I got to do something I haven't ever done before with this chapter, I hope you all like it.
Chapter 22: Tyranite
Elsa rode atop her horse with captain Baldrek and Lieutenant Krar at her side while Trolgon soared overhead and two thousand Arendellian warriors marched at their back. They entered the region of the kingdom known as the Glister Lands; known for the fertile grounds where most Arendelle's crops and livestock were tended that fed the kingdom. The landscape here was smoother with vegetation more common, though the snowfall was increasingly heavier as they progressed further north. They were almost upon Hadenville, the ancestral seat of House Starlon, to her knowledge the only surviving members of this house were Sol and Mane Starlon whom she presumed were Aldren's twin cousins. She greatly hoped that they may be alive, it might do him a great deal of good to know that family on his mother's side still lived.
She put these thoughts aside as they came over a large hill and the city came into view, she held up a closed fist and heard the sound of steel-plate shifting as her army halted. The walls were not as high nor as fortified as Hammerhel's had been, they and the gate were made from wood. But it was larger, a great deal larger, meaning it would hold more enemies and therefore greater resistance. She and her commanders dismounted and walked forward, standing at the top of the hill. From there she could see, even from this distance, the black banners of the witch king upon the walls. She narrowed her eyes and considered the best approach to tackling this city, there appeared to be no frantic activity on the battlements which meant they were far enough away and had not been spotted yet.
Baldrek spoke to her, though she continued to look on, "We'll have the ladders ready, there are some trees nearby; I'll have some men start on a ram for that gate."
"We should start soon, before they catch wind of us and we lose the element of surprise, your grace." Krar added.
Elsa folded her arms and tapped her finger, "Yes...but we won't be needing that ram or the ladders."
"Your grace?"
She turned to Krar, "We have some of the naga tyranite ammunition with us do we not?"
Krar nodded, "Yes my queen."
"I want our scorpions prepared to fire, fasten the tyranite to the ends of the bolts and have them both aimed at that gate."
He nodded and left to relay her orders, Baldrek shrugged, "Explosives, I like it...but what about the naga on the walls?"
She smiled, "I believe I have a way to deal with them, along with all the others. For now, I just want you to wait...and let me turn the odds in our favor."
She took a few steps forward, slowly raising her hands outward, her palms facing skyward. She closed her eyes and slowed her breathing and her army watched in awe as clouds began to billow over Hadenville and only Hadenville...
OoO
For the naga within, the change came slowly, they already bore a lesser tolerance for the cold and would not handle well what came next. The air around and in the city became thick with a mist that obscured their vision, making it difficult to see ahead of themselves. Next the winds picked up, followed by frozen rain: the icy moisture clung to their armor, making it difficult to move, the cold stealing their strength. Hail fell from the sky and pelted any exposed skin, leaving blisters and bruises, causing them to seek shelter wherever they could, abandoning the battlements or hiding beneath their shields.
Finally, the onslaught of sleet and ice halted leaving the cold mist and rain, though they were not inclined to abandon their hiding places. As a brave few made their way back to the walls, a lookout spotted a large shape in the fog nearly upon them, the sound of steel clad bodies marching in cadence preceded an approaching army. The lookout shouted for his brethren and in a disorganized panic they ran up the stairs to retake their defensive positions on the battlements. But most who made were struck either by arrows or the snow queen's ice magic before they could even get a shot off. The few tyranite shards that were loosed shattered harmlessly against broad Arendellian shields or were even deflected back by the queen's spear tips.
The Witch knight, Decicus appeared and saw his soldiers being shot down faster than they could return fire. He ordered them to abandon the walls and form defensive lines behind the gate: shields and spear at the front, rifles behind them and clusters of mixed soldiers with brutes in the very back to reinforce. Decicus stepped to the front and drew his sword, the sound of the Arendellian armies marching stopped suddenly. A long, drawn out silence began to wear at the already terrified naga, their breath fogging before them rapidly, the hands that held their weapons shaking either from the anticipation of battle, the cold or absolute fear...
The wooden gate exploded with the red crackling energy of tyranite, wood shards flying inward into the naga lines. Just as they started to recuperate a rippling line of jagged ice erupted from the ground and ripped into their lines, sending their soldiers flying through the air or into disorganized terror. The witch knight could see they would not hold the courtyard, he took to the sky to find and unveil their newest weapons to use against the humans.
OoO
The first through the breach was Baldrek, leading the initial charge with Traitor's Bane in both hands, swinging the hammer with surprising speed and finesse. As the Arendelle army engaged the naga in the courtyard the ice created by Elsa dissipated and Baldrek swung his warhammer in a wide arc, sending three bodies falling to the side. Next he jabbed the pommel into the gut of an enemy to his right, as they doubled over from the impact he swung his weapon upward into their chin. Then flipping it over and downward into the chest of a riflemen to his left, the force from his strike taking them to the ground. He then jabbed the top of his hammer forward into the knee of another naga who charged him. He spun and struck the chest of another to his right, caving in their chest plate, then he finished off the naga on the ground with a hard swing across their helm.
Baldrek was surprised when a naga struck the horns on his helm with their sword though it only bounced off the steel. While he reeled from the attack his face formed into a 'disapproving' frown as he grabbed the throat of the enemy with his left hand, before they could attack again and gave them a vicious head-butt. After the hard ring of metal, he tossed the unconscious foe away, several enemies hesitated to charge him so he made up their mind for them. He shouted in an almost crazed manner and threw his body into the mass of enemies, letting his weight do the work. He rolled and spun like a ball of steel-fury, rising to his feet he spun rapidly with his hammer overhead, striking at any who got to close and finishing by throwing the hammer at an enemy, the crow's beak lodging into their chest. The terrified enemy likely thought he was some sort of savage monster of the north rather than a mere man.
A naga attempted to impale him with a spear but before they could get in range Krar charged and thrust his sword through their side, swinging his shield across their head. The elder warrior dropped to one knee, blocking an enemy's sword and thrusting into their gut.
Baldrek ran forward and tackled a naga brute and took them to the ground, raising both fists above his head and bringing them down on their head. Looking up he saw several more coming to reinforce their attack. Krar tossed him his hammer and they made ready, but before they could charge several spear length icicles flew past their heads, each one hitting their mark on the enemy. They looked back to see their queen walking forward with spear in hand, leading the rest of their army.
OoO
Krar and Baldrek bowed to her as she approached. Standing between them she spoke first to Krar, "Lieutenant, lead the men around the east flank of the inner wall and head off any naga forces there, then join us for the push towards the hall."
"Yes your grace." he made for the east, calling for several warriors to follow.
She turned to Baldrek, "Captain, you're with me, we make for the center of the city."
He nodded and together they lead the bulk of the Arendellian forces towards their next objective. Looking up as they saw Trolgon soaring overhead as they ran, tyranite shards bouncing harmlessly off his thick hide, spewing icy breath and no doubt causing all manner of havoc for the naga.
Elsa halted them when she saw a line of her soldiers struggling to make it past a naga shield wall ahead of them. She held up a fist and shouted, "Spears!"
The line of soldiers quickly backed off several feet from the naga line, then hurled their spears straight into the shields of their enemy. The force of the spears impaling their shields caused the naga to fall backwards onto the ground, allowing the Arendelle soldiers to break through their defensive line. Elsa smiled and silently thanked Aldren for the lessons on battlefield tactics he had learned, she moved forward with Baldrek and the rest of their men following.
Any foes that stood before them were either crushed, impaled or frozen, eventually they stood in the center of Hadenville which was comprised of a large Agricultural area, rows of tilled fields where the stocks of crops that had already been harvested now wilted away. She stood at the edge of these fields and could see all around that her army was overcoming the weakened naga with relative ease. But before she could give her next order, an all too familiar orb of black mist collided with the ground several meters ahead of her group. She and Baldrek stood at the ready as a witch knight walked out from the fading smoke, she saw the gashes in his armor across his forearm and chest...Decicus.
He pointed towards her, speaking in his distorted shadowy voice, dripping with malice, "You accomplish nothing Aesir! You are but a tiny island, surrounded by a sea of darkness...and the tides are rising against you!"
As he held his arms up, several wolf sized creatures ran from the fields behind him: their hides were black and scaly, large spines protruded from their backs that appeared to be made of tyranite. They propelled themselves forward on four, five-retractable clawed feet that served to deliver their short grizzled, cat-like heads that held hungry black, bloodshot eyes above maws filled with sharp, jagged teeth to sink into their prey.
Baldrek roared and charged forward with several other soldiers to dispatch the beasts, Elsa raised her hand to aide them but before she could, the witch knight flew forward impossibly fast and engaged her. Caught off guard by his attack, he disarmed her and knocked her to the ground raising his sword to finish her off but she instead she threw her leg out into his and kicked him in the face. As he reeled back from the kick she rose to her feet, coating her arms and hands in ice in addition onto her armor and held her hands defensively. Shaking his head, he took several enraged swings at her. She avoided most, blocking a few with her arm guards and landing a quick blow to his head or body.
OoO
The first of these creatures lunged at Baldrek and he responded by swinging his hammer into its head, then crushing a second beneath the weight of his weapon. A third clamped onto the shaft of his weapon trying to wrest it from his grasp so he raised his weapon above with the creature still attached and threw it off onto the ground, then swung the spiked end and it did its work. He saw one of his comrades wrestling on the ground with one of the hellish hounds, before it could bite down on their throat Baldrek took up his hand ax and threw it into the beast's head.
While he was distracted a hound bit down on his hammer again, this time succeeding in disarming him, it then lunged at him. He caught both of its arms and held it just out of reach as it snapped rapidly at his face, a second creature leaped onto his back and bit down on his shoulder plate while a third bit down around his leg. With no weapon, the only thing he had to defend himself with were his hands, growling he drew back and slammed his fist into the side of the hound's head. He was not able to deal with the other two before one more jumped onto his back and clamped onto one of the steel horns of his helm, their combined weight forced him to one knee as he struggled to stay standing.
OoO
Elsa gasped when she saw her friend in peril, she quickly spun under the witch knight's sword and punched his side hard to stun him, she then held her arm out towards Baldrek and shot an icy projectile into one of the hound's, knocking it off. She was relieved to see him raise up, reach behind and grab the other by the neck and swing it down into the body of the one around his leg. He threw an uppercut into the jaw of the creature he held, then turned and roared as he engaged more of the beasts.
Elsa turned back to Decicus who recovered and thrust at her, spinning out of the way behind him she outstretched her hands and shot a blast of wind into his back that nearly knocked him off his feet. Quickly whipping back around he fired several arcane projectiles at her from his free hand, she created a shield of ice which they struck instead of her. Dissipating the shield, she then raised several jagged columns of ice that angled towards Decicus, his armor saved him from the first two but the rest he had to dodge and step back from.
He was starting to lose ground and in a final effort he summoned as much of his power as he could, creating a powerful wave of force that shattered the ice spikes. The queen held her arms up to shield her face from the sharp debris, Decicus propelled himself off of one of the remaining ice columns into the air and struck down at her with sword in both hands. He cut down on her but she caught the blade with her ice encased hands, he bared down on her with all his strength but she rose back to her feet anyway. Ice spread from her hands and coated the blade, gritting her teeth she squeezed and the steel shattered, the front end of his weapon gone.
In his shock he did not defend against three forceful blows across his face plate, a punch into his gut with her right hand and a final uppercut to his jaw with her elbow. He stumbled back but was still on his feet, he spun and lunged forward with what was left of his sword. Turning heel and dropping below the attack she caught his arm over her shoulder, then pulling down as hard as she could and pushing up on her tip toes at the same time, until she heard a resounding 'crack'. Decicus screamed in pain and she released his arm.
What was left of his sword fell to the ground as he held his arm and groaned. She stopped at the sight of his broken arm, shocked by her actions, like when she had crushed Grima's hand at Hammerhel. While in her stupor Decicus gathered dark magic in his other hand, he did not have the chance to launch it when Baldrek dashed past her and swung Traitor's Bane into the Witch knight's mask. He flew off his feet from the impact and his body rolled away against the ground until he laid flat, motionless against the earth, he would pose no more threat to her or those who fought beside her. She leaned on her knees and breathed heavily, taking a few moments to catch her breath.
Baldrek walked back to her and hesitantly put a hand on her shoulder, "Your grace, are you alright?"
"I'm fine my friend... you?"
"Those beasts? Mostly bark and...less bite." He finished, rubbing his shoulder and wincing slightly.
She smiled at him and then stood erect, looking to Dragon's Flight. She hesitated to walk towards it when she felt a strange feeling...instinctively she extended her hand towards the weapon...and after a few moments of subtle vibrating it flew off the ground into her hand. She smiled, breathlessly as she couldn't help but feel very proud of what she had done.
Baldrek raised an eyebrow, "That's...new."
She nodded in agreement...Then she remembered where she was and ran to rejoin the battle, the battle they were winning.
When they arrived her men were still fighting off the reptilian hounds. As she approached one of these creatures it pounced at her, she threw a blast of wind into its chest that sent it flying back. With no wish to kill creatures that were forced to fight she rose small columns of ice that shot out just short of each of the remaining beasts. Frightened by the sudden display the hounds abandoned the fighting and ran for the hills, all except one that attempted to pounce on Elsa from behind. But Baldrek intercepted the creature, grasping it by the neck as he tackled it to the ground and swung his hammer down into its chest hard, the sharp face of the crow's beak cutting though it's hide, killing it instantly.
Baldrek dislodged his weapon, he looked upon the surface and saw the blood that ran through the veins of this vile creature was black like oil. Rising to his feet he ran over to the dead hound with his ax in its head, removing it and seeing that the result was the same. He looked to Elsa questioning and they both looked at the black ooze with curiosity and disgust, likely a symptom of the tyranite in their hides. Looking past that, she could see the battle continued towards the main hall without them, the answers to these questions would have to obtained later. She motioned for Baldrek and the rest of their men to follow, Hadenville would be theirs once again.
OoO
Krar fought alongside his fellow Arendellians in the inner courtyard of Hadenville, here the fighting was very close quarters: some combatants on either side subjected to beating down their opponent hand to hand due to how easily one could lose their weapon in the chaos. Naga were not as skilled at unarmed combat and battled with either brute force or basic training, whereas the naturally hardy Arendellian were capable of generally greater brute force and skillful techniques taught to them by lord Aldren.
The old lieutenant himself ran a naga thru but as he kicked them off another struck his weapon away with their mace. Before they could strike, Krar grabbed their arm and pulled them forward, clothes-lining them with his shield. He then swung his shield broad-face into another. He was caught off guard when a naga brute tackled him into the side of the hall, the brute grabbed his throat with both hands, lifting him off the ground. Krar choked against the brute's grip but would not yield willingly, pulling out his dagger he sliced down on the exposed joint on their arm making them drop slightly then thrust the blade into their neck and punching the brute in the head several times with his other hand, screaming loudly each time until they were both on the ground.
Winded from the bout the old man leaned back against the hall but hadn't caught enough of his breath to stand when suddenly another enemy soldier charged him with a spear. The threat was gone when the naga was struck in the side by Traitor's Bane and sent flying off to the side, he looked up to see Baldrek extending his hand out to help him. "Don't die yet old man."
Grateful he was to see the tall captain and, a short distance away, Queen Elsa leading the rest of their forces to join them.
OoO
Approaching what was left of the enemy forces, Elsa thrust both hands outward, encasing most of their legs in ice and ordered her men to stand down. Her warriors stepped back but continued to hold their weapons towards the remaining enemies. She held her own spear out towards them, "Toradh! Toradh a-nis, no is e bas a th'ann dhuibh uile! (Yield! Yield now, or it's death for all of you!")
The struggle ceased as the remaining naga considered whether to keep fighting, most dropped their weapons and held their hands behind their heads. Those that still held their weapons seemed as though they would rather take their pride to the grave, this was ended when Trolgon landed on the roof of the main hall and roared threateningly down at them, any that held weapons no longer did and all dropped to their knees in complete surrender at the sight of the dragon.
Elsa lowered her weapon and sighed, Krar walked up to her, "Your grace I'm sorry I didn't wait...I didn't want us to lose our momentum-"
"It's alright Lieutenant, the Captain and I were busy."
He smiled, "I didn't realize you knew their language..."
She sheathed her spear, "Lord Aldren gave a brief course along with my training, it was probably pretty rusty...but I think I got the point across."
"Well in any case, Hadenville is ours once again."
Baldrek nodded, "We've done it."
She nodded too, wasting no time she spoke first to Baldrek, "Captain, make sure these prisoners are locked away then establish a perimeter around the city."
He nodded, then along with the other soldiers began rounding up the naga and escorting them to be processed and imprisoned.
She then turned to Krar, "Take some men and root out any remaining enemies but move with caution in case any of our people still remain here."
"They won't escape us your grace." He gathered some volunteers for the hunt and headed off.
Elsa stood in the midst of all the activity, relieved that another battle had been ended, another region reclaimed. She turned towards the main hall, upon the double doors was a glittering, white and silver steel star engraving: the sigil of house Starlon. Approaching the doors, she pushed them open and entered the hall, devoid of any other light. She slowly made her way to the back of the hall and a set of identical twin thrones. She stopped when she heard a thud behind her, turning to see Trolgon working-in vain, to squeeze through the doorway. The fins on his neck flexed as he growled angrily at his inability to fit.
It seemed he had grown even larger than he was a day ago, she laughed fondly and walked back to him, taking his head in both of her hands, "Trolgon, I don't want you to hurt yourself." He whined pitifully in response as she kissed the top of his head, "Wait for me out here, I'll be back. I promise."
He snorted, pulling back from the doorway and taking to the skies, the wind from his annoyed takeoff nearly knocking her off her feet. She smiled and shook her head as she turned back to the inner hall, she drew Dragon's Flight and held it forward: the spear ends both glowed a bright blue that helped her illuminate the room. Her smile disappeared when she noticed several deep scrapes in the wooden floor, she knelt and held her spear's light to them for observation. Though there was no blood but the scuffs indicated some sort of struggle had occurred and someone had walked across the floor, someone big...someone heavy...
She traced her fingers along the marks in thought before standing and venturing past the thrones, observing their details as she passed by: simple wood with steel engravings in the shape of their house sigil along the legs and the sides of the back rests, each which appeared to hold a small diamond. Her own throne didn't possess such embellishments and she recalled Hammerhel not even having a throne...curious.
She made her way to the set of stairs that led to the upper level of the hall and sheathed her spear, much like Embercrow keep it possessed a balcony that overlooked the city. She leaned against the railing and breathed in the clear air, but it was an air that held a somber undertone. She could see it on the faces of her soldiers: Christmas had not come to Hadenville...and they had not found any of their people. This victory was devoid of the same triumph that they felt at Hammerhel. This brought sadness to her heart but she reminded herself that this was just one step towards an ultimate reclamation of their homeland. With no battle to distract her she now longed greatly to hear word from Aldren and Anna, more specifically: word that they had taken Riverview and were both safe and fine. She could not force these realities though and she knew that she would have to wait, soon she would send her forces to secure the entire region, if they had reclaimed Riverview then no doubt her two closest family would do the same and they would finally be prepared to end this war once-and-for-all...
OoO
Aldren and Anna led the five hundred through Troll's Pine woods side by side towards the eastern hold of Riverview. The tight tree line made it impractical to travel in closed ranks so they simply stayed as a singular group moving in one direction as they navigated the small brush between trees, snow crunching softly beneath their boots. Anna made sure to keep constant conversation in order to keep the silence broken...and to alleviate her own boredom.
"Soooo since I am the princess...that means technically I could be in command?" Anna asked with a smile on her face.
"Technically..." he replied patiently.
"And if I wanted to, I could pull rank on you."
"Theoretically yes."
"Huh...and you'd have to do whatever I say?"
"As Master of War I am charged with the mobilization and command of Arendelle's armies and I answer only to the queen. However, any member of the monarchy-you for example, may declare your royal authority in any military situation to take command...if you so wish."
"Whoa...cool!"
He chuckled, "If you wish to lead the siege princess, then by all means you may."
Anna's eyes widened, her expression almost terrified, "Oh...well, you know what? I don't think there's any need for that...right now. Besides, I think you're better qualified." she finished with a sheepish grin.
"Mm nice of you to say...we should be getting close..."
They reverted back into silence for a while, Anna looked at him with wondering eyes, questions she wanted to ask him nagged at her mind ever since they last spoke at Hammerhel. He could sense her gaze, "If you stare at me any longer I might evaporate your grace, speak your mind if you wish."
"I just...what you said: about war and how it...made you into something terrible?"
"You wish to know what I meant by that...about myself."
"Well...yeah, I mean I just-"
He held up a hand, "Wait...Down, down..." he whispered, motioning to the entire group.
They all crouched down and stayed quite as possible at they moved slowly up, towards the edge of the woods. Aldren and Anna placed themselves against two trees and looked down the slope leading to the Riverview. Anna had a slight look of irritation on her face from being interrupted, Aldren noticed this, "What say we continue this conversation after we take the fort?"
She smiled slightly and rolled her eyes, "Maybe that's a good idea."
They turned their attention back to Riverview, naga riflemen watched the walls as expected and their numbers were far less than at Hammerhel...but then so were theirs.
"On the upside; it doesn't appear any 'witch knights' command this garrison." Aldren noted.
She nudged him, "Wouldn't you prefer to have 'round two' with that 'Decicus' jerk?"
"I'd prefer if their entire army laid down their weapons and decided to never make war on Arendelle again but we both know that won't happen... not unless we help them along."
She drew her bow, "More than willing."
He noticed the heavy scarring in the wooden walls from tyranite explosions as well as the gate which had been reconstructed but still appeared to be incomplete. He then called for Barec, he and Anna crouched next to him as he spoke, "Here's the plan: I want you two to stay here while I circle around and get inside the fort."
"You want to go inside, by yourself?" Barec asked disbelievingly.
"We more than likely outnumber them so we'll have that on our side, but I'm going to go buy us another advantage. And when I give the signal I want you to lead our army inside."
As he turned to leave Anna stopped him with a hand on the shoulder, "Wait, how will we know your signal?"
He grinned, "Trust me, you'll know it when you see it."
They watched as he crouched and made his way through the brush of the forest edge around to the side of the hold. Several minutes went by leaving Anna and Barec more than a little worried, the princess bit her lip while Barec tapped his knuckles against the tree rhythmically. After another few minutes everyone was brought to attention by the sounds of shouting and smoldering flames coming from the fort. The attention of all the naga on the walls was drawn inward just before the entire gate exploded in a plume of flame that left the entrance wide open.
Anna smiled, "I think that's the signal." She turned towards the army behind her holding her bow above her head, "You wanna Fight!?"
Everyone cheered loudly before she and Barec led them out of the woods and charged Riverview, the few naga on the walls noticed them and turned to fire. Broad Arendelle shields protected those behind them that fired arrows at the enemy rifles, Anna knocked an arrow and loosed it into the chest of an enemy before they could get a shot off. Barec felled another with his own bow while their kin ran past them and stormed the breach.
With the naga on the walls unable to halt their resistance they joined the others and rushed through and into the fort. Anna was immediately confronted with a naga that charged her and as he swung his sword hard to take her head she leaned back, the blade passing over. His momentum took him behind her, but before he could ready another swing she kicked him hard and turned, firing an arrow into his chest. Another attacked her, she dropped and rammed her elbow into their stomach making them stumble back before she shot their neck. A third raised their sword above to cut her down the middle, drawing an arrow she thrust it upward into their chest, spinning around behind them she fired another into their back and they fell forward onto the one in their chest.
Turning, bow at the ready, she was caught unaware when a naga cut her weapon in half. He expected to have her easily now but how very wrong he was. She ducked past his next attack and looped the cord of her broken bow around his neck, choking him with it, finishing him by turning and throwing him over her shoulder. She drew her sword and turned to the next foe, who wished very much to slay a princess. The naga brute swung his mace and, against her better judgment, she held her blade to block. She paid the price when the shaft of his weapon collide with her blade and sent her flying several feet onto the ground.
She regained her senses in time to see the brute charging to strike her down. Rolling towards her enemy she thrust her blade into his gut, as he fell dead she had to redirect his bulk or he would crush her. She had afforded herself a reprieve and caught her breath but when she looked up she gasped in fear at the sight of tyranite rifle aimed down sight at her. She was spared from the clutches of death when a stream of flames struck the rifleman. She knew it had come from Aldren though he was too occupied at the moment for her to thank him...Instead she gathered her sword and ran to help.
OoO
Aldren stabbed a naga behind him then slashed upwards into another, a third charged and swung a mace at him. He caught the weapon beneath the head and jabbed his sword's pommel into their faceplate, stunning them before slashing across their midsection. He now wielded the mace in his left hand, swinging into the legs of another foe knocking them off their feet then stabbing downward. Another blade came down at him, he caught the weapon with both of his and parrying it to the side he slammed the mace down onto their head. Spinning round he threw the mace into the helm of a rifleman who tried to fire at him, then blocking an incoming sword and stabbing them with the spike of his guard.
A brute charged him with a greatsword, he prepared to defend himself.
"Aldren!" he looked over his shoulder to see Anna running towards him with her hand outstretched, he smiled, knowing what she had in mind. Grasping her forearm, he swung her with all his strength aided by her momentum into the naga brute, she led with both of her feet colliding into his chest. She landed and rolled forward as the naga stumbled back, plunging her sword downward into his foot but before the brute could retaliate Aldren dashed forward and slashed across his neck.
He turned to block a sword that was swung at Anna as she turned and slashed the attacker. She saw another about to thrust their spear through Aldren's back and running past her friend she cut their spear tip off and Aldren turned thrusting his sword into him. The last foe they dealt with as a team chopped down at them with a two handed sword, Aldren pinned their blade to the ground with his own. He ducked down and Anna rolled off his back into a kick at the enemy's chest and a final upward slash across their throat.
Their attention was then drawn to a naga who shouted loudly at them in his language. His armor looked more sophisticated and he wielded two sickles, swinging them wildly in an aggressive display...he looked to be the leader of the garrison and was apparently taking all of this very personally.
Anna looked to Aldren, "What's he saying?"
He raised an eyebrow, "Nothing appropriate..."
The enraged naga charged them with weapons poised to kill. Anna prepared for another fight but before the enemy could even get with killing range Aldren threw his sword forward, the glowing guard spike connected and the force behind the throw forced the naga sliding back across the ground.
The battle halted when the remaining warriors froze at the sight of their leader dead with lord Aldren's sword protruding from his chest. Aldren extended his hand and Black Autumn dislodged itself from the dead foe and flew back into his grasp.
Anna watched wide eyed, putting a hand on her hip, "I don't remember you teaching Elsa that trick."
"No one taught me how to do it either."
He turned his attention back to the silenced battlefield, his men outnumbered the naga significantly but he knew it didn't take much to send them back into a frenzy. He slowly walked forward, the tip of his sword dragging against the ground, singeing the earth where it touched. He eyed every enemy soldier in sight one by one, letting the crimson glow of his eyes take full effect. He stopped just above the dead naga captain, he looked down for a few moments before holding his arm, "Duine sam bith eile? (Anyone else?)"
Every naga dropped their weapons got on their knees with hands behind their heads, Aldren nodded, speaking loudly as he gave his next command. "Take their weapons, gather those that surrendered in the center."
The Arendellians started rounding up all the remaining naga and began gathering them in the center of the Riverview courtyard and piling their surrendered weapons to the side. Aldren looked to Barec, the look on the man's face said it all...he beckoned for him to approach. He stood at attention in front of the lord who addressed him, "Sergeant, take fifty men and search the town for any prisoners and use caution, there could be more enemies in hiding as well."
"Yes my lord." eagerly he ran to gather volunteers.
OoO
Anna noticed Aldren watch Barec with a sad, sympathetic expression. She walked to his side, "You don't think there's anybody here...do you?"
He shook his head and sheathed his sword, "No...I hope I'm wrong."
She now watched Barec sadly as well, "I hope you are too."
They turned their attention to a naga prisoner who tried to run after Barec's group when they departed into the town. He was immediately knocked to the ground by one of the Arendelle soldiers who told him to 'stay down'. But the naga rose to his knees, pleading to him in his language that the Arendellians didn't understand...he was almost begging. The soldier wasn't having any of it and threatened to hit him, but Aldren ran to them and stopped that. Pushing the soldier aside and kneeling in front of the naga, "What did you say?"
Anna stood behind him as he listened intently to the naga, "Aldren?"
He stood quickly, "We need to stop Barec, NOW!"
He ran past her in the direction that Barec had left, "The rest of you watch them!" Anna followed him close behind, struggling to keep pace with him as he frantically searched. They found Barec and part of his group in front of a large barn, cutting through the chains holding it closed, Aldren ran towards them desperately shouting, "Barec! Don't open that!"
It was too late: the wooden doors exploded outward, splintered wood and Arendellian soldiers flying back. A creature that would have stood fifteen feet tall on its hind legs stumbled forward on the clawed fingers of its longer front arms, its immense weight shaking the earth. Glowing tyranite crystals jutted outward like blisters from its black scabrous hide, it's head possessed two slitted nostrils, pointed ears and two backwards facing horns that looked more like rotting wood than bone that grew from the back of the skull. It bore two upwards curving tusks that flanked a sizable mouth filled with sharp knife like teeth from which it breathed heavily out of. Its blood shot, black eyes slowly opened and searched its surroundings, rising up on its hind legs it roared loudly as it pounded its chest with its powerful, sinewy arms.
Its eyes focused on Barec who crawled back holding his chest, it raised both of its clawed fists above it's head to smash him into the ground. He narrowly escaped death when Aldren tackled Barec out of the path of the monster's fists as they slammed hard into the earth. Quickly getting Barec to his feet he pushed him away and yelled, "Run! All of you RUN!"
Some hadn't listened and paid the price when the beast swung its arm outward and sent them screaming through the air, arrows and spears bouncing harmlessly off its thick skin. The monster roared again but was stopped when a dagger bounced off its skin near its eye, it looked down at Princess Anna whose expression read: 'That was a bad idea.' The monster took an enraged swipe at her she barely avoided. She backed away terrified as it ran towards her on all fours with violent intent.
It was halted by Aldren who leaped in front of her and thrust a spear into its stomach as it reared up. The beast shrieked in pain but would not die, it grasped the spear and swiped with its other arm which collided into Aldren, her friend slammed against the side of the building and fell to the ground motionless.
"ALDREN!" she screamed and tried to run to him but the monster cut her off, staring her down and growling hungrily. She had no choice but to run for her life in the opposite direction, the beast gave chase and nearly caught her before she ran through the doorway of an open building. It began frenziedly tearing away the outside of the building, she looked around frantically for an escape: she found it in the form of stairs and a ladder that led to the roof, as well she found a weapons rack with several longbows on it. Grabbing one of the bows she ran up the ladder while her monstrous pursuer continued to ravage the building.
She made her way through the attic to the roof, when she looked over the edge of the building the monster's hand swiped upward barely missing her. In rage it slammed its body against the building causing Anna to fall off the edge. She shrieked, just managing to catch the edge of the roof to keep from falling. But now she hung helplessly as the monster reached upward to crush her in its hand.
It instead roared in pain, she and the monster looked down to see Aldren alive, his teeth gritted as he stabbed his heated blade into its ankle and then threw a fireball into its head. As the beast reared back in pain again, Anna was able to hoist herself back onto the roof. The monster regained its sense and turned to Aldren who stood ready to do battle.
Anna knocked an arrow in her new bow, "Hey ugly!"
It turned back to her and she loosed her arrow right into its eye, if it was ever possible for this thing to scream any louder...it did. It's flailing made it stumble into the side of the building, crashing through the wood and making her fall through the roof as it collapsed. She fell halfway down onto a wooden beam, it hurt her stomach but she kept a hold...her life depended on it. Looking down she saw the monster starting to recover but Aldren continued to harass and taunt it with blasts of flame. In pain and wrath it gave in and lunged towards him, Anna dropped down as softly as she could onto the floor.
Outside of the destroyed entryway she could see Aldren as he skillfully avoided and dodged each of the creature's crude attempts to crush and pulverize him. The young lord sliced across the beast's side, then spinning past its arm as it swiped, slashed across its jaw and thrust upward into its chest. The beast roared in pain but before he could drive the blade deeper it grabbed both of his arms and held him in the air. It's black, heartless eye narrowed as it started to pull outward on his arms, being an elemental, he was stronger than most but even he would only be able to withstand the force for so long before he was ripped apart, his strained, painful groans told as much.
Anna had no weapon that could pierce the monster's hide but then she realized...one already had: Aldren's sword was still halfway in its chest, she ran forward as fast as she could. Passing Aldren she flung herself towards the creature, grasping Black Autumn in both hands, screaming out her best war cry as all of her weight and momentum pushed the glowing sword's entire length inwards. The beast cried out as loudly as it had before, dropping Aldren and falling backward with Anna still holding on, its enormous body thudded against the ground. A few convulsions later the creature's remaining eye rolled backward, its head and limbs slumping down and the glowing tyranite crystals fading to a dim black, followed by the slight hissing of air from its final breath.
Anna didn't waste time catching her breath or pulling out the sword, instead sliding off the dead beast's side and running back to Aldren who was struggling to rise off the ground. She knelt beside him and helped him into a sitting position, "Aldren! Are you OK? What's broken?!"
He groaned and chuckled weakly, "Nothing...thankfully." he craned his neck and sighed, "That... was a very brave thing you did Anna..."
She smiled but he frowned, "But also reckless, please don't do it again...if you can help it."
Still she smiled, and hugged him as gently as possible, "No promises, you're family...and I look out for family."
He smiled and hugged her back, she then helped him to his feet and supported him as he stood. Around them they could see the other Arendellian soldiers, including Barec come out from cover and marveling in amazement and disgust at the horror that had been slain. Anna furrowed her brow at the sight of the creature, able to study its grotesque visage in greater detail, "What is that thing?"
He shook his head, "It was a mountain troll, now...it is an abomination."
She looked between him and the troll with frightened curiosity as he continued, "Corrupted by the taint of tyranite... a warped, mad atrocity. A former shadow of the creature it once was, it is better to kill such things rather than have them suffer existence...there are few fates worse than a hel like that."
She looked down at her hands and saw small flecks of Black against her skin, then it dawned on her that the flecks were that thing's black blood. Her mouth was slightly agape as she processed this information: the idea that any animal could be twisted in such a way to be a device of violence and war. The thought made her sick, it didn't help to convince her that the naga could ever be trusted. But more than anything it made her dread what the Naga Ai were capable; what lengths their 'king' was willing to go...to win...
Well that was exciting wasn't it, next chapter should be up in a about a week, week and a half at most so look forward to that.
And I just wanted to leave a quick Authors note: Throughout this story I've always tried to stay true to each of the original characters personalities and have them react to these situations in ways that are believable and stays true to who they are. I'm fairly confident I've succeeded in that area but if at any moment you guys doubt that I have, I'd like you to tell me so that I might take your opinions into consideration and adjust accordingly. Though keep in mind that I do have my personal opinions and theories about their personality traits and reactions so I can't heed everything that's thrown at me but I will be sure to read all of your suggestions.
Well anyway that's all, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, Ciao! :)
