The Hunter:Sun Warrior Chronicles Book 1

Chapter 16:Battle for Keltorea

Talaeos, Kortea, Jukira, Juralen, Lumaira, Caelorn, Ernea and Laita made their way to the Keltorea Council quarters. The people on the streets immediately recognized Talaeos, and many made rude gestures at him, others glaring at him with contempt, fury and hatred.

"SLAYER! MURDERER!"

It got so loud that Caelorn, Ernea and Laita had to unleash a mental blast, compelling the crowd to leave them be. "Thanks" Talaeos said.

They finally arrived. The squadron of guards trained their rifles on them. "We must see the Council immediately", Jukira said. "Alright. Keep this one in check" the lead guard said, glancing at Talaeos. The Hunter resisted the urge to roll his eyes. They went in, and up the stairs, towards the main chamber.

The Councilors looked turned as they entered. The few Sun Warriors in the chamber didn't move, having sensed them.

"Masters Juralen, Lumaira. To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?" one of them said. Lumaira ignored him, facing the chancellor. "Chancellor, we have urgent news to deliver" she said. "Of what manner are those news? Good, or poor?" the chancellor said. "For better or worse, we learned that Mandraesyr is still alive. Rakka Garraz has been rebuilt. Mandraesyr, Kanratur, and Hurzalas are planning an attack on Keltorea. Raevel, Hellion, Daarven and all the surrounding cities are vulnerable. Ring Wielder Xular sacrificed himself so that we could deliver this information. We have to strengthen our borders, or his sacrifice will be for nothing" Lumaira said.

The councilors were speechless. "Impossible." "We saw it all. Haarzen was not the only Tearia there, though he was the most powerful of them" said Kortea. "Show us" one of the other Sun Warriors said. Kortea lowered the shields around her mind, and let her in. The Sun Warrior examined her memories, and pulled out of her mind, her expression grim. "I am afraid what they say is true. Chancellor, we must not delay. Hurzalas, Kanratur, and Mandraesyr are on the move. We have 1, perhaps 2 weeks to prepare" she said.

"Then we will have to take advantage of that time" the chancellor said.

...

Keltorean soldiers formed up on the city walls, their green armor glinting in the sunset. Before them, the three armies advanced. Thousands of black clad soldiers, hordes of Kyroans and Rothari, packs of Carthors. Xyras and demon hounds formed the vanguard, with the Rothari and the Kyroans following, and backed up by the thousands of black clad soldiers. Orotharks screeched, frightening the Keltorean forces, but they stood their ground, their discipline helping them steel their nerves.

Arrows and flaming boulders were launched at the dark armies. The Oratharks fired laser beams at the defenders, but more took the place of their fallen comrades. Most of the creatures were quickly shot down, and the rest turned back. The huge flamethrowers mounted on the walls were activated, and torrents of fire were launched at the advancing armies, obliterating the vanguard.

The Keltorean archers launched swarms of arrows at the rest, and thousands fell. Keltorean battleships and fighters flew over the black army, and pounded away at them, killing swaths, reducing their numbers even further.

The enemy fleet struck back, destroying a few Keltorean ships, but they were quickly overwhelmed.

The rest fell back, out of range of the arrows. The first attack had been repelled, with few casualties to the defenders.

...

Under cover of darkness, the armies returned.

Talaeos thought he heard something, and channeled light into his senses, increasing them tenfold. He heard the flap of wings, and saw the remaining oratharks flying toward the walls.

The Keltorean soldiers standing on the ramparts didn't move. They've been standing like this for a few hours. Sustenance was passed around, and they slept in small shifts.

The dark army was only a few hundred meters away. The Keltorean catapults and great bows fired, and the enemy siege weapons retaliated. The remaining Oratharks swooped down, and a few embedded themselves into the walls, and unfurled their wings, blowing holes in the walls, and killing dozens of Keltorean soldiers.

Talaeos seized a boulder and hurled it an one of the oratharks, hitting it in the chest, and snapped its wings with telekinesis. The creature collapsed, and several more followed it. Juralen blasted another in the throat with his eyebeams, and killed another with a beam of light to the chest. The survivors were killed, and the defenders turned their attention to the army, which, by this time, had neared the walls. Siege ladders and towers were deployed. The enemy fleet kept the Keltorean ships occupied, and the catapults and trebuchets fired, taking out many defensive weapons.

Talaeos cut through two several siege ladders with his eyebeams and blasted a siege tower with telekinesis. He levitated another and threw it aside, dislodging many ladders with it. Juralen conjured balls of light, and hurled them at the enemy forces.

Hurzalas's army kept attacking, however, and several siege towers unloaded soldiers and Kyroans. They bulldozed through a squadron of Keltorean soldiers and spread out on the battlements. They were cut down, however.

Juralen levitated two siege towers, and crushed them in a telekinetic grip, before knocking over several ladders. As more enemy forces came up on the ladders, they were cut down. Keltorean archers released another volley of arrows, taking down more of the attackers.

And yet, slowly but surely, more and more enemy soldiers came up on the walls, and the defenders had more and more trouble taking them out. Rothari joined those already on the walls, and swept aside the Keltoreans. Kyroans swarmed them, and Carthors and the Xyras scaled the walls, finishing off the remaining defensive weapons.

...

The walls had been breached. Hellion was swarmed with the remainder of Hurzalas's army. The Keltorean soldiers were scattered all over the city, and Juralen and Talaeos were exhausted. They managed to hold the enemy at bay for four whole nights, but, slowly, steadily, they were forced to fall back. The local Keltorean fleet had been reduced to 4 battleships, and 6 squadrons of fighters.

The survivors were littered with wounds, and morale was low. They were nearly spent, while their foes came back with fresh reinforcements. There was no end to them, and there was only so much left in the Keltoreans.

At last, as dawn approached, Hurzalas's army pulled back, but the relief was short lived, for everyone knew they would return come sunset, and the torture would resume.

...

Indeed they came, and this time, the Keltorean army was even less prepared than before. The survivors were quickly routed.

Talaeos and Juralen ordered a retreat.

Afterwards, the two Sun Warriors stood on a battlement, overlooking the city of Rokala. "This was a disaster. Raevel will hold for a while longer, but soon, they will be surrounded, and will crumple. Daarven isn't doing any better. Mandraesyr's army will sweep through them in a few days. A week at most" said Talaeos. "It could have been far worse. If we hadn't warned the Council in time, they would be close to Vanraael by now. We have lost this battle. But our warning gave Keltorea time. A chance. To survive. Perhaps, to strike back. Because of our warning, Keltorea shall recover. We shall recover. And we shall strike back, when the time is right", Juralen said. The two brothers gazed at the sunset, watched the last streaks of light disappear, as the golden ball sank below the horizon.