1 Month Later….
King Hrothgar stood upon the top of Allhaven Hill, taking some time to enjoy the view. Today King Harrow had introduced him to the rest of the kings and queens of the Human Kingdoms. Of course his appearance had caused quite the stir. Especially given that he wasn't human. But Harrow had vouched for him. He was a good man, Harrow, and a good friend in the short time he'd known him. Of course, his introduction had left out many of the stranger aspects of how he and his people had come to these lands. Better not to add to their confusion at any rate.
The monarchs of Del Bar, Neolandia, and Evenere had been in something of a state when Hrothgar had entered with his retinue. Only the young Queen of Duren, Aanya if he recalled correctly, had remained silent. She seemed more curious than confused, and appeared to listen intently to his introduction. Odd that the youngest of all would be the most mature. Umgi are strange like that. All of the monarchs were pacified by his speech, especially when he said he was open to alliances with the human kingdoms, as well as trade.
After that it had been question after question regarding him, his people, and his kingdom. Understandable of course. Umgi always have been naturally curious. That was one of the traits which endeared them to the Dawi. The humans were certainy glad to hear that the dwarfs despised elves and dragons even more than they did. Especially when Hrothgar had offered military aid against the "foul elgi". After that the conversations had been more one to one, discussing potential treaties with the monarchs. King Florian of Del Bar especially took interest in dwarf ale, and had proposed a trade deal of ale in exchange for ores. Del Bar was, after all, the most mineral rich of the Human Kingdoms.
Hrothgar's recollection of the days events was disrupted when he heard someone approaching. Turning, he saw Queen Aanya arrive, though his guards barred her way. "Let her pass. There is no danger here." He said to them, sighing. His guards are among the most loyal Dawi alive, but they seem to find danger no matter where he goes. They stepped aside, allowing the young monarch to approach. "I hope you are enjoying the view, King Hrothgar." She said cordially, coming to stand by him, looking out over the fields and forests of Duren. "Aye. 'Tis a grand kingdom you rule." He replied. "Though Dawi are not built for open fields and the like. We much prefer underground."
The Queen simply nodded at that, and they stood looking out over the land in silence for a moment. "If you don't mind the question, Queen Aanya, how does one so young as yourself rule?" Hrothgar did not intend any insult by saying this. But she was young for a Queen, even by human standards. By Dawi standards she wasn't even halfway to adulthood! Aanya did not seem to take offense, and simply smiled and nodded. The dwarf king supposed she had gotten that question a lot from other humans.
"My parents died when I was very young." She replied. Hrothgar remembered that tale. Harrow had told him of their mighty quest to avert a famine, and how three queens had been lost. Slain by the fell beast Thunder, so-called Dragon King. "After they died, the court was a mess. Corruption and greed were rife. Growing up I saw all of it firsthand, and how my kingdom suffered from it. Many sought the throne. Attempts on my life were not uncommon." She explained. The dwarf king listened intently, disgusted. No Dawi would dare stoop to such levels! One of the more unfortunate aspects of humans, he supposed, was their vulnerability to corruption, be it political or Chaotic.
"So when I reached an age where I could think for myself, I took up the throne. I decided that, if I could not truly trust any of my court, then I would just have to rule myself." Aanya continued. Hrothgar supposed that made sense. He was fortunate to have been blessed by the Ancestors with a trustworthy and honorable court and a wise queen. The silence returned for a minute, which he took to mean she'd finished her explanation. "We Dawi believe that our Ancestors watch over us. They lend us their blessings, their wisdom. They guide us through our lives." He said, gazing out over the sunlit plains. Then he turned to face the Queen. "From what I have heard your parents were wise and honorable queens. I have also heard that you yourself are wise and honorable. I have no doubt that they have blessed you, Queen Aanya, and that they guide your hand."
At that the Queen gave a small, but genuine smile. "Thank you, King Hrothgar. That means a lot to me." Hrothgar gave his own smile at that. "Glad to hear it, lass. Now you may want to find Queen Hilda. She wanted to discuss a trade deal with you. Last I saw she was speaking to King Florian." He said. Aanya nodded, "I will, King Hrothgar. I believe that our kingdoms have prosperous futures ahead of them." She said, then began to depart. Hrothgar turned to see her go. "Honor to your Ancestors, Queen Aanya!" He called after her. She turned and replied, "And to yours, King Hrothgar!". He smiled at that. She reminded him very much of his own daughter, Branna, who's only a few years Aanya's elder. Both far more mature than one would expect of someone their age.
Hrothgar turned to admire the view once more, though he found his gaze drifting eastward. The first retinue of dwarf warriors sent to guard the Breach should have arrived today. He had sent a few dozen Ironbreakers, and twice that many Slayers, though the latter had invited themselves. Equipped with finest Gromril armor, as well as with axes and handguns. In fact, a surplus of handguns were manufactured for use by the umgi soldiers. One part of the Ironbreakers' purpose at the Breach was to train the humans in their use. He couldn't help but wonder how that was going.
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"Ach! Yer doin' it all wrong, lad! Give it 'ere, I'll show you how it's done." Gromad exclaimed, scolding his human student for poor firing form. Watching the dwarfs teach was an interesting experience for Commander Gren, to say the least. This whole thing had been fairly strange honestly. When word had reached him and General Amaya of their new alliance with these "dwarfs", they had both been fairly skeptical. Amaya especially, since she had more reason than most to hate non-humans. However, once they actually got to meet some of them, they weren't so bad! Not too different from humans, really.
Amaya had spent a solid hour having a friendly conversation with Queen Hilda. With Gren interpreting, of course. Evidently the dwarfs had their own sign language, though it was evidently quite different from KSL. Overall, Gren had considered the dwarf diplomats to be fairly pleasant and well mannered. Of course, he had yet to meet the Ironbreakers, much less the Slayers. When the first warriors had arrived at the Breach earlier this week, they were INFINITELY rowdier than he had expected. Especially the Slayers. They seemed to consider things like "directions" and "orders" as suggestions.
The one warrior he was familiar with, Gromad, had explained to him and the General that the Slayers were a breed of their own. Evidently they had each committed some grave offense, and for that they took the Slayer Oath. Which also apparently required them to be shirtless and have a red crest of hair. They were then bound to seek a great death against a mighty foe in order to regain their honor. Gren had a difficult time grasping the concept, and speaking with Amaya he learned she felt the same. Gren knew she would give her life to defend Katolis a thousand times over, and Gren would gladly follow her. But the whole "die for honor" thing just didn't make as much sense.
He supposed it was all moot anyway. It wasn't really something humans were supposed to get, he guessed. Speaking of Slayers, a few were chatting idly with some Katolian soldiers nearby. They seemed to habitually sharpen their axes, always talking about how they'd gain a mighty doom. Many of them seemed to hope a dragon or two would swoop out of the sky for them to fight! Most said so, and even the Ironbreakers didn't seem put off by the idea. Gromad had offered to make the Battalion a batch of Drongnel, dragon stew. Gren didn't think it sounded too good, but Amaya signed that if they could bring one down, she'd gladly try it.
Speaking of the General, she didn't seem too enthused by the lack of progress the Battalion was making on their "firearms" training. These weapons were entirely alien to any of the soldiers, so it made sense. They were like cannons you carried around! Amaya had a gleam in her eyes when she had seen them for the first time, and Gren knew she would want one for her own. Gromad had said that good form was a major aspect of proper "Gun" usage. You could apparently pulverize your shoulder, or deafen yourself permanently while using one. Gromad had joked that the latter wouldn't exactly be a problem for Amaya, which earned a genuine chuckle out of the General.
Gromad was still scolding the poor soldier, the rant having gone on for a solid five minutes at this point. Suddenly, a Slayer burst onto the top of the barracks. "I smell Elgi lads!" He shouted, earning a devilish grin from his fellows. The soldiers and Ironbreakers, however, were sent into a state of high alert. Dwarfs senses were apparently far keener than those of humans, so a Gren didn't doubt the warrior's words. (He said he smelled elves. This could be an attack.) he signed to Amaya. Her face turned to one of steely determination. (Get the men into position, and gather our most experienced troops. They may be attacking the Xadian fort. And bring some of the Ironbreakers, we'll need their guns.) she signed back, and Gren immediately translated to the assembled soldiers and dwarfs.
Gromad approached, his "Grudgeraker" strapped to his back. "The Elgi won't be claiming any lives today, umgi or Dawi. That I'll be sure of." He said. Gren looked to Amaya, who read his lips, and she nodded her ascent. Gren had a feeling Gromad would invite himself along anyway, but that was neither here nor there. The Slayers would certainly be tagging along. Not like anyone would stop them, or that anyone COULD stop them if they tried. Private Karl brought Amaya her helm, and she strapped it on, then readied her shield. (Let's move.) she signed, and Gren nodded. Then they took off towards the stables.
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The conquest of the human fort had gone as well as Janai could expect. They had put up a paltry amount of resistance, but she supposes that was the best humans could do. She was surprised when a scout within her patrol group had told her of human activity in Xadia, along the border. An closer investigation had lead them to find the fortress, hidden beneath a lava fall. She had contemplated going back and informing her sister, the Queen, or of getting reinforcements. But she had ultimately decided against it. Humans couldn't put up much of a fight, and she had been proven correct.
They had decided to keep them for interrogations. They had just finished ushering their prisoners into a side cave for safe keeping when she heard a group approaching. Humans on horseback, or at least that's what it sounded like. With a few quick gestures, she signaled half her dozen elf squad to take up positions hidden around the fort. The rest would go with her into the side cave, and attempt to distract the humans using the hostages. In seconds, they were in position.
She could hear the humans enter the fort. It seemed to be a large group, made up of humans of varying sizes. Something was odd, though. Some of the humans seemed to be very short, yet very bulky. This she gathered from her carefully honed sense of hearing, as she could hear the time between steps and the weight each step had. This may change things. She had planned on distracting and ambushing them, but their numbers were far superior. She may just have to get them to leave, so the elves could get away and come back with reinforcements. She shoved one of their captives forward.
"Remember, tell them to go, or we'll kill all the prisoners. Including you." She whispered menacingly to a trembling human male. She hoped it wouldn't come to that. All elves hold life as precious, and none take it lightly. The human nodded, then shakily walked forward. "Oi, there's one!" Janai heard a gruff voice call out. "G-general! We weren't expecting you. We haven't missed a signal, have we?" The male asked, though Janai couldn't see who he was talking to. "No, you haven't. We just came by to inform you that you will all be required to attend firearms training tomorrow at dawn." Replied a young sounding male voice.
Janai mentally paused for a moment. Firearms? Is that some sort of new human weapon? Were they planning on using it against Xadia? She needed more information, and the only way she would get it is if they managed to get at least one prisoner back to Lux Aurea. Suddenly, she heard a voice yell out, "There ya are, Elgi!" Then, she heard the sound of something flying through the air, then a cry of pain, then dead silence. They've been discovered! The time for subtlety had ended.
Janai leapt out of the cave, followed by her warriors. She emerged to see a group of heavily armed and armored humans, many of which were in fact very stout. A few of them were less armored, and had strange crests. She saw the other members of her group already emerging from their hiding spots. On the floor of the cave she saw Lona, one of her more experienced scouts, with a bleeding stump where her right arm once was. The limb was a few feet away, lying beside the thrown axe which must have done the job. Janai instantly felt fury rise within her. "For Lux Aurea!" She cried, and her warriors gave their own war cries in response.
She was so inflamed, in fact, that she didn't notice the short humans raise strange staves with holes in the end. Not until it was too late. Before any elf could charge, the air shook, the sound pulsing through the room and echoing like distant thunder. Janai saw four more of her group fall to the floor with a cry of pain, bleeding from large holes in their bodies. "What….?" was all she managed to whisper out before the humans charged. The elves were taken largely by surprise. She had never seen such weapons! They must be a result of the humans' Dark Magic.
Janai and the remaining members of her group swiftly shook off their surprise and braced for battle. Janai personally took a full charge from a female human wielding a shield. Janai countered with her Sunforged sword, preventing the woman from caving her head in. She was faster the Janai expected, though, and her sword was almost immediately parried. The game of strike and counter strike continued. Each time Janai went in for a blow, the woman parried, an each time she tried to strike, Janai blocked. This was by far the most surprising thing today for the elf woman: a human who is her martial equal! Janai would've been impressed if she had time between strikes.
All around, she caught glimpses of how the battle was going. It wasn't good. The humans hadn't used more of their Dark Magic, but there were enough of them to overwhelm the more skilled elves. She saw a few human down on the ground, but also a couple of elves. She saw Tusi down in the dirt, screaming, as the places where his legs used to be bled profusely. Janai figured it was likely the shorter humans. They seemed to be tougher and better equipped. The crested, tattooed one seemed outright maniacal, laughing as they dueled with her Sunfire warriors. Of course she couldn't keep her attention there forever, her opponent not giving her a moment's rest.
The two twirled and dodged, parried and struck in a ballet of unmitigated martial prowess. Finally, the human overextended on a shield thrust, and that was when Janai struck. She carved a deep gouge into the human's chest plate, from left shoulder to right hip. Though it was nowhere near deep enough to be fatal, it was still a substantial blow. Sliding out from her strike, Janai noticed one of her most trusted lieutenants, Kofir, fighting against one of the red-crested men. She could tell Kofir had had enough, and so he summoned up the inner fire all of their people possessed. His skin began to glow, and he entered his Heat-Being Mode.
Then he flickered. His inner fire flickered. This was a common occurrence when Sunfire warriors are just beginning to connect to their innate Sun Primal. Janai knew that Kofir was a well trained warrior, one of the best she had ever fought beside. How did his magical connection fail!? Kofir himself was astounded, a look of confusion crossing his face. This was enough time, however, for his opponent to strike. The crested human struck his knee, bringing him low, then raised his axes and brought them down. Kofir's neck gave little resistance. This all happened swiftly enough that his expression of confusion was still written on his face as his head rolled into the lava flow.
Janai looked in horror as the human warrior turned, and his grinning face was coated in Kofir's gold-tinted blood. Her horror was swiftly replaced by pure rage. She gave a mighty roar, entering her Heat-Being state, and struck her human opponent. The woman was sent flying to the other side of the cavern. She bellowed her rage for the world to hear, then made to tear the humans apart. As she charged, she heard the air ring again, just as it had at the beginning. In seconds, she felt her charge slow, her body getting more and more sluggish. Confused, she reached down, and found her torso coated in blood.
It took her a moment to realize it was hers. Then the pain struck. It was numb, yet fiery and electric at once. It was a new sensation to most pains she had experienced before, and by far this was the worst. She stumbled and fell backwards, her head hitting the floor. Her entire body was racked with pain as she saw one of the shorter humans standing above her, aiming his stave at her head. "Stop!" She heard a voice say. She was dimly aware, in her numb state, that it was the same young male voice from the beginning of all this. "She is unarmed and wounded. It would not be honorable." The voice said. The human above her seemed to reluctantly lower his stave, then he was gone. The last thing she saw was the human woman standing above her. Then darkness took her.
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And there's chapter 4! Hope you enjoyed folks.
A few notes:
It just makes sense to me that the Dawi would have a sign language. They do have their own version of Morse Code, so why not? It would be especially useful for miners and warriors who lost their hearing due to injuries and/or prodigious use of gunpowder.
Yeah, the Sunfire Elves got their asses handed to them. That's what happens when you underestimate your opponent! They bring in mohawked berserkers and shotguns. Janai is also still alive, just with significantly more holes than before.
P.S.- Updated! The first time I posted this it removed some dialogue. All fixed!