Chronicles of Espiria Season 2
Episode 15 – Safiya's Triumph
Written by CindyDaGreat
The Hypogean army rested at the far edges of a canyon. They situated tents and guard posts, and among them, one tent stood apart from the rest for its size.
"Do not test my patience, Ya!" Azmonath snarled at Safiya. Though his face was hidden, Azmonath's tone and fiery eye spoke volumes of his intentions. He looked down at the Sphinx, who was smoothing a disorderly patch of fur on her side, paying him no mind.
"My confidant is merely taking his time." she reassured him. "You should soon witness our plans unfold."
Mere minutes later, a clicking sound could be heard outside their tent, a sound that Safiya grinned at. She glanced at Azmonath, who stopped his seething to stare questioningly at the door.
"You may enter, servant."
Light filtered into the musty tent as an Arachin male lifted its flap, his mandibles whirring. Upon seeing the Sphinx, he dipped his head and his several spider appendages on his back, bowing deeply.
"Have you brought the package?" Safiya asked.
The Arachin simply nodded.
"I assume the journey wasn't demanding." Safiya said absentmindedly as she and Azmonath rose to exit the tent.
"No, Queen Safiya, the corpses were light."
Novak, the spider's name was; not that Safiya cared. He led the two conspirators out into the open, where they encountered a large, silk-raveled bundle. Only an Arachin could weave his way through the sticky webbing, so Safiya and Azmonath watched as Novak sliced and unraveled the package like a human child tearing through a gift. During this process, the feline queen asked a stream of questions.
"What do your people know?"
"I'm simply disposing of extra bodies."
"Good, good. Fresh ones?"
"Indeed."
"How fresh?"
"At most a week, as you requested, your majesty."
"Excellent."
Inside, Novak uncovered twenty husks of his fellow Arachin, their life absent and husks dull. His task complete, he took his leave, leaving the Hypogean and Sphinx alone. Azmonath watched as he left, speculating why he didn't cower in fear at the sight of him. Noticing his stare, Safiya seemingly read his thoughts.
"No worries, he recognizes your might and is aware of our alliance. He chose the victorious side. Not a single word of this exchange would he voice, I made sure of that."
"Yes, yet what use are dead Arachin supposed to be? I would do much better with living Arachin soldiers." The Hypogean commander retorted. Though not doubting his associate's cunning, he floated over and examined the corpses. Safiya followed close behind.
"There is still use in the dead. Like all matter, at some point one will deteriorate into oblivion. Even the Graveborn have a ticking point. Which is why we must make haste with these spiderlings. After an Arachin dies, their colors and hues slowly slip out. Yet since their venom is so incredibly fatal, fresh Arachin venom is still lethal after death."
Safiya proceeded to break off a leg segment and ordered a servant to bring back a living rabbit. Once a panicking rabbit was in her hand, she lightly pricked the rabbit's hide with the needle-like leg, slowly inserting the sharp edge.
It was as if the creature was suddenly possessed. Azmonath regarded the pulsating rabbit, shocked into motion, as it gradually ceased any movement and fell limp. Safiya felt as if she was reliving the day the Hypogeans fell to the Durri, seeing herself the effects of Arachin venom; no wonder Vurk prized this poison so highly.
The demon grabbed the now dead rabbit from her paws, mildly stunned.
"We Hypogeans know the power of living Arachin, but this..." He raised the animal into the air by the nape. "Oh, if only we knew to collect their pathetic corpses! One could even forge their shells into armor!" Azmonath reasoned, rapping his knuckles against the hardened shell of a corpse.
"An excellent deduction, Commander! Though that's not exactly what I had in mind…"
The Hypogean army was not used to trekking the hot sands of the Scorched Expanse, so the advice to trek by moonlight given by Safiya was greatly felt. Instead of bemoaned grunting, the Hypogeans marched forward once more, craving a rematch with the Durri. Yet the army was considerably smaller, many worthy soldiers replaced with flying imps and ghouls. The few orcs and brutes present were placed at the back, donned in impenetrable chest pieces and greaves. Carried in their arms were heaps of Arachin exoskeletons. It was unlike the Hypogeans to maintain such silence; even the rattlings of the exoskeletons and Arachin armor were kept to a minimum.
"I must admit, no non-Hypogean could've disciplined this army as such." Azmonath noted.
"It is a great day in the Scorched Expanse, Commander. After today, no one with any wisdom will oppose you."
"If I understand correctly, you won't be joining us?"
"No sir, I can't be seen; it may hinder my...our cause if others know my identity." Safiya explained.
"I see." If Azmonath noticed the slip, he showed no sign of it. "A shame, really. I'm sure you would enjoy the spectacle."
"No worries Commander, I have my means of viewing our victory."
At the farthest end of the horde overseeing the bat-like swarm, Azmonath stretched an arm out. Without turning around, the demons stood still. He dropped his arm, and the Hypogeans planted their stacks on the now firm and sandless ground. The imps scurried inside every skeleton, two to three demons in each. The once asleep Arachin shook as if resurrected. Azmonath gleamed as if he puppeteered the reanimated dead, and suddenly the air became cold.
"My turn, rats."
The Durri, meanwhile, were all asleep in various crevices scattered about the canyon. Vurk awoke with a start. His back sore from sleeping against a slim crack in his cozy canyon, he shivered. Wishing he was bundled up with some of his brothers like when they were young, the Durri snuck his head out the crack, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Nothing to be concerned about; just nighttime chills. Yawning, Vurk sagged back into his position, without regard to any possible future posture issue.
His eyes flitted back to reality when he heard a familiar shuffling. And familiar it was. He tumbled out of his crack in alarm. Not daring to look up, the small rat forced himself to peel his face from the earth and look forward at the dreaded knife-like appendages of the Arachin.
"Oooooh, they've come for my head..." Vurk breathed.
All logic thrown out the window, Vurk bolted off. His frantic yelps attracted the attention of his half-awake brothers and sisters, hundreds of Durri poking their heads out at Vurk's antics.
"What are you doing!? I've got murderous spiders on my tail!"
"COWARDLY VERMIN! COME AND FACE YOUR DOOM!"
The voices of the disguised imps echoed like thunder within the canyon, making their appearances ever more ghastly. One of the "Arachin" clambered over the corpse of a Hypogean, stabbing its leg directly in the head for good measure. For the love of Dura, Vurk couldn't watch.
His wish was granted, however, when a heavy object slammed into the back of his head, causing him to drop to the ground. A vision of white blinded him, and he succumbed to a freeing coma.
A symphony of shrieks and screams poured forth as Durri scurried to flee, only to be stuck in their own stampede. Easily, the "Arachin" picked off stragglers one by one, watching the rats convulse and throb as they were jabbed by the lethal venom. Many Durri fumbled with their weapons, only to find them useless against Arachin armor. A lucky few managed to successfully shoot their own venom-tipped crossbows and spears in armor openings, yet be immediately crushed by herds of other Durri, or bashed in the head by eager orcs. It was still dark out, so the Durri couldn't tell what was off about the spider-people.
Up high on the canyon walls where the Arachin couldn't reach, the remaining Durri in their cracks had no choice but to stay glued to their spots, lest they fall into the stampede themselves. Determined to exterminate the entire species, Azmonath hurled hex after hex at the canyon walls, his sorcery crushing dozens of both demon and rat in the falling rubble. The devastation was complete, a mass of debris and bodies strewn over what was once an unforgiving valley.
Soon, the screams of the valley died down. Standing in the midst of it all, the Hypogean leader greeted his awaiting crowd.
"Let this be a reminder to all who dares step into our path! Let our fires of destruction burn bright and merciless from here on!" Azmonath descended the mountain of carcass and rock, grabbing an unbreathing Durri. "And don't forget, we have a gift for our partner."
In time, half the canyon was cleared out of the defeated rat-people, the leftover corpses clashing with the previous Hypogean dead from previous battles.
For many minutes, the canyon was still. Despite the rising summer sun, an aura of bitter cold radiated from the scene. After some time, a single Durri crept out from his hiding place. Stepping back to gain momentum, he leapt off the edge of the rock, falling a lengthy distance to the bottom. He barely stuck the landing, regarding how violently he was shaking. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't look away from the sight. His breathing suddenly became acute, seeing the lack of movement from anyone on the field.
The Durri suddenly dashed to a giant fallen rock, where he met the eyes of a motionless Vurk, dazed but not dead. He saw that a good intentioned sister of his lobbed a rock at an Arachin, yet missed and knocked out Vurk instead. Vurk's breathing was shallow, but any breathing must be good. Careful to not cause harm to their leader, he shouldered the knocked-out rat and heaved. Knowing that Vurk barely saw any of the destruction, he questioned if Vurk should know at all. No, Vurk would piece together the facts in time; that's why he was the leader.
He stared brokenly at the collapsed canyon above, taking no joy in the fact that the carnage made for a convenient staircase to the top. Swiftly hiking his way up the access, and avoiding dropping the fainted Vurk, the still-conscious Durri faced the desert.