Chapter 11, Unorthadox Assult

(Unorthadox assult) Ardivar.

Ardivar snarled as the monster named Kellar raised one hand. Runes formed around Ardivar much too quickly. Ardivar lept to the side, clearing the dome just before the wall shook. His skin burned from the close blast. Channeling mana Ardivar hissed in pain as green mana swirled around his body. His burned skin knitting together but still racked his body with pain. He almost collapsed. That was a bad idea. Most of his strength left him as the healing took over, repairing his body. Head throbbing, he wrinkled his nose at the stench of sewage. Ardivar channeled more mana eying Kellar as the man backed towards the gate.

Behind Kellar were the three others, the large woman carrying his prey. Behind her was the man creating runes that shook the ground, keeping the advancing warriors back. A warrior rushing from behind Kellar, the pad of paws on stone, and the mage whirled. Ardivar grinned, limping to the shadows, frantically pulling them around himself.

The draw of mana pulled against his body, flowing towards the monster of a human. A gout of red fire tore into the sky, leaving a crispy Darvan warrior sliding along the cobblestone. Ardivar gulped, his black heart skipping a beat at the sight. The human shrouded himself in red runes, a dome forming in moments before he raised his hand into the air, spread wide.

Ardivar tensed as the monster did something that boggled his mind. Runes formed, each placed in an area that spanned over one hundred steps. The human chanted, his tone deep and angry.

" I call the fire of the inferno to turn the air to dust, heed my call flames and make this city combust!" shouted Kellar as all the Darva in the runes fell to the ground. A couple of moments later they turned to ash swirling in the wind like dust on a breeze.

Ardivar turned the other direction, forcing himself limp as fast as possible. He was staying in the shadows of the building as he fled the human. Ardivar hissed to himself. So many Darva dead? At least twenty of Ardivar's pack caught in that one attack. Burning with rage and hate, Ardivar left the human behind in a rush. He heard the human shout!

" Get back here, you stupid demon!" shouted Kellar. The man must have just noticed Ardivar had escaped during the attack.

Ardivar grimaced, breathing hard as he squeezed between broken boards on the sides of a building. Anger rose in his chest as he wondered what to do next? Channeling mana, Ardivar grimaced, his aching muscles tensing as his power wrapped around his injured chest. Hissing in pain, Ardivar coughed the smoke of his green fire filled his nose. The terrible stench of his cuts healing filled the air, causing him to gag.

Cursing himself, Ardivar snarled. Why had he been so overconfident? Breathing deeply, Ardivar watched through the gap. The smoldering corpses of his pack lay in ashen heaps. Scowling, he watched the humans retreating. All the Darvan army tore through the remaining humans.

The human monster glanced from building to building, scowling all the while. The man backed from a wall of red fire, the red runes blocking the path of the advancing Darva. Ardivar noticed the change. His skin tingled as a Darvan mage stepped forward from the advancing army to challenge Kellar. Ardivar's heart raced. Another Darvan Varsuth joining the battle?

Judging by the smell sweet and potent the Darva might beat the human? Ardivar hissed. If he waited for the right moment, he might get revenge on the human. The wall of fire shimmered, a layer of mana surrounding Kellar's wall before tearing the shimmering wall apart. Dust billowed down the alley as the Two mages faced off.

Ardivar limped towards a back alley. If he bided his time, he might get a tasty meal. Ardivar climbed onto the back of the crumbling building, peeking over to the dueling mages . Ardivar stumbled as the human channeled, the pull of mana tugging at his skin. The human lept to the side as a rune formed under him. From under the man, a gout of fire tore into the air. Padding at his robes, Kellar rose to his feet, glaring from the gate at the Darvan Varsuth.

" Halt warriors, this is my kill!" shouted The Darvan mage, his shout reverberating through the minds of the Darvan army.

The army of Darva halted, watching the Varsuth engage in battle with Kellar. Kellar nodded his head. The woman Katherine ran towards him but halted as Kellar raised one hand, stopping her in her tracks.

" He wants a duel Katherine, if you join, do you think the Darvan army behind him will stay still?" said Kellar loudly.

" Yes, Kuran!" replied the warriors, clearly uneasy at fighting a human mage.

Kellar and the Darvan mage faced off. Kellar dusting off his robe, the sword at his hip jostling in its scabbard. The Darvan Kuran stretched on all fours, his claws digging into the cobblestones.

From his vantage on the roof, Ardivar watched down into the alley. He was wondering what to make of this situation? There must be some sort of rules to this match up. Screw that. When the opportunity presented itself, he was going to take full advantage.

Ardivar swiveled his head, the clatter of claws on stone coming from behind him. Number two and Number four halted at his rear, taking a seat on the roof to Ardivar's sides.

"Wait, why did all the Darvan warriors and scouts not attack anyway?" said Ardivar, projecting his thoughts.

" That is the Kuran." Stated Number two as if he was an idiot.

" What is a Kuran." hissed Ardivar.

Out of the corner of his eye, Number twos ears flatten and his head drooped.

" Sorry Harut, A Kuran is the commander of five hundred warriors." Replied Number two sheepishly.

" Why has no one told me there is a Kuran in the city?" asked Ardivar, cursing.

" Because you never asked." said Number four, yipping in laughter.

Ardivar sighed, but hissed in laughter himself. Well, maybe he deserved that. He had a habit of biting first and asking later. Focusing on the fight below, excitement rose in his chest as both mages channeled mana at the same time. A red rune formed behind Kellar, pointing a gout of fire towards the back of the man's head. Kellar dodged, his hair smoking even with the miss. Kellar attacked, pillars of fire forming all along the ground as the Darvan Kuran ran, dodging the flame.

Just when the Darvan Kuran lept, a rune formed beneath him. The Darvan canine's eyes went wide in fear. Turning its body, the Darva curled into a ball. The blistering gout of flame only hitting his tail. Yelping in pain the Darvan Kuran rolled on the ground padding out his burning tail. Kellar clasped his side, panting heavily, eying the Darvan Kuran.

Ardivar was out of his depth, watching two mages use runes much quicker than he could. They attacked and defended with blinding speed. Dust billowed into the air as a pillar of fire the size of a house shot towards the ground. From underneath the attack was Kellar defending himself with a dome of red fire. Kellar wasn't unhurt. His clothes steamed, revealing his hair was mostly gone.

From beneath the Darvan Kuran a rune formed, spinning. What? runes could grow bigger? Ardivar couldn't believe his eyes. He hadn't known that they could use runes like that. The Darva looked down, locking its legs, preparing to leap forward again. Ahead of the Darva in the air was another rune forming as the first one exploded upwards. The Darvan Kuran rolled with his leap, leaving him right under the second unseen rune. squinting from the flashing flame, Ardivar tensed as the rune shot fire down towards the unprotected Darvan mage.

Ardivar channeled his mana, he created a dome of green fire around the Darvan Kuran. Kellar's attack fell onto the Darvan Kuran. Ardivar watched the pillar of fire for five long seconds, waiting to see if his efforts had worked. His runes had broken, but after the fire disappeared. The Darvan Karun lay smoking and yipping in pain.

Kellar collapsed to one knee, swiveling his head to Ardivar. Ardivar hissed and formed runes around Kellar, creating a pillar of green fire. May the 5 dread lords curse him! The mage glared hatefully back at him as the man half limped towards the gate.

Ardivar climbed down the building, not wanting his prey to escape. He could taste the sweet and powerful flavour on the tip of his tongue as he ran towards the retreating Kellar. The Darvan Kuran lay on the ground, raising its burned head as Ardivar approached.

" Ahh, demon, you show yourself again!" said Kellar, drawing the sword at his side.

Ardivar hissed at Kellar, monitoring the human woman as she hefted her axe to come to join the fight.

" You cannot interfere in a duel." Hissed The Darvan Kuran as the Darva shakily stood to its feet.

" Once we offer a duel, no one can interfere until there is a clear winner. We have the honour of our pack to uphold." said The Darvan Kuran as the large canine smoking and covering in blood bowed its head to Kellar.

To Ardivars disgust Kellar bowed back, keeping his eyes on Ardivar all the while. Ardivar paced, waiting for the ceremony to conclude. Ardivar hissed as the Darvan Kuran gestured with its head to the exit, as if telling the human to leave. Kellar turned, hurrying towards the exit to meet with the giant of a woman, Katherine.

Ardivar's muscles bunched as he prepared to attack the human mage from behind. He could almost taste the sweet magic leaking from the Human mage.

" Halt, do not attack him Harut." Ordered The Kuran.

" Why are you letting him escape? We can still kill the human." hissed Ardivar, digging his claws into the stone.

" If we offer a duel, the winning party may leave unmolested for the rest of the night." Said the Darvan Kuran, its voice sharp.

"Those are not my rules." hissed Ardivar.

"Are you challenging my command, young Harut Ardivar." said The Darvan Kuran. Ardivar smiled, just as he had hoped.

" Yes, I challenge you for command." said Ardivar, his chest welling with excitement as he stood proudly.

His intention had never been to fight the human again, it was his goal to get the Darvan Kuran to challenge him. As of course, Ardivar could not challenge a senior commander unless they started the challenge.

Ardivar circled the limping Darvan Kuran. The mage's robes were singed, and his fur was melted into clumps on its skin. Minor cuts covered the Darvas skin, lacerations from the explosions.

" Warriors, guard the exit. We cannot have humans interfere in our business. It is about time i show this lowly Harut his place." Said The Darvan Kuran.

Ardivar bared his teeth, showing a tooth filled smile to the crowding Darva. He was showing for all the world that he was confident. Hiding his limp and refusing to show the stabbing pain in his chest, Ardivar gritted his teeth, facing off the Darvan Kuran.

Crouching on all fours, the Darvan Kuran darted in, slashing at him. Its injured body moving deceptively quick. Ardivar dodged, channeling mana as he raked his claws along the Darvas fore paw. He created a green rune behind and above the Darva, hoping the mage wouldn't see it. A pillar of green fire shot towards the ground, hitting nothing but stone.

They traded blows, covering each other in small cuts that bleed profusely. The Darva's claws tore through Ardivar's leathery skin like it was paper. The Darvan Kuran was doing no better, his skin was matted in claw marks drenching the cobbles in blood. Gasping for breath and covered in sweat, Ardivar limped, circling the Darvan Commander. Just when he was doubting himself, Ardivar noticed the Darvan Kuran sway. Its eyes rolling back from the blood loss.

Ardivar hissed to himself happily as he lept. His claws dug into flesh as in front of the slack jawed Darvan army and the retreating human he tore out the throat of the Darvan commander in single combat. Ardivar turned to the two hundred Darva waiting and hissed a grating laugh, pronouncing his victory. Power flooded his body, as light mist drifted wispy like fog to his body, absorbing into his skin.

Brimming with vitality Ardivar shouted his victory," if any of you have a problem with my promotion, feel free to challenge me!" shouted Ardivar grinning maliciously, blood running down his chin.