Legends of Ardonia 3: Color Balance

Chapter 5: A Red Herring

Ardonian soldiers were gathered together in an abandoned Zuldoris settlement: the same one Milan and his troops attacked last month. The six kingdoms and Ardoni soldiers mingled with each other, waiting for the hunt to begin. Milan, Flixii, and Cyclone stood apart from the group, a map of Zuldoris settlements displayed on a table between them.

Cyclone: "The scouts reported the last and largest settlement here, near Marshline. It seems some of the survivors from last month had made it here, for it looks more fortified and uniform than the other ones that we've hit."

Milan: "Captain Jermaine, I want you to take your men and block these exit points here and here, while the Hydraphel soldiers attack them from these hills."

A young man with a Conchord shield on one arm and a crossbow in the other nodded.

Milan: "My Sendaris and I will ride in on horseback here while the Magnorites arrive on the hills opposite to us with the Kaltaris and Cydonians providing cover fire. Flixii, you and the Felinas guard the tree line. Anything gets past these borders you take them back or you take them down. Are we all in agreement?"

There was no opposition, although some of the Conchord humans exchanged subtle glances.

Milan: "Let's move out."

The armies fell into formation and started heading off towards the settlement, separating into regiments that split off from the main group once the settlement was closer.

Zuldoris trudged around a moderately-sized collection of dirt and mud huts, fortified by a low wall of wooden stakes. A rack of Droug weapons and armor sat in the center of the village next to a large fire pit, most of the weapons only having one bar of energy left. A Zuldoris child sadly took a small cooked fish from his mother, a pained smile on her face. A little ways out from the settlement a hodgepodge of arranged stones and stakes were seen dotting a clearing, most likely representing the unfortunate who had not survived the challenging conditions. A young Zuldoris suddenly ran into the city from the main entrance, panting heavily before shouting.

Zuldoris Scout: "They're coming! Everyone run as far as you-"

The scout was cut off as he fell to the ground, a burn mark etched into the back of his head as a company of Sendaris cavalry charged into the city. The back walls were flattened as the hulking figures of Magnorites rushed in. Conchord soldiers marched into the town shortly afterwards from the two back entrances, cutting the Zuldoris' only escape routes. Bullets were fired from the tree line as Cydonians and Kaltaris fired behind the Magnorites and Felinas ambushed from the trees. Utter chaos followed as Zuldoris scrambled to get their weapons and fired at anyone that drew near before being slaughtered by the enemy army. However, the Ardonians suffered losses as well, and they realized too late what their mistake was. With the amount of troops compacted into this relatively small area, bullets that were originally fired at Zuldoris found their mark in the Sendaris or Kaltaris engaging in close-quarters combat. Most were only injured, but some died from the cross fire. The more agile men of Conchord's army managed to dodge most of the friendly fire, quickly picking up the Songs of deceased Ardoni to prevent the Zuldoris from taking them and using them if they were to escape and find a shrine. The few Zuldoris that managed to survive more than a few minutes defended themselves with their scarce Droug weaponry, only to have their weapons die in their hands from the lack of energy. In the midst of the frenzy, there was a mother and her son who were actually managing to escape the massacre. She was hurriedly leading him, grabbing him by the hand and leaving the scene. They were both recognized to be the descendants of Sandrev Zuldoris, on account of their markings. The mother, Lyra, had her father's dual diamond swords on her back, the ones he had used in the Third Great War. The two of them had managed to cross the borders, but they were spotted by Conchord soldiers, who shouted at them to stop. Lyra fired her Aggrovortex Song at them, killing two of them, but they outnumbered her. She panicked and began to practically drag her son away, as his little legs couldn't keep up with her. They threw spears and shot their guns at them. Lyra started to cry for fear of losing her son. She made a hard right, and the two of them disappeared behind a large rock. The soldiers quickly surrounded it, but upon aiming their weapons on the other side, the Zuldoris were gone. They cursed in anger. Back in the main fight, Milan was slaughtering every Zuldoris mercilessly. None stood a chance against him and his blue plasma sword. Bullets flew by him but none managed to hit him. Magnorites towered over the Zuldoris and brutally dealt with them. Humans shot arrows and bullets at the Zuldoris, piercing their skin and killing them. It was not long until the battle was over. Milan received the reports and heard that only two Zuldoris had escaped. Only two survived. He saw it as a huge success. Milan and Cyclone honored the loss of their fallen Ardoni. The team soon packed up and went home after this month's excursion, finally ridding the Zuldoris from Ardonia.