Thale

  While his sister was making waves in Silvermoon, Darius participated in the planning for eliminating the Wyrms. They had intel that Wyrms and a few other hostiles were gathering at the three Wyrm nests. This was both troubling and beneficial. Beneficial because they could attack large groups all at once. Troubling because it was indicative of a large attack.

  Zane still hadn't heard from Dahlia but Kylian Pugoks showed no unusual movements. He hadn't left Icestorme at all in this period. They even monitored his call stone usage. Call stones could easily be monitored if one knew what they were doing. They could also easily be shielded. Even shielded calls left a trace. There were no abnormal calls.

  Well, not abnormal in a "I'm the mastermind of the Siege" way, but Kylian Pugoks was definitely a little abnormal with unusual interests. The Countess being one of them. It was if he genuinely had nothing to hide, and suspicion of him was lessening all the more.

  Except for the fact that Dahlia was still missing.

  But, if she went deep, then she would be almost impossible to find until she was ready to surface. He didn't have the manpower or energy to look for her either. He'd just have to trust her.

  It was dark at night on the Bottom of the World. The only light was the twinkle of stars, the moons, and the aurora over the Great Glacier. That suited the Siege breaking coalition just fine.

  In the preferred orientation of the maps of Thale, there was Wyrm nest to the west, which was the mountain range broken when Thale broke apart; to the northeast and southeast, both part of the Eternal mountains. The coalition was divided into five parts.

  Marius Icestorme and a mix of troops were left to guard the coastline. Declan Brightstar and mostly underwater troops were to attack the several underwater bases they found. Eradication wasn't the goal. Holding off reinforcements was.

  Ulrik Icebridge was attacking the southeast. Pierce Bronzewing was attacking the southwest. The largest group was attacking the west. Zane would lead with Darius and Durik Janulf following. Being the closest area with slightly more landmass, this western Wyrm nest was also the most populous.

  In the darkest, quietest hours of the night, troops began appearing in various places around Thale. Each team leader carried a pocket dimension and when they were in place, the troops began to appear and began setting up their formations, awaiting the light of dawn.

  The troops were dressed in weatherproof uniforms that had also been modified with camouflaging wards that helped reduce their auras and blend in with the surroundings. Not only were they protected from the bone chilling cold of Thale outside the domes but they were impossible to see to the occasional patrolling Wyrms on night watch.

  They had been watching the Wyrms for days and knew their routines. Just before dawn, the last patrol will go by and then settle in the rest. So, the troops settled in and waited. There was a quiet stillness.

  Starting in the east, the two troops led by Ulrik Icebridge and Pierce Bronzewing attacked, signalling the other two. Dawn light didn't matter underwater. Declan led his troops to attack at the same time.

  It was more dangerous in the west. They'd have to attack at night, but that was why Zane led the charge with his contingent of mostly Myrkirian soldiers. They were well versed at night battles. Darius and his two Dark Elemental guards weren't afraid of the night either.

  However, they didn't attack immediately upon learning that the east had already started operations. They waited to see the reaction of the nest they were watching.

  The western nest was formed of a jagged peak and a deep ravine. Several other mountain remnants scattered into the ocean. There were nearly two hundred full grown Wyrms. This wasn't many in the long run, but that also wasn't few. When all the Wyrms got together over Thale, there were almost five hundred.

  This was like an ax hanging over their heads waiting to drop. Perhaps only the fact that the mastermind had no desire to actually destroy Thale kept a fully fledged Wyrm tide from attacking. With nearly five hundred Wyrms, even Icestorme would be hard pressed to deal with it. That wasn't even counting the Bloodfin, Nyxies, and other hostile races if they all attacked at once.

  "They've awoken and gone on alert. Several water races have tried to leave to check the situation," Aman reported, the sound coming through a crystal embedded into a piece of metal wrapped around Zane's ear, a device that functioned similarly to a call stone. Much like the Diamond Dragon twins, the Noxies were being utilized as scouts.

  Zane wasn't worried too much about that. Not every underwater troop was with Declan Brightstar.

  Imre was next to report that the hostiles noticed the underwater activity and the Wyrms were preparing to retreat.

  Zane put a double spyglass to his face, watching the movements in the distance, confirming the reports. He held up one arm. "Hold!" he shouted. The bodies of every Knight, Sentinel, Sentry, and Guard tensed as they waited.

  Darius and Durik Jarnulf stood beside him. The dwarf gripped the handle of his ax, the anticipation of battle already causing his blood to pump through his stout body. This was what he joined the Knight Corps for! He wasn't a politician. He wasn't a miner. He was a warrior in his bones!

  Darius was also nervous, his body taut. He was nervous, but the more nervous he was the calmer he became. He wasn't experienced in leading large troops like Zane but he had been a mercenary for over five years. It also wasn't his first time tackling such a large creature. On Terranthea he fought against HellHounds that were twice the size of Dragons and Wyrms.

  Seconds seemed to tick by like hours. Finally, Imre reported. "They're beginning to take flight!"

  Zane dropped his arm. "Charge!"

  The troops shot forward with a shocking fast moving dwarf at their lead. The Dragons, more than three hundred of them, transformed as they ran, taking flight. Durik led the ground troops to engage with lumbering Bloodfin, wiry coraline figures, figures cloaked in wet looking cloaks, horse like creatures shrouded in mists, and the ever frustrating kelp goblins.

  Wyrms screamed and Dragons roared as their large bodies collided in midair.

  Darius was among the air troops. Zane didn't rush into the mix of battle, he transformed and took flight, his massive, iridescent onyx scales glimmered in the starlight but also blending into the night as he gained altitude to survey the battle. He could also easily strike if a Wyrm tried to escape the formation.

  As Durik Jarnulf ran forward, he jumped with a surprising spryness and buried his ax into the chest of a Bloodfin. Dwarven runes glowed red along the blade as he pulled it out. He laughed delightedly. "Och, Blood Quencher seems to enjoy the taste of Bloodfin!" he crowed.

  Blood Quencher was a famous weapon in the Knight Corps, and even weapons enthusiasts around the world would discuss it excitedly. Forged by dwarven master smiths in Mount Aecili, it was a weapon that had been passed down in his family for unknown generations. The runes carved along its blade would activate every time it was dipped in the blood of its wielder's enemies, making it stronger and stronger.

  The effects would wear off after twenty-four hours and couldn't be activated again for another day, but its advantages outweighed its drawbacks. If a Dwarf can't finish a battle in a day then he doesn't deserve Blood Quencher! Durik let out a jubilant battle cry and rushed forward again, embedding the ax in the stomach of a Bloodfin lumbering toward him.

  The Noxies turned into their humongous, beefy black unicorn forms and galloped toward the shore. Other unicorns followed along with them. There were beautiful sinewy white unicorns with misty clouds around their feet, tails, and mains with horns that looked like mother-of-pearl. There were also white unicorns even larger than the Noxies with stark white bodies who formed ice under their feet as they galloped and horns that were clear as ice.

  There were palomino colored unicorns with sand wrapping around their bodies and horns that looked like fulgurite, and roan unicorns with flames licking their bodies and horns of obsidian. There were gray unicorns galloped on the wind with opal horns. Chestnut and black maned unicorns with horns of petrified wood, and true brown unicorns with iron colored horns. Golden coated unicorns with golden horns and metal hooves; silver coated unicorns with purple horns that crackled with lightning as they galloped, white unicorns with crystalline prasmastic horns; pale yellow unicorns with white tails and manes and pale gold horns were among the fastest.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Elementals in military service were uncommon but not rare. Not to mention that many of the large bodied Lyods lived in Thale and volunteered to break the Siege.

  The group of unicorns, almost fifty and at least two of each, attacked the murky brown horse-like horn-less creatures that carried a poisonous water mist with them as they came ashore. The Backahast could be considered a type of sprite, as it was a mixture of earth and water elements, but it was a purely malevolent entity and not native to Emphyralis. It was frankly an affront to all Elementals, but especially the Naiads because from a distance they could be mistaken as Naiads. Even when they assumed humanoids, they'd emulate the Naiads.

  A dainty white unicorn screeched loudly and reared, kicking her forelegs. "Abominations!" she shouted and attacked the nearest Backahast. Equine bodies collided.

  "Elitists!" one of the Backahast shouted and they attacked.

  Elemental discharges, whinnying, and blood flew along the shore as the Elementals and Backahast confronted each other. No other race, friend or foe, could come between the battling forces lest they be met with a hoof to the face, a cloud of poison, or some other misfortune.

  Battles raged below, with Elves, humans, and other races clashing with Bloodfin, coral golems, kelpie goblins in melee combat. Battle Mages held the back line as they traded magical blows with the Drowned Revenants in the wet cloaks. They were artificially made creatures from the corpses of the drowned. The Mages were furious when they realized what they were.

  The generals were already aware of their existence. The mastermind was known to be a fourth-tier mage. One that practiced necromantic arts was hardly surprising.

  Above, Wyrms and Dragons clashed in battle of claws and jaws, and Dragon's Breath. Silver Dragons, while not the smallest Dragons, were also not the largest or strongest. They were built for speed rather than strength. They often teamed up against the Wyrms with other smaller Dragons such as Amethyst Dragons. Large Topaz and Amber Dragons could take on two alone.

  Darius suddenly banked right, dodging a young Wyrm who targeted his lone figure as an easy target. He had already helped take down several large Wyrms and was going to coordinate with another group when the rash young Wyrmling decided to try to beat him on its own. He whipped around and shot a burst of psionic Silver Fire at it, a condensed ball of psionic energy. The Wyrmling tried to dodge but the energy hit its tail and exploded. The Wyrmling roared and began attacking more viciously.

  Darius met it in the air and began to claw and bite at it. They both began to lose altitude at an alarming rate when Darius banked away. He began flying upwards and the Wyrmling was on his tail. Darius changed directions again, and began to dive. Faster and faster, almost uncontrollably fast. Too fast! By the time the enraged Wyrmling even began to suspect something was wrong, the Silver Dragon in front of it disappeared! It didn't have time to course correct and crashed into the ice and sand below, letting out a blood curdling scream as the bones in its head, neck, and upper body were crushed under the impact of its own weight and momentum.

  A roar came from deep within the ravine, louder and more powerful than any they'd ever heard. Zane suddenly became highly alert. A massive body, like the gray stone of the mountain remnants nearby flew up, its craggy wings nearly blocking out the night sky. It was almost twice as large as a Dragon, much larger than any Wyrm they'd ever seen before.

  "A Brood Queen!" someone exclaimed when they saw it. Wyrm nests were similar to insect colonies. Most of the Wyrms were like female drones without fertility. The few male Wyrms stayed close to the Brood Queen and protected and fed her while mating. Wyrms weren't any more fertile than Dragons, so a brood of less than ten was only born every few decades but they kept trying for more.

  "Why did the Brood Queen come out? I thought we'd have to look for it," Durik asked, pausing his killing spree, his silver armor dripping with multicolored blood.

  Zane looked at the broken body of the Wyrmling that fell for Darius' trap. "That was the next Brood Queen. Kill the Queen!" Zane roared. He and several other large Dragons began to head for the large figure. Before they got to close, several smaller figures appeared in front of her.

  "Males! Be careful!" Zane warned. Several other Dragons joined the battle to distract the males. The males were smaller than the females, but they were tough, their hides like metal and their teeth like swords, carrying poisonous saliva.

  The Queen on the other hand, while large, was pathetically weak. All she did year round was eat and mate, never fighting her own battles. Her large size gave her an advantage at first, but she lacked experience in actual battle.

  A group of Dragons broke through the blockade of the males in a wedge formation, engaging them and drawing them away from the Queen. Darius, having slipped through a Void crack and reappeared above the battle. When he saw a chance, he circled wide and came up from below the battle. The mouth full of teeth with rotting meat and pieces of old armor snapped at the pest who killed her heir. Darius rolled to the right and slammed into her shoulder. With a grunt and a roar, she flung the young Dragon away. Before he could right himself, he slammed into the mountain with a crash. He dropped and rolled to a stop.

  Zane took advantage of the distraction, shooting forward like a shadow, and swiping at her wings with his claws, causing tears. The other large Dragons also attacked, tearing at heart weak scales and thin wing membranes. The Queen thrashed and rolled mid-air, knocking around her attackers, but they were like relentless ants, continuing to bite and tear at her until she could no longer stay airborne, crashing into the ground below, causing the earth to shake and ice to crack for hundreds of feet.

  She landed on her side, but she was still alive. She was determined to take these Dragons down with her! Suddenly there was a loud crack and overwhelming pain as her chest cavity exploded. In the confusion of battle, she didn't even notice the Dwarf appear out of seemingly nowhere and slam his brightly axe into her chest. By this time Blood Quencher had absorbed so much power, it was practically a weapon of mass destruction at this point. The already weakened Brood Queen didn't stand a chance.

  "I am Durik Jarnulf, the Wyrm Slayer!" the Dwarf shouted, lifting his ax to the sky. "Slay the Wyrms! Slay the Wyrms!" he began chanting. This battle cry began to echo has the male Wyrms went crazy .

  "Slay the Wyrms! Slay the Wyrms!"

  The battle cries echoed across the frigid desert as Darius got painfully to his feet. He missed the slaying because he'd briefly passed out, but when he opened his eyes, Aman and Imre were in front of him, protecting him until he awakened. Overhead more and more Wyrms fell, and blood ran across the white desert as the first rays of dawn began to appear. He'd injured his wings so he couldn't fly, but he rejoined the battle on the ground with a roar.

  The battle raged on.

  --

  That day, the 22nd day of Altara, the year 1992 of the 12 Age of Utraeus, the Siege of Thale was declared officially broken. Three Wyrm nests, including three Brood Queens, had been wiped out. Marius Icestorme, guarding the coast also routed a large invasion force, but without the Wyrms providing air support, and the underwater races being tied up with Declan Brightstar's underwater army, the invaders were ultimately defeated.

  The battle was not without casualties, and injuries. There was sorrow mixed with the joy, but celebrations still abound all over Thale. Darius wasn't seriously injured, but he'd had to spend a few days recuperating, his mother and sister visited him.

  There was going to be a ceremony to honor the heroes who broke the Siege, but something happened before that could happen.

  Moraganna was meeting with the generals, Chrystianna, Darius, and several other important figures in Icestorme and Thale to discuss the procedure. It wasn't a private meeting, but there were guards. Suddenly an Icestorme guard came into the meeting room without anyone paying too much attention, except Zane.

  Before he could say anything, the guard drew their sword and sliced off the head of the Second Mage of Icestorme who was representing the Mage's Tower with a serene and untroubled smile on his face. Given his reaction, almost everyone seemed to agree that Kylian Pugoks was not the mastermind. He'd celebrated and applauded the end of the Siege as much as anyone.

  Everyone reacted instantly, several generals drew their weapons and aimed them at the guard. The guard was unphased. He simply sheathed his weapon and pointed his chin at the body as he began to shift into the familiar Dahlia Blackheart. She looked exhausted.

  Zane was the first to react and looked at the body of the Second Mage. There was no blood, and a rotting smell was already coming from it as it began to quickly decay. Dahlia took out a box and handed it to Zane. "Remember to pay me," she said, and turned on her heel to leave.

  No one stopped her, putting their weapons away. "Is it a ghoul?" Darius asked, looking at the body that was clearly not the Second Mage.

  "It's a type of puppet using the dead," Chrystianna explained.

  Marius cleared his throat. "Have someone clear the body away," he ordered his guards.

  Morganna sighed. "We'll postpone this meeting for now. When you've read the report, we'll assemble again," she said to Zane.

  He gave her a slight bow. He didn't know what evidence was in the box, but actions sometimes spoke louder than words. Kylian Pugoks was behind the Siege.

  --