ARYSARNIA

THEY ARE COMING...2

In the cliff, overlooking the sea at the north of Crystalia was a temple, hewn into the cliff and giving a great view of the ocean waves that crashed at the hem of its entrances. Twelve Worshippers dressed in white apparel and cloaks paraded the temple. They were clerics; teenagers of both sexes, they took turns fetching burning coal from a furnace on the altar with their hands, and filled up the censors they each had in a similar fashion. Six others, also apparelled in black robes stood in front of the statue of a man cradling a sphere and gazing at it lovingly.

The winds of destruction approaches

Show us thy will our lord and god Thyeseus

They chanted with a voice that sounded as though only one of them had spoken.

At the mention of the name, there was lightening in the temple and the sphere in the hand of the statue fell to the floor. The inscription "Judgment" appeared on it.

"PENANCE!" the high priest who stood between those in black, bellowed and the clerics fell to their knees and started incantations with tears in their eyes. They took out daggers from their robes, started to cut themselves in their palms and on their arms but their skins refused damage though they felt the pain.\

CRYSONAR...

"The rains are coming," said Surune.

 He was driving the remaining human life on the colony towards the sea and his voice came from the fire spreading out above them. The captives marched towards the south; their destination was the scarlet sea, they were those salvaged from the burning villages. Joining them along the way; not bound in chains but in fear were able-bodied men and children while the aged were abandoned to the flames; the faces of the children were tear stained and they spoke of their pain if only they dared. Among these children were the twins of the cook Abigail, captured while she visited the villages for supplies for the camp. Their mother gazed at them unable to calm their fears, except to spare them an assuring look.

AMONG THE RUINS OF THE CAMP OF CARIMAN 

Cariman suddenly felt like he had been pushed out of the visions the girl had shown her of all that had ensued on the colony in his absence. The villages of Crysonar still burned behind them in conflagrations that soared into the sky. Cariman saw the smoke and he turned to the girl and asked her to run, "Your life as a slave of Alaidalene is worse than death, go now"

"I know- there was a lot happening alongside that I could not show you. I came back to warn you-come with me, the fire is approaching with the dwarf that hates you" said the girl.

"Death is my only consolation, why should I run...to what should I run" Cariman protested.

"You can save the captives, the Mother Eagle made the dwarf burn all the aged in the villages. She is keeping the men for the war, her brood will need their bodies. She has caves in the mountains to hold the children where she...I-I cannot say," she covered her face. "The captives contains children that she wants; she does not know it yet. These  children, if you rescue them they can help you defeat her"

Cariman drew away from her, "I'm sorry, but there is nothing I can do from here"

"You have to stop her, she is so angry and it destroys everything she touches," she sobbed.

"Leave this cursed land girl, if you cherish the free air you breathe" Cariman warned, and then smiled. "I'm sorry I'm this hard on you but I'm not particularly jolly right now".

"I wish there was a place to go. A place to right all this wrong," said the girl.

"What is that...?" Cariman asked shortly after she had spoken.

The girl turned to see what had caught Cariman's attention, water was gushing towards them from a distance. The moment it got to them, it engulfed her, and retreated, carrying her away. Cariman was left standing with his hand straining after her- almost immediately something new caught his attention, this time it was fire in the clouds reeling steadily over him.

Surune smirked, he could see wherever his fire went and as they spread above Cariman, he saw the general now staring up at him. He made haste and went down to the general. Cariman saw the fire ball falling towards him and when it had landed in front of him, Surune showed up in it.

"I remember a rhyme ..." he said as Cariman stared stupefied.

 "Frankie Falcon's fiery fist. Fancied Foster's flawless face" Surune sang and punched Cariman in the jaw with a flaming fist, putting the general on his back with a burned chin and bleeding mouth.

 Cariman saw Surune as a blur passing by him so he grabbed a sword from the ruins. When he came up to Cariman, Surune took the sword from his hand and took Cariman into the sky by his neck. When they were high enough, "They crossed their swords to settle scores," the dwarf sang. Cariman pummelled him in the stomach with his spare hand while the other wrestled with the firm grip around his neck. Surune  let go of Cariman, he hit the ground twisting some bones and was incapacitated. Surune then razed him to the ground with fire issuing from both palms, savouring his distressed shrieks as Cariman burned. 

"I forgot the rest..." he said. 

Cariman laid in the ruins in ashes as a litany of terrified captives silently moved past his remains.