Authors: Andrew Ryan Henke
Chapter 32
Onslaught
Lord Murik, Finn, Aimee, and the nine din slaves that had been released stood on the walls of Garmak and stared gravely at the approaching army. After Aimee had spent the evening talking to the din slaves, they'd all agreed to help the resistance.
Finn shook his head for the thousandth time. Their situation was impossible. They had nine Din Mages, around two hundred untrained men willing to fight, and forty former Tierian soldiers who rallied behind their cause. The walls of Garmak were strong, but the scouts said they saw catapults as well as those strange, huge, walking monstrosities. Despite all his training as a ninja, Finn felt helpless against the approaching enemies. What could a few daggers do against an army?
Finn looked over his shoulder at Aimee. She was still incredibly thin, but much of the color had returned to her face since he'd insisted she eat. More importantly than her heath, she seemed to have regained her spirit. The change from when he'd first found her in the prison was baffling despite the incredible tale that she'd told him.
Aimee noticed him staring and turned to meet his gaze. Finn looked away quickly, but realized he'd been caught and looked back. To his surprise, the girl smiled at Finn. Finn laughed nervously and smiled back. Then a question came to him. “Din Mage Aimee, if you, your cousin Noir, and your father are from where you say you are from... how did you get here?”
Aimee's smile faded and she looked into the distance once again. “The Lumin shrine. In the cave was an orb that... sent us here.”
“An orb? I've been to that shrine in my travels. There is no orb in the cave.”
“I know,” Aimee admitted. “I went there myself after I... after the Lumin was killed. I investigated the shrine before I returned to Tier and they threw me in that dungeon.”
“So... how are you going to get home?”
Aimee was silent for a long moment. Finally she said, “I don't know, but I'll do anything to get there.”
Finn studied the girl's pretty face as it twisted in pain and anger. He was about to reply when someone on one of the towers cried out, “I see them!”
Finn and everyone who heard the cry peered into the distance. The sun was setting in the west where they were looking. The cry that the enemy was in sight passed down the wall from one tower to the next.
For a long moment, nothing stirred on the horizon, and then Finn could barely make out a massive object lumbering over the top of a large hill. Another four stepped over the hill soon after. They were towering, black, featureless shapes silhouetted by the setting sun.
Finn said quietly, “Those must be the five behemoths we were warned about.”
“They're
huge
,” cried a former Tierian soldier.
Murik did not take his eyes away from the approaching monstrosities and confidently declared, “Do not fear, sons and daughters of the new Tier. We stand not only on sturdy walls, but on the shoulders of all who perished gaining our freedom. We stand on the hopes and dreams of our enslaved and oppressed brothers and sisters. We stand united!”
The behemoths lumbered up another hill and all watching could see a swarm of regular straghs at their feet. The tops of wooden catapults could also be seen rolling forward in the sunset. They rolled toward them far behind the stragh behemoths. The fading light reflected off the armor of hundreds of Tierian soldiers moving with the catapults.
Murik echoed his earlier commands. “Remember, they'll want to recapture Garmak, not destroy it. The catapults will be used sparingly after an initial strategic bombardment. They will make an entry point or two in the wall for the ground troops, and then cease fire.”
~~~
Kit stood on a pillar of rock and gleefully screamed, “Fire at will! Destroy everything!”
The behemoths leaned forward onto their fists and commenced firing from the strange cannons on their backs. Kit laughed as two shots exploded against the walls of Garmak. In the distance, Kit could see bricks, wood splinters, earth, and bodies explode out from the shots. Two of the shots that missed passed over the wall and exploded somewhere inside the city. The final shot flung up a shower of dirt a short distance in front of the city walls.
“Again!” Kit cried. “Fire again!” The behemoths continued their din-fueled bombardment. Several more shots hit the walls.
“Fire catapults!” Kit yelled. He waited a moment for the rocks from the catapults to fly over his head, but nothing happened. He spun around to repeat his order to the soldiers behind him, but found a hundred archers aiming their bows at him.
“Kit!” yelled Eremund from behind the line of archers. Kit scowled at the man he’d recently appointed to be general. “We stand united against you and this stragh army.” Eremund drew his sword and pointed it toward Kit. “We are soldiers of Tier. We took an oath to defend Tier, not destroy it. You bring destruction to us and our kingdom.”
Kit looked around him in disbelief. Every one of the soldiers in his army drew their swords, pointed them at Kit, and stood resolutely against him. Kit wasn't sure what exactly struck him as so absurd and hilarious about the scene, but he started cackling.
The soldiers looked at one another in confusion, but held their weapons toward Kit nonetheless. For a long moment, the hill was filled with only the sounds of the man's mechanical laughter and the booms of the stragh behemoths' cannon fire.
Eremund interrupted Kit's laughter. “We will kill you in a heartbeat if it means sparing Tier your insanity and apparent desire for destruction! Surrender or we will put you down!”
The humor he’d previously found in the situation suddenly disappeared in Kit's mind. “Put me down? What makes you think you maggots have a chance at putting even a scratch on me?! I'm a god! I'm the next Lumin, you morons!”
“You are not the Lumin!” Eremund countered. “We will defend Tier from you at all costs!”
Kit laughed one more time, and then replied by quoting the prophecies. “The Lumin destroys all.”
Kit embraced din with clenched fists and saw the red glow of power. Kit thrust the power into the ground beneath the soldiers below him. The ground exploded upwards sending men catapulting into the sky and chunks of earth into the ranks of the men nearby.
Kit embraced lux and threw up a barrier of light as a shower of arrows flew in his direction. They bounced harmlessly against the light shield. Kit saw the catapults finally fire, but they were targeting the straghs and behemoths ahead. One stone smashed into the back of a behemoth and sent it crashing into the earth.
Kit used din to push up the pillar of earth he stood on even higher, then made a ball of fire in his hand and protected his flesh from the heat. He poured din into the fire, then thrust it down into the men beneath him. Dozens of soldiers screamed and burned where the attack landed.
Several more arrows bounced off of Kit's light shield. Kit answered the attack with his own ice projectiles. Men dived away from the spears, but several were impaled to the ground.
Eremund was thrown by an earth attack and hit the ground hard. He pushed himself up and found one of his arms would not respond. He called to the men around him, “We cannot fight this monster! Stand down!”
More men heaved upward in a din attack. Others still fired arrows. Eremund repeated, “Stand down! If you can hear me, pass on the word! We cannot fight this enemy!”
Cries to cease fighting echoed across the army. Kit laughed again atop his tall pillar of rock and hurled a few final balls of fire into the men.
Eremund cried, “Stop! Please! You have shown your power!”
Kit stopped his din attacks, but did not release the light shield that surrounded him. He smiled and looked down at Eremund. “I’m glad you finally see your powerless position, General Eremund. You are mere ants beneath my boot.”
Kit looked around at the rest of the army. The ranks had become a disorganized mess. “Form ranks!” Kit bellowed.
Reluctantly, the hundreds of soldiers reformed their positions in orderly lines. Many squads were incomplete due to Kit’s attacks. Crushed, burned, and speared soldiers dotted the ranks near Kit’s pillar of earth.
“How many times do you idiots need to be shown you are nothing compared to me?” No one responded which angered Kit. He screamed, “Bow to the new Lumin, worms!!!”
Soldiers looked up and down their ranks, but no one moved.
Kit growled and created a ball of fire which he held over his head threateningly. “I guess another demonstration of how disposable you are is necessary.”
Slowly, Tierian soldiers knelt. Kit watched with amusement as nearly a thousand men bent their necks to the ground at his feet. Kit almost laughed, but none of this would matter if Grandel didn’t show up. They had to continue the assault on Garmak.
“Get up, worms!” Kit bellowed with renewed anger. “Didn’t I order those catapults to be fired?!”
~~~
Finn carried one of the injured Din Mages away from where the wall had collapsed out from under her. Everyone he saw was in shock. No one had expected the ferocity of the attack or the power of those massive behemoths.
Finn laid the Din Mage down in the street where a Luxin was treating several peoples' wounds. A familiar shape lay on a cloth in ornate, Tierian noble clothes.
“Murik!” Finn shouted as he ran to the man's side. Murik was holding his side and gritting his teeth. “You're wounded!”
“Yes,” the nobleman grunted. “I think I’ll be fine.”
“You said they wouldn't want to destroy Garmak, just recapture it! What happened?!”
Murik blinked and focused on Finn's face. He gasped a couple of times in pain, but managed to get out, “I... was wrong. They... don't care.”
Finn sighed and grabbed the man's hand. “Don't die, you rich idiot. You're going to be the next king of Tier.”
“I'm not going to die, you thief. I only had a wall collapse on me. Nothing I can't shake off. Go tell the Din Mages to be brave. They are not warriors and will need guidance. They need to counterattack.” Murik winced and lay back down in the rubble.
Finn called for the Luxin. “This man's the next king of Tier. Come help.”
The Luxin nodded and finished healing another wounded soldier before rushing over to Murik's side.
“Hang in there, Murik,” Finn pleaded, then stood and rushed back up the stairs to the top of the wall. Aimee stood in the same spot despite the wall crumbling right next to her. She stared out at the surging stragh masses. Finn stood beside her and grabbed her hand.
“Finn... I still am not even sure if any of this matters. I don't know if I believe what I told you... if any of this exists.”
Finn pulled on the girl's hand to turn her toward him. He met her eyes and saw fear. “It matters to me. Even though you are from a different world... this world exists and you’re a part of it. These innocent people are real and we have to do our best to defend them.” Aimee looked doubtful so Finn added, “You can help them. Do it for me. Please.”
Aimee sadly said, “None of this will probably matter, but...” she paused, “you're the most real thing I've found in this world. I'll do it for you.”
Finn pulled the girl close and held her for a second. Aimee looked surprised, but slowly her expression relaxed and she returned Finn's embrace. They pulled away and looked out over the field that stretched away from the walls of Garmak. Straghs were surging forward and would reach the walls soon. Several spots in the walls had collapsed. Aimee said, “Go support the other Din Mages. They have to keep the straghs away from the breaches. I have this one covered.”
Finn nodded and started to move away, but became entranced as Aimee held out one hand and started hurling balls of fire at the straghs in rapid succession. The hoard of straghs below erupted in fire. Finn couldn't help but say, “Wow,” before he ran along the wall to encourage the other Din Mages.
~~~
Noir manipulated the large wing-like protrusions on his back to propel him forward through the air. He could push himself along with the light wings without moving them, but he found that he could move faster by flapping them and pushing against the air. Noir held the Einlanzer in his right hand, but could tell its well of chakra was empty after he'd used it the previous day. He wondered if it was possible to recharge it, but more important things kept pushing the thought out of his mind.