Champion: A Songs Of War Fanfiction

Chapter Twenty-One

Thalleous stepped through the portal, disoriented from its effects. He steadied himself and looked around.

All over was a hard, red stone forming caves, cliffs, and overhangs. Lava poured from the roof, and disturbing undead roamed the area.

"Those undead are infected piglins," Aggrennall yelled. "They won't bother with us if we leave them alone!"

"This stone, it's called netherrack. It's not dangerous," Acchilean added.

"Why did you need to add that last comment?" Criordian inquired, steeling his gaze.

"Because down here in the Nether, almost everything is dangerous," Aggrennall replied darkly.

"Fan out, look for any dangerous geography. This area seems safe enough," Thalleous ordered.

Sarrettus glowered at the lava-coated hellscape before him. "Nothing in or from the Nether is safe, Thalleous. This you have yet to learn."

Thalleous kept his grip on his sword as he led a squad on an impromptu scouting mission. Other than the easily avoidable one-block lavafalls, nothing seemed harmful. The Nether was quiet, it seemed dormant, almost dead.

"The Nether Armies have set up a camp near here," Acchilean yelled, pointing to a few storage units and valuables, along with some curious-looking blue wood. "But it seems that it's been abandoned for some time! It was probably just a single patrol!"

"They can't have sent out patrols very far, it'd be too risky," Aggrennall muttered. "We're near a base, I'm sure of it."

As the legion of troops moved forward, Thalleous observed several gigantic red plants.

"We're coming to a forest and the boundary of our search," Acchilean yelled.

"You mean to tell us that those huge mushrooms are trees?" Criordian shouted.

"Crimson Wart trees!" Acchilean yelled. "Be watchful for hoglins. We're near our assigned radius' border, but you can never be too careful."

They stalked through the forest, wondering what exactly a hoglin was.

Thalleous tapped Acchilean and Aggrennall on the shoulder. "How did you gain your experience with the Nether?"

Acchilean and Aggrennall both raised their eyebrows.

"I was sent here on stationing back when the invasion first began. I spent a lot of time in the wastes."

Acchilean exhaled. "I was in a patrol in the Nether about the same time. I got plenty of experience in the different biomes in those months."

"You two stayed here for months?" Criordian asked incredulously. "I don't know how someone could be here for a few days without going mad."

"We all thought we were, Lieutenant," Acchilean said. "This place...there's something about it, like we're not supposed to be here, like nobody should be here."

"Like this realm was meant to be left alone, and someone forced it open," Aggrennall added helpfully.

They trudged on in silence after that.

Sarrettus led the group, and they made their way back to their portal.

"That's 500 blocks in one direction. We fanned out, so that's a full half-circle covered. We explore the northern direction and we're done."

Then, a horrific screech shook the air.

"Hide!" Acchilean shout-whispered. It was hard to hide a small army, but they slipped behind rocks and mounds of netherrack. Within 30 seconds, they were all at least somewhat covered.

Aggrennall listened, and heard its cries get farther away. Some soldiers moved to get up, but Acchilean motioned for them to get down.

"It could circle back around," he uttered. "Wait until we can't hear it anymore!"

The soldiers obeyed. Only when Acchilean got up did the rest follow.

"What was that?" Criordian asked.

"A Ghast," Acchilean replied simply.

"We know it was quite ghastly, we could tell by your reaction to it. But what is it?"

"The people of the nether call it a ghast," Aggrennall said. "It's a large, white, flying creature that spits fire and lays ruin to cities if you don't kill it beforehand."

"Oh, that's not too bad at all!" Criordian cried. "First the Nether, then the Voltaris, now a giant flying fire demon! The fates hate the ardoni, I always say this!"

"The fates are impartial to all," said Thalleous quietly. "But I fear they have set this beast upon us."
"I'm afraid you're right," Aggrennall said. "The ghasts are attracted to noise. It wouldn't have come here if it hadn't already heard us."

Sarrettus lept into action. "Criordian, prepare your archers! Osivian, ready your swords! Thalleous, do you have your Prime?"

Thalleous took it out, slowly and delicately, as if it was made of pure glass. He stared at it, it called him, its red tones complementing the Nether's fiery wastes...

"Yes, Ky-Sarrettus," Thalleous said, hastily putting the prime away. He had heard of champions who had gone mad for the Primes. He wished not to suffer their fate.

"Where is the Netheran?" Sarrettus inquired. Pridiral was brought forth.

"Listen to me," Sarrettus said. "You may despise us, but if you don't help us, we are going to die. That includes you."

Pridiral glared. "Decided to pick and choose when you want people to fall in battle, captain? Because I don't get that luxury. I watch my friends die every day."

Still, he helped load crossbows and sharpen swords.

The ardoni soon heard the ghast return, several more cries joining it.

"It's got friends, great," Sarrettus said. "Bows!"
"Ready!" came the standard reply of Criordian's archers as they notched their arrows.

"Blades!" Sarrettus yelled.

"Poised for attack!" Thalleous, Osivian, and their platoons yelled.

The ghast floated closer to them, it was within sight now, if it turned a little bit, its eyes would be directly on them, it would see them...

"Bows, aim and fire at will!" Sarrettus ordered. Criordian's men shot a volley, and the ghast fell to the ground, dead.

A cheer rang through the seventy as the ghast's body collapsed.

Then, three balls of fire shock the ground surrounding the massive sky-level cave they were in, blowing up both ground and soldiers.

"Bows!" Sarrettus yelled.

"Ready!"

"Aim!"

Three more ghasts came into view, along with several Withers. Netherans, strapped to the withers, awaited their arrival. Wither skeletons clutched blazes' rods, and Pythus stood on a ghast's back, ready to fight.

Author's Note:

Hello, everyone!

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Part Three: Destruction. I had fun writing it.

Chapter 22 will be out in 3-4 days: It'll probably be 600-900 words in length. 

Godspeed,

-KOS