Ryünda

Chapter 2: Capture

Capture

The day dawned with a chilling haze gripping the lowlands between rolling hills. I stood off to the side as we waited for the Sira and their minions to arrive. It was common knowledge that the Sira had watching spells set along the entire border, so it was not a matter of if they showed up, but when. All told our combined army was fifteen thousand strong, with at least thirty grand-master class mages. The bulk of the army was infantry, some twelve of the fifteen thousand men present, but Helios was known for having some of the finest cavalry this side of The Border. They made up the remainder of the forces along with specialized groups like the mages and war machine crews. It was a sight to behold as we waited in the early morning light, though it would not last long once the Sira arrived with their ghastly creations.

Somewhere to my right a scout stumbled up to us and yelled, "The Sira advance is moments behind me! Estimated ten thousand men and several thousand Darklings! All hands to stations and prepare for battle!!"

His outcry was cut short as a black fletching arrow sprouted from his throat. He fell to the ground and all at once the entire font was bombarded by mage-fire and catapult missiles. The mages who could do something to help threw up spell-shields to defend the troops, but already the main bulk of the enemy troops had clashed with the front line. I jumped behind one of the many boulders that littered the uneven ground and tried to see if there was a way out of this trap. I watched as apes the size of a carriage picked up three men at a time and flung them across the battlefield. Smaller shadows slipped between the sea of legs and cut down men with silent swiftness.

One of those shadows raced by me and I was able to see it was what used to be a rat. It had grown in size and its tail had become razor sharp. It continued past me and slowed to a halt, sniffing the air with its twisted snout. I looked on in horror as it turned to look at me and slowly made its way towards me. I could see the purple fire that had replaced the thing's eyes and row upon row of needle teeth in its grinning maw.

I drew my sword to attempt to defend myself, but no sooner had it left the scabbard then it grew unbearably hot. I dropped it with a yell of pain and watched in dismay as it melted into a puddle of molten metal. The creature was now ten feet away from me, and I knew I was going to die, so I leaned up against the boulder and slid down to sit as it moved ever closer. It hopped onto my legs and slowly walked up to stare at me from its position on my knees, then did something I thought no Darkling could do, speak.

"Well, well, well," it said in a squeaky voice, "I never thought I would be lucky enough to find such a willing victim, but here you are." It stared right into my eyes, and I knew it wasn't fooled by my helmet at all. It started as it realized what I was, "Oh this is a true delight! Not only do I get to kill someone with no risk, but I get to kill a girl on top of that! This must be my lucky day." As it bunched its hips to pounce, I lifted my chin so it would have a clear shot at my throat. I just wanted this nightmare to end so I could rest and never have to worry about the Sira again. Just as it leaped, a blue fire covered the rat and it stopped midair, just inches from my neck.

"I would rather you didn't kill her, Sharptooth." came a young voice to my left, "I would rather have her as a prisoner for later questioning."

I looked and a young man stepped out from behind the boulder, his right hand raised and glowing with the same blue fire as the rat. His features were hard to see under his mage robes, but his black hair stuck out at odd angles from his brow.

The rat named Sharptooth scoffed, "You always get have all the fun, Roche. Why can't I ever kill someone without you getting in the way?"

"Because I'm the one who created you, so you serve my orders." He said with a grin, showing off pearly teeth, "I could turn you into a frog if that would make you feel better. Then the only thing you would be able to kill is flies."