Chapter 4-
The war of Thisalbush
Thisalbush was the
land of the free it stood between the two factions. While the naidni tribes
were in the west.The progressives stood to the east of Thisalbush. Just north
of kalinga, they settled there for freedom and refuge from the kalingan
society. It was originally an
exploration colony, which formed into a city. The kalingans saw the naidni as
savages although trade was made between the two. An attack on either side from
time to time was no surprise to either faction. The kalingans explorers brought
many diseases with them that proved deathly to the naidni. Many of the
tribesmen didn’t want them around or bring their sickness to there tribes.
There was a very fragile peace between the factions. Some of the kalingans
wanted furs and gold’s, While others just wanted medical and technological
advances. Those in the group fought not for war, wealth or fear but for
knowledge. The naidni had plants that couldn’t be found in barsland. That made
peace a viable solution for the researchers in the colony. While the kalingans
had weapons and machines that could innovate the empire with, it took many
years of blood and tears before peace and harmony could reign in Thisalbush.
However
their freedom did come at a price. The Progressives paid high taxes to the
Kalingan Empire for protection. The day came though when the money wasn’t
sufficient. John the 23rd was a conqueror and wanted the world. This
lack of gold from the progressives gave him the perfect reason to take control.
He was roofless to his enemies and built the Kalingan Empire by himself. He had
tried to take the naidni tribes but always failed. Their pride and numbers
overpowered the Kalingan will power many times. It was said in kalinga that you
couldn’t kill a savage that didn’t care for his life. The naidni had showed
many times over they would sacrifice themselves for their people to prosper. No
matter how backed into a corner the naidni were. They always showed themselves
to be true warriors.
John
the 23rd was growing more obsessed year by year. He finally could
take no more. The need to be on a battlefield consumed him. He wanted to take
them by storm. John needed a massive army. Which he had acquired over the years
of his reign. With all the countries surrounding him conquered. He yearned for
a new challenge. His army would need to come from land, sea and air if he would
take them.
To
have an edge on his competition he brought weapons from the Robandians. The
smarter progressives john thought. While the progressives in Thisalbush needed protection
and practiced peace, The Robandians worshipped their advances in weaponry and
technology. They would make any weapon you wanted for the right price. Davey
had just sent him a message by raven. He told him of a machine that could fly.
If he spoke the truth the naidni would never stand a chance.
Such
an army would take him right to the doorsteps of foratu. The world would be his
and his son’s for generations to come. John cared little for the territories
that he conquered. Only that he owned them and ruled over an unstoppable
legion. A legion that would make the naidni crumble at his feet. The resources
they had so plenty would be at his disposal. Diamonds, precise jewels, gold and
metal ores, There would be no equal to his might once he had it all.
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The
naidni at this time were lead by Thorgan. He was a strong head chief and on
many occasions shown himself to be a worthy adversary. Thorgan used guerilla
tactics to survive the attacks from john. Thorgan was gifted with one son
thegan. Who was but five cycles at this time. For his sake and his people
thorgan couldn’t let john take the naidni land.
Thorgan
saw how kalingans miss used the earth. They brought sickness and death with
them as they expanded their domain. They held no regard for the earth’s cycle
of life. They killed the buffalo that the naidni depended on just for sport
rather then need. Wasted many of them and leaving them right where they killed
them. Thorgan watched over the years as they killed each other for land, women
and money. It confused him how they could want or claim to own something that
was not theirs. The naidni had a different way of life; they had a duty to the
earth that gave them so much.
The
naidni were a massive nation and had stopped john’s advances many times. Each
victory for them though came with a price. They lost more men then they gained
security. John just came back stronger and with more powerful weapons every
time. Although the naidni had started to adapt their weapons to combat with the
kalingans, their weapons were strong and dependable but still primitive
compared the kalingans. They used sharpened stone, hardened wood, clubs forged
from precise stones and a variety of poisons. Their metal making abilities were
not as advanced as the kalingans or Robandians.
The
progressives shared many tips with them however. As the naidni improved their
societal structure, they showed them new uses for a lot of their resources.
Progressives however were pacifist and would not construct weapons. The weapons
they did have were for defensive purposes like naidni attacks. The first few
years were rough, their alliance with the naidni was the main reason many of
them were not put to death by Kalingan officials.
The
practicing of sciences in kalinga were forbidden. Many people were put to death
or banished within the court system. The laws bias lay upon the fickleness of
the mob. Women were tired as witches, men as warlocks or demons. The smallest
suspicion or a vindictive person could land you in jail or put on trial.
The
punishments ranged from a stoning to public executions. No matter the defense
or explanation death usually came to the accused. These acts of injustice made
the progressives rally together and seek their freedom. They grew tired of
hiding their brilliance and meeting in the night. They had cures for ailments
and wanted better for their fellow men. Yet not all them felt that way though.
The garrison brothers were the perfect example.
Davey garrison led the progressives
while his brother Darrell ruled Robandia. They were both geniuses from birth.
They watched their father be pulled by horses in the public square for his
passion. Their mother was drowned in judgment as a witch. These injustices to
these young men caused a fire to burn inside them. They raised a rebellion
against the Kalingan army. With their rebellion successful they marched out of
kalinga and the persecution in kalinga.
Sadly
the victory and freedom did not settle the issue. The two brothers could not
agree on where to go. Then the issue of dealing with the kalingans again came
up. Davey wanted nothing to do with them or the violence they just escaped
from. While Darrell wanted revenge and wealth. These decisions tore the group
up internally. Many felt the way Davey did and went to Thisalbush. The others
sided with Darrell. Darrell took to selling weapons to the kalingans to keep
them off his back. He watched as they used his creations to destroy each other.
*************** ********************* ********************
A
raven flew into its cage in thorgan’s wigwam. He walked over and removed a note
that was tied to his leg. The note came from a spy in kalinga. It said john the
23rd was gathering his armies and preparing for an attack. Thorgan
crumpled the letter and grabbed his headdress and placed it over his head
before exiting the wigwam. He knew this day would come again. The world was too
quiet to stay that way. Thorgan knew john wouldn’t stop till he had everything.
Thorgan’s village was alive today. Woman washed clothes in bins outside their
teepees. Children ran around without a care in the world. He signaled one of
his guards to sound for the other chiefs to assemble. His wife lily flower
stood up from talking with the other women.
“Is something wrong dear,” she
asked with a concerned face.
“John will be attacking again soon.
Do not alarm the people. My council and I will need to meet and discuss this
issue.” Thorgan said
“I understand” lily flower said
kissing him and walking back to the other women of the village.
Thorgan
continued through the village and looked at all the people depending on him,
living carefree at the moment. Not knowing that the kalingans were coming. He
couldn’t afford to cause a panic before he had a plan. Thorgan walked into
another wigwam and sat at the head seat. Moments later his chiefs started to
come in. each naidni’s chief facial tattoo’s were different. Every chief earned
his position on the battlefield. Their design’s signified their tribe and the
amount of men that fell to their hands.
As
they finally assembled Thorgan looked around the room at each of his generals.
Fierce warriors sat at his table, each man willing to give his life to protect
his tribe. Thorgan’s decision’s now not only affected his village, but the
villages in which each of these generals represented. He informed them of the
situation and watched their expressions.
“We await your orders Thorgan,” all
the generals said in unison.
“We must prepare ourselves and stay
vigilant. We must know what we are up against before we can make a move. Send
the scouts out and keep them on guard. We will assemble the mass of our army in
Thisalbush. There we will make our stand” Thorgan said
All
the chiefs sitting in the wigwam nodded their heads in agreement. Many times
many of the naidni tribes didn’t agree. Yet in times like this it was
understood no one tribe alone could withstand the forces of the kalingans. They
knew the geography of Thisalbush would give them the best advantage. The
kalingans pushed to the north once and destroyed the tribes there. They burned
the villages, raped the women and took them plus the children for slaves.
Thorgan led them to push the Kalingans back to the progressive’s colony. Many
tribes still hadn’t recovered from their loses. The naidni numbers were few however
their will was strong. They knew the land better then john could ever hope too.
The Kalingan army
had a good navy but thanks to the progressives. The naidni were able to make
boats that could counter attacks. The gift of sailing boats to them was to help
improve their fishing expeditions. The gift turned to be a blessing when the
Kalingan war ships came. The naidni were able to take control of a few and turn
the tide on the fleet. They acquired them after the war and made a few themselves.
Although
the naidni battle ships were much smaller they had maneuverability in the
water. They were much quicker and could easily dodge the cannon balls from
Kalingan battleships. The naidni had been lucky in their battles. Thorgan knew
that and he also knew john’s temper and arrogance would be his downfall. His
might was strong but he underestimated the resilience of the naidni people.
John saw them as a mosquito that he swatted and wouldn’t die. John should have looked at them as the bears
in the mountains strong and powerful.
The
chiefs stood up from their seats. They pounded their right arm on their chest.
They slowly exited the wigwam and took to their horses. They galloped away
heading to their respective tribes to prepare for battle. The naidni would have
to muster up the manpower from all the tribes to stop the invading forces. The
sound of the horses leaving echoed through the forest. The setting sun shined
hard on their backs as they rode away.
Thorgan
walked back to his longhouse. Many of the villagers watched him with concern.
They knew the chief met the other chiefs. What they met about they didn’t know
but felt they did. The fear of the kalingans was always in the back of their
minds, not one naidni had not felt a loss from the Kalingan legions. The night
air was filled with curiosity and fear. Thorgan could feel the tension in the
air and knew he would have to address it. He didn’t see the reason at the
moment to ruin the night.
He
opened the flap of his longhouse and entered. Lily flower was lying on their
cot. Thegan laid sleep in his baby cot. Lily flower sat up and greeted him as
he removed his headdress. Thorgan laid down on his cot and breathed a sigh of
relief as he relaxed. Lily flower rose up on her side and kissed him. Her smell
filled his nose and her touch calmed him. She didn’t even get to question him
before thegan started to wake up.
Thegan
rolled over and started rubbing his eyes.
“Is everything ok dad?” thegan
asked
“Yes it is” Thorgan said
“You called the high council today.
Are the kalingans back?”
“Maybe son”
“If they do can I come with you. I
want to show them, im as strong as you”
“You will be a brave warrior in the
future but now you are not ready”
“But…”
“That is enough. We will not speak
of that again” Thorgan said raising his voice “now sleep”
“Ok” thegan said rolling back over
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John
the 23rd road toward the city gates of robandia, a mote surrounded
the city. On top of the city walls cannoniers stood over them vigilant. John
and his escorts of royal guards continued to the beginning of the mote. The
drawbridge slowly began to lower. It hit the ground with a thud and the men
rode across. The guards within the city stood on guard and watched them. Not one
guard budged an inch.
The
city was so quiet you could of heard a pin drop. Darrell stood from his balcony
and watched his guest travel toward the castle. The shops in the city were
closed. The town’s people looked at the king in fear from the shadows and
through the cracks in their windows. John the 23rd looked around the
town with a sick smile on his face. The golden crown of olive branches he wore
around his head glistened in the light.
He
trotted through the town like a conquering hero, John knew in his mind they
despised and feared him. Darrell walked out his palace to greet his guest. John
got off his horse and made his way up the steps toward Darrell. John’s golden
armor gleamed in the light.
“Dominar I welcome you” Darrell
said bowing
“Yes yes let us not waste precious
time” john said
“As you wish right this way”
Darrell
lead them into the castle. The castle was even more quiet then the town. The
sounds of their footsteps echoed off the walls. The servants that did pass
stood to the side of the mob. They never looked up or even attempted to make
eye contact. The group made their way to the back of the castle. Outside across
from the tanks sat ten airplanes. They were standard made of wood and many
types of metal. The group walked over and Darrell stood in front of his
creations. The front propel made Darrell look small as he stood in front of it.
“So let me see it fly” john said
Darrell
clapped his hand and three servants ran over. The servant climbed up the side
and sat in the one-man cockpit. There were just three gauges on the dashboard,
a lever and a red button in the middle of the servant’s legs. The two other
servants walked to the back of the plane and began to push it out its spot.
Darrell and john stepped back to give them room.
The
servants finally pushed the airplane straight. They looked at Darrell who
nodded his head and they began to push. The servant in the driver’s seat pulled
a cord to his left and the engine began to rumble. The sound of the roaring
engine made Darrell smile. John however was not he held his ears to muffle the
sound. The servants kept pushing the plane down the field. A huge drop off was
at the end, which turned into a launch pad for the plane.
The
servants let go of the plane since it was moving faster then they could run.
The pilot maintained his course. He got to the drop-off and the plane
disappeared. The plane picked up incredible speed as he rolled down the launch
pad. As he came up the launch pad and left the ground. He came back into view
of Darrell and john. Darrell cheered at the sight, while john kept his normal
poker face on. The pilot flew around the castle with the engine roaring along
the way.
“Now what weapons does your machine
have?” john asked
“You can fill it with whatever you
want, cannons, bombs, hot tar,” Darrell said while he motioned to the pilot.
The
pilot brought the plane back around and circled past the drop off. He pressed
the red button and the bay doors opened under the plane. Bombs started to fall
out. They fell out the sky and exploded upon impact blowing up pieces of the
mountain below. The smoke and dust filled the air. The pilot started descending
and prepared for a landing. He slowly touched the wheels on the ground but
continued his speed. Two hooks lying on the ground hooked into a line that
supported the wheels. The cords were pulled with the plane but slowed it down.
The cords reached their limit and gave the plane a jerk before it came to a
complete stop.
The plane stopped within a foot of where the
men where standing. The massive propeller was still blowing in the wind towards
the men. John stood and watched the plane he never budged an inch. Even as he
watched the plane come hurling at him. The pilot cut the plane off and the
engine slowly died down along with the propeller. The servant got out and
helped the other servants push the plane back in its spot.
“Perfect I shall take the whole
fleet” john said
“Only nine are for sale”
“I want all of them”
“If you have people to fly them you
can have nine”
“Very well then I shall take the
nine and nine of your servants. I expect them ready when I want them” john said
turning around and walking back toward the castle.
One
of his servants turned to Darrell and handed him two bags of gold. The servant
then turned and hurried to catch up to his master. Darrell looked at the bag of
money and just smiled.
******************* ********************** *****************
Thorgan
and his chiefs made their way to foratu. The mountains of draygor kept the area
extremely hot. Every couple of cycles they would explode and fill the air with
black ash. It stopped most things from growing. It increased the width of the
lava lake slowly as well. The naidni traveler’s sweat poured down their faces
and soaked their clothes.
The
zartanites were not friends of the naidni. Over the years the two factions
warred frequently. The naidni were able to keep the zartanites back in foratu
where they could handle the harsh climate. They wouldn’t help however without
some thing in return. As brutish and small minded as they were. The zartanites
could not be underestimated.
Zartanites
were descendents of Zartan the Dragon Slayer. Before the naidni could explore
past Garroth. They had to get rid of the dragons that plagued them. For
hundreds of cycles they fought, the dragons and it seemed to be a losing
battle. For every fifty they killed draygor had a hundred more. He breed liters
of dragons every year. When it began to seem as if the garrothians had finally
lost Zartan was born.
He
was of thismal descent, the son of a brother of aura. Zartan did not want to
sit at council with his father nor be a cleric. He wanted to kill dragons.
Zartan took on the abilties of fire and earth. Growing up he choose not to play
with the children but fight with the men. His aura grew stronger and his discipline
became unmatched. Zartan was more skilled in a variety of weapons then many of
his elders.
On
his sixteenth birthday Zartan finally got his chance. He rode to the outer rim
of Garroth with his father to fight the beast. All his life he had waited,
hoped and trained for this moment. Zartan had never seen a dragon before
though. He saw pictures, watched shows and heard tales of the beast. Now he
would finally come face to face with one.
In
zartans heart he believed fighting dragons was his destiny. Tales of warriors
killing them, eating their hearts and getting their strength swirled in his
head. He would kill them all and be the mightest warrior in the nation. Zartan’s
thoughts made his blood boil, he was ready for battle now. His father and their
brigade had been traveling for months. The anticipation was overwhelming him.
Finally
their treck came to an end. They reached garroth in the nic of time. Dragons
were attacking and the city was burning. Zartan took no time to take in all he
was seeing he rushed into action. Zartan jumped off his horse and raised his
aura, with his fire abilityand sword in hand he rocketed off into the sky. It gleamed in the moonlight as he picked his
first target.
The
dragon was three times his size and it’s teeth gleamed in the night every time
it opened it’s mouth. With its black scales it blended perfectly with the night
sky. The dragon’s green eyes met zartans as they charged to each other. He
could see the fire coming out of the dragon’s mouth, a fiery ball barreled
toward him. Zartan dodged the ball but felt the true strength of the beast. The
dragon’s wing slapped him across the sky. Zartan charged his aura up and
regained his composure. All around him men battled dragons. Some were winning
but more were crying in agony. Zartan charged at the dragon once more. With all
his strength he swung his sword and cut off the dragon’s head.
A
rush filled his body and he watched the dragon fall into the forest below.
Zartan turned around to find another dragon. A garrothian soldier to his left
was in trouble with the dragon his was fighting. Zartan flew over and as the
dragon went to lunge at the soldier. He cut its head off and a burst of fire
exploded out of its mouth. The explosion
pushed Zartan and the soldier back in the air.
A
screech that sent chills down his spine made him turn around. The sound of
thundering wings approaching got his full attention. Balls of magma came
spewing down from above the battlefield. That’s when he saw him. Draygor the
father of dragons had arrived. He was massive at least the size of five dragons
put together. Draygors eyes glowed a crimson green in the night. The gigantic
balls of fire he spit out illuminated the night with every puff.
The
garrothians soldiers on the ground launched spears and nets at the beast. The
spears bounced off his hard scaly skin and the nets were not big enough to
contain him. Their feeble attempts just seemed to annoy and enrage him more.
Zartan floated in mid air just mesmerized by the beast. The sudden pulse of an
aura snapped him back into reality. Though all the chaos zartan saw his fathers
fiery blue aura zooming toward draygor. The dragon blew a mighty ball of magma
toward him. Zartans father sliced through the ball and charged toward him. He
sliced his side with his sword piercing the dragons scales. Draygor screeched
out in pain and wiped his tail into zartans father and chomped him in half.
Draygor gripped What was left of his lower body with his feet and threw it into
the air. With a giant gulp he swallowed zartans father whole then let out a
shreech of victory blowing flames of fire into the air.
Zartan
screamed in agony and charged up his aura. A rage was burning through him as he
flew straight to draygor. The dragon was now flying back into the darkness and
the other dragons were following him. Zartan did his best to catch up to his father’s
killer. He sliced through dragon after dragon trying to reach draygor. A
painful schreech from one of the dragon’s zartan killed made draygor turn
around and face the dragon slayer. Draygor spiraled toward him and head butted Zartan.
The impact of his skull connecting to zartans chest sent him crashing down into
the forest below. Zartan cracked branch after branch before he finally crashed
onto the forest floor. Before he passed out Zartan watched draygor spew fire
balls in every direction then continue home with his flock.
It
took Zartan a few months to regain his strength. Draygor had broken a few of
his ribs and open a nasty gash across his face. Once Zartan was good enough to
stand on his own, He was faced with the task of returning home and attending to
his grieving mother. With the burial ceremony for his father long gone, Zartan
decided not to go back home. As he rested and was tended to the only thoughts
that ran through his mind was avenging his fathers death. Months turned to
years and zartan fought side by side with the garrothians. He slayed dragon
after dragon and ate more hearts than any other soldier. Battle after battle he
looked for draygor but never found him. Zartans impatience and anger built
along with his skills year after year, Finally he could take it no more.
Zartan
gathered together some of the bravest warriors he could find. These men would
help him finally reach his desire of killing draygor. Zartans plan was if
draygor would not come to him. He would go to draygor. Zartan and his warriors
would track them back to their nest and finally put an end to the dragon’s
reign of terror on Garroth and avenge his father. After years of recruiting and
preparing his men. Zartan left garroth and made his way to the dragon’s liar.
After months of trekking through the uncharted jungle past Garroth. He finally
found the dragon’s home. The set up their camp a few miles away from the base
of the volcano the dragons called home.
Years
of murder turned to decades of genocide. Zartan and his army had almost
completely destroyed all the dragons of the south. Now zartan had become older
and more impatient, draygor had not re-appeared since that fateful night. Myths
of his death from zartans fathers blow surfaced every few years. Zartan had
turned dragon slaying into a sport. He erected colosieums for their fights.
Even breed his own dragons, designed dragon callers, riding gear for mounting
dragons, better weapondry for attacks while mounted all in hope of finding
draygor. Although he was a kind and just ruler, his hunt for draygor drove him
half mad. Zartan had explored everything south of the Naidni Empire, adding a
new continent to the map and yet not one sign of the beast.
His
band of warriors had now turned into a thriving city. The people no longer
cared about the “silly dragons”. They wanted beauracracy and justice. In his
old age he reminisced on the golden years. Zartan knew everything you could
possibly know about dragons.
On
his 60th cycle Zartan once again recruited a band or warriors to
explore once more. This time they would venture across the volcano and to the
other side. He found the strongest earth, fire and air naidni that he could. Exploring
caves that close to the volcano could reach temperatures well over two thousand
degrees. Zartan had seen one to much naindni collapse under the pressure. It
ook discipline and will to handle those conditions. Zartan knew the perils of
this journey for he had tried it before. To fight a dragon on its own terf was
no easy task. On his first exploration he found egg shells. Now zartan planned
to go deeper and further into the mountain. He left his oldest son Zarfang the
throne and set out.
After
months of exploration of the mountains, zartan found the nest, hundred of eggs
in a small cavern. In his heart he knew the mother wouldn’t be far. Nesled in
the very next cavern she laid. He raised his hand and signaled the troops to
prepare themselves. Zartans warriors split up into two groups one went left the
other right. Encircling the dragon the best they could. Halfway through one
warrior kicked a rock and it falls waking the dragon. She raises up spewing
balls of fire and screeching. Zartan pulls the earth around him and jumps down
on the beast. The rope wraps around her neck and he mounts her as best as he
could. The dragon kicked and screeched from the onslaught. Zartan had rode a
lot of dragons in his life but she was the wildest he held on as best as he
could.
The
top of the cavern crashed in and draygor flew in screeching. The mother dragon
flew up towards him, as she did draygor blew a ball of fire towards her cutting
zartans rope. He fell back towards the ground shattering his earth shield.
Zartan stood back up and watched both the dragons fly up and circle the caverns
opening. He powered up his aura and pulled another shield over himself. Zartan
punched the earth and pulled a sword from it. he flew up to meet his advisary
with his warriors right behind him. Other dragons swooped down to help draygor,
the battle raged on with zartan getting the upper hand.
Zartan
dipped and dodged draygors fierce claws and bites. Draygor slammed him with his
wing into the mountain. Zartan pushed himself out of the crater and charged the
beast once more. He sliced him on the left side of his stomach, causing draygor
to screech out furiously. Zartan saw this was his opportunity to finsh draygor.
He pulled his entire aura he had together. The earth below him began to shake
and the volcano rumbled as he charged up his aura. Meteor pieces began to fall
out the sky from the gravitational pull zartan was making.
“Zartan you will destroy us all!” a
soldier yelled seeing magma pour out of the volcano.
Zartan
was too overwhelmed with power to stop himself. The power of his full aura was
too much for him to control. The volcano erupted and black ash filled the air.
The female dragon dove down into the cavern, Most likely to rescue her eggs
zartan thought. He put all his focus on draygor now since he was becoming
harder to see with all the black ash and smoke in the air. Finally the two of
them met eye to eye. Zartan and draygor stood less than fifty feet away from
each other, just watching each other waiting to see who would make the first
move. As zartan gripped his sword tighter in preparation for attack something
caught his eye. A giant meteor flew down toward it. he dodged it and watched it
collide into the volcano.
As
zartan looked back at draygor he was already right on top of him. Zartan did
the one thing he could. He thrust his sword straight into draygors chest.
Draygor screeched out and sunk his talons into zartans back. The two of them
free fell straight into the mouth of the volcano. Zartan and draygor fell into
the magma with meteors crashing all over as well. Zartan expected the magma to
kill him, yet he sunk with draygor and began to change. The rocks he had around
him for protection melded with draygors skin and the magma forged the bond
together.
Zartan
felt stronger and taller, he freed himself from draygors death grasp and swam
out the magma. As he pulled himself up out of the magma his warriors stood
above him. Some of them had the transformation he had, their skin was stoney
and burned red like his while others aura’s had increased tremendously. Zartan
and his warriors prepared for the trek home. After months they returned to find
the city half destroyed. The forest was gone and had turned into a savannah.
All that was left of his family was his wife and youngest son. Many of the
people seeing his state along with his warriors blamed him for the destruction
and deaths of many while still fearing his new appearance. The citizens left
were appalled by the sight of him. Many tried to leave and head back north. The
lake of magma stopped most of them for decades until it finally receded.
*********************** **************** *********************
Thorgan
and his escort reached the final stretch to the gates of foratu. The main city
stood at the end of a stone bridge. Below the bridge laid a lake of magma. The
generals with thorgan looked down at the height they stood. One kicked a rock
off the bridge. It dropped for a while and hit the magma. It burst into flames
as the fiery rock sank into the magma. The chiefs looked at each other then to
thorgan. Thorgan never looked down or kept his eyes off the city. The other
chiefs hurried to catch up to him.
They
crossed the bridge and the two-Zartan guards who stood crossed their spears.
“What do you want Naidni” the
zartanite to the left asked
“I wish to have council with
schordin” Thorgan said
“Open the gate” the zartanite to
the right yelled
The
two zartanites brought their spears back to their side. Thorgan and his escort
continued along their way. They entered the city gates and looked at the
castle. A naidni hadn’t entered the city since thorgan’s great grandfather was
king. He drew the line that separated zartanites and naidni. It had been over
150 years since then. Schordin was the king now and was just as stubborn as any
of the zartanite kings prior to him.
For
some reason zartanite’s aged much slower then the Naidni or Kalingans. Many
thought it was since they birthed litters. The zartanites could build an army
off one birth cycle. Each zartanite came out ready to fight just as aggressive
as the older zartans. As thorgan walked through the town, they passed a
blacksmithing shop every other shop. The zartanites were skilled in crafting
metals. They used the lava to meld the strongest metals around.
How
they could survive in the extensive heat. Thorgan wondered as they reached the
palace steps. The smell of the city was just as unbearable. Thorgan remembered
the reason for his visit. He sucked up his discomfort and started up the steps.
The men reached the top of the palace and before they could wipe the sweat off
their foreheads, Castle guards rushed out and surrounded them. They escorted
them to the throne room.
Schordin
sat on his throne with his full armor on. He drank from a goblet and the wine
dropped out his mouth as he gobbled it down. His teeth were sharp and his eyes
black. He sat hunched over and you could see his age through his wrinkled face.
Schordin put his hand out for his cup to be refilled. A female zartanite came
over and refilled it, she was just as ugly as schordin thorgan noticed.
Schordin ignored the men standing in his throne room, ss he guzzled the cup
down once more.
“What do you want naidni?” Schordin
asked sounding annoyed
“We come in good will to ask for
your help in stopping the kalingans”
“Why should we help you naidni”
schordin asked with a snort
“The enemy of my enemy is my
friend, will you allow them to walk to your gates”
“You dare compare mighty zartanites
to you weak naidni?” Schordin asked angered. He crushed the chalice in his hand
and threw it.
“No! By no means do I mean to
offend”
“Get out! Get out of our land. We will
not help you. Let the kalingans come”
The guards in the throne room drew
their weapons
“We offer you water and lots of it”
Thorgan said not backing down
“How much water” schordin said
raising his hand to settle the guards
“We have 20 barrels now and we’ll
send 200 monthly”
“Leave your water and leave now. I
will send a raven with my decision”
“As you wish” thorgan said backing
out the throne room with his escorts.
********************** **************** *************
The fog made it
hard to see ahead of you. A naidni scout ship drifted in the water. The small
dug out boat bobbed in the water. Of the three naidni on board two slept the
other nodded in and out of boredom. Something in the distance caught his
attention. He kicked the two other guys and jumped them up. The three of them
stared into the darkness but could only see fog. A light started to shine in
the distance and got brighter.
One
naidni grabbed the ores and started paddling with all his might. The other
stood up and grabbed his horn. He blew in it to signal the other naidni of the
danger. The light disappeared and a kalingan battleship appeared. A look of
horror came over the three as the ship headed straight for them. The battle
ship crashed into their small boat and did not even slow down. With the first
casualities of war on the naidni side the war began.
Horns
began to blow all throughout the forest. Alerting all naidni warriors of the
threat, Birds cawed and the forest went into a sudden frenzy. The fog started
to clear and the flag started to come into view. The flag was all white with
three black crosses on it. The boats pulled into the land and dropped their
planks. Soldiers started to file out. Their chainmail clung and clanked as they
organized into their flanks.
Cannoniers
rolled off other boats along with soilders. The tanks rolled over slowly. They
filled the air with black smoke as their engines roared. Soldiers followed up
behind them. The final and most extravagant boat plank dropped and john the 23rd
walked off, he took a deep breath and smiled sickly as he looked at his army
organizing themselves. His royal guards stood behind him and moved down the
planks as he did. The kalingans were known for their unity in the military.
Horns from the
naidni snapped the kalingans to attention. Their forces started to come out the
forest. They chanted along with the drums they brought. They’re chants and
cries brought shivers down many of the kalingans soldier’s spines. The
kalingans continued to chant and beat they’re own drums as they’re army
assembled. They were much smaller in size then the kalingan force. Thorgan had
hoped the zartonites would of came before the battle started. He could not
worry about that now. He would make the best of what he had.
“Shut them up!” John
the 23rd said
One of his
generals raised his hand and signaled to his cannoniers. The head cannonier
dropped his hand and simultaneously they started firing the cannons. They
bommed and filled the air with white smoke. The cannons exploded the ground. It
didn’t stop the chants of the naidni. They started to laugh at the fail attempt
to hit them. They were quickly shut up when the second wave of cannons got
fired. A few naidni were hit and blown off the ground. Thorgan raised his hand
for his archers to prepare themselves. The kalingan army started to march in
line. The massive army looked in unison every step they took. The only sounds
coming from them were orders yelled by their commanders. The noise from the
tanks drowned out mostly everything as they spouted black smoke. Thorgan waited
til they got close enough and dropped his hand. The archers sat in the trees
and on the ground. They let their arrows fly. The arrows dropped and impaled
many soldiers. The chainmail they wore protected most of them. The naidni
charged in still chanting and screaming.
The
battle began and blood was being shed on both sides. Suddenly a boom exploded a
tank flipping it over. The boom came from one of the naidni battle ships. The
great flag of thandor flew in the wind. It gave the naidni on the ground more
courage. John the 23rd however was not amused. He signaled for his
ships to take out the naidni fleet. The war waged on two fronts now and it
seemed the kalingans would have the victory.
As
if to stop the smiling face of john the 23rd, the zartanites began
to launch boulders into the battlefield. The horns of the zartanite brigade
made Thorgan turn around. He saw the army of Foratu running into the
battlefield. They trampled kalingans as they clashed into the battle. The
boulders kept flying and the cannons kept booming. The battlefield was covered
in bodies and blood, the tanks rolled over dirt and bodies in its path and
boomed it cargo out,
The
Porgean Sea was no different ships and men laid in the water. The sea turned
red with blood and men washed up on the shores. The naidni had managed to take
control of two more kalingan battleships. Although the kalingans fleet had
destroyed most of theirs, Sharks started to swarm into the blood and fish
invested water. Men thrown overboard were being attacked and drowned as the
ships exchanged cannons.
On
the land Thismal wolves of war and zartan onita’s attacked kalingan soldiers.
Onita’s were the rejects from zartanian birth litters. They were muscular white
with piercing blue eyes and fangs. Some zartanites road their onitas charging
into battle. It was the free onita’s that men feared, as a kalingan soldier
sliced one three jumped on him. They devoured their prey and still hungered as
they scattered back in to the battlefield. The kalingans brought their masiffs
and there sygonian Shepards. The Shepards were similar to the naidni wolves but
more muscular.
Thismal
dogs of war were decendents of the wolves. The thismalites met when they first
settled in thismal. As they grew as a people the wolf pack grew with them.
However sygonian Shepards were trained dog’s breed for one purpose. Destroy
their target. Kalingans unleashed them on battlefields to cause chaos. The
small tactile insertion offset the enemy. Giving kalingans the edge and
allowing them to push forward.
When
the two dogs met they showed each other their teeth. They charged at each other
and started biting each other. The sygonian Shepard got the advantage and bit
the wolf in the neck. The war dog squeeled and tried to scratch. The Shepard
shook his head to finish it. His face covered in blood he licked his teeth and
looked around. He spotted another wolf and their eyes met. Men ran between them
still fighting. The war dog let out a howl and charged at the Shepard. The
Shepard jumped at the dog. As he did another wolf appeared and knocked him to
the ground. The two wolves attacked the Shepard one at his neck the other at
his stomach.
The
roar of a new sound made John the 23rd smile with pleasure. While it
made Thorgan’s blood run cold. All the men on land and on sea stopped what they
were doing and looked up. The planes came into view and circled the
battlefield. They unleashed their cargo on everything. Bombs dropped from the
sky blowing up things on the battlefield. John’s smile disappeared when he saw
his army being decimated as well.
The
sky started to darken and the earth started to shake. Chunks of an asteroid
started to fall out the sky. It smashed into the battlefield and released a
green gas into the area. Bigger chunks started to fall. The sky turned to fire
as smoke covered the earth. The soldiers on both factions sides started to
retreat, as the battlefield was in chaos. The planes came down crashing. Men
cried in pain as they ran around the battlefield on fire.
The
chunks continued to rain down. One landed on top of john. Another landed on top
of thorgan and schordin. The smoke burned their lungs and the green
illuminating of the black stones scared them. The asteroid started to mutate
all that came in contact with it. The chunks rained down all over the world.
The volcanoes in foratu exploded and the Algerian forest started to burn. The
lakes and streams dried up in the forest. What was once flourishing land turned
to a desert. The earth continued to shake.
The geysers in Sodom erupted and froze over turning it into frozen
tundra.
“Get this off of me!” john the 23rd
yelled.
He
picked up the meteor by himself and threw it. john was now 20 ft tall and his
muscles bulged. His face however was disfigured and he now only had one big
tooth sticking out of his mouth. A big nose and his golden crown melted into
his massive skull. His escorts backed up at the sight of him. They however
became stronger as well they’re armor could hardly contain there new mass in
muscle. Their swords on their sides seemed like toothpicks now. Other kalingan
soldiers had the same muscular growth. However few turned into beast they
became werewolves. They were at least 7ft tall half man and half dog. There
hands now claws coming out of them.
Soldiers that were
on fire were still on fire but no longer screaming. The fire was now one with
there flesh. These mutations happened to the naidni as well. Those in trees
became one with them. Later becoming known as synthesizers. The men on horses
became one with them as well. They became centaur’s man on top horse on the
bottom. Other men ran around crazed.
“The voices stop
the voices!” One soldier yelled on his knees holding his head.
Some men were
gifted with telepathy and other increased mental abilities. Some men started to
fall through the floor. They controlled the earth and became one with it. As
all these mutations were occurring the uncontrolled power strained the earth.
Thorgan and
schordin standing next to each other got pinned under one of the crashing
chunks. They looked at each other and for a moment in time they read each
other’s minds. They teleported to the asterian plane and saw all the others
with mental abilities.
“What is this
place?” schordin asked looking over all the men going crazy.
“This must be
where minds go” we must help” thorgan said
He made himself
three times his normal size and towered over the minds.
“Listen return to
your bodies and retreat to your lands!” thorgan thundered
One
after another they disappeared and thorgan returned to normal size and stood
next to schordin.
“How did you do that!” schordin
asked
“I don’t know, I just thought it,
come we must get to safety”
They
returned to the battlefield. The asteroid was still on top of them. They both
lifted the asteroids off of themselves with their minds.
The planes that
crashed also started to mutate. The cords inside them started to expand and
grab nearby soldiers. The tanks started to change too. The tanks exploded and
the shrapnel that touched the soliders or naidni fused to them. They became
cyborgs as the metal and cords intertwined within them. Darrell crawled out of
the crash slowly. He looked around the battlefield and noticed the change in
his eyesight. It had become cybernetic; his right hand was metal and his left
normal. The wires and tank strapnel continued to change people in the same
manner. Darrell looked at the sea and saw the ships burning. They were at least
200 yards from him. Yet he could zoom in and see them as if they were 10ft
away.
The thismal dogs of war, onita’s, the sygonian
Shepards and the masiffs were affected as well. They grew bigger some
elemental, metallic and more ferocious. The men on the on the sea were also
changing. The seamen mixed with the fish around them. Many of the kalingans
mixed with the sharks. Their arms stretched out and became fin like. They’re
muscles bulged out as they’re faces tightened up and pulled back. They started
to resemble the killer whales, hammerheads and great whites in the area. The
naidni solders however grew fins out there back. Their spines curved in and
started to enlarge. Their face and body turned blue and scaly. The back of
their head was a rainbow. Their eyes grew big and darkened the color of
midnight. One naidni however turned into pure water. He rose up out the water
and pulled the water into a tsunami under his feet.
“Retreat!” thorgan
and john yelled at the same time. They both stood on opposite sides of the
battlefield. As they yelled the sky turned black once more and the earth below
their feet trembled. Men ran into the forest and in to the remaining boats. An
asteroid the size of the battlefield was hurtling down towards them. The
soldier that stood on the water turned his attention to the asteroid. He
focused his energy on it. Gallons of water pounded out of the tip of his
fingers pointed to the asteroid breaking it a bit. The naidni soldier that
turned to fire earlier, Lordan Engulfed in flames flew up to assist wild horse.
Zartan rose up a
mound of land and stood next to the other two. He began hurling giant boulders
at the spot the other two were aiming at. Kaway flew up toward them with wings
as white as snow coming out his back. He pulled the clouds together and rained
thunder and hail down on the asteroid. With the might of all four the asteroid
started to crack. A bolt of lightening hit the asteroid and it split in half.
It filled the area with the gas and started to crack apart. The asteroid broke
into five points and hit the battlefield.
The impact of the asteroids caused the earth
to break apart. The ocean rumbled the waves crashed against land. The kalingan
battleships in the bay were pushed into the sea. They rocked violently as they
floated away leaving soldiers behind. The four elemental naidni spread out over
the battlefield trying to save who they could. The earth started to break apart
the fog got really thick and heavy around the battlefield. The left side and
right side of thisalbush started to sink, while the heart of thisalbush started
to drift away from the two collapsing sides.
The survivors
watched from land, air and sea at the destruction that was taking place. Some
stood on the shores of thismal with Thorgan and Schordin. Kalingan factions
stood on what was left of the progessive city. The four elemental naidni slowly
started to take the survivors to their respective sides. The heart of thisabush
slowly disappeared in the sunset. The two factions stood on their sides
watching as they drifted farther and farther apart.
************************** ******************** ********************
As
the months followed and turned into years there was much unrest in the world.
As many people found the changes hard to get use too. Civil unrest broke out
often especially in naidni tribes. Thorgan did his best to guide his people
through the difficult times. He stressed the fact that abilities or lack there
of didn’t make a person better or worse and managed to settle most disputes.
Thegan his son watched and learned from his father’s actions.
To
keep the unity of the people he orchestrated Olympics be held to commemorate
the asteroid. These test challenged those with powers and those without. They
kept all the tribes happy and allowed joy to subdue many of the tensions that
plagued the naidni. The four warriors who were gifted with becoming the essence
of elements started to be looked at as gods. They assisted thorgan in preparing
the Olympics.
The
Olympics were to cycle the empire held in each tribe, every citizen would be
given a chance to show their skills. The Olympics also held fighting
tournaments and exhibits. Warriors from all kingdoms came out to match their
skills against others or just their level of discipline. At this time clerics
became known as the law of the empire. They were excluded from participation in
events but allowed to do exhibitions. They’re acts always marveled the crowd.
The level of discipline the clerics held were unmatched by any in the lands.
The
clerics also played the vital role in the birthing of naidni children. For the
mutation carried over into their offspring’s of the children. The amount of
aura they were born with varied by child and once a naidni child was born.
Their stomach glowed green like the asteroid, the brighter the light the
stronger the child. As the children grew the gods and clerics helped them
choose their path. For most the aura could only be focused on one element.
There were exceptions with a few extra ordinary children who were gifted with a
higher level of aura. These children could handle two or more abilities.
Thorgan
and other’s with mental abilities started to understand their limits. Laws were
made to protect people from being used by mental mutants. Who could manipulate
weak minded and untrained minds. They could Transmorph objects to a certain
degree. They could change an object or control it for a certain amount of time
and After the object would return to its normal state. It came to their
attention that some mutants could increase another’s power or give power to
someone without them.
The
mutation extended the life span of all that were affected by it. Although
thorgan showed his age he was still strong as an ox. The abilities however
didn’t make them immortal as many learned. Uncontrolled and reckless use of
abilities leads to many deaths in young naidni. Another seven years passed and
thorgan prepared himself for the dark days he tried to avoid.
******************** ********************** **************
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