249 Storm on the Coast (Part 1)
Exile sighed when he finally got Noslin’s officers to calm down after explaining the situation to them. Many of them wanted to go after her, but Exile managed to convince them it was a bad idea and against Noslin’s wishes. He flew alongside the many spells that formed to create a stable structure that the players could climb.
Every now and then, he had to swoop down and catch someone who fell off of it. ‘Another one.’ Exile groaned as he caught a player by their collar and tossed them onto the platforms. ‘This is so slow.’ He glanced up to see that the head of the army had not even climbed up halfway yet.
He was eager to return to Himinbj?rg as soon as possible. After all, he had a lot of work to do to prepare for the battle with Nar’Kozz. Hours passed as that tedious routine continued. Exile could feel the tension rising in the army.
Of course, he understood why. There were the breeding grounds down there, and they could hatch at any moment. All it would take to ruin their escape was for a Stalker to spot them. It would not take long for the horde to track them down if they knew the area where they had surfaced.
That, in turn, would destroy their hope of buying time. However, all of those concerns vanished as the first players escaped the underground. A surge of energy filled the players as they began a mad rush to get out into the open air.
Exile cursed as order broke down. The chasm echoed with the noise of players cursing each other as the commanders tried to restore peace. During that time, Exile had his work cut out for him. Players constantly lost their footing, forcing him to catch them and summon levitation runes to carry them back.
When roughly half of the army resurfaced, a chilling noise echoed from below. The players suddenly went silent as they froze and glanced down. Exile heard the noise more clearly as the seconds passed. ‘Shit!’ He rapidly flew among the army warning them to hurry up but be as quiet as possible!
The spells the army had used to climb to that point had already faded. But Exile did not underestimate the Stalkers climbing abilities. A bead of sweat appeared on his forehead as a foul taste permeated the air. ‘We don’t have long!’
Exile kept checking the army’s progress while he monitored the mouth of the tunnel that led to the bridge. He kept expecting to see a Stalker rear its ugly head from it at any moment. The screeching grew louder as it bounced off the walls. The players struggled to remain calm even though there was only a small amount of them left inside the chasm.
Exile felt his heartbeat rising as he silently made a prayer they would make it in time. ‘Come on! Come on!’ He swallowed to wet his dry mouth as he finally caught sight of the last player disappearing over the edge. ‘Yes!’ He screamed in his mind as he forced his wings to carry him as fast as they could!
Just before he joined the players outside the chasm, he heard the scratching noise of many Stalkers racing through the tunnel! As he flew over the edge, he heaved a sigh of relief as he crashed to the ground. ‘They didn’t see us.’ He chuckled to himself as he heard frustrated screeching echoing from the chasm.
As he glanced around, he noticed the tense expressions on the players’ faces as they seemed frozen on the spot. The other leaders looked at him with questioning gazes, to which he replied by smiling. ‘Once the noise fades, we can move on. We just have to hope they don’t think to climb up here.’
‘They probably hatched due to the noise everyone made.’ Exile hummed to himself as he lay in the snow. ‘They’re aware there were trespassers down there. But they don’t know how many or where we went.’
Exile suddenly drew a blank as he realised a problem. ‘Shit! They’re going to head in Noslin’s direction!’ He cursed as he hoped she would be alright. ‘Exile could only pray that she found a way out of that situation on her own.’
A few minutes passed as they listened for the screeches to die down. ‘I guess it’s time.’ Exile sighed as he crawled to peer over the edge. Everything appeared silent down below, and there was no movement in the gloom.
“Ok,” Exile said as he stood up. “It’s time to move out.”
There was no cheering at his statement. The players silently spread out and resumed their march under the guidance of their leaders. ‘They’re worried they could draw unwanted attention.’ Exile thought as he nodded in satisfaction. Just because they were above ground now, and had escaped the encirclement did not mean they could let their guard down.
‘There’s still a long road ahead. But with our speed, we should reach the mountain within a few hours.’ Exile frowned as he glanced in the direction of Valheim. ‘They still haven’t made their move. What is Nar’Kozz waiting for?’
Of course, Exile would not complain if the Stalker horde wanted to give them more time. However, he could not understand why they had not launched their assault yet. His gaze then turned in the direction of Himinbj?rg. ‘It won’t be long now. I just hope the players will accept the situation when we get there.’
Meanwhile, alarm bells rang on the southern coast as a foreign ship was spotted on the horizon. A giant serpent twisted in the air overhead as it kept pace with the distant vessel. The captain of the guard stared at the scene with a grim expression.
The city was still under construction, but he had faith in the dwarven walls’ ability to repel invaders. However, that did not apply to something capable of flight! ‘Lord Bjorn chose a bad time to leave.’ The captain groaned as he turned and barked the orders to prepare for combat.
The city bustled with activity as the armoury was emptied. The captain could only shake his head when he noticed his men arming civilians as young as thirteen for the perceived battle. ahead. ‘I wish we didn’t have to do this. They’ve seen too few winters. But we can’t let this city fall. It’ll open a path to another full-scale invasion.’
The captain’s eyes narrowed as he noticed the serpent appeared to be guarding the ship. ‘It’s moving too fast! No ship should be capable of that speed!’ Hours passed as gleaming steel lined the city walls. Everyone could see the ship clearly now as it approached the coast.
However, the captain could hear whispered voices that sounded terrified. The giant serpent scanned the walls with a cruel grin on its face. ‘This definitely isn’t a friendly meeting.’ The captain groaned as a determined expression appeared on his face as Dretheir dashed through the air.
‘A damned dragon!’ The captain cursed as he realised what kind of beast he was staring at. ‘I thought they were all killed in the Age of Heroes!’
“Summon Exile,” Dretheir stated as he snorted. His eyes studied the terrified expressions of the men below him. “Now!”
The captain gulped as he whispered an order. Two men abandoned the walls to ask the priests to pray for Exile’s intervention. However, the captain had little hope of that happening. Only the Oracles had a direct link with the gods, and there were none of them in that city.
“I have done as you asked!” The captain roared while restraining his fear. “May I ask what your business is here?”
“My business is with Exile,” Dretheir stated as he fixed his serpentine eyes on the captain. “How long do I have to wait?”
“I’m afraid it may be some time. The priests are trying to contact him now.”
“Priests?” Dretheir mumbled as his eyes narrowed. “So, there are no Oracles here? I don’t have time to waste on idle prayers.” 𝘦𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝑙.
The captain gulped at those words as he heard the anger in that ancient voice. “I’m afraid it’s the best we can offer. Your people are more than welcome to make camp on the coast while you wait.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Dretheir replied as storm clouds gathered overhead. “We’ll move further inland until we find someone who can contact him directly.”
Tension mounted on the walls as the makeshift army held their breath. That city was built to prevent unauthorised foreign powers from making their way into the heart of the country. The dragon and those on the ship definitely met that condition. They silently hoped the captain would let them go. Or that the mighty beast would understand if the captain rejected them.
“I’m afraid I have to ask you to wait here.” The captain cursed in his mind as he spoke without thinking. “We’ll send riders out to try and accommodate your request. If you intend to pass beyond this point. We will view it as a hostile act and respond accordingly!”
The winds howled as Dretheir’s wrath rose. Grim expressions filled the walls as the Skardians made peace with that outcome. Rain started to fall as Dretheir snorted at the humans below.
“So be it,” Dretheir responded. His voice sounded like a death sentence to the captain, who could only close his eyes when Dretheir suddenly lunged toward him.
A great bang sounded in the air, like the rumble of thunder as sand and stone flew through the air. The captain trembled as he slowly opened his eyes. ‘Oh…’