Chapter 10: Descent of the Barlog
For the first time in many years, the southern roadway of Ellinia was flushed with warm sunlight. The great trees that once lined the road were now shoved away to the side, brutally snapped like small twigs. Along the road lay the charred bodies of many tauromacis, burned down by the mana waves. Far of to the south, a great growl was heard. A taurospear, roared out as it saw the bodies of its comrades. As the creature looked on at the great line of carnage before it, the evil voice of the Barlog entered its mind, and called it to seek revenge. The taurospear looked up, its eyes burning with a crazed fury, and it thought of nothing more then to destroy every last human. Its grip tightened on its long spear, and it began to charge forward.
"Here they come. Reform your groups and hold ready your weapons!" Bull cried out. The heavy pounding of feet approached quickly. He could clearly see the approaching beasts. They held their spears forward, and charged head on with great speed. Behind him, the men were quickly running back and regrouping, and they stood close to Ellinia once again. High above them, the archers had once again drawn their arrows.
The taurospears stomped right over the dead bodies littered along the southern road. Their eyes stared straight ahead, and fixated on Bull, who stood at the front of the men. As they approached ever closer, the blue tips of their spears began to sparkle, as it charged up with a magical lightning bolt. It howled out loudly as it crashed out into the open, stomping into the Ellinia plains.
The arrows had done little damage to the tauromacis, and so it was little more then an irritant to the taurospears as they charged forward. Only a few arrows were able to pierce into the skin of the beast. As the archers continued to rain their arrows on the monsters below, Heera aimed a single arrow straight down into the center of the fields. As she pulled back her arrow, it began to burn with a bright yellow flame from its tip. And then, she shot it off straight into the fray of beasts. As it flew, the flame grew larger. It struck the ground like a fireball, and from it the flames spread out. It burned the ground like wildfire, growing into a huge flame that blanketed the large fields.
The fire burned the land in front of the group of warriors, and cast the taurospears into a fiery trap. The flames began to roar into a great inferno, and the men were taken aback by the heat. They saw the taurospears through the flames, dashing around in chaos, screaming in pain. Slowly, one fell to its knees, and the fire consumed it. But still, many stood strong, and they dashed out towards the group of men. Behind, the flames began to reside, and the last flickers of fire were stomped out by the massive hooves of the taurospear. They were injured, but they boiled with rage, and ignoring their pains, the beasts charged forward again. The fur of the beasts was charred and black, and its skin flushed red. As it ran forward, thick clumps of fur dropped off, and puffs of sot flew about.
Immediately, the magicians and assassins attacked. From the back, the magicians unleashed their claws, while the stronger mages shot off magical flaming arrows and frozen balls of ice. Amelia cast an endless hail of icy shards. The assassins stretched out over the fields, and threw their stars from all directions. They flung the stars two at a time, while Kiltan threw forward many giant steel stars. The combined attacks of all these men and women struck onto the first taurospear, knocking it back with tremendous force. Already weakened by the flames, it stumbled backwards and crashed down.
"These beasts will attack from a distance. We cannot stay here and wait for it to strike at us. Come, we face them head on. Charge onward, for the victory of Victoria!" Bull shouted. The men roared out a great cheer as they ran forward with their weapons held high, and the bright metal edges of their weapons danced about with bright colours in the sun. For the final battle that they would face, these men would fight for glory till the very end. Their feet flew over the ground, and great strength and rage burned in their bodies. Their voices echoed over the great plains like thunder, and for an instant, the mighty beast before them were taken aback, and were overwhelmed by the spirits of men to fight. The small army of warriors and bandits were upon them before the taurospears could react, and they smashed into the beasts with maniacal fury.
The men began to cling onto the matted fur of the taurospear, and pulled their way up. They swarmed over the beast like ants over a creature that had invaded their nest. One young bandit clambered to the shoulder of the beast, and he drove his dagger into its neck. The taurospear swung around in pain, and all who did not gain a firm grip on it were throw outwards. Bleeding profusely from the deep gash in its neck, it began to sway, but did not fall. It spear swung about, and the blue spearhead began to glow a yellowish white. Small sparks rolled along the spear, and then the creature jabbed its great weapon straight at the magicians.
Its spearhead erupted with a massive electrical surge, and threw back all who were close to it with searing heat. A bright lightning bolt burst out from its spear, and shot forward like a bright white arrow. The magicians ran and threw themselves on the ground as they saw the lightning bolt flying towards them. But Amelia knew they would be too slow to escape the area of impact where the bolt struck. Quickly, she dove forward into the path of the attack, and held forward her staff, just as the lightning bolt struck her.
It exploded in a huge flash of light and a great crackle. The magicians disappeared under the blinding flash, and the warriors and thieves shielded their eyes. For a second, it seemed like the army of magicians had been wiped out. All who saw this were filled with despair, but then rage began to boil through their veins. The young bandit stabbed at the neck of the taurospear again, and savagely slashed at it. The fat finger of the creature reached up and tried to grab for the bandit, but he had hopped down. Its great spear fell from its hand and clattered onto the ground, still smoking from the tip. It choked, and then finally fell forward into its own pool of blood.
As the fizzling of the lightning attack slowly faded away, the men looked back at where the magicians once were. The ground was black and smothered, with a thick smoke engulfing the area. Kiltan quickly ran towards the ruined ground. A soft gust of wind blew in, and it carried the smoke away with it. He looked on in surprise as he saw the group of magicians there, huddled together and shivering in fear, but not badly injured. Amelia was at the front of the group, and she lay on the grass, breathing heavily with exhaustion.
Kiltan kneeled over her, and she pushed herself up. "How did you survive that?" Kiltan asked, and his face was filled with concern and awe. Slowly, she spoke. "I stopped its attack with a lightning spear. But don't worry about me, go and help Bull, do not let the taurospears advance. Go, my fellow mages, they need you too. I will be fine." And so the magicians stood up, and they followed Kiltan forward.
Further to the south, more taurospears entered, but there were less then fifty in total, for most had been killed by the mana waves. Heera shot off another fiery arrow, and it landed just before the entrance to the forest, away from the men who were battling the taurospears. She continued to shower the incoming creatures with rains of arrows. Then, she gave a sharp whistle, and from the skies came her great silver hawk. Heera needed no words to be spoken, for the hawk knew what she thought. It aimed right for the center of the battle, and then, folding its wings in, it swooped straight down into the army of taurospears. It dove down faster then any arrow, appearing as a simple blur to the archers who saw it. Its beak was as sharp as any spear, and its powerful clawed feet could dig deep into the flesh of its prey.
A taurospear swung its huge spear in an arc, knocking down some of the men who stood too close. Then, it began to charge up its spear, and all the men quickly scrambled away. But before it could attack, it dropped its spear, and the men saw a gaping wound sliced across its chest. As the creature began to fall forward, they saw Heera's silver hawk rising up. Not a drop of blood stained its silvery feathers, for it had attacked with such great speed that it escaped without harm. High above the battlefield, it prepared to strike again, and the men continued to fight.
As the taurospears charged on to the front of the battle, their spears began to glow with fiery electricity. Flickers and sparks ran along the length of the spear, and it burst into a bright yellow flame. The warriors could feel the heat even before the beasts came close. The taurospear held high its burning spear, and swung it down into the army of men with immense force. The men in its path had little time to react. Some rolled out of the way, and their skin singed as the spear smashed into the ground like an eruption. But others were too slow, and they could do little more then stare blankly at their approaching doom, before disappearing under the fiery attack. As the beast lifted up its spear and charged it up for another attack, the men could see no remains in the smoking crater where it had attacked. With such force they had been struck, that those men who stood there were not burned or crushed, but simply vaporized.
The warriors along the front lines began to scatter in panic, retreating towards Ellinia. But Bull continued to walk forward, and he did nothing to stop the men from running back. His thoughts focused on the creature, and his rage was greater then ever. The burning instincts of a wild beast flowed in his veins, and he showed no fear as he walked on to face the creatures before him. At his side were Lazarus, Cassandra and Kiltan. As the men ran back, they silently walked forward, staring straight at the creatures, and their burning gaze struck the beasts with a sudden fear. Their burning spears were held loosely by their side, as they simply stood motionless before these four powerful humans.
As Bull's pace quickened, he drew a deep breath and let out a tremendous shout. The creatures were taken aback, for above Bull they believed they saw the head of a lion, roaring out in fury. The shout struck the beasts with pain, and they stumbled back as though a great wall had slammed into them. Besides him, Kiltan held a large fan of stars, and he flung them out. They expanded outwards like a great ring, and the stars flew with great accuracy, piercing deep into the chest of the beasts, striking deadly wound in them, and they fell forward. A silvery blur descended from the sky, as Heera's hawk attacked with its sharp claws, tearing at the flesh of the beast.
Behind it, the last of the taurospears entered the clearing. There were about twenty in total, but they seemed like a small group, as the great Bull marched fearlessly before them, with three great heroes behind him.
Bull gave a final yell, and together with the three heroes, he charged forward. The front row of taurospears quickly charged up for the attack, and held their burning spears forward. But Bull clashed into them with such speed, that their spears were knocked out of their hands, and they were taken aback.
Cassandra calmly walked up to one of the taurospear. Its spear was held ready to attack, and its eyes fixed on her every move. Her dagger was held lazily at her side, and she approached slowly, while the beast stood motionless, and did not know what to do. As she came ever closer, it decided to attack, and jabbed its spear straight at her, the lightning slamming against the ground with burning force. Then, drawing back its spear, it saw the empty crater where she once stood, and felt a deep sense of relief. But then, it felt a trickle of warm liquid dripping on its feet. Looking down, it saw a deep slash across its chest, and pain shot through its body. In confusion, stomped around wildly, and then its eyes rested on Cassandra. She stood behind it, and her dagger dripped with its blood, a thin smile across her face. Slowly, the beast collapsed onto its knees, while it kept a constant stare on her. It looked on as she walked up to it, and stabbed her dagger straight into its head, before it finally fell.
Lazarus dashed about the battlefield with great speed, blessed with the haste of Kiltan, and he tore through the army of beast with his spear. They could not attack him, for the creatures were standing too close together, and had no room to strike. Desperately, they tried to jab their spears into the ground, hoping to hit the swift warrior who ran about their feet, but never did they come close to brushing against his skin. Then, Lazarus rolled into the center of the group of creatures. Around him, three of them raised their spears to strike. But then, he closed his eyes, and with his spear lying at his side, he chanted a spell in ancient tongue. The creatures seemed to grin as they prepared to strike down on him, an easy target that did not move. But then, he opened his eyes, and he seemed to glow with a bright neon purple aura. The taurospears were taken aback, as Lazarus stood up, and glowed with mystical energy. Then, he summoned the power of a mighty dragon, and its fearsome head formed. Its mouth stretched out wide, and it roared out with great power. All the taurospears that stood around it were suddenly struck with numbing pain, like a thousand swords piercing their skin. They could feel many deep cuts across their face and chest, as the taurospears who were standing close to Lazarus crashed to the ground.
Bull could see most of the taurospears being struck down by Lazarus. Others that remained were stunned by the attack, and Bull quickly cut them down, with Cassandra besides him. From the back, Kiltan continued to fling many stars at the creatures. Heera continued to fire arrows from high up in the tree, and accurately struck at the beasts, avoiding the four that were among the fray below, while her hawk continued to tear at the beasts with its sharp claws.
Cassandra stabbed her dagger into the final taurospear, and she spat on it as it slowly bled to death. She stood up, and cast her eyes over the great field of death that once was the bright green pastures of Ellinia. Now, thousands of horribly slaughtered bodies covered the ground, lying in awkward positions. What little land that still poked from the ground among the carcasses was now flooded with dark red blood. She could see the young men who were desperately pushing their way over the plains towards Ellinia. They were sobbing in fear and stricken with heart wrenching pain. They tried to cover their eyes, not wanting to look at the horrible sight that littered the plains. Their shoes were stained red as they stumbled over the carcasses, before finally reaching Ellinia. And there, the archers helped them in, and brought them up to the rest houses.
Turning around, Cassandra saw the slouched figure of Bull. Walking up to him, she saw that he was resting a hand on the forehead of Lazarus who was lying on the ground. "He used up all his strength when he unleashed the dragon roar. He needs aid, immediately." Bull said, and then he picked up the injured warrior, and quickly bore him off towards Ellinia.
Kiltan walked up to Amelia, and she was still sitting on the ground, coughing. "We have won the battle on our front, but not without many casualties, that was inevitable. Come, you need medical aid. There, we can find out what has happened to the battle at the northern front." Kiltan said, as he slowly helped her to her feet. She wobbled, and stumbled back before being caught by another magician.
"The battle at the northern front is victorious, and the view from there is no different then from here." Spoke the soft voice of Leiguin, as he steadied Amelia. Then, he rested his palm on her forehead, and gave a soft chant. She then felt warmth and energy flowing through her body again. "Come now, the others are waiting for us back at Ellinia." Leiguin said, and they began to head back towards the town.
As they walked, a great shadow passed overhead, and to some they simply thought of it as a passing cloud. But Kiltan knew better, and quickly turning around, he flung two stars straight up into the air, but whatever it was, it had passed by. "This battle is not over." Kiltan said. Looking back at Ellinia, he saw that some were pointing up into the sky, confused as to what it was. Bull walked out into the plains and looked up, his axe drawn. Heera came out besides him, and following behind were those who came from the northern battlefront.
The shadow passed again, but this time, Kiltan was ready, and he threw another two stars up. This time, it struck whatever it was, for he could hear a howl of pain. Then, it swiftly disappeared over the trees of the forest. The three elders, along with Stan, walked up to each other, and they stood with the ten heroes, including Lazarus, who had stumbled out behind Bull. Quickly, Leiguin caught him before he fell under his weak knees, and gave him a quick healing. Behind them, the young men and women were standing about Ellinia, and they looked up into the sky. When Kiltan had struck it, the great howl it had given was terrifying, and they huddled together, clutching at their loved ones tightly.
Then, the shining axe of Bull dimmed. The sunlight was cast away, blocked out by the great figure that hovered above them. Its wings stretched out wide, shrouding Ellinia in the shadows of its great mass. It slowly descended from the sky, and its great feet slammed onto the ground to the far west of Ellinia. Where its giant feet landed, the grass turned brown and rotted away. The shining red eyes of the creature scanned the plains, and it saw its great army fallen, scattered about like litter over the fields. Then, it looked straight forward at Ellinia, and it saw the people who had cut down its armies into nothingness. It slowly let out a deep growl, staring on at the silent people that were lined along the platforms of Ellinia. Then, it threw back its head, and stretched out its wings. Its jaws stretched open, and its long white fangs glittered. It let out a tremendous roar that shook the trees and struck at the humans with horrible fear. High above it, the clouds rolled in, and covered the magical city in shadows. Darkness had arrived, and the Barlog of Victoria had descended.
Screams of panic and fear were heard all over Ellinia, as people rushed into their houses and hid where they could. A strong wind was blowing in, and the thick clouds overhead seemed to cast the day away into night. Thunder rolled and rumbled, and the dark figure of the Barlog stood before them, cloaked in darkness, and its eyes shone with a blood red glow. High in the sky, among the angry clouds, were great balls of fire that burned with evil energy. They fell from the sky like meteors, and smashed into Ellinia. The trees that faced the west were struck. Houses were crushed, and people were thrown off, falling down to the plains below. The flames began to consume the trees. Those who managed to survive were now crawling out from the burning rubble, and quickly ran across the bridges to the other trees.
Screams were heard as one of the trees began to sway and crumble, its thick trunk heavily damaged where the fireballs struck it. It began to lean forward dangerously. Some of the people who were still on that tree clung on to it desperately, crying out for help. Far below them, they heard the dreaded sound. A massive crack, as the base of the tree broke in on itself. The bridges that were connected to it snapped like thread, and the tree fell forward. Everyone hear the faint cries of those who were still trapped on the tree, calling out desperately, but they knew there was no hope left.
But then, multiple blue flashes sparkled over the tree like twinkling lights, and the people who were stranded on that tree found themselves lying on the ground at the base of Ellinia, just as they saw the great tree crash onto the field. And besides them stood Hines, and he was strong again. Slowly, he walked up to the other three elders. "If it has to end now, then let us end it." He said, and together, the fifteen great men and women charged forth, straight at the Barlog.
Anger grew in the Barlog as it saw the humans rushing up to meet it. Letting out another great roar, it dashed forward. Its massive claws were drawn back, and then it swiped down with great force and speed. It tore at the air, and the force rippled outwards like a deadly claw. At the front, Stan held up his shield, as the claw smashed against the group. The force threw him back, and a thin crack ran a line along his shield, and his arm tingled with pain. Leiguin helped him up, and he slowly felt the pain leave his arm.
As Bull ran, he gave a chant, and held on tightly to his axe with both hands. Slowly, it began to glow red, and so did all the weapons of the small group of people. Their weapons flickered red with heat, and a light magical flame burned. Then, they crashed into the Barlog.
Fifteen of the greatest men and women of Victoria Island struck at the great beast. Five warriors and two bandits slashed their weapons against its thick skin, while stars and arrows struck at it from the back, and for a moment, it seemed stunned. For over a century, it had planned this great battle, but as it hid within its evil sanctuary, it grew overconfident, and forgot the strength of men. That was what caused it to retreat in the first Great War, but it would not fall again. Roaring out in rage, it flung its arms outwards and knocked back two of the warriors. They were thrown aside, and could taste blood in their mouths, but picked themselves up again, and jumped at the creature.
Its huge claws grabbed at the warriors who were slashing at it, and they jumped away. With nothing blocking its chest, Kiltan took the opportunity to fling two giant stars at it. The quick eye of the Barlog caught the deadly flying stars, and it slashed out with its claw. One star broke as the Barlog struck at it, but another pierced into the stomach of the beast.
It reached down and gripped tightly on the star, and then pulled it out. It bled heavily from the wound, but was still strong. More stars pierced into its arms, while the three archers continued to fire arrows straight at the Barlog.
Once again, it slashed out with two claws of fury. One struck at where Kiltan and the Dark Lord were standing, and they swiftly leapt away, and the claw scratched three deep gashes into the ground. Another claw flew to the archers, but they were not as quick, and it cut Helena's thigh. The gash was deep, and she could not stand up, but continued to fire multiple arrows as she lay on the ground.
Then, the Barlog clenched its right fist into a ball, and it began to glow with a bright flame. Slowly, it built up a fireball in its palm, and then threw at the warriors, who were near its feet, getting ready to strike again. It slammed into Elmithir, a fighter who wielded a great black sword. He was thrown back, and the fire burned him. He quickly rolled about on the ground, knocking out the flames. Slowly, he got up again, but his skin was burned badly, and it was red and raw. But his will was strong, and he picked up his sword, and struck it deep into the hind leg of the beast.
The Barlog began to rush forward, knocking back at the warriors where it could. Cassandra clung on to its back, and savagely slashed at it. But now, its concern was at the assassins and archers, for they continued to attack it from where it could not hit them. It saw Helena, lying helplessly on the ground, and drew back its sharp claws to smash her. But the Dark Lord ran and picked her up, and he whisked her away, just before the Barlog struck. Another giant star pierced its wing and struck its back. It turned to face Kiltan, and slashed at him with another vicious claw attack, which he swiftly dodged.
Then, a bright white light pierced through the dark gloom that blanketed the plains. The Barlog turned to it, and saw the four great mages standing together, with Hines in the middle. Their robes flapped about in the wind, and above them grew a figure of brilliant white magic. It slowly took the form of a dragon, its long neck and large wings formed from the light, and it hovered above the mages.
It gave out a loud screech, and opened its mouth wide. Slowly, it began to gather in magical energies, sucked from the air, and held it in its mouth like a glowing white orb. Then, it drew a deep breath, and shot out the magical light in a powerful white beam. The Barlog roared, and lashed out at it with its claws, but could not stop the attack. The beam struck the Barlog straight through its chest, and burned it with holy strength, and it howled in pain.
Many arrows and stars were stuck along its skin, and the scars of the warriors scratched all over it. Where the magical light had struck, there was now a dark black scar. Its great wings expanded out behind it, and they flapped vigorously as it lifted its great body into the air. Then, it dove down, straight at the men before it, with its claws stretched out sharply. This attack was so sudden that it took them all by surprise. It first dove for the assassins, and its claw smashed into Kiltan before he could react. He was thrown back, and landed not far off on the grass. It then dove for the mages, with both claws aiming for their small group. Hines gave a shout of warning before teleporting away, and they quickly teleported after him. But the claw caught Darlond, the fire mage, on his foot, before he could escape, and he was thrown against Amelia. They both fell back as the Barlog swooped over.
It began to turn around to strike again, but then more arrows were fired at it. It got ready to attack the archers, when it suddenly fell back, and its hands gripped at its face, crying out in sheer pain. The Dark Lord had accurately flung a star straight into one of its eyes, and he watched it crash to the ground, wriggling in pain.
The warriors rushed forward, ready to strike down on the injured beast. But through its other bloody eye, it saw them approach, and now, it suddenly felt fearful of these humans. Roaring out in pain and anguish, it struggled to its feet, and took off again to the skies. The archers continued to fire many arrows at it, until the Barlog eventually flew out of sight, disappearing into the cloudy skies.
As it left, a great sense of relief and joy was felt by all. The warriors slumped down to the ground, and now, they felt the pain and exhaustion of the battle taking over them. Elmithir passed out, and he lay on the ground. Behind them, they could hear the loud cheers of the people from Ellinia. A smile came onto Bull's face, as he painfully stood up. Then, he gave a great victory yell, loud and strong enough that he knew the Barlog would hear it. And the people of Ellinia cheered ever louder, for they had won the great battle, and triumphed over the mighty Barlog.
The men and women began to run out from Ellinia, looking to lend aid to them in any way possible. They lightly carried Elmithir off, and helped the other warriors to their feet. Heera crawled over to Kiltan, and called for the men to help him up. But then, as she approached, she saw that he was lying face down in the ground, and he did not move. A loud thunder crackled overhead, and it began to rain.