Elder Drell stood clutching a spear with a snarl smeared on his face, clad in golden battle armour. His wary eyes surveyed the chaos before him, his clan at his back.
Blood Chargers were advanced relentlessly up the beach, their path of destruction unimpeded as they tore through the small structures near the shore. Civilians ran from the incoming tide but would never make it.
A sense of responsibility washed over Drell. His brows furrowed at the sight unfolding before him. This was the ultimate turning point, the decisive moment that would determine the fate of their clan.
"Steady," Drell commanded, his voice filled with determination.
Among the horde of Blood Chargers, a group of Felren stepped aside as a menacing figure made its way to the front line. Drell snarled. He recognised the Felren with bitterness, knowing he was one of Imok's cursed offspring.
“Terrik!” Drell shouted, eyeing the Commander General of the Blood Clan.
"Dad?" Ralina's voice cut through the madness, filled with concern and fear. Drell gave his daughter a nod, urging her to stay back and out of harm's way.
Terrik lifted his massive jaws to the sky, releasing a bone-chilling bellow, which was echoed by the chargers around him. With their heads lowered, they advanced as one, their massive horns surged forward, thirsting for blood.
Drell's eyes narrowed, his anger boiling within him. "See! They mean to cut us down before we even draw human blood," he spat.
Drell snarled defiantly at the oncoming chargers and signalled his clansmen to ready themselves.
"Formation ready!" he roared.
Three hundred fully armed Felren warriors, their human bodies adorned in shimmering golden armour, reacted swiftly and in perfect unison. Rectangular shields flew into their hands and dug into the sand, while long spikes jutted out from each.
"Hold!" Drell commanded, his voice a powerful roar. The chargers surged forward, crashing into the formidable line of golden warriors with a colossal crack.
"Kill them! Kill them all!" screamed Terrik, his frustration evident as he clawed at the shields. The slight advantage of higher ground, though minuscule, provided the golden warriors with a crucial edge. The chargers slowed, caught between the well-guarded formation of the Sun Clan.
"Turn, claw, and guard!" roared Drell, his voice carrying across the field. A high-pitched horn sounded from behind the soldiers, blowing three quick blasts. The golden-clad warriors, their war cries morphing into fierce growls, transformed simultaneously into bronze Felren, their shields slotting onto their armour and over their shoulders. Crouching to the ground, their bestial forms formed a large glimmering ramp created by the combined shields and angles.
The chargers, caught off guard, were forced over the shields, impaling themselves on the golden spikes as blood flowed freely down the shimmering golden ramp. "Claw!" Drell commanded as the horn sounded again, and a gap opened beneath their shields. The line of armour flipped up, revealing the savage jaws of the Sun Clan's beasts. Metallic claws, fitted with razor-sharp blades, struck out between the gaps with lightning speed. The blood Felren clan, momentarily frozen by the reflections dancing in their eyes, lost focus and succumbed to the sharp claws.
"Guard!" Drell roared once more as the soldiers vanished behind their shields, leaving behind an impenetrable wall. The horn resounded, and the golden soldiers roared in triumph. "Claw!" The shields continued to flip up and down like the snapping jaws of a giant golden dragon. Blood chargers bounded over the shields, only to be caught and slain by flying spears from behind the formation. Their lifeless bodies fell hard between the symmetrical lines of the Sun Clan warriors.
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Drell commanded relentlessly, his voice echoing over the chaos. "Shield. Claw!" The relentless clash between the beasts of the Sun and the Snow against the full might of the Blood Clan continued, but the tide was endless.
Drell's eyes locked onto the commanding Blood Felren, Terrik.
Cut off the head, he thought. Terrik wounded by the initial bombardment disappeared into the mass of his chargers, fumbling with something in his paws. Suddenly, his eyes snapped up, meeting Drell's in the throng with a wicked sneer. The Commander General had swallowed something.
Agony twisted Terrik's features as his paws swelled. The fur on his back lengthened, his horns grew, and his jaws widened. Howls of pain escaped his lips as his body stretched and contorted under the force of the unseen power. Drell watched in silent horror as Terrik morphed into something unearthly. He stood as tall on two feet, a monstrous hybrid of Felren and human, towering over even his mother's immense size. He flexed his new body, shivering with satisfaction, as he surveyed the carnage from above the walls.
"Spears!" Drell roared, his voice cutting through the chaos. "Spears! Take the big one down!" A hail of spears flew through the air, sinking into the beast's side. With a furious roar, Terrik swiped the shafts away, showering his chargers in his blood. Ignoring the shafts, he sprang forward towards the Sun Clan's front line, trampling his own men in his relentless pursuit of prey.
“Guard!” Drell shouted, but it was no use.
The Blood Clan retreated behind their general, who tore through the Sun Clan soldiers with ease.
Men were tossed aside like rag dolls, their shields shattering in their grasp. Terrik, his snout dripping with blood and strands of torn flesh clinging to his matted fur, licked his lips and let out a triumphant roar.
"Die mongrels!" he laughed, revelling in the slaughter.
Drell watched in horror as his warriors fell before the sheer weight of the beast. Their bodies and armour torn apart by the merciless general. He knew he had to act, had to do something. Gripping the pommel of his ancient sword, the treasure of his ancestors, he charged towards the general, determined to stop the mad Felren.
Chargers fell dead around him as he sliced a path through the chaos.
Arching his back, Drell held the sword aloft in one clawed hand. In a swift motion, he jumped toward the monster's flank, twisting mid-air. With a sickening crunch, the blade severed the monster's tail at the base, causing it to crash heavily into the sand.
"Noooo!" Terrik roared in pain and fury. "You damn mutt!"
Drell landed gracefully and swiftly, his claw transforming into a human hand as he released his grip on the sword, which clattered to the ground. It was a feint.
Drell grinned. Terrik took the bait and lunged on all fours. Drell darted after the fallen blade, narrowly evading Terrik's retaliatory strike and grabbed it once more in his clawed hand.
Terrik's massive line of teeth lashed out with the force of a shockwave, but Drell anticipated the attack, his instincts honed through countless hours of training.
The ancient blade emitted a high-pitched scream as Drell twisted it in his grip, his body becoming a blur of motion. Whipping low to the ground, he rolled under the colossal beast, driving the sword into its rock-hard sternum.
“Ah!” Terrik cried as he clutched at the blade lodged in his chest, his eyes rolling back as a fountain of blood gushed from the wound. With one last heavy breath, the general of the Blood Clan fell to the ground.
Elder Drell spat out a mouthful of his own blood, wiping the blade on the fur of the fallen general. His plan had worked, at least for the moment. However, when he surveyed the battlefield, his heart sank. The blood chargers, after falling into their trap, were now routing towards the shoreline, with reinforcements pouring into the city by the hundreds. Their short-lived victory had made little difference.
The cries of battle continued outside the walls, and Drell's gaze was drawn upward to the night Felren fighting atop the battlements. The city's defences were crumbling under the relentless assault. Suddenly, a whistle from the rear of the city walls caught his attention. His expression turned to confusion as he saw his scout pointing up at the face of the cliff. His Feldreken were swiftly climbing down ropes.
"What were they thinking?" Drell swore, frustrated. He sprinted up to meet them, ready to lash out, but then he hesitated as he saw the alarm in Lyra's eyes. His daughter stood by his side, twirling her polished blade in her grip.
Drell roared in frustration. "She is here, isn't she?"
Lyra nodded, standing steadfastly beside him. Drell's heart lifted slightly at the sight of Lyra; at least she was by his side. But his attention was quickly drawn back to the battle, where the reinforcements of the Blood Chargers continued to pour onto the beach.
"Shall we deal with this?" Lyra chuckled.
Elder Drell smirked and shouted, "Feldreken, have fun!" A shimmer of gold enveloped him as his highly trained warriors tore past him. The speed and ferocity of the Feldreken were unmatched, as they moved through the larger chargers like smoke through leaves. Each moment was a blur as they morphed into partial Felren, their claws striking at every vulnerable target, only to transform back into humans, wielding a weapon in each hand. The ferocity left a trail of blood in their wake.