Chronicles of Espiria Season 3
Episode 26 – Eironn's Final Test
Written by the Dude
Brutus' training regimen for Eironn was much more brutal than Thane's, but he was hard on himself when he trained alone in the Dark Forest as well, so he adapted well. Even Khasos came to respect his skill and drive, growing more certain with each sparring match of the inevitability of Eironn's victory.
In the forest, Eironn learned from nature itself to let his motions flow into each other as wind and water flow around obstacles. Thane taught him to read his opponents and predict their actions to devise a counterattack. Brutus' training centered around raw power, to use his own strength and that of his opponent to overpower his enemies. Khasos was a constant reminder that he had much yet to learn, but other opponents provided by Brutus reassured him that he was growing stronger.
Finally, Brutus decided that Eironn was ready for a final test. Near the Steelthorn Peaks was a pillar of solid granite known as "the Spike", which was often used for public executions and ritual battles. This day, it would serve as Eironn's testing ground. He and Khasos stood on opposite sides of the pillar, weapons drawn, with but one rule to guide them: the first to fall off the Spike would lose the match.
"Begin!" Brutus shouted.
Khasos began by throwing his axes at Eironn to throw him off balance. Eironn, seeing this coming, leapt to avoid the axes, rolling into a fluid thrust with his swords. What he didn't notice was that the thrown axes were returning like boomerangs, a new skill that Khasos had acquired not long ago. This momentarily threw Eironn off balance as he dodged, but he soon regained his footing, just in time to deflect the axe swings of Khasos.
"Halt!" Brutus shouted.
Eironn and Khasos sheathed their weapons and turned to face Brutus. From their vantage point, they could see a group of Maulers and humans coming their way. Khasos recognized one of the Maulers as the notorious outlaw Kren; the others he would soon know as Thali, Walker, Gretel Hawke, and Peter Thorne. Brutus went to meet the surprising group, speaking to Gretel mostly. Khasos could not tell what they discussed, but it looked like serious business from the look on Brutus' face. After a while, he nodded and returned to Eironn and Khasos.
"Your test is postponed, Eironn. These messengers deliver new information about our enemy; deliver them to Chieftain Skriath. Khasos, come with me; we have much to prepare."
"Come with me." Eironn said as he made his way back to the Peaks with his guests.
They followed Eironn to the foot of Chieftain's Peak, where Skriath met them with his Blood Guard. As Eironn sought out Brutus, Gretel Hawke quickly explained what they had learned of Azmonath's and Safiya's plans, as well as Numisu's message. Skriath was silent as he considered the news.
"How far away are they?" Skriath asked.
"We don't know." Gretel answered. "We lost track of them not long after Numisu sent us here."
Another Falcon soon stood with Skriath, who issued orders to the newcomer. Skriath watched as the Falcon flew off.
"The Falcon's Eyrie is not far from here. If they can reach us before the Hypogeans arrive..."
At that moment, the blast of Anoki's horn rang forth from the summit of Chieftain's Peak.
"What was that?" Peter asked.
"The Hypogeans are here." Skriath replied.
As Skriath flew back up to Chieftain's Peak for a better view of the battle, Brutus marched up with Khasos at his side to take Skriath's place.
"Humans, lead those Maulers who are not warriors away from the battle." Brutus said without looking away from the approaching dust storm signaling the Hypogeans. "I do not need them getting underfoot. Kren, you and your mate will fight with my Blood Guard."
"I'm not his mate." Thali corrected. "I just think he's cute."
Kren, Thali, and Walker took their places with the few mages and archers of the Mauler forces, while Gretel and Peter served as guards for the Mauler servants as they escaped to Gretel knew not where yet. The remaining Maulers rallied around Brutus and prepared for the Hypogeans' assault. Skriath could see from his perch that Azmonath marched at the head of the Hypogean force. At Azmonath's order, they stopped advancing just out of range of the Mauler bows.
"Let it begin." Azmonath growled.
The Hypogean catapults fired, launching several orcs into the sky, almost to the height of Chieftain's Peak. At the zenith of their flight, they crushed the black crystals that they held, allowing their bodies to be obliterated to create small temporary portals to the Hypogean realm. From these portals emerged hundreds of imps, flying now at heights unheard of for these creatures.
"I have never seen these creatures hover more than an arm's breadth above the ground." Anoki commented.
"Indeed, that is Safiya's doing." Skriath answered. "She accumulated a large number of amber crystals, which can decrease the weight of anything they are affixed to with the proper incantations and a trifling blood sacrifice. It would seem that, as Numisu feared, she affixed them to the imps so that they could fly up the Steelthorn Peaks and avoid much of our defenses."
"She obviously did not count on us being prepared for an attack by the Falcon tribe, Grand Chieftain." Anoki commented as Brutus turned and signaled to the archers and mages.
Immediately, the archers, mages, Kren, Thali, and Walker unleashed their worst on the skyborne imps. As the arrows, curses, and inordinately heavy ordinance hit the imps, they realized the extent of Safiya's mad, dark genius; each imp was carrying their weight in explosives, some of which was detonated prematurely by the projectiles of the defenders, while some detonated as they hit the ground, killing any Maulers they might have fallen on.
"It's so beautiful!" Thali commented as the fireworks were reflected in her eyes.
"Keep hitting them and it'll only get prettier." Kren suggested as he reloaded.
As the imps drew closer to the Peaks, Eironn, who had been ordered to the top of the mountain by Brutus as a final line of defense, took a flying leap at the imps, landing on top of one. He then proceeded to jump from one imp to the next, cutting them out of the air, casting as many as he could manage into other imps.
While Skriath was pleased with the defense against the imps, he and Brutus realized only when it was almost too late that it was, in part, a diversion; while the ranged defenders were occupied by the skyborne imps, they could do nothing against the ground forces. Azmonath and the demons he commanded were already charging when Skriath and Brutus realized what was happening, leaving them little time to retaliate. With a quick wave of Skriath's staff, the sand in front of Azmonath began to shift as if it were quicksand, hampering all but Azmonath and allowing Brutus to begin his own charge.
Brutus left the lesser Hypogeans to the other warriors and focused his attention on Azmonath. As he approached the demon, he took note of the ornate chestplate, seemingly the only armor it wore, and decided that this should be his target. He sidestepped two curses cast by Azmonath, as well as a mighty slash by the demon's claws, then slashed at the chestplate in the hope of dislodging it; instead, his sword simply bounced off it as if he slapped it with a wooden board. Undeterred, he ducked away from another slash and made to cleave Azmonath's staff arm from his body, only to see it reattach seconds later. He was about to target Azmonath's neck when the demon surprised him with a backhand so fierce that he was sent sprawling back behind his own line.
As Brutus lay dazed, Azmonath began casting curses at Brutus to finish him off. Before any of them could find their mark, however, Skriath appeared at Brutus' side and deflected them with his staff. One curse he managed to bounce back at the advancing Hypogeans, who were proving to be too numerous even for the elite warriors of the Steelthorn Peaks. The curse struck the ground, sending dust into the eyes of the Hypogeans and allowing the Maulers a tactical retreat. Skriath used this distraction to rouse Brutus and help him to his feet.
"We cannot hold the ground." Skriath advised. "Let us retreat to the Peaks and strike as they pursue us."
Brutus just nodded. The camp at the base of the Steelthorn Peaks was defended by some of the fiercest warriors in the Scorched Expanse, but it was them standing on the unforgiving mountains themselves that made the Peaks unassailable. Brutus roared the command to fall back to the Peaks; some followed Brutus up Paragon's Peak, others raced up Chieftain's Peak where Skriath stood, and a small number stayed behind to buy time for the others, short though that time was in the face of Azmonath. Many who ascended the mountains congregated around the ranged warriors still battling the flying imps, making their stand in the difficult to access crevices in the mountains. The rest chose obvious chokepoints in the ascent to make their stand, including Brutus, in preparation for the Hypogean charge up the mountain. Had the ranged warriors not been distracted by the flying imps, the climb would have been impossible for the Hypogeans; even so, it was still trying, and many were struck down by the Mauler defenders. Despite all their efforts, though, none could stand against Azmonath as he effortlessly hovered up Chieftain's Peak, carving a path for the Hypogeans as he went. When he reached the top, he was surprised to find Skriath waiting for him, without his Blood Guard.
"Your time has come, buzzard." Azmonath said, dripping malice.
"The Maulers will not yield, demon!" Skriath responded.
Skriath struck a nearby boulder with his staff, throwing it into the air, and pushed it with a gust of wind straight into Azmonath's chest. The stone shattered against Azmonath's chestplate and pushed him nearly over the edge of the peak. Azmonath's eye flashed with fury as he recovered and marched back toward Skriath, casting death curses with each step. Skriath deflected most of these curses into the air, striking down many imps; a few were returned to Azmonath, hurting him a little, but doing him no apparent lasting injury. Finally, one curse struck the ground close to Skriath, exploding with enough force to injure Skriath's wing.
Anoki and Brutus saw the explosion on Chieftain's Peak and moved to investigate. As Azmonath moved in on his prey, Anoki batted Azmonath aside with his horn and took up a position between Skriath and Azmonath. Brutus arrived moments later, ready to end the Hypogean alongside Anoki and Skriath. Azmonath's eye flashed again.
"I am done toying with these animals!"
Azmonath thrust his staff into the ground, jutting up a chunk of rock under Brutus, Skriath, and Anoki with enough force to cast them from the mountain top. As the ground rose up to meet the three, Skriath heard a new battle cry that he had hoped to hear sooner; the Falcons had arrived. Some swooped down to save the three falling warriors, but they were otherwise too little too late; with Azmonath's leadership and Safiya's partial plan, the Hypogeans had overrun the Steelthorn Peaks. Brutus was about to charge back up the mountain in a vain attempt to brush the Hypogeans back off, when Skriath held him back with his good wing.
"I believe the time has come for a tactical retreat, my Paragon."
"You want me to run away like a coward?!" Brutus bellowed.
"No one will question your courage for seeking a more defensible position." Skriath responded.
"What better stronghold is there, Grand Chieftain?" Anoki asked. "The Steelthorn Peaks were supposed to be impregnable."
"There is one more place we could retreat to. The Temple of the Seers is guarded by warriors as fierce as the Blood Guard, and supported by more powerful shamans. Let us try there."
Brutus did not like it, but he accepted Skriath's council. He roared the order to retreat; what was left of the Falcons carried what was left of Brutus' warriors to his side. As they marched from the mountains toward the temple, Kren whispered to Walker and Thali.
"I am completely out of ammo! That's never happened to me before!"