Chapter 6: Battle of the Crossroads
Trees were quickly hewn down as Kiltan rushed forward. Now, he could hear them clearly. Kiltan looked back, and saw Bull slowly pushing through the overgrowth. Kiltan ran forward, and stepped out of the forest. Indeed, he now stood upon a high cliff, a sloping mountainside, overlooking the great main crossroads of Henesys and Kerning, and beyond, Lith Harbour, resting against the horizon. The crossroads were surrounded by high cliffs, as the base level lay low, for it was a straight road that led towards Lith Harbour. The pathways here split, one side going towards Kerning, the other heading for Henesys, thus giving the name of the crossroads. Both paths led an uphill climb, up the steep slopes that were cut into the cliff sides.
But all was not well in the distance, for the sky around Lith Harbour was smothered under a deep, black veil of smoke. Flames could be seen, even from such a distance, consuming the city houses slowly. He knew that this would happen eventually, but not so soon, for how did the creatures manage to reach Lith Harbour, unless they came from Kerning or Henesys? Kiltan looked both ways, and saw no oncoming creatures. But he looked straight down from the cliff, and saw the residents of Lith Harbour hastily retreating, a swarm of odd creatures chasing them.
Bull now burst through the forest, nearly falling down the sudden cliff. But then he cast his eyes over the vast forest below, and his face was grim. "The creatures of Florina Beach has assailed upon Lith Harbour." He muttered. They looked down at the small army of monsters. They were sea creatures, no doubt, for they resembled crabs, but much bigger. Their pincers were huge, able to snap a man in half. They lived on the nearby island of Florina, of which few people ever visited. Few mighty fighters dared to venture into their domain. Only wizards, wielding the power of lightning, would dare challenge these creatures, which they call the clang, and strike down at it with a powerful jolt of electricity. And only a few warriors, wielding sharp blades, would have the strength to penetrate the shell of the clang.
But now, no great fighter stood amongst the people, and no one could stand up to fight this horrible creature. They walked at an astonishing speed, chasing after the retreating group, who desperately ran towards Henesys, occasionally firing off a few arrows in desperate hope of keeping the creatures at bay. But it was to no avail, for the arrows barely made a scratch against the shell of the creature. Occasionally, a stray arrow would find its way into the protruding eye of one of the clangs, and blind it. But a single fallen clang made no difference, for many more came from behind. The gap between the creatures and the people grew narrow, and the clangs clicked their claws in mockery.
"The people are running for Henesys. They will not make it in time, for these clangs will overrun them before long." Bull said. "I hold little hope for the lives of these people, for they cannot possibly match the strengths of these sea creatures. But what I fear more is that Henesys is not prepared for such an attack. They have barricaded the road to Sleepywood, but they have left the two sides loosely guarded, for they do not expect an attack from here. But now, with the demon army marching from Sleepywood, and the clangs attacking from their west gate, I fear they will be taken by surprise." Kiltan looked at Bull. "So what do you propose we do?" Now, the warriors had come out of the forest, and standing in a line, they looked down upon the clangs. Some of them had faced these creatures before, but most had barely even set foot upon Florina Beach. Bull looked at warriors, who were staring at the clang army with both amazement and fear. "For the defense of Henesys." Bull said slowly. And then, raising his voice, he said to the warriors. "My men, draw your swords. We prepare for battle."
"How many do you see?" Bull asked Kiltan. Kiltan cast his eyes to the south, and not too many he saw. He could not see what other creatures might be waiting at the back of this marching army, for they were a simple blur from such a distance. But he estimated five hundred strong. Bull nodded. "If we clash with them in battle, a single one of us would have to kill five of them. I do not see a good chance of success, but this is what we must do." Kiltan looked down again, and saw another clang fall to the ground in pain, as a lucky arrow had managed to find its way into the mouth of the creature, shot off by a young archer. But a single fallen clang did little good, for more came, swarming into the crossroads like a nasty plague.
"Look." Kiltan suddenly spoke. He pointed to the steep cliff opposite them. There rose a straight cliff. No grass grew against its barren walls, and it cast a looming shadow over the roadways below. The men were running past it now, heading towards the climb upwards to Henesys, with the clangs closing in behind. "If we time it perfectly, we can break down that mass of rubble, caving it in on the creatures below." Bull looked at Kiltan, not knowing what to think of this crazy new idea. "And how do you plan of causing this landslide?" He asked.
Kiltan pulled out a small canister from his pocket. It was made of metal, and painted with a red stripe. This is the explosive head of an arrow bomb. Heera asked me to hold onto it for her. I'm sure she won't mind me using them for this purpose, won't she?" And with a grin, Kiltan took out one of his Ilbi stars, and attached the explosive concoction onto it with a thick string pulled from his shirt. The warriors stood back, as he held it up high, and got ready to fling it. His gaze stared intensely at the wall or rocks, and he slowly drew his hand back. He gave a quick gaze downward, and saw that the men had already begun to ascend the climb up towards the road to Henesys. Now, the swarm of clangs stood directly under the shadow of the great wall. Kiltan grinned. With a powerful fling, he threw the Ilbi star. It flew up, high into the air; its metal surface gleamed against the sun. For a moment, it seemed to be floating lightly in the air, a small speck in the sky, like a drifting feather. And then, it immediately cut down, and flew at an amazing speed, slicing through the air, straight towards the base of the cliff. It struck, and upon impact, it exploded.
It was only a single canister, but the explosion the erupted from it was great. Heera was masterful at the skill, and he had seen her arrow bombs wreak havoc to masses of creatures before. The blast rippled through the air, knocking some of the fleeing men below to the ground. They looked up, stunned, and saw Kiltan, standing high above them, his face shining in the sun. But they also heard a small rumble, and they began to run as they looked behind them, and saw the first stone crumble from the face of the cliff. The damage of the bomb had served its purpose, and now, the weight of the cliff pushed down upon itself, and the base burst out under the massive pressure of the rocks. It gave a tremendous roar as it crumpled downwards. The creatures looked up, as the wall of rubble descended upon them. Panic-stricken, they began to run out in all directions, but to no avail, as not one clang that stood there escaped the falling rocks, and in an instant, they were crushed.
The warriors who looked on cheered, as they raised their weapons high. But all was not over. Kiltan estimated that about half of the army had been destroyed, for the landslide had done more damage then he had expected. As the cliff caved in, the side also fell under the intense pressure, destroying a large area of the crossroads, and the clangs with it. But as he looked on, he saw the rest of the army continuing to advance. They crawled slowly over the rubble, and headed for the pathway up to Henesys. Bull looked upon the clangs, and he gave his tremendous war cry. The clangs heard, and they looked up, with a new fear in them. He drew his axe, and it gleamed with gold, shining in the sun. Then, he charged, running down the slopes, his axe raised high. This brought courage to the warriors, and they too drew their weapons, running along with Bull. But the speed of Bull could not be matched, as he charged ahead of his men, a trail of dust behind him. Then clangs held up their claws, pointing dangerously upwards, straight at their oncoming enemies. But this did not stop him, and with a powerful crash, he slammed into them, and hewn his axe, chopping off their powerful claws.
The army of warriors had clashed against the clangs. The powerful fighters had no difficulty slashing at the creature, but some of the weaker warriors had to stand together just to kill one. Some of the men were lost, sliced by the claws of the clang, but this only brought out the rage in these men, and they fought all the more valiantly, leaving a trail of carcasses behind as they pushed forth. A throwing star cut the air, piercing the bodies of one of the clangs, just before it attacked one of the young warriors. That warrior looked up, and saw that clang, bleeding from its side, slowly falling forward. He rolled out of the way as the great carcass fell to the ground. He saw Kiltan, flinging his stars and a great speed, never failing to miss his enemy. One by one, the clangs fell, their bodies littered the crossroads.
"Victory! Victory is ours! Push these foul creatures back to their watery graves where they belong!" Bull yelled. He raised his axe high, stained with the blood of the fallen creatures. His eyes gleamed dangerously. He was no longer just a warrior; he was now consumed with the savage instincts of a beast, drawn under the influence of a powerful rage. Another mighty roar he gave, and with that, he charged on towards the retreating clangs, his warriors close behind him. But then, he slowed down. The warriors behind him stopped, and they stared ahead. Before them, the clangs retreated, but another new monster was advancing. They had been crawling slowly at the back of the army of creatures, and were not initially spotted by Kiltan. But now, they have finally shown their face. Then warriors stood, stunned, as this new menace advanced.
They were called the umti, turtle-like creatures that, like the clangs, had grown large by a mysterious force on Florina Beach. Their flippers pounded heavily against the dry rocks, slowly pushing themselves forward, like a mob of moving boulders. From afar, they looked like slow, giant turtles, but only those that had faced this terrible creature upon Florina Beach knew of its deadly secret. Kiltan stepped forward, and he stood besides Bull, looking onward at the row of umtis. They lined the roadways, standing side by side, walking together in a slow, steady rhythm. He counted twenty in total, and even more lined up behind the initial row. The wild, fearsome rage of Bull had faded away, and he now stood facing to oncoming creatures, not moving, no emotions could be seen on his face. Then, he slowly turned around, and facing his men, he spoke softly.
"My men, I will not hold responsible your lives if you follow me onward to battle. Run back, retreat back to Henesys, for I wish no longer to see the fall of another one of you. Go now, and warn them of this new threat. Upon my grave, I shall hold your prides fulfilled. Stand with me as you may wish, but with this enemy that marches towards us right now, I fear for your very lives. Their spit, a boiling mess of white poison, will be fired from their foul mouths, and it will melt your skin and burn your bones. Even underneath their massive shells, their skin is as thick as that of a drake. Only with a powerful cut will you be able to scratch at its skin. You men best be standing together with the guards of Henesys, though little difference will it make. Only the greatest archers will pierce its hide, and yet, so many more of these creatures march onward. Go now, wherever you may please. I know what I must do." With that, he turned around, and holding his axe tightly in his hands, he marched on, heading straight towards the army of oncoming umtis.
Bull did not look back, but if he did, he would have seen that not one of his men fled. They stood solemnly, looking at their leader, sacrificing his life yet again for them, and together, they marched forward. Kiltan held ready his stars, and he walked with them. To death, they were walking, but a sacrifice nonetheless, for the sake of Victoria Island. They knew this, but they did not falter. For the freedom of their lands, for the lives of their children, they would smite at these creatures will all their might. And so it came to be, at this hour of noon, the final army of warriors marched behind their great leader, and before them they mighty umtis approached, slow, yet deadly.
As the men marched closer, the first row of umtis stopped, and they drew back on their hind lags, facing upward to the sky. And then, almost in unison, they drew a deep breath. Their gaping jaws opened, and with a croaking roar, they released out a burning concoction of spittle. It made a high arch in the air, and dropped down headlong into the advancing men. Kiltan held his hands together, and raised his head high, a quick chant he gave. In an instant, the warriors felt their bodies' grow light. They had been blessed with the hastiness of the thieves, and with a quick step, they leapt out of the way of the falling acid drops. The ground fizzled as the spit of the umti corroded into the rocks. Before the men could react, another hail of attacks had been fired from the umtis, and the men began to run forward, skillfully dodging the attacking with the powers of haste. Some of the raining spit hit one of the warriors on his arm, melting through his armor and burning his skin. But he did not stop, for the will of men were not so easily defeated. Together, the warriors moved on, not one of them willing to fall before laying a single strike on the beast. Bull looked back upon them. "Come, all you men who wish to fight along side with me. Before the end, we shall let them feel the pain of men!" And with that, the men began to run, charging straight towards the umtis.
The shrill cry of a bird rang through the air. The men paid no attention to it, but Kiltan knew that call. He stopped, and looked upwards, towards the high cliff that led the road to Henesys. And there he saw Helena, masterful leader of the archers of Victoria. Her hair blew a light gold in the wind, shining against the sun. Besides her stood Heera, and lined along the cliff sides, stood the co horde of archers. In their hands, they held their bows high, with arrows drawn. Faintly, he heard the shout of Helena, and immediately, a hundred arrows were shot, whizzing through the air. With deadly precision, they pierced the skin of one of the umti. It was crippled, but it did not fall. The other umtis around it saw what had happened, and for a moment, they stopped. They saw Helena, standing upon the high cliffs, commanding her archers with such strength, and before them, the mighty Bull was charging fearlessly with his warriors following behind. The crippled umti now drew a final, deep breath, as it charged up for a final attack against these approaching warriors. But in an instant, an arrow shot by Helena, burning with a fiery magic, flew into the open jaws of the umti, cutting through its throat. It choked, and fell down, dead.
With a loud yell, Bull crashed into the umtis, soon followed by the other warriors. With their massive jaws, the umtis clamped down on the men, ripping through the flesh of those who could not dodge it in time. With a powerful heave, Bull swung his axe into the skull of the umti. Thick as it may be, the umti could not match the power of the greatest warrior of Victoria. Bull drew back his axe, and watched the creature slump down before him. And then, he heard a loud shout. He turned around, only to see the limp torso of a warrior lying on the ground. His body was charred, burned beyond recognition, as the saliva of the umti corroded his flesh. Bull threw his axe straight at the creature, and it struck the umti right between the eyes, but this time, it did not pierce deeply, and the umti charged at Bull. He reached back, and drew out a long sword. It was dark and black, like a mysterious shadow. And yet, its edges gleamed sharply in the sun, and with this sword he struck the umti, and it pierced deep into the creature's neck. Yet another of the beast had fallen under the hands of Bull.
The battle drew on. More men fell, snapped up by the gapping jaws of the umti. The arrows continued to rain down, striking at the umtis that walked at the back of the group, killing them before they could even attack the warriors. Bull, holding the axe in one hand, and the sword in the other, continued to slash at the creatures, while Kiltan flung his Ilbi stars straight into the necks of the umtis. The sun was now sinking down, and Bull jabbed his sword deep into the side of the final umti. A burn mark ran across his face, where the spit of an umti had caught him. But it was mild, and the scar would heal over time. Bull drew back, and took a deep breath. He looked south, and saw a final view of the retreating clangs, quickly crawling back into the sea.
He looked around him, and saw the field of carcasses. Some of the men continued to stab at the dead beast with their swords, for they were still fill with anger of what had just happened. Many men had fallen, almost half of the initial group of warriors, brutally slaughtered by the creatures from the sea. Some were weeping over the bodies of their past friends, now horribly burned, hardly recognizable. Helena and her archers began to descend down to the bottom of the crossroads, the small group of refuges from Lith Harbour safely with them. Heera came and stood besides Kiltan. No words were needed, as they hugged each other tightly.
Under the falling sun, the warriors made a quick burial for their fallen comrades. They erected a small mound over the graves, at the corner of the crossroads, forever remembering this day that the final group of warriors sacrificed themselves for the battle of Victoria Island. Besides the mound, they piled the carcasses of the creatures, and set the bodies ablaze, signaling the victory they achieved. Upon the mound, Bull laid his helm, a gleaming metal headpiece that glowed with a deep red hue in the evening sun. He deemed this fight as the Battle of the Crossroads, and forever more, all who passed this place would see this mound, and the men would be remembered. Over time, the mound grew with a lush green covering of grass. But the ground besides it, of which burned with the foul carcasses of the fallen beast, forever remained a deep brown gash in the land, and upon it nothing ever grew.