The War for Omriach

The Battle for Alderon

I looked up and stared at the commander as the words left his mouth. 

Familiars... I thought that they were only legends. Beasts that disguised themselves as your friends, your family, your lover only to kill you and eat your corpse when you least expected it. 

Nobody had seen them for hundreds of years so everyone assumed that it was just a children's tale. But when I heard the commander say their names my heart fell. Just as I was finally going to be free I was going to die.

 I got to my feet still holding my stomach because of what I assumed was broken ribs. I hobbled toward the city gate. "Soldier, get to the tower and help Major Jenkins fire the cannons." I looked at the commander in disbelief until I remembered that I was in a soldier's uniform. Now I had two choices I could run toward the Temple of Ariano, the god of family, home, and marriage. I'd have to to run through the town past the houses, toward the market district and I would have to fight my way into the temple against thousand of families with the same idea.

Or alternatively I could do what the Commander said and try to fight off what I think is a horde of monsters. I decided to go with option two. "Yes sir." I said as I bowed every so slowly so that I wouldn't feel any more pain than I was already in. I hobbled toward the west tower and climbed up the stairs. 

When I got to the top I got a view of the familiars.  From what I could see the had grey leathery skin that glistened in the sunlight. There were thousands of them charging toward the gate. But instead of trying to bash the gate down they started climbing over each other to get inside.

"Are you going to stare them down to death. Come over here and help me load the cannon." said a beautiful woman in a dark green uniform. She had long red hair, icy blue eyes, and a pale white skin. she was a breathtaking human, but she was also the Major.

I stopped staring at her and started to grab the cannon balls which immediately filled my entire body with pain. When I was younger I had seen my father practice loading cannons which were a newly made invention back then. So I vaguely knew what to do. 

I poured in the blasting powder and loaded in the ball. Major Jenkins aimed it at a large group, of familiars and fired which sent hundreds of them flying. I heard someone scream duck as a fiery boulder  over shadowed the sun as it sailed toward the tower. Then boom.

~~~~~~~

I woke up on top a large stone slab. The place was filled with debris. I tried to climb away from from the stone but I felt a sharp pain in my lefty arm and looked at my arm to see it pinned to the stone by a barbaric looking spear. 

"HELP, PLEASE HELP! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME HERE I'M NOT READY TO DIE!" I begged. Suddenly I heard something running toward me. Hope filled my heart, until I saw who or what I should say it was. 

 A large grey figure stalked toward me. That was when i got a good look at my first familiar. It had slanted black eyes, pointy elven like ears, sharp fangs, short black hair, long ape like arms, and sharp claws. 

"NOOOO! STAY AWAY STAY AWAY!" 

It looked at me and licked it's lips. It stood over me and pulled out the spear. I immediately rolled over and  tried to get up. The familiar grabbed a dagger and pounced on me. I grabbed his hand and fought back, desperately trying not to die. Using all the energy I had left I broke his wrist and grabbed his dagger. I went onto of him and started to stab him. 

I plunged the dagger into his face over and over again.  I slowly got up and headed to the nearest house which turned out to be a tavern.  I found a bottle of mead and sat down behind the counter and drank until my wounds didn't hurt. I then fell into the darkness of sleep.