3
The time of the final battle had come.
Parn had never experienced a clash of armies so large before. He rode alongside Kashue and the knights of Flaim, watching the clouds growing in the eastern skies.
“It was such nice weather…” The sun had disappeared behind the cloud cover. It was too early for an afternoon shower, and Parn sniffed the air to see if it would rain. It didn’t feel very humid—the weather was behaving strangely.
“They probably summoned clouds with magic,” Slayn mumbled from behind them. He was walking carefully to avoid being kicked by horses—the battle was clearly weighing heavily on his mind, so Parn was trying to give him his space.
Etoh walked behind Slayn, Pharis battle-priests in matching armor streaming behind him like a group of pilgrims.
Deedlit rode a horse a short distance behind Parn—she’d decided at the last minute to join the battle. Woodchuck, however, had stayed behind in the castle—a battlefield was no place for a rogue like him.
As for Ghim, rescuing Leylia was his most important duty.
“A large-scale battle such as this isn’t like the small skirmishes you’re used to, which tend to break down into one-on-one fights,” Kashue said, offering guidance as he always did. “You must always be vigilant and keep track of the flow of the battle. You need to know whether your allies have the upper hand or are losing ground. Even the most skilled swordsman will die on the battlefield if he isn’t aware of the battle around him.” Kashue frowned. “Our opponents use dark magic and elemental magic. We have no idea what they can do, so be prepared for their trickery. Use code words among allies and consider anyone who cannot answer an enemy. The deaths of a few allies will do less damage in the long run.” Kashue turned to Parn. “It’s not a popular strategy, but it’s how I survived.”
Parn understood the meaning underneath the words. Don’t waste your life. Only take that risk when it’s worth it.
When the bells in Roid tolled noon, Fahn swung his sword down to signal the attack. Horns blasted and drums beat out their low boom, boom, sending the signal through the entire army.
On the northern battlefield, Kashue heard the signal. With a shout, he commanded his knights and soldiers to charge through the rolling grassland and attack the enemy camp. The battle had begun.
Angry bellows rang out from soldiers on both sides, and a ringing clash of swords surrounded them. Soon, death cries could be heard as the battlefield turned into a sea of carnage.
“Deed, don’t fall behind!” Parn called out to the elf. He drew his sword and spurred his horse on.
“Follow me!” Kashue ordered. “Don’t give them time to cast spells!” But before they could get any further, a company of dark knights appeared over a hill and cleaved into the side of the charging Flaim army, almost exactly where Parn was riding.
“We’ll get them!” Parn called as he reined in his steed. If these knights ruined their formation, they would be at a massive disadvantage.
“Leave it to me!” Deedlit called as she released Undine from the water bag at her hip. The water elemental fluttered through the air and clung to the lead knight’s face like a thin film. He tumbled off his horse, grasping at his face, unable to breathe.
A moment later, a massive explosion shot through the center of the dark knights—a fire spell from Slayn. Several of the horsemen exploded and several more were knocked from their mounts. The remaining knights bravely drew closer, however.
Then, just before the lead rider crossed swords with Parn, they swerved and galloped off.
“They were a diversion,” Slayn warned. “The dark elves are lurking, hidden.”
Parn nodded, then rode down the line yelling, “Protect the wizard! He’ll tell us where the dark elves are!”
Etoh’s battle-priests surrounded Slayn with shields facing outward.
“Thank you,” the wizard muttered. From behind the shield wall, he could point out where the invisible dark elves were approaching and cast neutralizing spells to break their invisibility.
“There! Get them!” Parn shouted, pointing at the now-visible dark elves with his sword. He galloped over and used the momentum to run one through with his blade. The mercenaries of his squad followed, skillfully picking off the dark elves. Flaim’s powerful mercenary army had once been led by Kashue himself, and they were on par with Flaim’s Order of Knights. They were normally led by Kashue’s trusted right hand man, Shadam.
“Don’t stray far from the infantry!” Kashue shouted. “Support the magic-users!”
At his order, Parn turned his horse back toward Slayn and Etoh. They were already in the enemy camp, but as Parn rode up, the enemy was nowhere to be found. He could only see monsters with bows moving in small groups, roving the hills.
The monsters were weak, but their arrows flew far from their posts on high ground. Parn drew an arrow from his quiver and, with a twang of his bowstring, let it fly in a parabola toward the enemy. He’d only intended it as cover fire, but it was a lucky shot—one of the monsters took it in the chest and stumbled to the ground.
Several of the enemy archers returned fire. Parn raised his shield to protect his face.
“Sylph, spirit of wind…” Deedlit called out to the wind elemental, who created a gust of wind on her command. The arrows suddenly changed course and buried themselves harmlessly in the ground.
Deedlit took the lead position, expanding Sylph’s influence to protect more of their soldiers.
Parn hurried over to her. “Don’t push yourself too hard,” he called out.
“I’ll have Sylph handle the archers,” Deedlit called back. “Shouldn’t you be looking for other enemies?” She gestured with her rapier—Parn followed with his eyes, only to see Kashue, the mercenary king, at the front of the Knights of Flaim. He was boldly slashing his way through the enemy ranks.
“Whoa,” Parn whispered, awestruck. Kashue’s skill with the sword was even more impressive than the rumors had implied. Every swing of his blade felled another enemy. The knights at his back were all stalwart veterans of the long war with the desert savages and kept pace with their king.
“We can’t fall behind!” Parn called out to his soldiers as he spurred his steed onwards. “Follow King Kashue—the enemy is fleeing!”
“Good to see you alive!” Kashue called to Parn, pulling his horse to a stop. A few of the desert knights were wounded, but none had died yet. Two of Parn’s squad had been killed by the dark elves, but the others had all made it through unscathed.
“There were fewer dark elves than I expected,” Kashue said with a wry smile. “The others must be having a rough time.”
“Then we must clear this area and go assist them,” one of the knights replied.
“Indeed,” Kashue responded. “We have nothing to fear from a few dark elves. Cut through them and finish this quickly. Follow me!”
Parn rode alongside Kashue at the front. Enemy arrows rained down on him, but he felt no fear—being near a true hero like Kashue made him feel safe and powerful. He knew he could push past his own limits, basking in the aura of such a magnificent warrior.
Deedlit’s elementals were doing their jobs, deflecting all of the enemy’s arrows into strange trajectories that didn’t come close to hitting their allies.
Suddenly, several balls of fire appeared ahead. As they watched, the fireballs took on the shape of lizards.
“It’s Salamander, the spirit of fire! Watch out, it breathes flames!” Deedlit called out in warning.
Parn readied his shield and galloped up to one of the fire lizards. The sword in his right hand glowed pale blue.
“Is that Slayn?!” he cried in delight at his glowing blade—his wizard friend had enhanced his sword with a spell.
The glowing blade sliced cleanly through the salamander’s torso as he galloped past—the fiery monster vanished without even a wisp of smoke.
“Charge!” Parn held his sword out and galloped at full speed. The salamanders’ flames had knocked several knights off their horses, but the rest plunged into the enemy ranks, routing them.
“Attack while their ranks are disrupted! Have faith in Pharis’s divine protection!” Etoh called. His battle-priests were clustered behind the knights, closing in on the enemy, supporting their allies with holy magic but also pushing forward hand-to-hand with their maces.
“I’m exhausted,” Slayn panted next to him. “Running like this right after casting a spell? I’m not gonna last.”
Etoh glanced over, then paled when he saw how badly Slayn was doing. He called over one of the fitter priests and quickly directed him to attend to Slayn. The priest laid a hand on Slayn’s body and began praying to Pharis—at once, Slayn’s heart beat slower and his breathing evened out.
“Pharis magic sure is handy,” Slayn commented, impressed. “Thank you, I feel much better—and they still need me.” With no hesitation, Slayn raised his staff and cast an ancient spell. He shook his staff to the side once, and several of the enemy fell to the ground.
“Is that the old standby sleep spell?” asked Etoh.
“Yes. I’ve learned that these little spells are often more useful than the larger ones. In a melee, one inattentive moment can be fatal,” Slayn mumbled as he scanned the battle around him.
Etoh agreed. The formations of both armies had crumbled, melding into a massive melee. A short distance away, Parn and Deedlit could be seen wielding their swords side by side.
Etoh couldn’t help but smile, thinking of how far his strong, dependable friend had come.
“This area is clear!” Kashue’s voice boomed above all the other noise. “Head south to assist King Fahn’s main force. Reassemble the formations. Those of you on foot—don’t push too hard, you won’t be able to fight if you wear yourselves out running. Cavalry in front, then the battle-priests and wizards. Heavily armed infantry will take up the rear. Only drink water on the way—you’ll fight better if you’re a little hungry!” With that, the fighters began their march through the trampled farmland.
The enemy army’s right flank—already destroyed by Kashue’s army—was likely a decoy. Most of the dark elves were in the left flank, where they’d quickly wiped out Elm’s army. Elm himself had fallen to the blade of a dark elf assassin.
That triumphant enemy had charged through the decimated left flank to join the battle in the center, and they had given their side the advantage—until Kashue’s army arrived. Evenly matched, the field was plunged into absolute chaos…