that was in their way.
Many had died, as they struggled to defend against the onslaught. Dakho noticed something even worse swarm over the mountain which reminded him of the Puck that swarmed him at the Dwarven Caves.
The swarm navigated down the mountain and showed no signs that it would slow down.
“We’re doomed!” Dakho yelled.
“Retreat back to the gates! Retreat back to the gates!” Plode screamed at the top of his lungs.
The church had been destroyed by the Crystal Golems and even though they fought well against the Ogres and Seckle the Golems had not taken any damage at all and the Yin and Greelong were too high to reach.
The swarm from the mountain side was nearly on them and they were almost at the very back of Southport. The gate had been sealed shut from the outside and part of the mountain had collapsed. They were trapped in a corner and the enemy closed in quickly.
Several Greelong and Yin that flew above had cornered Dakho in a dead end alley. The Greelong pulled back on its bow and then the Greelong suddenly vanished from the air and hit the roof above. The Yin looked to the side and then the swarm attacked them.
The swarm had arrived and thankfully it had missed Dakho. He stood and hoped not to attract any attention. He waited for the swarm above him to stop. He ran out from the alley to see what it was and it was not what he expected at all.
He looked upon hundreds of Kijiar and two golden plated figures at the front. They leapt from the rooftops and took out the Greelong and Yin. Many had jumped down to help those on the ground. Liamar and Koruko were successful and it turned the tide of the battle dramatically. The Kijiar were fearsome warriors and could comfortably fight in the dark.
“Liamar, Koruko, Just in time!” Plode yelled.
“How are we supposed to kill these things?” Liamar and Koruko asked. Even the Kijiar could not fight the Crystal Golems.
“You can’t!” Astrid yelled.
“What do you mean you can’t! There is always a way,” Ponzepen said.
“They can’t be killed because they don’t live! They can only be controlled” Astrid argued back.
“Of course! Control!” Gelmink said to himself.
Gelmink cursed to himself. They had been so focused on trying to kill the Golems, it slipped everyone’s mind that they had the ability to control them. Gnomes possessed the power to control machines and animated creatures, these Golems were no different.
“Gelmink what the hell are you doing?” Ponzepen shouted. Gelmink ran past the front line and directly at the Crystal Golems.
Gelmink darted toward the Golems and dodged a massive arm swung from the nearest Golem. Gelmink went to place his hands on the Golem’s leg when it raised its leg up high and stamped down on Gelmink.
Gelmink jumped out of the way but not far enough. The Crystal Golem crushed one of his arms in a bone crunching cry. Another Golem beside him raised his arm to kill him. Gelmink closed his eyes and he was sure it was the end. The arm made contact and Gelmink thought he was dead as he felt no pain. Gelmink looked up to see Plode wrestle the arm of the Golem in his giant hands.
Gelmink placed his other hand on the leg of the Golem that trapped his arm. Within seconds, the Golem moved from his foot and deflected an attack that was aimed at Plode.
Plode took no time to ponder and grabbed Gelmink from the floor and ran away from the Golems at full speed.
Ponzepen slapped Gelmink across the face. “What the hell were you thinking!” she yelled.
“Tell all the Gnomes that the Golems are controlled just the same as our contraptions. If we can take control of them we have won,” Gelmink said.
Ponzepen was the first to run up and control the next Golem. They now had two golems and could work both left and right. Some of the braver Gnomes took up the challenge and soon had dozens under their control.
The Gnomes had singlehandedly completely changed the tide of the battle. The Golems no longer forced them back and began to fight amongst each other. The Kijiar swiftly dispatched the Yin and Greelong and the Great Wolves and everyone else finished those on the ground.
The Great Wolves gave out a victorious howl and everyone let out a sigh of relief. The battle was over for now.
The town was a complete ruin and almost every single building was destroyed or on fire. The bodies of both friend and foe were scattered everywhere and the smell of death lingered in the air amongst the thick smoke from the fires.
Astrid called forth more undead to carry the magical shields which they recovered from the battlefield. Everyone gathered at the furthest docks and looked out to the dark sea that would bring the next wave of battle.
Cacophonies of shrieks were heard from over the sea, which was quickly followed by a very distant orange glow. The shrieks were loud even from across the sea, and no one knew what it was.
“Argh!” shouted a thunderous boom.
Everyone turned to see Plode and a stranger stood next to him. No one had seen the stranger during the entire battle. He held the end of a sword that was now through Plode’s chest. Thick black blood leaked from the gouge in his chest. Plode’s faced angered and he coughed up blood. Plode wrapped his massive hand around the stranger's neck and lifted him off the ground.
It was the cloaked man who took the Amulet from Iris. He was young and healthy, but there was no Amulet around his neck. Plode fell to his knees but still held the man in the air.
“Kill him” Plode managed to get out. His grip loosened and he fell face first to the floor.
“One down
,” the cloaked man said with an evil smirk. The man then disappeared into thin air.
Gelmink threw one of his gadgets into the empty space which wrapped around something they could not see. An enormous blue light flashed and the man appeared again, his hair stuck on end and his clothes had smoke coming from them.
Liamar, Koruko and Dakho were first to run over to Plode, but it was no use. Liamar checked his pulse and he had gone. The blade had pierced his heart and there was nothing even a cleric could have done to save him.
The three of them fell to their knees and tears streamed down their faces. Plode had been a close friend to them all and this was a tragic loss.
Dakho filled with rage and directed it at the now unconscious man on the floor. Dakho took his axe in his hands and swung it at the man.
His axe hit a large golden shield held by a huge Kijiar much taller than the others.
“We must not kill him yet,” The Kijiar said.
“Who the hell are you to tell me what to do!” Dakho yelled outraged. “Get out of my way!” he demanded.
Dakho grabbed the shield to pull it out of the way, but it did not budge.
“Dakho!” Liamar yelled. The large Kijiar raised his hand to signal it was fine.
“This man will have vital information about the enemy. We cannot kill him yet, and it looks like we have more trouble coming our way” The Kijiar said.
They looked toward the sea to notice a cluster of Dragons head straight for them.
“Ready yourselves!” shouted one of the Kijiar.
“No! They are with us” Loona shouted. She let out a single howl, which was swiftly followed by the rest of the pack.
“That’s Loona, they are victorious,” Zelkith said into King Tyraths ear.
Iris looked down at the chaos and destruction of Southport “My God. Look at it,” Iris said.
“Hmm nice and toasty just how I like it,” said Mersoth the largest of the Dragons.
“Mersoth! Many innocent people may have died here,” screamed Tyrath.
The Dragons landed in the town and flattened many of the buildings which put out the fires around them.
The Gnomes looked up in amazement at the massive creatures. Zelkith had already taken flight and flown straight towards Loona and the rest of the pack.
Mireylon was the first to jump off and he ran directly over to Plodes body, quickly followed by Iris. They both noticed Plodes body held up by Koruko and Liamar. They then saw the unconscious man nearby. He was also the same man who killed Thorna, Mireylon felt the rage build inside him. Why did the Kijiar in Golden armour guard him?
“We spotted a large settlement on the flight here, in the large port town the other side of the sea.” King Tyrath spoke out loud for all to hear.
“What are we supposed to do, there’s no telling when he will wake up and he cannot remain unpunished,” Dakho said. He pointed at the cloaked man with a look of disgust.
“I believe we should once again take our Council with the Dragons, and seek their guidance,” Mireylon said.
“It has been many years since that has been the case.” King Tyrath said. He gave a concerned look at Rhaegos, The King’s Adviser of the Council.
“We may not know the real power of our enemy. However they do not know that we are back, and we must use that to our advantage before Dartis can build defences,” The King said.
“What do you suggest?” Mireylon asked.
“There is a large forming of clouds coming towards us, heading towards our enemy. I suggest that we use the clouds as cover with as many of you on our backs. It will be our only chance for a surprise attack” King Tyrath suggested.
“What about Plode, we can't just leave him here,” Dakho said.
“The Gnomes shall stay here. We must be close by to keep the Golems from losing control. We will protect Plode’s body until your return.” Gelmink said, the Gnome Chieftain.
“Yes, and please hurry. We cannot keep the Golems under control forever” Ponzepen added.
“I will also stay, I don’t think I will be of much use in a battle,” said Mr Pannett. His leg was badly hurt and not even a Dragons tear would heal it.
They agreed on a plan of attack on the information they knew, and Liamar, Koruko, their King and Queen and the majority of the Kijiar mounted most of the Dragons. Dakho, Mireylon, Morton, Aymon, Astrid and his four undead servants, Efrundle, Loona and several of the strongest Great Wolves also mounted the Dragons. Iris sat on the back of Zelkith, who could now fly himself.
“Here take these, you need them more than I do,” Efrundle said. He handed Iris Limbo, which used to be her mothers.
“Thanks…” Iris said. She was still uncertain how to use them, but it was better than the two swords she had with her.
“Now’s the time, let's fly!” boomed Mersoth. He leapt into the air and soared into the sky. The Kijiar on his back held on tight as he whipped through the clouds.
The other Dragons soon followed with Zelkith behind them. The cloud was relatively slow and the Dragons gently hovered above them seamlessly.
“Remember, the Amulet is our prime objective. Get the Amulet, and the enemy has lost. Zelkith and Iris, I’m counting on you” Mireylon shouted.
Zelkith and Iris were to search the area for the Amulet and then warn the others the moment they found it.
They now loomed close to Alphaport and prepared to take the decent. Iris could see the rays of orange sunshine on the already overrun city of Alphaport. Dawn brought the sunrise behind them which would help cover their descent.
“Now’s the time!” Tyrath ordered.
The Dragons flew down from all angles towards Alphaport. Iris saw a large group of Crystal Golems wade into the sea towards Southport. There were also groups of Evil Men, Ogres and Dark Elves onboard hundreds of boats all along the docks.
“Mersoth take out those boats, they must not leave the docks! Everyone else spread out and take the town. Zelkith and Iris we leave finding the amulet to you two,” The King ordered.
Mersoth crashed down onto the docks and almost fifty Kijiar leapt from his back. With a screech, Mersoth set fire to a large portion of the docks and hoped the wind would help the fires burn.
They took advantage of the surprise and many of the enemies were still drowsy or not ready for battle. The remaining ally troops had now settled on the ground and made their way through the town.
The Kijiar were outnumbered by Ogre, but the Kijiar were swift and powerful and they knew how to fight. Their King and Queen could be seen at the forefront of the battle and would not stop for even the mightiest of foes.
Astrid fought the Yin, who were all located inside a large tall tower and awaited deployment. He defended their spells effortlessly with the magical shields held by his undead troops.
Iris and Zelkith were still in the air and looked for Dartis and the Amulet. The Crystal Golems had turned around and headed back into Alphaport.
The Golems gradually pushed back the Kijiar further into the town. They knew there was little they could do against them.
Zelkith spotted Dartis moments later, stood outside the town wall along the beach holding the Amulet in his hands.
Zelkith flew directly towards him and landed a short distance away. Iris did not hesitate to take out Limbo and she made a simple sword and shield. It was the best that she could muster under the situation.
Dartis barely reacted to them at all. He was bemused by the Amulet that he held in his hands.
Iris and Zelkith lunged toward Dartis on full attack. Dartis let go of the Amulet that hung around his neck and stepped to the side. He dodged Iris’s attack and just put out his arm to stop Zelkith’s.
Zelkith sunk his teeth deep into his arm, but Dartis did not react. Dartis raised his other arm and peeled Zelkith off his arm and threw him aside. Zelkith landed deftly on his feet, but the wounds on Dartis’s arm had already healed.
They attacked once more and Dartis dodged both of them. He toyed with them as he
just moved out of the way after each attack. He had not even attempted to draw his sword that was around his waist.
Zelkith let out a magical bark that sent Dartis against the wall of the town with a crash. Iris and Zelkith rushed over to the wall and Iris plunged her sword into Dartis’s shoulder and pinned him to the wall.
Dartis pushed his body further into the sword with a stern face. He took hold of Iris’s arm and unsheathed his sword. He thrust it at Iris who tried to block it with her shield. There was no clang and the shield had disappeared. Dartis’s sword was now buried deep in her arm.
In the pain, she let go of both Limbo and grabbed her wound. The blue sword disappeared from the handle and his shoulder had already healed.
Dartis picked up the two handles, a huge mace and suit of armour appeared around him. Zelkith leapt at Dartis again and bit his leg. His teeth barely pierced the blue armour and Dartis easily kicked him away.
“Now, let’s crush those pesky Gnomes,” Dartis said.
He lifted his hand and in his palm a red glowing ball appeared. He squeezed his hand and the ball was now as small as a stone. Dartis pushed his hand forward and the ball shot into the air at an astonishing speed over the tiny portion of the sea that separated Alphaport and Southport.
Zelkith stood to attack when a huge smash came from behind. One of the Golems had run through the wall and was headed straight for him. This Golem seemed different, it was smaller and much faster.
Zelkith dived out of the way as it charged for him. The Golem swiftly turned and ran at him again. Zelkith let out a magic bark, but it barely slowed the Golem down at all. The Golem reached Zelkith and knocked him down to the floor with one hit.
Chapter 18
“What in god’s name is that?” Ponzepen said. She saw the red glow come towards them. The red light sunk into one of the Golems and it lost control. It started to smash everything around it and that included the other Golems. A red spark jumped from one Golem to the next and soon they were under control again, but not under the Gnomes control.
Amulet of Souls (The Sentinels of Wizgrad Book 1) Page 18