The clans were now desperately defending the walls of Dark Eden itself and the Sarafan had taken ground within the entire canyon. The ground was strewn with corpses, both vampire and human left where they fell. Massive stone throwing weapons were brought up and held at the back of the Order lines, a steady barrage of rubble tossed directly at the walls. The red stone of the ruin refused to let up under the attack, remaining solid even as the stone smashed itself against the surface.
Zephon's archers remained atop the battlements, letting loose a constant rain of arrows that killed any infantry that attempted to storm the walls.
Malek himself was directing the bombardment of the ruin, directing the catapults and Trebuchets to where they should concentrate their attacks. When it became clear that it going to take more than stone to breech those walls the Paladin called for the deployment of their most powerful siege weapon.
"My lord Raziel!" One of the clan vampires cried out, jabbing the tip of his sword over the battlements towards the Sarafan lines. The general looked out to see a massive instrument being pulled by many horses up to the mouth of the canyon. Its size was unbelievable, mounted on a giant wooden harness. A large metallic barrel, hung in place on the harness by length of thick ropes and chains.
Vorador knew what this was.
In recent years, men had discovered a substance that had the potential to chance the ways war was fought forever. The Sarafan had been quick to conduct research in how to use it.
This substance was called gunpowder.
"Cannons, get down!" He called out to Raziel in warning. A moment later the air seemed to spilt apart at the noise. A massive earth shattering sound that shook the ground. The entire canon was thrown backwards by the shockwave as a massive ball of metal was sent hurtling through the air at tremendous speed to smash into the top of the western wall. The battlements exploded in a spray of dust and brick fragments, taking vampires from both the cabal and the clans up into the air.
"Standby infantry." Malek declared as the task of reloading the weapon which was still trailing smoke began. "And soon as the wall is down make ready for an assault."
Up along the walls of the canyon, Janos Audron hung to the edge of a crevice for dear life, a fall to the canyon fall far below him. His left wing had been injured in the fall and without it he could not fly to safety. Instead he began the long process of pulling himself up to the top, hoping that none of the Sarafan archers would spot him.
A soft laugh reached him and glancing back, Janos saw that floating nearby was Aurora. The druid had his arms folded inside his robes and a superior smirk across his face.
"This is almost too easy." He laughed and with a slight inclination of his head, a bolt of magical energy lanced from his body and stuck the cliff face above; carving a deep hole in the rock. The rubble began to fall threatening to knock Janos from his preach.
Drawing runes in the air with a single finger, Janos invoked a spell of his own. The rocks hovered just above him for a moment before flying horizontally at Aurora.
Before the druid could stop them the debris slammed into his body and sent him falling down towards the ground below. Using the time as best to his advantage as he could, Janos began pulling himself further up the cliff face towards the top.
Aurora crashed into the ground cracking several of his ribs. He shook the dirt of him and pushed his way back to his feet, hissing in pain and annoyance. The Druid glanced up at the sight climbing towards the top of the cliff.
Snarling the Druid reached down and snatched up a sword that lay half an inch away from the hand of a dead soldier.
"Reloading complete sire." One of the Sarafan generals announce to Malek as the second of the head sized iron balls was loaded into the cannon and gunpowder and wading poured down into the barrel after it.
"Aim at that weakened section of wall." The paladin replied. "Have the battering rams and the infantry ready to charge as soon as it strikes. Once the wall is down, concentrate your fire on the towers." The jabbed the empty finger of his gauntlet at the spires of Dark Eden just beyond the massive wall. "Remind your men, none are to lay their sword upon Vorador accept for me."
"My lord, I can't find him." One of General Raziel's sergeants came running up to him quite out of breath. "I can't find him anywhere!"
"I'm in the middle of a damn war man, who can't you find?" Raziel demanded with fangs past the lip.
"The master, my lord." The vampire replied. "I can't find Master Kain anywhere!"
"What!" Before anyone could do anything, another shot from the cannon soared through the air and struck the wall. Shards of stone flew outwards into the barricades, impaling some of the vampires and killing them instantly.
The impact sight cracked, compromised holes breaking through as the wall was now severely weakened.
"Battering rams and infantry approaching!" Dumah called down from the battlements. "They're going to try and break through the walls!"
"Get your archers up there!" Raziel yelled in Zephon's direction. "Kill those teams before they can breach our walls." The clan leader was already on it, his bow in hand; scaling the stairway to the top of the battlements alongside his own archers. "What do you mean you can't find the master?" The general demanded, about facing on his sergeant.
"That's just it. I've searched his chambers, the war room and had the entire Acolyte coven searching the fortress. We can't find him anywhere." Raziel swore loudly but his words were eclipsed by the loud crashing sound of the battering rams on the walls. The infantry were propping up scaling ladders against the walls in an attempt to scale them and the clans were just shooting their soldiers full of arrows.
"It's no good Raziel." Turel told him. "Another direct hit from that cannon and they'll be inside the walls." The general himself was still swearing loudly.
"My Cabal and I will destroy that behemoth." Vorador announced. "Concentrate on the defence of the walls."
"Your forces won't last five minutes on the open battlefield." Turel told him but the ancient wasn't listening. His vampires were already rallying to him. Raziel growled, baring his fangs.
"Forget about him. Just concentrate your defences on the walls. Even if it is breached do not allow any infantry through to our rear." Turel nodded. "My soldiers at your command until I return." With that he took off towards the ruined fortress entrance. If word got out amongst the troops that Kain was missing their morale would crumble as if it wasn't even there and the Sarafan would walk right over them. Raziel had to be sure.
Reaching the top of the cliff, Janos paused to catch his breath. Below from this vantage point he could see the assault the Sarfan's cannon was having on the walls of Dark Eden. Infantry platoons with large battering rams were even now attempting to breech the weakened sections.
Janos was injured but he did have some magically reserves left. Summoned all at once it should be enough to destroy that monstrous engine of war. Pushing himself unsteady to his feet, the ancient raised a hand and spread his wings.
"Enough!" Something grabbed him by the ankle and before he could turn around to see what it was, a sharp object slammed through his back between his wings narrowly missing his heart.
Janos cried out, sinking down to his feet and almost tumbling over the edge of the cliff. The sword blade cut through his flesh easily pushing down. Aurora drove the blade in deeper and deeper, breaking ribs and cutting flesh until the tip burst out the front.
Blood spurted out of the entry and exit wounds, covering the ground in red.
The Druid stood up breathing heavily, murder etched into the expression on his face.
"That pillar is mine vampire!" He snarled, raising his hands with the sparks of magical energy crackling between his fingers. Janos crouched there with blood bubbling between his lips; the blade had gazed a vertical and severed several veins. He was loosing too much blood. "I harbour more energy in my body than you or anyone in this world could hope to. That guardian position rightfully belongs to me!"
"Do you know…" Janos began with blood ridden lips, reaching around behind him and grasping the blade with his hand. He braced himself before pulled it out trailing blood. He gagged forward and collapsed onto the ground, fresh blood leaking out onto the floor. It had gone some damage coming out but at least now it wasn't resting against his heart. "Do you know what energy is?" Aurora said nothing but the build up of power continued in each hand. "Energy is the driving force behind everything. It's more than simply magical power.
Energy is everything, even physical form. It holds everything together; the atoms and molecules, electrical protons that sub atomically make everything up.
Even the air we breathe is put together by energy. Without energy there can't be anything." Despite the pain and loss of blood Janos stared up defiantly at him. "You don't know the first thing about the true nature of energy so why should you deserve a position as its guardian!"
"Enough babbling!" Aurora cried, the energy reaching its peek. "Die vampire!" He threw his hands together and then down and the spell rocketed forward, screeching as it spilt the air. At the last second Janos brought the broken sword blade in his hand up to intercept the magical discharge.
Destructive magical spells was little more than light focused into a burning form, much like exposure to intense amongst of sunlight. Light was a form of energy made up by colours of the spectrum, which could be spilt and returned by a crystal or a reflective surface.
While the sword was broken and cracked, the soldier who had owned it had kept it well polished.
Reflected back at him the magic struck Aurora head on and he screamed out load as it burned him.
His robes scorched and burnt away, even the ashes vanishing. His skin blistered and burnt followed by the flesh underneath, peeling back layer by layer. Not a drop of blood was lost, all of it evaporating before it could strike the floor. The scream continued long after the flesh of the throat vanished
The bones of the skeleton remained longer than the rest before they too blackened and fell to ash, crumbling down to the floor.
With his death the light died away.
Janos dropped the dulled sword blade and staggered forward, coughing up blood. Despite the pain in his chest, Janos felt strangely warm and at peace and a feeling of connection began to grow.
Far south, Sabre stood alone below the vacant stone and marble stand that had once marked the location of the pillars. He had been there for some time simply waiting. Feeling the sudden shift in the air around him and in the ground below his eyes snapped open.
The crumbling parts of the Pillar of energy nearby shook as if given new life and slowly they rose into the air. As those flew up they fitted together like the pieces of a puzzle. They massive pillar moved until it was directly over its former place and then fitted into down. It stretched up so high into the air that Sabre couldn't see the top if it had one.
From the base, the cracks and compromising lines began vanishing bit by bit. It was wonderful to watch. It took mere moments and once it was finished the restored Pillar of Energy stood erect and pure. White as the best marble without a single blemish all the way up.
"He lost." The Druid muttered to himself. "I suppose I put too much faith in Aurora's magical abilities." Loosing the one guardian position was not a great blow. There were still eight up for grabs and as long as their side controlled the most positions they could still go ahead with their plans. Still, this omen did not bode well for their future prospects.
Without warning the sky above started to turn a dark shade of green. Distant thunder rolled on the horizon. The restored pillar almost growled in response.
Sabre glanced off towards the east knowing full well the source of this strange phenomenon. Swift and the other two sent there obviously weren't doing their jobs very well.
"What should I do master?" He asked looking up into the sky. There was silence for a moment. "Understood."