Champion: A Songs Of War Fanfiction

Chapter Seven

Thalleous looked around. He saw troops putting out the quickly spreading flames, and raced over to help them.

"How is it coming?" he asked.

"It's not great, sir. The flames are spreading too fast!" His sergeant threw one of his many buckets on the fire, pulling new ones out of his satchel regularly. Thalleous grabbed a stray bucket and began to help extinguish the flames.

"Go get the rest of our battalion on this!" the lieutenant yelled."Before it spreads to the civilian homes!" Thalleous could barely see through the smoke, and the orange-red flames licked at the trees. He prepared another bucket, but then saw a red figure running through the forest, barely distinguishable from the fire. Thalleous drew his broadsword and pursued. He ran through the fire, leaping over stumps of trees and fallen stones. The figure noticed him and ran, panting...and crying?

Thalleous could swear he heard the figure sob several times throughout their chase. Eventually, Thalleous caught up to the red creature and tackled it to the ground.

"Who are you?" he asked. He turned the figure over and saw black features with orange outlines.

"Netheran!" He yelled. "Netheran!"

"No! Don't!" The netheran yelled. "I'm not here to hurt you!"

"We're under attack!" Thalleous yelled, ignoring the netheran's lies. "Netheran!"

The attacker clapped a hand over Thalleous' mouth. "I'm not going to kill you," he whispered. "I come alone."

The netheran stood up. "I am Pridiral, I come to you in grave tidings. I am not here to attack you, but my people are." He removed his hand from Thalleous' mouth. Thalleous heard Prdiral's voice and noticed he sounded quite young, only an adolescent.

Despite every cell in Thalleous' body begging him to sound the alarm, something inside him made him want to hear Pridiral out.

"A battalion from the nether is coming here. They will strike in only a few hours."

"And why have you betrayed your dimension for us?"

"Not for you, ardoni. For my friend, Tygren."

"Tygren Voltaris is a murderer. Why should I believe you are any different?"

"Tygren is no killer. He fled to the nether after Sendaris raiders captured Mount Taithus."

Thalleous realized something. One ardoni he had fought against in a raid had been called Tygren, and the raid was at Taithus.

" I was injured by savage piglins and he saved me. I owe him a great debt."

"We do not speak of the same person. Tygren killed at least four brave men today."

Pridiral bowed his head. "He would not kill unless he had to. We have been friends for many years, and he mentioned something to me about coming to Eterden. He will surely be slaughtered in tonight's invasion. I must warn him."

"I know not where he is," Thalleous said. "Come with me to Eterden and we shall learn all we can about this raid."

"As you wish," Pridiral said. Thalleous grabbed him by the shoulder and ran through the forest as the flames spread. He coughed and hacked as Pridiral's feet thumped against the ground, a drum beat that served as a prelude to battle. Thalleous sped through groups of ardoni who only had a few seconds to see his and Pridiral's contrasting glows. Warriors searching for Ingressus and Tygren combed through the wreckage and burning trees. He kicked open the door to Eterden.

"We have a prisoner who brings tidings of war!" he yelled through the entrance room. Officers plotting their next course of action. Sarrettus stood up.

"Do we cut his throat now?" he asked.

"Don't hurt me!" Pridiral yelled.

"He has defected and seeks to warn us of an invasion from his people. We must hear him."
"Very well," Sarrettus said. "Speak, netheran, and know that any word might be your last."

The nether invasion had been tiresome for all, and it showed on Pridiral's face. "A battalion marches here, to Eterden. My people were told to come here by an ardoni named Tygren, an old friend of mine."

"He knew he would be here," Sarrettus whispered. "Ingressus knew that he'd be arrested this whole time!"
"I know not who Ingressus is," Pridiral said. "But Tygren did mention him on occasion."

Sarrettus sighed, running his hands through his scalp. "Why do you tell us this? Do you wish to seek pardon for your crimes?"

"Pardon is not my concern. I care only for Tygren. I owe him a great debt."

"I see," Sarrettus said. He turned around. "We'll have to call off our search for the Voltaris scum. We need to secure Eterden and see this invasion through."

"I disagree," said Major Wrentorn. "The primes cannot be lost."

"They already are, sir," Sarrettus said. "It's been hours. Ingressus is long gone by now."

Wrentorn paused, considering this. "Very well, captain. Prepare your troops for battle."

"Yes, Ky-Wrenton." Sarrettus turned to Thalleous. "Prepare the armaments."

"Yes, sir." Thalleous had been trained in loading a TNT cannon, and ran up to the top floor of Eterden. He loaded the emergency cannon and prepared for seige. He saw soldiers loading crossbows and gripping their swords. Now, all they could do was wait.