Prelude Chapter Eight: Marika's Champion
Hourah Loux I
"This Wine is beyond excellent! Another barrel for me and my Knights!" Hourah Loux exclaimed to a traveling merchant who unfortunately had crossed his path on his way to Farum Azula. The Merchant in his Red Garb happily handed over another barrel that had been situated on his donkey-pulled carriage over to Hourah Loux, who gripped the barrel with his massive hand, opened it and consumed the contents almost immediately. The Merchant was shocked that he had sold two of his six barrels in the span of minutes of each other, but he seemed content that he had traded coins with the barbarian who stood before him.
"Another!" Hourah Loux yelled, giving the Merchant yet another bag of coins. "Damn it all! kind merchant I will buy the rest of your stock." Hourah Loux despite his hunger for battle, had a thirst for the finer things in life, not alcohol although he was currently enjoying his flagon of wine- Hourah Loux thirsted for the receiving and the giving of kindness. He was a barbarian, but before that he was a man, and men are kind to others who have done them no wrong. The merchant bowed deeply to Hourah Loux after he hoisted the remaining four barrels to the warrior, which were held easily by Hourah.
"Thank me not, merchant! What is your name? You make the finest wine I have ever tasted!" Hourah said as he stepped closer to the merchant, easily towering over him with his massive size, yet the merchant did not fear the warrior, he was just as giddy as the man who stood before him, despite the Crucible Knights who waited impatiently nearby.
"My dear customer, my name is Khalen, I must thank you for your coin. I, nor my family shall not forget the face of the man who helped us through these trying times." The Khalen then gestured to his family who sat across the path the business was being conducted on, and Hourah Loux saw a young woman of the same race as Khalen, holding a babe in her arms as she smiled at the gigantic man.
"Aha! Khalen my friend you have been blessed with a beautiful bride and a child, may luck favor thee!" Hourah Loux cackled as he shook hands with the merchant, his hand almost engulfing Khalen's arm. "What is the Little one's name? He seemeth like a true warrior like yourself!"
"My son's name is Kalé, we were blessed with him recently, although he is no warrior, nor am I, I can assure you of that." Khalen responded kindly to Hourah Loux's question.
"Nonsense! All three of you are warriors! If you fight against a foe, or even poverty, you are a warrior strong!" Hourah smiled as he released the hand of the merchant. "Alas, I thank you for the wine, perhaps it may loosen the lips of these fellows that follow me. I must make way for Farum Azula, Queen Marika has sent me on a mission there that I must complete with urgency!"
"May her majesty live long and bear many children, the same goes for yourself sir." The merchant said in response to the giant's proclamation.
Hourah Loux nodded once to Khalen, and then again to Khalen's wife and child before he laughed loudly thanking them as he took his first step on his way to return to his rather strange traveling company. where he spied Devonia, the commander of the Crucible Knights, and the only one amongst them he could communicate with as the others spoke the tongues of the Crucible, waiting patiently for him.
With every pace Hourah Loux's thoughts dwelt on the task ahead, although he had no qualms with the battle he was to participate in, he did question what an act of defeating the Beast Regent would have for the rest of the lands, this though Irked him as he took the Storm King's life of his own accord, although capturing Serosh for Marika's gain was something he could not understand. Marika's motives were a mystery to him but as he had pledged his service to her, he had to act as she saw fit.
"You have wasted time. Our task awaits." Devonia hoisted her hammer onto her shoulder, as the rest of the knights turned and faced Hourah Loux awaiting orders. In his short time amongst the Crucible Knights, Hourah Loux appreciated their uniformity, although It was problematic at times as they all looked similar, save for Devonia who was the only one he could converse with normally, as the rest of them all spoke the ancient tongues of the Crucible and its servants.
"We March! To Farum Azula and the Beast Regent, in the name of Marika!" Hourah Loux yelled, raising his hand to the sky expecting a chant of reverence from the knights, what met him was the silence of the woods they resided in. Hourah's gaze moved from the sky to the Crucible Knights, who had vanished only leaving their footprints in the dirt as they had marched forward without him. Hourah Loux crashed through the trees eventually catching up to Devonia who held the back position of the formation as she was the most heavy-set amongst the knights.
"Heavily armored you all may be, but catching you is no small task for I, Hourah Loux." he quickly overtook Devonia, although she quickly matched his pace, running effortlessly alongside the massive man despite her being two-thirds his size.
"You have earned our servitude barbarian, our respect is far from earned." Devonia said as she retook her position in front of Hourah. "Felling the Storm King is far easier than taming the Beast Regent."
"On that we agree! May my conquest of Serosh be told in tales even after I fall." Hourah exclaimed as they broke into a clearing, signifying that they had exited Limgrave and made their way to the peaceful grasslands of Caelid.
Many a soul lived in Caelid, from the residents of Selia, the town of sorceries, to the beastmen and Ancient Dragons of Farum Azula led by Serosh and Dragonlord Placidusax, and even the relatives of the Ancient Dragons had made their home in the grasslands, the modern drakes, who were ruled by their great sires.
"We have entered Caelid, be on guard." Devonia remarked plainly as the Crucible Knights and Hourah continued forth.
"The air is sweet here Devonia, almost untainted by battle!" Hourah Louh leapt across the grassfields easily surpassing the Crucible Knights that once ran before him, he pounded ahead as he saw the stone towers of Farum Azula ahead.
After three hours of running and the rest of the wine consumed, Hourah Loux now very much in a fighting mood, and his caravan reached Farum Azula. Upon the great stone great bridge leading inside the city, covered in cement older than the Erdtree, they were met by many beastmen warriors who looked upon the visitors and immediately drew their Iron cleavers. Hourah Loux did not back down from the issued challenge, nor did the Crucible Knights. Within minutes the Farum Greatbridge was laden with the bodies of its guardians, and Hourah Loux stood above a pile of bodies covered in the essence of battle as he roared at the sky issuing his own challenge.
Show thyself Beast Regent Serosh, by the word of Marika, and voice of I, Hourah Loux, Warrior!'
Hourah Loux slammed his foot upon the ground causing a shock wave that shook the entire bridge, almost upheaving it from its ancient positioning, connecting Farum Azula to Caelid. This elicited all matters within the capital of beasts to cease, as many furred heads poked out from windows and from ledges across the city as they waited upon an answer from their Regent.
"Hourah Loux." A voice sounded from behind the knights and Hourah Loux and Serosh approached from the other side of the bridge, the great lion was adorned with silver mail, he wore a crown as was the fashion of a Regent, and he wielded no weapon, save his own claws. "You have trespassed upon the holy ground of the ancient dragons and their followers, and for that you shall witness true pain, yield or be felled in the name of Placidusax our holy lord of the storm."
"There is no need for words beast, may our battle speak for itself!" Hourah Loux charged through the Crucible Knights to get to his foe, where he was met with equal force as Serosh pounced towards him, meeting together in a clash of will and strength. The battle was as ferocious as any battle both combatants ever fought, perhaps greater. Each blow made chunks of the bride depart into the waters below, and every kick or stomp pushed the audience of Crucible Knights and beasts backward. The two seemed equal in strength, one was a beast of a man, and the other was the beast that had became royalty.
The battle ended as Hourah Loux leveraged his hands between the shoulderblades of Serosh and with a painful crack he dislocated both of his rival's arms, and with a roar of pure pain and horror Serosh fell upon the ground. The beastmen began to cry out for their lord in pained howls and curses aimed at Hourah Loux. Alas, Hourah picked up the body of Serosh and held their faces inches apart, feeling the hot breath of his opponent upon his blood-covered face.
''Warrior. You have fought well, do you yield?" Hourah proclaimed as he held his opponents bloodied face to his own. Serosh merely glared back and opened his beastly maw wide open, readying to latch down on Hourah's face. This attempt however was met with an uppercut from the barbarian, which knocked the Beast Regent's consciousness from his body. Hourah Loux stood over the unconscious body of Serosh and roared his victory for the world to hear. The world did lend an ear to the cry of Hourah Loux, as when his roar ended another sounded from behind him, and from beyond the Farum Great bridge, a roar that struck even a twinge of fear inside Hourah Loux. For as soon as he had heard the sound the clouds overhead became stormy, as red lightning fell from the sky all around Hourah Loux. He made the decision to retreat, as he picked Serosh's body from the ground and alongside the Crucible Knights he ran to the fields of Caelid. With every pounding step he heard the beating of wings in the clouds above him, the sound belonged to a singular being as its silhouette passed overhead, and towards Farum Azula, Hourah Loux knew this presence was not of an ancient dragon as he only saw a singular pair of wings upon its crimson hide, and that was all he needed to know of the creature that dared challenge Farum Azula and its Dragonlords.
The Crucible Knights and their leader ran and chose to not look back even as they heard screams, howls, and roars from Farum Azula's denizens, and when Hourah Loux turned his head after a league of sprinting to look upon the Farum Great bridge in the distance, he saw a massive gray head of a drake, crushing the bodies of the beastmen that had either been defeated by Hourah and his knights, or those who tried to escape the destruction within the city. The head's massive size completely blocked the bridge from being accessible, its eyes, the yellow eyes within the bloodied head seemingly stared at the barbarian as he stared back within the fading pupils that he saw even from miles away.
"One of Placidusax's great heads has fallen, that is what that is, my lord." Devonia responded with her usual emotionless tone. "It seems we have started the rebellion of the modern dragons against their ancestors, as was Marika's plan it seems."
"That presence that flew above us, what was it?" Hourah Loux asked, his voice steady.
"Either Greyoll, the mother of the modern drakes, or her mate, come to challenge Placidusax for his title and lands in his moment of weakness, with Gurranq fled, and Serosh defeated, an opening has presented itself." Ordovis responded from behind Hourah, this surprised Hourah Loux, as the sworded knight approached speaking the common tongue fluently, which Hourah did not know he could. "Whichever it is, they will not succeed, The Dragonlord is a veteran of many battles against stronger foes, we as the aspects of the crucible did not know he could be wounded, although in his old age he seems to have grown frail." Ordovis motioned to the decapitated head.
"Thank you for your insight Ordovis, I did not know you could speak the common tongue." Hourah Loux thanked and administered his confusion hoping for an answer.
"Indeed, Myself, Devonia, and Siluria are capable of your way of communication. Although Devonia had us swear that we shall not reveal that fact to you until you truly earn our loyalty as you have hers, and as it stands you have earned my mine and Siluria's respect, forgive her as she is quite soft spoken."
"And what of the others?" Hourah Loux inquired only to be answered by Siluria who's voice was nearly silent as she attempted to speak.
"The others cannot speak your tongue, my lord." The spear-wielding knightess spoke softly and Hourah had to lean closer to her, risking being poked by the many branches that budded from her helm to hear her.
"I thank thee, I understand now.'' Hourah Loux responded to the two secondary commanders before turning to Devonia who stood facing away from the rest of the knight, and facing away from Fraum Azula as well. "You seem troubled, Hammerhem."
Devonia stayed her position facing wayward as her gaze lay hidden, although Hourah Loux she gazed upon the Erdtree, its golden rays of light barely reaching their position. Yet Devonia answered Hourah Loux. "May it be heard, we serve Hourah Loux, no other master." Devonia turned and took a knee, as did the rest of the Crucible Knights as they rested their weapons upon the ground in respect to the great barbarian. Unlike the first time they had met where they all had simply stood before him and requested to follow him.
"I thank thee, for your service. I, as Hourah Loux, accept your service." Hourah Loux also took a knee, bowing to his mighty warriors. "I bid thee rise." and all the kneeled rose as they all looked upon each other, seventeen warriors bound together by strength and vow, destined to stay intertwined until the end of time, or until the final warrior stood proud against the threat that was to slay them all.
"My lord, shall we return to Leyendel to report to queen Marika that your task has been completed." Devonia asked.
"Indeed, may that vile queen know of our success." Hourah Loux responded as his newfound force along with himself walked forward, leaving behind the burning city of Farum Azula, as two mighty figures not only tore themselves apart, but the stone capital around them.