"Wake
up you fool! They are near." Sikesfana said while kicking his
patrol partner. "I'm awake!" Linkindel blurted as he opened his
eyes. He had to squint from the sudden burst of the days sun.
As
Linkindel stood to face the open plains beyond the forests reach, he
noticed that yet again the battle axes that hung on his sides were
tingling, almost a humming sound as if they were trying to talk to
him in their own way. He ignored them as he had always done.
"Will
we have to battle them?" Lin asked Sikes (the name he chose to call
Sikesfana). He was referring to the group of Orcs just beyond the
skyline. "No. We are to watch them and make sure they do not turn
in our direction." Linkindels boredom was very apparent in his loud
sigh. "When will we be able to rid this land of their foul
existence?" Linkindel argued as he turned to walk away. "You will
not walk away from your duties, boy!" Sikesfana grabbed Lin by the
shoulder and spun him around. Oh how Linkindel hated it when Sikes
called him boy! Linkindel turned to face Sikesfana, as if to
challenge him in some way. Sikesfana met Lin's stare with an
equally as daring stare of his own. The two stood there glaring at
one another for what seemed like hours. Until a loud and high pitched
scream brought them from one another. Both Lin and Sikes drew forth
their weapons. Sikes was a master with his straight sword and whip
combination, though he rarely had to use them.
Lin took off in a
sprint towards his and Sikes village, a place not so far from where
he and Sikesfana were now. Lin had his twin axes out in so quick a
fashion that Sikes had to look twice to make sure they did not just
appear out of thin air. They ran for many minutes, not letting up in
the least. When Linkindel and Sikesfana arrived, they found three
score of creatures that looked as if they were once human, raiding
and attacking their people. Lin and Sikes ran over to a group of
elves that were forming defensive lines near a large old oak tree
that had been used to house many of the elders of their clan.
"They
just appeared, as if out of nowhere!" One elf said to Sikes as he
joined the formations. With a quick twist of his hand, Sikesfana had
one of the creatures by the neck with his wicked whip and was pulling
him in to the tip of his blade. Sikesfana kicked the monster from his
blade and to the ground. The elf started to move to the next enemy
when, to his shock, the last creature was back up and attacking him.
"Zombies!" Sikes said to himself. "They are zombies, you must
go for the neck, take their heads off!" Sikesfana yield for all to
hear.
With that heard, Linkindel held to his already imbedded axe
in the chest of the zombie he was fighting and with a downward thrust
he sent his free weapon through the pathetic creatures neck, cleanly
taking his head from his shoulders. As Lin tried to gain his footing,
he noticed another creature coming towards him. Linkindel did not try
to pull his axe from the creature but threw up his free hand in front
of the closing monster. "Tal'es'car'asuse!" Was all
that Lin said, and almost on cue the zombie froze in place. With a
whisper not loud enough for anyone to hear, Linkindel said "Be
gone!" The zombie began to shake violently, and was then gone,
turned into a sandy dust.
Lin then turned to see Sikes defending off two creatures. Lin retrieved his axe from the decapitated creatures chest and ran to help his "friend". As he was running he noticed that the creatures were diminishing, succumb to all the elves and their brave fighting. Though their numbers were receding, the zombie like creatures would not yield. As Lin ran towards Sikes he saw a score of his kin lying dead on the ground. He knew in his head that there was nothing he could do for them, the poison of the undead creatures had taken them. He made the anger he felt power his feet and arms. Lin was beside Sikes in a matter of seconds. "I thought you could use some help." Linkindel said sarcastically. With the aid of his elven magic, Sikesfana summoned forth thick roots and weeds from the ground to entangle one creature so he could fight off the next one, closest to his right. With a high spinning upward arc, Sikesfanna had the creature that was charging him, on the ground, slowly turning to sand and dust. Linkindel was there, right beside Sikes as he turned to face the entangled creature. The zombie could not move due to the strength of the roots and weeds holding him, but it did not stop him from trying. With every jerk and pull the monster made the entanglement tighten around him. Lin and Sikes knew what would happen if the zombie kept up the act. As Sikes went to finish off the poor creature, Linkindel stopped him, grabbed him by the wrist and held him. When Sikesfana turned to see why Lin had stopped him, he noticed that the rest of his clan of wood elves were there beside him. The entangled creature was the last enemy left in their Forrest village. As he suspected the zombie creature kept trying to get free, twisting and pulling with all his strength, but not even the undead could match the strength of the earth. With one finale test of power the creature was torn a part by the weeds and roots. Lin turned from the gruesome sight, and heard Sikes dispel the enchantment. Though they did win the battle, none of them called it a victory. As the clerics and priests of the clan made their way around, healing the ones they could and putting the souls of the ones lost in battle to rest, Linkindel made his way to his tree top home. When he arrived, he walked in to find Sikesfana and Talimona, the elf Linkindel long considered to be his best friend. As Lin made his way to his room Sikes and Talimona stopped him and said "We have something we have to tell you, something about the necromantic magic that was used to bring forth those creatures."
