307 Eye Of The Storm (Part 2)
“Commander Elandrial,” a male elf with sharp features said as he dragged two captured Skardians before her. “I’ve cleared the eastern section. These fellows looked important so I’ve brought them over for interrogation.”
“Well done, Thalion. But how many times do I have to tell you to call me Vaerina?”
“As long as we’re on campaign I’ll never call you by your given name. It would set a bad example for the troops.”
“Fine,” Vaerina replied as she studied the captives with her hawkish gaze. “Have you heard any reports about the Skardian princess?”
“No, if it weren’t for this fog we should’ve captured her by now.”
Vaerina’s gaze lingered on the two Skardian captives, their faces a mix of defiance and weariness. One bore the scars of countless battles, while the younger one still had the fire of rebellion in his eyes, though it flickered under the weight of their defeat. She smiled thinly, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
“Send them to the rear,” she said, her voice as cold as the winds howling around them. “We’ll question them later. Right now, we need to focus on the western section.”
Thalion nodded, gesturing to a nearby squad to handle the prisoners. As they were dragged away, the male elf turned back to Vaerina, his eyes narrowing as he studied the swirling fog around them. “This fog is unnatural. It’s slowing our advance. I don’t like it.”
Vaerina’s gaze swept across the hazy landscape. “Nor do I. I can only assume it’s a gift from one of their Gods. If I were them, I’d use this opportunity to get any valuable officers out of here.” She paused, then added, “There’s a man in the western section. He’s gathering what remains of their forces. If we break him, the rest will collapse.”
Without further words, the elven commander gestured forward, and her forces melted into the ruins. They moved with deadly grace, their footsteps nearly soundless as they traversed the crumbling ruins toward the west. Each elf was little more than a shadow, blending seamlessly into the fog, their bows drawn and swords at the ready.
Vaerina advanced ahead, Thalion following close behind. The Skardians were warriors to be sure, but they were predictable, brutish. They relied too much on raw strength. That’s why they would lose.
In the distance, the sound of clashing steel rang out. Vaerina signalled for her forces to halt, her keen senses picking out the rhythm of the fight. The Skardians were making their stand just beyond the walls ahead, defending a narrow chokepoint in the ruins.
“Hold the line! Hold the fucking line!” a voice roared, cutting through the din of battle.
Vaerina’s eyes gleamed. “There he is.”
Thalion stepped forward, crouching low as he peered through the gaps in the crumbled stone. “They’re dug in deep. But I can see their weak points.”
“They’ll be expecting a frontal assault. Send two units around the flanks, but keep them out of sight until the last moment. Feint a charge to draw their attention.”
Thalion grinned, his hand tightening on the hilt of his sword. “With pleasure.”
Vaerina’s plan was already in motion. Two elven squads separated from the main group, and moved to find other points of entry. Meanwhile, the remaining elves began to gather, forming a tight line as if preparing for a full-on assault.
The man leading the Skardian defence seemed to notice the threat of the gathering forces. He bellowed orders as the warriors around him braced their shields and each other to absorb the impact of a charge.
‘Too easy. I expected something… more.’ Vaerina sighed as she nodded to her second-in-command.
Thalion led the charge, bellowing out a sharp command that spurred the elves forward. As expected, the Skardian warriors braced themselves, raising their shields and spears, roaring defiantly as they prepared for the onslaught.
But the charge never came.
At the last moment, Thalion signalled for his forces to pull back. The Skardians, thrown off balance, stumbled forward in what was meant to be a push-back against the elves. It was all Vaerina needed as she spotted the gaps caused by their mistake.
“Now!” she roared, and her flanking units sprang over the nearby walls and unleashed a volley of arrows from their hiding spots.
In a flash, the elves were upon the exposed Skardians, their blades glinting as they sliced through the back lines of the disoriented defenders. Skardians dropped like flies under the ambush. Their roars turned to cries of pain as the elves danced around them, avoiding their heavy swings with ease.
Thalion was a blur as he and his troops dashed into the gaps. With a sneer, he parried a blow from a Skardian warrior almost twice his size before thrusting his blade into the man’s chest. He kicked the body aside and pounced on the next poor soul.
Thalion’s sneer twisted into a grin as the leader of the Skardian defence stormed forward. In one hand, the man wielded a glowing longsword, causing Thalion’s grin to turn to a frown. His eyes narrowed as he gauged the distance, his sharp instincts as a warrior warned him that this would not be an easy victory.
Faster than expected, Skalr closed the gap between them, his longsword coming down in a vicious arc. Thalion barely managed to twist his body to the side as the edge of the blade sliced through the air where his neck had been. The strength of the blow sent a gust of wind rushing past him, and Thalion rolled to the side to avoid the follow-up strike.
Skalr grinned, as he eyed the elf with amusement. “What’s the matter, elf? Where’s that sense of superiority I saw before?” Thalion’s eyes glinted with pride, but his body was tense, ready for the next move. “It’s not a sense of superiority so much as it is the truth.”
Skalr’s grin widened, and without hesitation, he swung his blade again. This time, Thalion was ready. He threw a feint to the left, then darted right, slipping past the Skardian’s strike. His own blade flashed out, aiming for Skalr’s exposed ribs. But just as the strike should have landed, Skalr activated a runestone. A shield of crackling energy formed around his body, which absorbed the blow with a bright flash of light.
Thalion cursed under his breath, retreating a step as Skalr pressed forward. The Runelord didn’t give him a moment’s rest, his longsword sang through the air in a series of brutal slashes. Thalion danced between the strikes, but even then he could feel he was being forced on the defensive.
That was when Skalr’s free hand went to the pouch at his belt, and he quickly pulled out a small runestone. He pressed his thumb to the glowing surface with a grin. A pulse of energy shot through the air as the runestone activated, sending a jagged bolt of lightning crackling toward Thalion.
The elf dodged to the side just in time, the lightning bolt crashing into the ground where he had stood. The earth sizzled, scorched black from the impact. Thalion’s heart raced. Skalr wasn’t just a brute with a sword. ‘This is bad. He’s using his runes to shift the battlefield in his favour. I thought this old magic was extinct in Skardia.’
“Impressive,” Thalion muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. “But runes won’t save you from my blade when I get serious.”
Skalr’s eyes narrowed. “Then come and try to back up that claim, elf.”
Thalion lunged forward, faster than Skalr anticipated. His sword flicked out in a blur, feinting high before twisting down to strike low. Skalr moved to block with his blade, but Thalion was already gone. The elf had slipped to the side and sent another strike toward Skalr’s neck. This time, Skalr wasn’t fast enough. Thalion’s blade grazed his shoulder as he tried to evade the blow, drawing first blood.
Skalr bellowed in fury, but Thalion didn’t give him time to recover. He pressed the attack, his sword moving in swift arcs and stabs. Each move probed for a weakness in Skalr’s defence. Skalr, for all his experience, struggled to keep up with the elf’s speed. Yet Thalion knew it wasn’t enough. He was wary of the fact that Skalr’s runestones would tip the balance if he didn’t finish this quickly.
Skalr, sensing Thalion’s intent, dropped another runestone on the ground after activating it. The earth beneath them trembled, and jagged stone spikes shot up, stabbing at the persistent elf clinging to him like a nagging wife. Thalion leapt backwards, narrowly avoiding being impaled. But that cost him the initiative in this fight.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Skalr thrust his sword forward with a mighty roar after using the reprieve to activate another rune. Thalion blocked the strike with his own blade, but the force of the blow sent him skidding back. ‘He wasn’t this strong before!’ Skalr’s strength had become immense, and even Thalion could no longer match him head-on. But he didn’t need to.
As Skalr shot forward again, Thalion flicked his wrist, tossing a handful of dirt into Skalr’s eyes. The result of which was him cursing and swinging wildly, blinded by the trick. Thalion used the moment of distraction to move behind him, his sword aimed for the back of Skalr’s neck. However, before the strike could land, Skalr activated another runestone he had kept at the ready. This time he unleashed a burst of wind that sent Thalion sprawling back, crashing against a crumbling wall.
The elf groaned, forcing himself to his feet. Meanwhile, Skalr wiped the dirt from his face, his grin returning. “You’ll have to do better than that, elf.”
Thalion spat blood from his mouth, his eyes flashed with murderous intent. “Oh, I will.”
As Skalr prepared to strike again, Thalion’s keen eyes spotted something. Skalr didn’t appear to have another runestone ready yet. A plan formed in his mind, but it would require timing.
Skalr roared, charging once more. However, Thalion didn’t retreat. He dashed forward, ducking beneath Skalr’s swing, and with a quick motion, he jabbed his blade toward Skalr’s waist. Skalr roared in agony as he jumped to the side, the elf’s blade leaving a shallow wound behind.
Seizing the moment, Thalion launched a frenzied assault. His blade was barely a blur as he struck Skalr’s now-vulnerable side. The Skardian warrior bellowed in pain as fresh blood poured from another new wound. But even then, Skalr was not finished.
With a snarl, he unleashed a runestone he had kept tucked into his sleeve, sending a shockwave through the small battlefield. Thalion was thrown back once more, but he had achieved his objective. Skalr was weakening, and soon he wouldn’t have the strength to fight back. The Skardian’s time was running out.