The rain kept pouring down heavily as we traveled. Khoryn told me about what they had encountered along their way. “We visited a few villages of other races...” he said in a somber tone. “What we saw wasn’t much different from what happened to the Firbolgs. Raids, captures. Some fled, while others tried to rescue their own, but… I’m pretty sure those attempts were a lost cause. None of them are warriors.”

I feared something like this. It was definitely time to act. If we kept delaying, the sage behind all of this would have an unstoppable army at his disposal.

After several hours of travel, the rain began to subside as the sun started to set. In the distance, I spotted the watchtower of the semi-human village. It stood tall and imposing, and I wondered if it had already been fully completed.

The semi-humans patrolling the walls saw us approaching. They quickly alerted the others, and the massive gates opened without delay. Eldrek and Gronn were waiting to welcome us. As we entered, I greeted them with a cheerful nod, but Gronn’s expression changed suddenly.

“Take cover!” he shouted, pointing behind us.

I turned instantly and saw a volley of arrows raining down from the sky. “Aeryn, run!” I commanded, directing her toward the safety of the village while the sound of arrows whistled through the air. Eldrek bellowed, “Close the gates!”

The arrows struck some of the lizardmen trailing behind me. Some fell dead on the spot, while others writhed in pain, arrows piercing their backs and limbs. Even some of the drakkin were hit, collapsing to the ground with agonized roars. Chaos quickly descended.

I managed to make it inside unscathed and jumped off Aeryn’s back. “Take cover!” I told her, giving her a reassuring pat before sending her to safety. Just before the gates slammed shut, I caught sight of the attackers—a group of shrieking goblins. Among them, a massive troll was advancing.

“Are those the same goblins we saw in the mountains with Eldrek?” I muttered to myself as I watched the gates close with a loud thud.

The injured lizardmen roared in rage, pulling the arrows out of their bodies. Khoryn, who had come out unscathed, rushed to find Zardak, the lizardmen’s leader, to organize those still able to fight. Meanwhile, the semi-human villagers were descending into panic.

Eldrek raised his voice, giving orders. “Everyone to the shelter under the watchtower! Move!” From atop the tower, a lookout shouted in a trembling voice, “Giants approaching from the other side!”

Gronn frowned, glancing at Eldrek. “Did he just say giants?”

“There’s none of ours outside. Everyone’s in here… The only explanation is that giants from our village have somehow come here,” Eldrek replied, clearly concerned.

Cries echoed from different points along the walls. “Enemies spotted!” “They’re coming from the other side too!”

My breath quickened. “Help the villagers find shelter! Only those who can fight should stay here!” I commanded as the remaining lizardmen prepared for battle.

Zardak arrived with his warriors, all armed and ready. “What are you waiting for, you fools? The battle has finally arrived!” he roared.

Thalrik, the semi-human leader, approached us, visibly nervous. “W-what are we going to do?” he stammered.

I placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him. “Help your people. And find Khaerith. Maybe she’s discovered how to reverse the transformation of those scalebacks.”

“Scalebacks?” Gronn asked, curious.

“That’s what the lizardmen call those creatures. It stuck with me.”

Thalrik nodded nervously. “I went to look for the naga as soon as the attack was announced, but… when I got to her tent, no one was there. Neither she nor her guards. I don’t know when they could’ve left.”

“What are you saying?” Eldrek exclaimed. “They’re gone? Couldn’t they just be hiding?”

“Or maybe they betrayed us. That naga always gave me a bad feeling,” Gronn muttered, distrust evident in his tone.

“Let’s not jump to conclusions without proof,” I interrupted. “Thalrik, go help your people and take shelter yourself.”

The silence outside the village became unsettling. The lizardmen were ready to storm out, but I stopped them. “Wait a moment, Zardak! Don’t go yet!”

“What are you saying, you human fool? You can’t give me orders!” he snapped angrily.

Quickly, I climbed one of the walls to observe. “Let me see what’s happening out there first.”

From below, Eldrek called out, “What do you see?”

As I reached the top, I scanned the surroundings, a chill running down my spine. “We’re completely surrounded, Eldrek.”

“Surrounded?” he repeated, disbelief in his voice.

From above, I saw the scalebacks—countless of them. While they shared similar traits, I noticed distinct features that indicated they were from various races. Among them, towering transformed giants loomed ominously. I placed a hand over my mouth, shocked.

“Damn it… They must’ve attacked Eldrek and Gronn’s village too,” I murmured. I also spotted goblins and trolls in their natural forms, leading me to suspect the sage had manipulated them differently to involve them in this assault.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Zardak, enraged, roared from below. “We won’t wait another minute! Open these damned gates, or we’ll tear them down ourselves!”

The semi-humans guarding the entrance looked at each other nervously. They didn’t want to open the gates but were equally reluctant to oppose Zardak, who was glaring at them with a hostile expression. From the top of the wall, I locked eyes with him and raised my voice.

“Zardak! I know you and your warriors are strong, but look at what’s in front of us. If you truly think you can take on all of them, I’ll gladly open the gates and join you in battle.”

My challenge made him pause, his fury still evident. Growling, Zardak leaped, grabbing onto the wall with surprising agility and scaling it in seconds. I couldn’t help but feel impressed as he joined me atop the wall.

From up high, he surveyed the scene. The scalebacks stood in formation around the village, eerily still, as if waiting for something. His expression hardened.

“Khoryn!” he bellowed, his voice echoing across the area. “Get your ass up here now!”

Khoryn arrived quickly, scaling the wall with the same nimbleness as Zardak. “What do you need?” he asked, alert.

“Go fetch your eagle. Inform your village of the situation and tell them I’m willing to share the spoils if they come to assist us.”

Khoryn hesitated. “It’ll take them at least a couple of hours to get here.”

“Just do it, idiot!” Zardak barked, shoving Khoryn off the wall. He lost his footing, but with remarkable agility, he twisted mid-air and landed gracefully before dashing off to his tent.

“What the hell…?” I muttered, baffled by the aggression.

Zardak turned to me with a defiant grin. “Useless human, today you’ll give us the satisfaction of having the best fight of our lives.”

From the top of the wall, Zardak addressed his warriors. “Brothers! Today, we’ll show just how strong we lizardmen are! Are you ready?!”

The roar that erupted in response was deafening. The lizardmen banged their weapons against their chests, their battle cries echoing through the village. Meanwhile, Eldrek and Gronn approached me.

“We’re going to spread out along the walls to monitor the situation better. We’ll alert you if we see anything,” they said. I nodded.

Zardak kept observing, his brow furrowed. “Those bastards don’t think for themselves. They’re waiting for orders. Whoever’s in charge is figuring out the best way to break through.”

“What do you think we should do?” I asked.

“We need to stall as long as possible until reinforcements arrive.”

At that moment, I spotted an eagle taking off into the sky. “There goes Khoryn’s message,” I murmured.

Suddenly, one of the semi-humans on the wall shouted, “Darius! Someone’s approaching the gate!”

I turned to look, standing beside Zardak. Two figures were approaching. I recognized one immediately—the hooded scaleback who had captured and tortured me. The other wore a dark robe and carried a staff, identical to the sage I had encountered in the mountains.

“That’s the bastard who captured me… and the other one’s a sage,” I muttered through clenched teeth.

“A sage?” Zardak asked, incredulous. “Humph! Sage or not, they’ll taste my axe.”

Khoryn returned quickly, scaling the wall again. “Who are they?” he asked.

“Our next meal,” Zardak replied with a smirk.

The two figures stopped at a safe distance from the gate. The hooded scaleback raised his voice. “We request a word!”

The silence that followed was heavy. Zardak growled, impatient. “Talk? Those bastards want to talk? We’ll see about that…”

He approached the edge of the wall, preparing to jump, but I stopped him with a gesture. “Wait, Zardak! Let me go with you.”

“I’m not going to talk to those idiots. They’ll probably attack us right there, or are you too stupid to see that?” he snapped.

“I know it’s a possibility, and if that’s the case, you’ll get your fight. But if not, we might learn something about their plans.”

Eldrek and Gronn, who had been observing from another section of the wall, joined us. “Darius, go carefully. Don’t let your guard down. If anything happens, we’ll support you from here.”

I nodded, taking a deep breath before turning to Zardak. “Let’s go.”

“Humph!” he grunted. He leaped down from the wall without hesitation, while I took the stairs. By the time the gates opened, Zardak was already waiting for me, axe in hand, his impatience palpable.

“Hurry up, damn it!” Zardak growled, his voice dripping with impatience.

I caught up to him as we walked toward the sage and his companion. Without pausing, I said, “I know you’re eager, but don’t let them see you’re ready to attack the moment you get close.”

Zardak only responded with a grunt, his frustration still evident, though he did tone it down. We stopped about two meters away from the figures. The hooded scaleback spoke first, his tone mocking. “What’s wrong? Afraid to come closer? We only want to talk.”

“Afraid…?” Zardak muttered, his tone rising as his muscles tensed. He was about to charge, but I stepped in before he could act.

“We’re here now. Speak!” I demanded, my voice firm. Zardak growled in frustration, gripping his axe tightly, his anger barely contained.

The sage began to speak, his tone unnervingly calm. “I understand you’ve met my counterpart, Darius, and that you managed to free him. Nicely done. But don’t think that will help you much.”

A chill ran down my spine. How did he know about that?

“This is what will happen,” the sage continued. “We won’t attack the village. Even though you can clearly see we outnumber you, we won’t do it… not yet.”

Zardak sneered, his patience wearing thin. “Get to the point, you damned sage! What do you want?”

“Simple,” the sage replied. “Surrender the lizardmen, the remaining giants, and, of course, you, Darius.”

“Surrender us?! What the hell are you talking about?!” Zardak roared.

“You will work for me willingly. If not, I will transform you anyway, and you’ll become just another mindless soldier in my ranks. But if you come voluntarily, you’ll retain your consciousness.”

The sage’s calmness was unnerving. Zardak began to pace, his agitation growing. He let out a thunderous roar, the sound reverberating around us. The hooded scaleback laughed mockingly.

“What’s the matter, lizard? Got anger issues?”

“Damn it… why did you have to say that?” I muttered under my breath, already knowing what would happen next.

In an instant, Zardak moved with startling speed. He pulled a dagger from his belt and hurled it with such force that the scaleback had no time to dodge. The blade buried itself deep in his throat, sending him crashing to the ground.

Even the sage seemed caught off guard by the attack. The scaleback clawed at the dagger, pulling it out, but no blood flowed from the wound. Zardak laughed loudly.

“What were you saying, fool? That dagger was poisoned. Say goodbye to your precious sage.”

The scaleback, unable to speak, began to panic. Desperate, he reached out a trembling hand toward the sage, silently pleading for help. The sage glanced at him briefly but did nothing.

“So, you’ve chosen transformation,” the sage said, his tone now colder than before.

From his staff, a powerful wind began to surge, growing rapidly in strength. The force caught Zardak and me off guard, making it hard to stay on our feet. The gale intensified, and we struggled to hold our ground. Suddenly, a wall of earth rose in front of us, momentarily blocking the wind.

“Get back here, now!” Eldrek shouted from the top of the wall.

Without hesitation, Zardak and I turned and ran toward the village. The wind became so fierce it shattered Eldrek’s earthen barrier and hurled us against the partially open gates. The impact left us momentarily stunned, but we managed to scramble inside. With great effort, the villagers worked together to shut the gates against the relentless wind.

“Prepare for battle!” Gronn roared as chaos spread throughout the village.