With his hood up and scarf covering the bottom half of his face, Nadier followed Nintarin through the streets towards the barracks. He had forgotten much about the culture of dark elves in his time in exile. Unlike the human world above, the elven city was not bustling from minute to minute. No seller of meat constantly screaming for attention; No bright coloured flowers arranged out on stands for effect. The moody grey atmosphere, lit by the glistening cave moss, felt like a perpetual midnight.
Even though they were technically 'buildings', the main construction of the barracks were actually carved into the side of the stone walls. The 'L' shaped structure, with windows within the natural stone, extended out into an open courtyard that was fenced with walls of stone thrice their heights.
Nintarin said, “I suppose you'll be able to enter the compound yourself? I doubt I'll be able to let you in through the gates.”
“Of course,” Nadier replied. Though he was still wary of the reason for her wanting to bring him to a location potentially crawling with soldiers, he relented to the prospect of information.
“Very well. I will meet you inside.” She walked straight off towards the guarded gates.
He turned into the nearest alley beside him, where a thick dwarven building was partnered with a wooden elven one. He lined himself at an angle from the stone wall and with a running start, rushed towards it without hesitation. He jumped, kicked against the stone, turned, and grabbed onto a wooden ledge that marked the foundation for the second floor of the elven structure. With the strain of his upper body's muscles, he pulled himself up, kicking off against the wall with his legs, and reached for the window sill above.
With a grip on the sill and a foothold on the ledge, he turned to gauge his path. The dwarven stone work was smooth and without creases, preventing any holds. He would have to make the last jump up to the rooftop in one take.
Taking a peek into the elven building to make sure no one was watching, he reached out and grabbed the head of the frame, climbing fully onto the window with his feet. He squatted, and with a push from his legs and pull from his arm, launched himself further up the elven wall. His feet found a landing on the window head and, using gravity to angle himself back, he launched away from the window and grabbed the edge of the roof of the dwarven building. Taking a short moment to catch his breath, he finally pulled himself onto the empty rooftop.
The elf walked over the edge and watched as Nintarin was allowed into the compound without question. The Ha'Lof paused at the door, turned, and seemingly looked towards Nadier's position. Even with their eyesight, with him completely dressed in dark clothes, it should have been impossible for her to have seen him. He felt a chill down his spine as he thought that and Nintarin walked into the compound.
Without wasting time on that shiver, Nadier backed up on the roof as far as he could. Calmly, without hesitation, he sprinted towards the opposite ledge that faced the compound. Launching himself off the parapet, he soared across the street. On his descent, he grabbed the hem of his coat and pulled them open as if they were a pair of wings. He did not glide, but it slowed him enough that when he landed, the momentum did not break his legs.
Being elven meant he was lighter more spry, but that did not excused him from gravity. He rolled forward, redirecting all his momentum away from the ground to the front. He ended with a jump to his feet, still in the pace of a light jog, pushing even more kinetic force up and away from his legs.
As he slowed, he looked up and was brought face-to-face with Nintarin.
She told him, “Impressive.”
“How did you know I would land here?” As far as he knew, a seer's ability to predict the future was restricted, and not something that could be activated as-and-when.
She smiled and replied, “I have great instincts.”
Despite not having any reason to think so, he felt she was lying, and he was not afraid to show that thought through a scrunched up face. She shrugged with indifference and led their way through the otherwise empty court where on later hours, combat training would take place.
Nadier asked as they walked through the suspiciously empty land, “Where is everyone?” Even after making their way through the large double archway that led into the barrack dug into the earth, he had only seen three other souls making their rounds as guards.
Nintarin answered, “All the soldiers have been brought to a briefing at the Council Chambers. We're mostly alone here.”
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“You planned this, didn't you?” Nadier asked.
“I'm a seer, and the Ha'Lof. I can see it, and I ordered it.”
He stopped in his track, looking on with worry and surprise. “If they find out about what you did...”
“They will, in a few hours, not long now.” She looked to him with a dire conviction. “Which is why we must hurry. Despite being ready for it, I'm not particularly fond of dying, and would like to escape if possible.”
Nadier nodded, part in understanding and part in solemnity. The woman was making a sacrifice, one that he could not comprehend. Not just because he did not have all the pieces of information, but he also thought it was not in his nature to sacrifice himself for someone else. He felt above that line of action.
They went through the empty barracks, stone rooms quieter even by dark elf standards. Through the building, they finally walked out a large archway the size of ten elves and stood facing an open area.
With similar designs to the underground highway, the open area was the size of a field, with ground of spread gravel and walls of smooth stone carved with the ragged artwork from dwarves. Mostly images of squared animals decorated the ancient walls, with a few images of different races mixed in. The ceiling curved over itself with stalagmites that hung, fingers reaching down from above. To his far left, reupenters – steam powered repeating crossbow-like siege weapons, – were arranged in a line. To the far right wall, a giant wooden door surrounded by gears the size of a mortal was kept close to keep out unwanted attention from the underground highway. They had arrived at the siege arsenal.
However, the sight that caught his attention the most were two towering rock giants that stood unmoving in the middle of the gravel field. At five stories tall, they were made to half the height of the ceiling, With dark rough rocks for bodies, the giants' shoulders were wide and bulked, but where there should otherwise be a head was instead curved into the torso. Their hands were two hulking boulders attached to long arms that reached the ground. They stood on four legs of stones like the centaurs of old. Every single part of their bodies had smooth stones reinforced by lines of seither that glowed a faint purple. Even without any magic circuits, Nadier could feel the energy that ran through them.
Nintarin asked, “Do you know what these are?”
Breathless for a moment, Nadier could only softly reply, “Titans.”
She added, “Not just any Titan. These are the siege golems, Hulvarks, used by the Seracue Dominion. Their armour of stone can ward off any blade, and the magic linings that marked them can disperse spells up to tier six. It took a long time for us to gather the required knowledge to create one, let alone two. Slow moving, but next to impenetrable. If they reach the walls of Everwind, they would tear them defences down within an hour.”
“And you want me to stop them?”
“Yes.”
“Are you insane?”
From behind them, a familiar voice replied, “Yes, ma Ha'Lof, are you insane?”
They turned to face the Grandmaster Commander of the dark elf army, Haeswahl Nunderberg. Even after hundreds of years, Nadier remembered the female, the person who had pushed for his execution. Muscularly built, she wore a coat as black as Nintarin's cloak. Her irises were a deep maroon red and feline shaped, her short hair shiveringly ashen grey.
Nintarin greeted formally, “Commander Haeswhal.”
Haeswahl continued, “I knew it was suspect that you of all of us would call for a war briefing, seeing as you were the one who opposed the plan the most.” She looked to Nadier. “And now, I find you here, conspiring with our most recent traitor.”
Nadier skipped the formalities, immediately asking , “Are you alone?”
“Sadly, I had not anticipated your arrival, Wanderer. I had hoped to persuade ma Ha'Lof out of whatever foolishness had gripped her.” Haeswahl smirked. “But, 'Wanderer'. It has been long. Such a fitting human title for one banished.”
From under her coat, she drew the multi-bladed sword of dark elf design, a hiljekt. Hers had a light tin of blue, showing the rare traces of mithril that made her blade lighter and stronger than others.
Nadier reached for his dagger but was stopped by Nintarin's outstretched hand.
“I will handle the commander,” the seer said. From under her cloak, she pulled out a four-section staff, interconnected by short chains. On both ends attached a blade. With a wisp of a motion, she laid the chained weapon in a circle around her. “Once we begin, I expect you to find your own way out.”
He could not see any gathering guards or soldiers behind their opponent, and Nadier deduced that in her rare hope for diplomacy, Haeswahl had not called for protectors.
His theory was proven when the commander said, “Shame there will be no one to stop you, Wanderer. However, that does not mean I should not try.”
The left of her face lit up red as vessels of magic glowed, marking her skin like a growing infection in her blood. Her sword burst into flames and she sent a slash of fire to him.
With a twirl and a whip, Nintarin snapped her chain of staff into the path of the flames, nicking with enough force to dispel the burst of fire.
Nadier took the cue and pulled out a smoke grenade. He threw the vial into what was left of the flames. The contents exploded and gushed into their surroundings, shrouding them in a thick waft of cloud. Concealed, and moving purely on the memory of the layout of the area, the traitorous dark elf made his escape.
***
In the fog of smoke, Nintarin took a calm step to her right as the blade of fire slashed down where she stood. The sword of her opponent extinguished and vanished into the thick cloud again.
Haeswahl's voice boomed, “Do you really think you can defeat me?”
“No,” Nintarin admitted. Despite her powers, or because, in spite of it, she knew she could not claim victory. With a smirk, she replied, “But I have great instincts. Enough to buy time.”
Haeswahl's weapon lit up again as it stabbed towards her. Nintarin spun her main staff around, the chain coming together with the action, locking into place as her four-section weapon turned into a double sided spear. She twirled the polearm upwards, knocking away the trust. The flaming sword vanished again.
Haeswahl asked, calmer than before, “What do you think Nadier can do? He is but a single elf, banished by the country that raised him, rejected by the one that took him in. What can he do against our unstoppable soldiers? Against our two Titans?”
Nintarin smirked as she deftly stepped away from another slash of fire. “Honestly, while it is true that he will bring about your downfall, the plan to do so would not be his to make. Moreover...” She pointed her spear to a seemingly random direction just as the smoke began to clear. As the gas dissipated, before her stood her opponent, notched squarely into the sights of her weapon. “Neither will he be the one to stop the unstoppable army.”