Jano stumbled around aimlessly as crowds of people mobilised around him. A horde of darkly masked Chaos-Shaper’s sprouted up everywhere, barking orders and directing the flow of human traffic. He heard a shriek which sent a chill down his spine and he broke out in a cold sweat.
“Battle lines! Get in formation!”
“Follow your clan leaders for your orders!”
Jano didn’t have a clan leader. He wasn’t from any of the settlements. He felt lost, with a sick feeling in his stomach that he knew who the attackers were. It would have been a great time for Dariea to appear, but he was painfully on his own.
He followed the shouting figures down the settlement. Some of the swirling mass filtered into the sturdier buildings, which were to act as shelters. Others continued towards the gathering line halfway down the settlement. In front of the pulsing green glow. A marching mass of colour heading towards what Jano desperately hoped was a coincidence.
“Jano!”
He felt somebody grab him. He spun around and found himself next to Gryff and Afan once more, as they were directing some of their Berserker Fire clan into battle lines and battle ready units. Gryff stood slightly apart, his face betraying the confidence he was trying to project. He seemed glad to have someone less experienced than him nearby.
“You looked a little lost.” Gryff whispered.
His father stood tall, addressing a hastily assembled group of senior looking warriors.
“Much of the Chaos-Shaper’s main forces are away in Goshnia. That leaves us as the second strongest clan and presents us with an opportunity. Do us proud and follow your orders. Remember, this is what we have trained for.”
“Jano!” Gryff finally turned to him after listening to his father speak.
“Will you fight with us? I’m heading down now, rumour has it that this is an attack from Qursa. You could help us know what we’re up against.”
His worst fears were confirmed then. It was the Shimmer he could see. Gryff started walking down the hill and then, when he realised Jano wasn’t immediately next to him, looked over his shoulder. “Come on!” He shouted.
Jano’s stomach trembled at the thought of going into a battle and he shoved his hands by his sides to try and stop the shakes. The mass of people around seemed to be heading down, the joy and jubilation of the festival all gone. Replaced by anger and not a small amount of confusion. Jano started after Gryff, not having many other options.
As they got closer to the battle lines, Jano could hear the sound of metal clanging. He saw a group of various different coloured robes throwing themselves at the undead force. He recognised the masked guard of the Chaos-Shapers, who looked to be dealing fearsome damage. Jano shuddered as he recalled the last time he had seen similar enemies, as the Emperor called them forth.
Something was coming very fast. The familiar eldritch green glow of the Shimmer was piling out of a half closed portal in the distance. In the dark, Jano would not have noticed it, if it were not for the light generated by the Berserker Fire clan. However, whatever was approaching the newly created battle was gigantic and its steps were passing over old trees and small hills.
“What is that?” Jano asked, but his voice was lost amongst those who were also asking the question.
“Do not run! Stand your ground. Protect your loved ones! These are our homes!” Afan cried.
Then he seemed to become flame. Where a man had once stood, only the outline was visible. Black eyes and a snarling tongue replaced his usual already big features. Jano realised how out of his depth he was.
The Shimmer kept fighting, sensing the back up arriving. The Chaos-Shapers were arriving all the time, with violet flashes cutting into the Shimmer. White flame burst behind the front line, holding some of the rushing attackers back.
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Thundering footsteps were now closer and the true extent of the approaching creature was revealed. It had the body of an animal on all fours with a long spiked tail, though its head was twisted and lined with several rows of teeth. It seemed more solid than the Shimmer footmen which surrounded it, but still lined by the sickening glow.
When it reached the front, a sharp cry filled the sky so loud that it must have been heard in Qursa itself. Then the creature began to attack those fighting on the front line, leaving a gap in its wake. The Shimmer immediately began to push through.
Jano had been processing stone essence while watching the horror show. He pictured the rune for the stone spears almost instinctively. He focussed his will on the onrushing attackers. He summoned two spears and they flew into the head and shoulder of a close by Shimmer, dropping it to the ground.
The great creature let out another roar and then breathed a green mist by its feet. The fighters from Molinia began to move back while choking. The mist filtered through but began to dissipate quite quickly. Jano quickly started to draw on the chaos essence as he watched the Chaos-Shapers summon a shield to prevent the attack.
He summoned the shield but couldn’t manage it as effectively as the others. Instead he prioritised the top half of his body, and the shield wrapped protectively around him. He looked up at the giant creature and the wave of attackers with a resigned hopelessness.
“Jano! Over here.” Gryff shouted and grabbed him through the fighting.
He pulled Jano to a small group of Berserker Fire warriors. He recognised Afan at the head of a number of soldiers who were in a similar form. They were shooting ferocious blasts of white hot flame towards the creatures as the lines formed.
“Rhys! Take a unit around the right flank. We’ll finish the pincer movement.”
A tall man around the same size as Afan barked orders at half of the group. He looked even more terrifying than Afan, as his flaming body pulsed and flickered. Power emanated from him and judging by the way Gryff looked at him, he was not a usual warrior.
Rhys and a few others gathered themselves. Another group of fire warriors were told to provide support for the pincer attack and Jano was left out entirely. They had obviously decided that his knowledge wasn’t necessary. They were probably correct, he thought. The other Molinian warriors who were arriving set upon the rushing Shimmer with enthusiasm. As though the festival had livened them and this fighting was the next natural step in the celebrations.
“Jano! We need to help deal with some of those on the ground.”
Gryff was now shrouded in flame, but not to the same extent as the other warriors. It was more like a red flickering aura rather than being entirely one with the white fire as his father and the others were.
Fire started barraging the creature and it shrieked in response. Afan and his warriors jumped high and used constant thick beams of fire to keep their height for a few moments before fixing their attacks on the beast. It wasn’t flying necessarily, but more like hovering with deadly direction. Rhys and his fighters shot the other way.
Jano didn’t have his scythe whereas some of the others were already equipped with their weapons and he felt his spirit straining under the weight of the constant attacks. Jano and Gryff were focussed on helping the others deal with those of the Shimmer who managed to get through the gap created by the creature. There were reinforcements arriving all of the time for Molinia as the Shifters and the other clans organised their fighters and joined the fray.
Rhys’ team got to the creature first. Several coordinators directed streams of fire together into one beam and forced it straight to the side of the beast’s head. It shouted in response and jerked towards the group, its teeth constantly gnashing at them as they blasted the side of its head.
One of the Berserker Fire warriors was not fast enough and the creature grabbed him. Just as that happened Afan’s group got into position and managed the same attack. Confused, the creature jerked this way and that. It released more breath, but this time the fire ignited it where it was released, blowing up in the creature’s mouth.
It dropped to its knees on its front legs. The warriors took that as encouragement and doubled down on their attack. The creature started swinging this way and that. It flailed and fought. Rhys broke away from the main group, with twin blades of reinforced golden white flame in each hand. He began cutting at the beast, drawing deep slashes wherever his blade struck.
He attacked the throat and front legs of the creature causing it to wobble and threatening collapse. Emboldened, he took his summoned swords to the belly of the beast. He lodged his blades in the flesh of the creature and then started to drag them down its entire body.
Afan and the others were still concentrating their torrents of fire at its head. It let out a defeated groan. Suddenly and with an almighty crash, it collapsed to the floor.
“Rhys!” Gryff cried as he rushed to the creature. As they did so, the Shimmer cried out having seen their creature defeated; they poured over the body and attacked all at once. Jano stood next to Gryff, watching a green wave rush at them. His spirit was exhausted and he was sure he faced death.