by Jeff Inlo
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Yave held the halberd with loose anticipation. She stood firmly on the balcony. A dead end. The abominations would have only one course to reach her. They would have to step forward to take hold of her. She would crush them one at a time. She did not care how long it would take, did not care how many she had to destroy. If necessary, she would leave a mountain of lifeless sandstone before her. In truth, she prayed it would come to that.
“Let them all come.”
In the course of her resolve, she saw shadows ahead of her, heard the rumbling of heavy footfalls. She thought of Tun. She would have her revenge.
Her expression fell blank. The hate dissolved. The anger faded. She became as single-minded as the creatures she intended to destroy. Her emotions accepted this moment as vindication for the memories that haunted her. She would cleanse Dunop of these monstrosities, she would single-handedly defeat the army of the algors.
Lights faded, more gems stolen. She didn't care. She would fight in pure darkness, if need be. After all, she was a dwarf. She could see in the dark as well as a shag.
She stood ready for her battle of personal redemption when one last distraction caught her attention. Echoing reverberations thundered through the streets behind her, a signal of more upheaval. She considered the prospect of more sand giants.
"Fine. Let more come," she stated coldly, but the fury of this rumble gave her pause.
Something was different. Something was wrong. The rumblings consisted of foreign sounds, noises like rock battling stone. She turned her head. The source of the upheaval was plainly evident, undeniable in power.
Cliff behemoths!
They rambled through the streets with majesty. They were larger than life, the thing of dreams and legends. No individual could deny their grandeur, not even Yave, no matter how twisted or vengeful. Such was the purity of the behemoths’ physical appearance, such was the simplicity of their inner strength.
In this moment, however, the complexity of what they could become shone evident. They revealed a domination which was theirs for the taking. Their very movement boasted of power. The intrinsic strength of the surrounding dwarf city was impotent in comparison to these titans. In no small words, they could become the very hand of Godson.
Their purpose was clear. They were here not to destroy Dunop, but to save it. They represented no threat to the dwarves, no threat to real life. Their religion prevented such acts. The sand giants, however, defied the cliff behemoths religion, defied everything the cliff behemoths held dear. These atrocities were an abomination to Godson. They were not bestowed a spirit or a consciousness. They were not gifted life, they were granted animation. They were rock, and only Godson may bestow life upon the lifelessness.
With this temperament toward the tool of the algors, the cliff behemoths set upon the sand giants. They attacked. The peaceful nature of their beliefs dissolved in their intolerance as they crushed the stone creatures with swipes of their mighty arms. They left a trail of sandy dust in their wake, and they moved forward with the conviction to eradicate every imposter.
For the first time in their miniscule period of existence, the sand giants displayed uncertainty. They were here to end the threat of the dwarves. They were not instructed to attack other creatures, unless they were threats to the algors. The cliff behemoths displayed a willingness to protect the dwarves and the sand giants found difficulty in comprehending this action. Their limited instincts left them in a quandary of inactivity.
The cliff behemoths ignored the confused passivity of the sand giants. Massive in size themselves, the behemoths outmatched the algor creations in power. And just as the sand giants crushed the dwarves with detachment, the behemoths crushed the sand giants with disdain.
Yave turned her back upon the sight. She found no relief, no joy in the sight of her city's saviors. She waited for the sand giants to come for her. They did not. Once more her hate began to boil. She wanted this moment, wanted to face the sand giants on these terms. She would never have the opportunity.
The sand giants within the palace sensed the growing threat of the cliff behemoths. They understood that the newly arrived titans planned to prevent the successful completion of their mission. The queen within the structure would have to wait as the behemoths became the primary danger. The algor protectors went back to the streets to deal with this new menace. They did not return.