The
morning air was thick with the scent of damp earth and lingering smoke. The
resistance moved in silence, navigating through the broken landscape left in
the wake of the High Lord's war. Burned-out villages stood like skeletons,
their charred remains a grim reminder of what was at stake.
Voss
rode atop Drakonix, the hydra's massive wings casting a shadow over the
scattered warband below. Her mind was sharp, calculating the risks. The elves
were their only hope of finding the Shadow-forged Blade, but reaching them
meant crossing the Forsaken Wastes—a land twisted by old magic, where few
returned.
Striga
walked alongside the warriors, her eyes scanning their ranks. "We move too
openly," she muttered. "If the High Lord still hunts us, he won't let us reach
the elves unchallenged."
"He
will hunt us no matter what," Voss replied, her voice steady. "But he won't
expect us to move so quickly."
Striga
exhaled sharply. "That's a gamble."
Voss
smirked. "Every battle is."
Ahead,
the land grew darker, the trees gnarled and lifeless, their bark etched with
unnatural symbols. The Forsaken Wastes had begun.
One
of the scouts returned, his face pale. "Something moves in the fog."
Drakonix's
heads lifted in unison, tongues flicking at the air. The hydra smelled it too.
"Ambush,"
Voss murmured.
Striga
drew her sword, flames flickering along the edge. "How many?"
"Too
many," the scout said. "And not human."
A
shriek split the air, high and unnatural. Then, from the swirling mist, figures
emerged—twisted, unnatural forms. The High Lord's mutated soldiers.
They
felt no pain. They knew no fear.
Voss
raised a hand, shadow magic coiling around her fingers. "Form up," she
commanded. "Hold the line."
Drakonix
let out a thunderous roar, shaking the earth.