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Dead promises
Ch 51: Kelinrask Siege

Ch 51: Kelinrask Siege

The port city of Kelinrask is at peace despite the war, a new shift of guards head up onto the city walls, they a mix of recruits and veterans who report to the nearest tower. An older guard sits at a desk within the tower and he looks at them as they enter. The group stand at attention as they enter and look at the older guard who is clearly their captain.

"All of you will be on top of the wall today, we have patrols returning at their requisite times throughout the day, you are to keep an eye out for them and ensure their identity before allowing them to go to the city gates. As for where exactly you're stationed you are replacing the 44th squad back out the way you came now head along but Koraz you stay here" The guard captain said

"Yes sir!" The guard squad all shouted in unison before heading out leaving one of the veterans called Koraz behind

"What is it sir?" Koraz asked

"Where you and those ones are stationed is a bit of a walk along the walls from any tower and they don't have their own higher ranking guard within them but due to your experience if anything happens you have full command over the area until I or someone as high ranked gets there understood?" The guard captain said

"Yes sir" Koraz said before heading out to join his squad before heading back along the wall

"Damn I was hoping we'd be on patrol today" One of the newly recruited guards said

"Why? Given the war you're likely to die out there. You looking to die today boy?" Koraz asked

"What? No! It's just the wall duty is so damn boring plus I only came here recently and the smell of the ocean is still so fucking nauseating so standing up here with is an annoyance" The recruit said

"You'll get used to it, anyway the 44th is just up ahead lets swap in with them" Koraz said

The guard squad sends the 44th away and stands in their place they watch out over the walls for hours during which two patrol squads make their way back each time they had to confirm their identities dragging out the interactions. One of the recruits from the squad looks away from outside the wall back out onto the city and its port.

"You really think the elves are just going to come here? Even if they siege the place it's not going to be easy for them especially if we see them coming" The recruit said

"Shut it Feirhel, we aren't watching for elves these days" Koraz said

"The fuck are we looking out for then Koraz?" The recruit named Feirhel asked genuinely confused and curious

"We've heard tell of the regions around Gantoral having some army in it, the dead rising because of some guy, tons of rumours but we've confirmed there is a force there and we've lost contact with a lot of places around there including the Kolakinta Mountain Fortress" Koraz said garnering the attention of several guards around

"Seriously?" Feirhel asked now very concerned

"A couple of the scouts came back a week ago, they were sent to investigate and they found a new border established with as far as the eye can see soldier after soldier, both humans and elves though mostly humans. They were injured, some severely so at that, to the point they should be dead and yet they were standing there or patrolling but the scouts were discovered and attacked by those same undead people forcing their retreat back here" Koraz said much to the other guards shock but Koraz notices something

"We've got movement so eyes forward people" Koraz said

Coming out of the forest is a small group of soldiers, they wear the same armour as the guards so they immediately assume they are one of the patrolling groups. Koraz notices something however that one seems injured as they leave behind a small trail of blood.

"Halt! We need to confirm your identify, names and date joined for our guard force" Koraz shouted at the incoming patrol group

The guards on the wall couldn't hear the words said by the soldier at the head of the patrol group only what came next, they all heard a large booming sound as a large flash forced them all to turn their gaze, they look back and are frozen in fear as they see two large portals to the demon realm of Kragrum with two large Golems on the other side. The golems move before the soldiers do, the ground shakes as the golems step through the portals, the soldiers watch as the golems rear their arms back.

"BRACE YOURSELVES!" Koraz shouted snapping everyone out of their shock

The golems arms strike at the walls yet they do not hit them but instead a large magical barrier covers the entirety of the city yet the strike shakes the ground around where they are including the walls. Several guards are forced back off of the walls falling down towards the city, Koraz quickly reaches down from where he stands conjuring a rope around the battlements which he holds onto so he can lean over the wall and quickly catch the guards who fell with telekinesis.

"THESE GOLEMS ARE CONTROLLED CONSTRUCTS THE ONE THAT MADE THEM HAS TO BE THAT FUCKER DOWN THERE SOLDIERS FIRE ON THAT GROUP" Koraz commanded as he lowered the guards down to the ground safely

The guards immediately follow Koraz's orders and take aim at the group they thought were from the patrol, the stumble as they knock their arrows because the golems strike the barrier again but enough of them stand quickly enough to aim immediately once more and fire upon the group yet as the arrows fly through the air and begin connecting with the flesh of the group they barely react until what looks like a soul comes out of the one they couldn't hear speak. The soul is is Golanier yet they don't know that and all they see is he's of a larger race of people they've never seen with horns that confuse them as they cover his head, the soul then begins to laugh and flies up behind one of the golems as a man suddenly stands atop the golems, they only see the cloak and the blazing green of his eyes upon the face covered in darkness as the cloak blocks the sun from shining on his face. No guard there knows that the man they see is Yorun and as the archers take aim at him they see a scythe appear in his hands before pointing to the walls with that same scythe every guard and half the city immediately are struck with fear as they hear several roarrs coming from the golems. Claws come up from behind the golems and grab onto their shoulders before a few pairs of wings stretch out from behind them then finally the dragons heads raise up and look at the walls sending chills down the spines of every guard there.

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"DRAGONS!" Koraz, Feirhel and several other guards shouted alerting everyone close by enough but could not see over the walls.

The dragons quickly jumped off the backs of the golems and fly into the sky before unleashing torrents of green fire onto the city's magical barrier, the flames make all the guards hide behind the battlements on instinct and they hear the fire raging on the barrier while the heat rages against them even through the barrier, the dragons spread out around the city yet avoid the water as they continue their assault on the barrier. The whole city is now in a state of panic as everyone can see the dragons in the skies trying to break the barrier, screams echo throughout the city as people run to the safest places they can think of while the guards on the towers prepare ballista's to shoot down the dragons. Just as they begin to think it cannot get worse they see a giant arm with scales begin to reach for the skies in the forest, soon enough that arm lowers crushing many trees as a giant undead with large wings pulls itself out of a portal then it starts to march towards the wall, it is larger than the previously hastily made golems and with the thick scales across large portions of its body it is naturally armoured.

"BY THE GODS! WE NEED ARTILLARY SUPPORT! GET BACK UP MAGES AS WELL" Koraz shouted to the nearest soldiers who quickly relay that to the nearest towers

As the undead giant lumbers closer to the city the nearest towers to it which are equipped with catapults, as its the front of the city, are being manned as quick as possible and once they're ready they launch large rocks at the golems and the undead giant while the ballistae in other towers shoot at the dragons. The dragons easily dodge the bolts from the ballistae while the golems stumble back from the impact of the rocks while the giant undead does not even notice them, more mages quickly teleport onto the wall next to Koraz and they quickly combine their magics to quickly conjure several ballistae and set the conjured bolts alight with flames, they simultaneously fire the flaming bolts for the head of the giant undead yet as the bolts strike the mages begin to think they've done well their faces of expected triumph quickly drop as they see the bolts had barely pierced the scales on the giants face so they don't impede the giant. The giant undead continues to march to the city the ground shaking more and more with each step until it balls it's hands together listing it's arms up and slamming them down onto the top of the barrier covering the city, everyone in the city can see the giant undead and it's arms coming down at them they know the only thing that prevents it from continuing down on them and crushing them all is a magical barrier. The strikes on the barrier particularly that of the undead giant causes intense winds down into the city making it hard for citizens still outside as well as the guards on the walls to stay upright and many begin praying for the gods they care for most to aid them. Yet amongst all the chaos Feirhel is the first one to notice Yorun is no longer in sight.

"Koraz! That one with the scythe! They're go-" Feirhel shouted before his eyes went dark falling to the ground

"Mage! Check on Feirhel now!" Koraz shouted to a mage as he then noticed several other guards particularly the newer ones including some of the mages fall just as Feirhel did

A mage runs over to Feirhel and scans him but he senses nothing coming from him, no heart beat or or brain activity but also he cant sense his soul, the mage quickly kneels down and checks the pulse as they're just confused but at that moment they see Feirhel's eyes turn green.

"Wha-" The mage manages to say before Feirhel drives his sword into the mages neck and starts standing up pushing the mage off him

"Feirhel what are you doing!?" Koraz shouted confused until he sees his eyes and can't sense his soul then as he looks around he sees more of the people who collapsed getting up and attacking others

"By the gods... Feirhel I'm sorry... EVERYONE DESTROY THOSE WHO COLLAPSED THEY'RE UNDEAD" Koraz commanded as the guards quickly fight those they had just been fighting alongside

Koraz quickly rushes towards the undead Feirhel and conjures a shield to force Feirhels sword out of the way and then finally uses his own sword to cut off the undead guards head. Koraz and the guards deal with the undead on the walls all the while the dragons, golems and giant undead continue their assault on the barrier yet several guards soon enough alert Koraz to the forest behind the undead giant where he sees an army approaching, more undead of human and elven sizes.

"Nearby mages activate the outer defences! they can deal with people of our sizes!" Koraz shouted to the nearest mages

The mages then activate the magical defences outside the city, as the army marches toward the city parts of the fields outside the city get dug out suddenly, multiple rings of trenches that go all around the city immediately dug as if the ground that was there suddenly shifted downwards, multiple undead are trapped in these trenches and while they start attempting to climb out of the trenches only a few manage it before the sound of rushing water is heard, water from the ocean where the trenches end on both side floods into the trenches aided by mages on the walls forcing many undead away from the rest of the army so as far as being pushed into the ocean while others in heavier armour cannot do anything but sink. The guards cheer as they watch many undead get washed away and distant cheers are hear further down the walls as those closer to the ocean itself see the ports magical defences come to life, the water of the port starts to have small waterspouts from which what look to be tall knights entirely made of water emerge, they walk across the water and begin to cut the undead to pieces and when on dragon strays too close to the water the knights all immediately look to the dragon before the water that makes up their bodies flows through the air joining together before shooting at the dragons neck with such pressure it cuts clean through as if there were no resistance. Koraz looks back towards Yorun and looks optimistic with their defence against him but remain worried not knowing what will be used by the man before him against the city.

"Surrender now! We will not let you break through these walls and slaughter our people!" Koraz shouted at Yorun

"If you think this will be enough to stop me from continuing you are wrong..." Yorun said simply yet his voice is carried to the wall anyway

Koraz and Yoruns eyes meet both filled with an intensity for protectiveness and determination on either side and know that this siege wont end any time soon for either side...