311 Shadow and Storm (Part 3)
A distant rumble shook the skies. To the mortals below, it sounded like the belly of a hungry, ancient beast looking to devour them. Dark clouds rolled in as Exile sculpted a grand storm with a barely concealed grin. He watched lightning crackle from the heavens, lighting the darkness and terrifying his enemies. Beneath the fury he had unleashed, the elves struggled through the muddy ground. Their heads hung low while their feet slipped beneath them.
Exile chuckled as he admired his work. ‘I bet if the others saw this, they’d call me petty.’ From his vantage point, he directed the endless downpour and guided the lightning to fell many great trees. The elves grew frustrated as they were slowed to a crawl due to his antics. Meanwhile, Skalr and his warriors moved deftly through the forest. The rain seemed to part for them as they marched, as though Exile’s storm took care not to make things difficult for his followers. Each step brought them closer to a hidden camp where they would soon meet with some welcome reinforcements. Before long, they crested a ridge to see the leader of this group standing among a company of grimly smiling warriors. It was Fjora. She hefted her colossal club with an ease that betrayed its weight as she flashed Skalr a mocking grin.
“Took you long enough, Skalr,” she called out with a wave of her hand. Her voice boomed over the clap of thunder.
“It’s good to see you again,” Skalr shot back as he clasped her forearm. “Thought we’d lost you with everything that’s happened.”
She rolled her eyes and gestured at the cluster of troops behind her. “We’ve been itching for a real fight. Tell me, is there enough elves to go around?”
“Oh, more than enough.” Skalr’s grin matched her own. He nodded back to his men, who eagerly raised their weapons. “It’s time to teach these leaf lickers what happens when they trespass in Skardian lands.”
A flash of lightning split the sky again, and the warriors took it as their cue. Under the cover of the storm, Skalr’s soldiers spread out in preparation to flank their quarry. ‘It’s time for the prey to become the hunters.’ Exile smirked as he used his Miracles to scatter small groups of elven soldiers into the path of Skalr’s and Fjora’s ambushes. Now, the elves would face the might of both his storm and the enraged Skardians.
The first group of elves marched through a narrow valley filled with mud. Their eyes flickered back and forth as they searched for any tracks they could follow. But some of them looked up to the heavens instead of scanning their surroundings.
One broke away from the rest as he let his frustration get the better of him. “There’s something wrong here. No storm strikes this quick. Don’t you feel like something is guiding us somewhere?”
21:36
Before he could speak again, a shadow descended upon him from above. A heavy club split the air as Fjora struck him, letting out a brutal crunch for all to hear. He crumpled with no suspense about whether he was still alive as the Skardians threw aside the foliage they had used to conceal themselves.
In a heartbeat, a chaotic battle erupted. Skalr darted forward and sliced through an elven archer before the soldier could nock an arrow. With vicious sweeps of his blade, he dodged and countered the surprised elves while moving like a phantom through the melee. Nearby, Fjora fought like a demon. Her club rose and fell, sending elves to their graves as she carved a bloody path through their lines.
“Kill them all!” Skalr roared, his voice somehow carrying over the racket. “Show them no mercy!”
Elven shouts filled the air, high-pitched cries of pain that did them little good. One by one, elven soldiers died under the well-prepared ambush. They slipped in the mud as they tried to fight back but could not match their attackers’ ferocity. Skalr glared as one elf dodged under a swing and lunged forward, only for a lightning bolt from Exile’s storm to strike down the unfortunate warrior.
Each moment felt like an eternity among the blood and rain. Skalr felt the joy of battle flow through him, making his heart pound in his chest. The sheer thrill of every deflected blow and every powerful strike that connected brought a savage smile to his face.
He slid his sword into one elf’s ribs, twisting it brutally before tossing the dying soldier aside. As the rain washed blood from his hands and face, he saw Fjora crush three elves who’d made the mistake of challenging her together. She swung her club in a sweeping arc, and they crumpled like paper before her might.
Another passing elven squad spotted the battle from a nearby rise, and Skalr saw their captain point down towards them. They scrambled to set up a line of archers, but Exile had no intention of letting that happen. The wind howled through the trees, creating a wall of air that thwarted the archers’ efforts to take aim. Their arrows flew wildly, often being dashed against the stalwart trees while Skalr’s men rushed in under the cover of the storm.
The archers tried to scramble away, but the Skardians reached them before they could get far. They fought desperately, knowing they were outnumbered and had failed to save their kin. Skalr couldn’t care less about that as he caught one by the shoulder and dragged him down to the ground as his sword cut off the elf’s head.
Several minutes later, the last elf remaining turned to run. But Skalr had predicted that and resolutely stood in his way. The elf raised his hands in surrender, trembling under the mad Skardians’ gaze. “Mercy,” he whispered. “Please.”
Skalr’s face twisted with contempt. “You come here to hunt us down, and you expect mercy?”
The elf’s eyes darted toward the raging sky. “We had no choice… we were sent… we didn’t want this…”
“Take it up with your God!” Skalr’s blade flashed, and the elf’s body slumped to the ground.
The storm overhead grew weaker as Exile watched the events below. He could see his DP had been well spent, judging by the results of his efforts. Fjora and Skalr had routed two whole elven squadrons without losing a single warrior. Sure, there were injuries, but it was still an impressive feat. The Skardians didn’t take long to regroup. Their breath steamed in the cold air as they took in each other’s battered but triumphant figures while they looked towards their leaders.
“Is that all they sent?” Fjora grinned, though she actually sounded a little disappointed.
“No,” Skalr replied while scanning the trees. “They’ll send more, and they should be here soon.”
Fjora’s grin widened, and she raised her club in a salute toward the sky. “Then we can have some more fun! Thank Exile for this glorious day!”
Skalr shot her a look that said he thought she was even more insane than Bjorn. ‘They’re a match made in heaven. It wouldn’t surprise me if they end up getting together.’ He sighed as he turned his attention back to the warriors.
‘We’ve bloodied their noses with this stunt of ours, but we’re not out of the woods yet.’ A deep-set frown appeared on his face as he analysed their situation. ‘We still don’t know if the others made out. But, since Exile was watching over us, I find it hard to believe that they’ve been captured or killed.’
“What are you thinking about?” Fjora asked as she cocked an eyebrow in his direction.
“I’m wondering where we should go from here,” Skalr replied with a shrug. “It would be ideal if we could track down any other remnants of the army. Especially Ania, Bjorn, and Allyce. Any one of them will increase our chances of survival by a significant margin.”
“Hmm, you have a point. We could always try asking the Gods to guide us? It’s better than fumbling around in the dark on our own.”
“Maybe,” Skalr sighed as he checked his depleted stock on runestones. “Then again, taking our time to search for them could also give the elves a chance to harass us to death. I’m not too keen on that possibility.”
“If they try it, we can just crush them like we did just now.” Fjora chuckled.
Skalr grimaced at her declaration. ‘Why did I have to get stuck with this woman with muscles for brains.’ He groaned. ‘Why are you testing me so, Exile?’
Unfortunately, no answer came from the heavens. Which left him to deal with his counterpart hero on his own. ‘Well, I don’t know what I was expecting.’ He turned his gaze towards the sky in the hope of catching any sort of sign.
“Hmm? Is that… what I think it is?” Skalr asked as he directed Fjora’s gaze towards the clouds.
“HAHAHA!” Fjora burst out laughing as she raised her fist into the air. “Looks like the Gods are smiling on us. Who else but Exile would point our path forward in such a way?”
Skalr almost coughed as he glared at the sky. Among the dark clouds was a giant arrow made of lighter-coloured ones. However, Skalr could tell that it was doubtful anyone else would notice it as it only aligned perfectly with their position. “Well, at least we have a destination now,” Skalr grinned while shaking his head. “But, for Exile to go to these lengths, I get the feeling we’ll be walking into a major problem.”
“All the more reason for us to hurry. Skardians! Move out!” Fjora roared.