Last Greater Chieftain

Uriel swung her mace. The weapon made contact with her opponent's skull, making a loud and thick cracking noise. This was either the fiftieth or fifty-first foe that Uriel had defeated in battle. Uriel did not remember the exact number, nor did she try remembering. She had other pressing concerns to deal with, at the moment.

Fatigue and exhaustion started devouring Uriel's strength. She panted softly, as drops of sweat ran down her grimed face. Although tired, Uriel still had enough energy to give a few commands of her own.

Sucking in as much air as she could, Uriel let out a deep breath, and then planted her foot down. She raised her weapon and pointed at the enemy.

"Drive them back!" she commanded, rallying the warriors around her. Her voice had become a little hoarse, but still rung with authority.

None of her warriors noticed her exhaustion. With a hearty cry, they obeyed. Holding tightly onto their weapons and lives, Uriel's lizard folk charged forward and met their attackers.

The enemy had greater strength, fiercer attitudes and more energy than any of Uriel's warriors, but these facts did not deter any of their fighting spirit. They lunged their spears, swung their axes, and threw everything they had in this desperate battle for survival.

While a company of her warriors took the front, Uriel waddled back for a moment of respite. Taking the waterskin from her hip, Uriel splashed the water on her face, and swallowed whatever went down her throat. It may not have been enough to rid of her fatigue, but it quenched some of her thirst.

"How are you holding, my lady?" Jotun casually asked.

The Drow appeared out of nowhere, like a ghost. In his hands, he carried his two swords. Both of them smudged with the blood of his victims. He had some dirt on his clothes, and his hair looked a little unkempt. It may not have looked like much, but for someone like Jotun, it was quite a difference.

The Overlord smiled weakly. A tint of envy hid behind it. A part of her both admired and hated how he managed to act so calm and smooth, even in the worst situations. She had met a number of elves like him, yet for some reason, Jotun somehow managed to rub it in without trying.

"Well enough," Uriel grunted. "How goes the rest of our forces?"

Jotun quickly surveyed the city. "It's a bloody mess, but not that bad of one, yet," he answered with a small scowl on his face. "The more experienced of the Chamael, exiles and Blood Crows are leading the lizard folk against the enemy."

"So I take it that it's faring well?" Uriel asked for clarification. She received a nod. Sighing with relief, she doused herself with a bit more water. "What about Mycelia and Keshrak? How goes the battle between them?"

The elf checked again. He glared for a while, but saw nothing. "I am unsure, to be honest. Their magic show has gone quiet again. When I last saw, it seemed like Mycelia was winning. Perhaps-?"

Suddenly, a great and ferocious roar cut Jotun's words short. The powerful voice bellowed throughout the city, shaking its very foundation. It caught everyone's attention. The entire battle came to a sudden halt, as heads looked around, wondering where the roar came from. Uriel and Jotun found themselves turning over to the city.

There, a figure emerged. A giant creature of black and red scales. A pair of sharp wings stretched from its back, both spanning over thirty feet long. It moved on four legs, and had claws that could have easily shredded trees into pieces. Long and thick horns grew on the back of its skull, perfect for bashing boulders into gravel.

Uriel's eyes widened. Dread and shock filled her pupils. She had seen this creature before. In fact, it was the same kind of beast that had brought her to Ebonus in the first place; a dragon.

The great reptile spread its wings and soared into the air. It roared a second time, sending an intimidating wave to anyone who had heard it.

Its shadow fell upon many beneath it, emphasizing its titanic size. Several of Uriel's lizard folk looked on with fear and shock, but a majority could not help but stare in awe and amazement at the beast.

It resembled them in many ways, yet protruded with greater power and authority. Some even began wondering if they had been graced by an ancestor, or something akin to a god.

Uriel, on the other hand, could not help but frown at the sight of the dragon. The memory remained fresh in her mind, of how the beast had crushed her into the ground, and bathed her in fire. Uriel found herself holding her right arm. Although completely healed, she remembered how it had been broken into three pieces.

As Uriel gazed at the dragon, she noticed something quite familiar about it. She did not see it too clearly, but she spotted something about the dragon that stood out quite a little bit. A peculiar blue glow, like light from a burning furnace.

"Jotun, do you see that?" Uriel asked, pointing at the dragon's chest. "What is that?"

Jotun may have had one eye, but even one elven eye managed to see sharply. The Drow squinted and focused on the glow.

"A gem…," he responded, trying to further identify it. "A sapphire it seems. The gem appears to be embedded on its chest."

This confirmed the dragon's identity. "Keshrak…," Uriel hissed, gritting her teeth.

"Keshrak?!" Jotun's eyes widened. He looked to Uriel, then back at the dragon. "The shaman transformed himself into that creature!"

"This does not bode well," Jotun hissed, looking around. "We don't have any weapons to pierce its scales."

"We do have Mycelia, however." Uriel looked around the city for the elven sorceress. "Perhaps her magic can help us put the beast down."

Before the conversation could last a bit longer, the dragon began to descend towards their direction. It dived down with great speed. Bursts of flame began to ignite from its mouth.

Uriel knew what this meant. "Scatter!" She quickly grabbed Jotun by the arm, and pulled him into one of the wall's towers.

She and Jotun escaped just in a time. A stream of flames flew from the dragon's mouth, and poured upon the surface of the wall, incinerating anyone unfortunate to get caught. Several of Uriel and Keshrak's warriors screamed and cried, as they dropped down into lumps of burnt meat.

Uriel's heart raced, when she saw the nearest corpse. She almost froze with fear, as she once again began vividly remembering being burnt to death by the dragon. She did not immediately die from the flames.

The flames were strong, but not strong enough to kill her immediately. For a while, Uriel suffered the feeling of having her skin and eyes burned off. It may have had only been moments, but those moments remained implanted in her head.

Eventually, Uriel snapped out of her traumatic experience. "Jotun, command your archers to aim at the dragon," she then commanded. "Have them focus at its eyes, chest and mouth. Those are its softest parts."

"What about you, my lady?" Jotun then asked. "What will you do?"

"I'm going to look for Mycelia," Uriel growled, picking herself up. "We need her magic if we are to defeat Keshrak."

"Understood, my lady," Jotun huffed. He gave Uriel a final pat on the shoulder, before rushing off to meet with his archers.

Uriel passed the burnt bodies a final look, before climbing down the ladder. She rushed through the streets and entered the chaos that filled the city.

Most of Keshrak's forces had invaded the city. They ran through the streets, looking for foes to slaughter and murder. They had a great number with them, and these possessed lizard folk had the bodies and figures that boasted of experience in fighting. Engaging them directly should have meant immediate death. This battle should have been a slaughter.

However, Uriel's forces fought as one. Rather than dividing themselves and attacking like a bunch of wild animals, they remained together and kept discipline. They may not have been training together for too long, but they proved themselves to be decent learners.

This rabble of lesser clans banded together and watched one another's back, making certain that their brothers-in-arms would survive to live the next day.

Although a dragon had emerged, and a ferocious horde had entered the city, Uriel could not help but grin proudly at these warriors. They fought valiantly, like the knights and soldiers of Grandstark she used to work with.

As she continued to run, Uriel heard Keshrak give another vicious roar. This time it sounded of anger, frustration and a slight degree of pain. Despite being in a hurry, Uriel found herself tempted to take a quick glance back.

On the wall, she spotted Jotun and a number of his archers distracting the beast. Their arrows flew, doing practically no damage to Keshrak's thick scales. Their attacks may have done little, but the elves' nimble movement and agility prevented them from being slaughtered. Uriel did not know how long they'd be able to continue, but she needed to keep moving.

She ran through the streets, avoiding as much of the conflict as she could. Uriel would only draw her sword against those that tried to stand in her way. She did not linger too long with a single enemy. A single strike to cast them aside sufficed.

Before too long, Uriel found her elven companion. "Mycelia!" Uriel called out, rushing over to check on her.

The sorceress leaned on the wall, also using her staff to support her weight. Mycelia panted heavily, as she clutched on to the side of her hip. She looked far worse than Uriel did.

"My lady…," Mycelia muttered, gritting her teeth before she could continue speaking. "Keshrak used one of the tome's spells to turn himself into a dragon."

"I can see that," Uriel grunted, turning her head back at the dragon. "Does he have the tome with him right now?"

"No… A small group of his warriors is holding onto it for safekeeping." She held her breath and tried her hardest to further tolerate the pain. "My lady, you need to retrieve the tome. I may be able to find something to stop that shaman. They are at that small barracks near the citadel."

Uriel did not agree immediately. She first inspected Mycelia and realized just how injured the elf was. She may not have been bleeding her guts out, but Mycelia appeared very much vulnerable.

"You're injured," Uriel then remarked. "Let me take you somewhere safe first."

"I'm fine." Mycelia said this, but her expression told a different story. "I just need a bit of rest first. You need to hurry and retrieve that tome."

Uriel grimaced. While she did admire these stubborn natures, she currently did not have the time to argue with it. Rather than saying another word, she picked Mycelia up and began carrying her.

"My lady, this is unnecessary," Mycelia muttered.

"I'm just brining you inside one of the buildings," Uriel responded, carefully lifting her to one of the empty houses. "You need to stay away from fights and conserve much strength as you could."

Mycelia fell silent. She grumbled a bit, but eventually accepted Uriel's actions. "Thank you, my lady."

"It is the least I could do." Uriel gently placed Mycelia down and leaned her against the wall, right under the window. "Stay put, until I return with the tome."

"I can't really go anywhere, now can I, my lady?"

Uriel smirked. The response granted Uriel some relief. Giving Mycelia one last pat on the shoulder, Uriel raced off to find the ones who had the tome.

She sped off, racing against time. Jotun and his archers still held his own against Keshrak, but it seemed as if the battle were drawing closer and closer to an end.

Soon, Uriel arrived. There, she found ten of Keshrak's grunt, or rather three of them left. Seven others lay on the ground, void of life. They didn't seem to have suffered any fatal injuries, but their bodies had been completely drained of their very energy. Nothing remained of them, but scaly husks of bones.

"Surrender the tome, now," Uriel demanded, hoping that she could somehow still reason with them.

Her words proved useless. Two of them raised their weapons and immediately attacked her. They no longer had the mind to negotiate or ague. They had one job, and they would fulfill it without question.

Uriel felt some pity for these warriors, but did not hesitate to cut them down. She raised her sword and prepared to retaliate. The fight itself did not last long. It took Uriel merely three quick strikes to end their lives. Her foes may have been fast and ferocious, but not enough to make it a challenge.

The first two did not pose as a major threat. The third one, however, was a different story. Uriel gazed at her final opponent, noticing his large body and thick physique. He reminded her of an ogre, but with a long neck and tail.

Uriel did not remember his name, but she did recall him being the chieftain of the Brachius Clan. Raising her weapon, Uriel readied her stance for a fight that may prove difficult.

"Perhaps we can be of assistance," two familiar voices spoke.

Krin and Daku appeared behind her. It had been a while since she last been with them. The two Chamael warriors had a few scrapes, but nothing to worry about. Their faces displayed focus and grit.

"Not that I'm relieved to find both of you, but why are you here, and not back in the battle?" Uriel asked.

"Chieftain Sonpra sent us," Daku answered. "He noticed you leaving the main scene of the battle, so he ordered us to track you."

"We were ordered to kill you, if you tried escaping on your own," Krin added, twirling his spear.

Uriel shot a suspicious glare at the two. "Well that's comforting to know. I'm quite glad to know your chieftain has such trust in me."

"Our chieftain likes to be open-minded," Daku grunted, measuring the Brachius chieftain. "We are, however, pleased that his suspicion was misplaced."

"We very much grateful for what you've done for us, Lady Overlord," Krin remarked. He began taking a few steps to the side, searching for an opening to strike. "We will support you against this foe."

Uriel could not simply ignore what the two had told her, but she needed trust them right now. Flourishing her sword, she readied a stance.

"You both better not get in my way," she sneered.

At once, the three of them launched themselves forward. Uriel swung her sword, whilst Krin and Daku lunged their spears. They moved quickly, hoping to end this battle as soon as possible. Unfortunately, defeating a former chieftain demanded effort.

This Brachius did not have the greatest of speed or mobility. His movements often appeared dull and sluggish, allowing the three to easily escape his attacks. However, what he lacked in speed, he made up in sheer power and force.

His scales proved to be very thick. Neither Uriel nor the Chamael warriors managed to make him bleed easily. At first, they left mere scratches and bruise marks, but nothing too lethal. When they did draw blood, his wounds appeared too shallow. The Brachius had sustained a lot of hits, but not enough damage to break his defenses.

"He's not going down!" Uriel hissed, avoiding a whack from the chieftain's tail.

"Lady Overlord, why do you not use your strange power?" Daku asked. "That same power that killed the Pachy and Raptus chieftains?"

Uriel scowled. "I was not in control at that time! I do not know how to use that same magic!"

"Do you know any magic then?" Krin barked, sounding a little more frantic.

At that moment, Uriel then remembered that she did know one particular spell. It was by no means any stronger than Mycelia's ability, but if done right, it may actually have some effect.

"Distract him for me," Uriel commanded. She held out her hand and began to focus some power into the palm of her hand. "Lower his guard, so that I may attack."

The two Chamael nodded, and ran forward. They focused mainly on their speed and movement, rather than actually attacking. Like snakes, they slipped around the Brachius chieftain, making it practically impossible for him to catch them.

Uriel waited patiently, whilst also readying her spell. She knew how to cast it, but needed to use it at the right moment, for it to be effective. Energy continued to build on the palm of her hand, as her muscles tightened and twitched.

Soon, Uriel found that moment to strike. She sprung forward, making every step count. Upon stepping within reach, Uriel uttered the single word to cast her spell. A blazing sphere ignited on her palm.

With one mighty throw, Uriel flung it directly at the chieftain's face. It exploded in embers and smoke, frying a good chunk of his scales and flesh, also harming his vision.

"Now, take him down!" Uriel hollered.

Krin and Daku took their chance. Squeezing the pole of their spears, they lunged their weapons into the mouth of the chieftain. In a single blow, the spears pierced right through the chieftain's skull.

The chieftain twitched for a while, as he slowly lost hold of his life. His arms dropped, while his legs gave in. His body then collapsed to side, making a loud and heavy thud on the ground. The last chieftain of the Five Greater Clans had finally perished.

Krin and Daku retrieved their weapons. They panted and glared at the corpse of the former chieftain, with utter disbelief. Neither of them could actually believe that they had just taken out the leader of one of the most dominant clans.

"Excellent job, both of you," Uriel sighed, approaching the corpse.

Rummaging through his few possessions, Uriel soon found the ancient time. She flipped through the pages, quickly skimming through its contents. Although she couldn't understand a single word from it, she did at least recognize several pictures and sketches. She had the real thing.

As she stood back up, Uriel heard the dragon's roar again, reminding her of the turmoil going on around them. Gazing back at the wall, Uriel found both forces still locked in battle.

A good chunk of the wall had been demolished, as fire slowly spread. Jotun and his Blood Crows continued standing their ground against Keshrak, while her army of lizard folk still fought against their former brethren. From the looks of things, it seems Keshrak had the slight upper hand. This needed to be changed.

"Krin, Daku! Come! We must make haste!"