The Obsidian Arrow

The Obsidian Arrow: Chapter 36

            “Loose!” she shouted again.

            Again arrows took the sky and struck foes, and yet it wasn’t enough. Their aim was true, but the numbers were too many. They did not slow at the death of their companions, but pushed forward even harder.

            “Loose at will!”

            Arrows no longer fell in harmony with each other, but became chaos. Sh’on began enchanting them with ice, causing many of their foes to slow in speed as they shivered. Karceoles dared not call fire because there was too much already below. The wilderness burned, animals fled, and draeyks and daerions alike laughed with joy.

            Sh’on called on his magic with the aid of Aliqua and her elven mages to cause a blizzard among the ranks of creatures that scaled nearly a league. Colors of green and purple stained the sky in snow, hail, and sleet. Soon all the sleet became hail and Karceoles created an orange wind that blew up skywards to collect more moisture, until the small pebble-sized hail became the size of boulders, before it tumbled to the ground.

            Hail melted as it landed on fire, creating rivers that flowed over the army, and put out the fires of nature. The city’s walls became drenched, making it even more ineffective for the creatures that attempted to burn them. Instead, layers of thick smoke filled the air that created coughing fits for elves and men alike.

            The gate continued to be pounded with furious strength with the coordination of a colony of ants. Their numbers could rival that of an anthill, and when the gate broke everybody knew they would swarm in like fireflies with a message to send. Wood splintered and shattered with each pound and it would only be a matter of time before it gave completely.

            “Scorpions!” A man shrieked.

            Karceoles turned from the gate and peered down the wall to see nearly a dozen Nacropi crawling up towards them. Ladders flew up next, cut carelessly from trees of the savage forest. Draeyks began to climb one after another up the ladders.

            “They’re breaching the walls, stop them!” Vil’ek yelled.

            Archers turned their attention to the ladders and Nacropi. Arrows bounced off the hard exoskeleton of the Nacropi, but many struck true on draeyks, causing them to tumble to the ground.

            Crossbowmen stepped forward, now having targets in range, and began releasing bolts at the ladders. Many men and elves worked together to try and shove the ladders off the wall, but each top was set with hooks to overlap the edge. Axes were found to chop off the hooks, and ladders finally started to fall. Each ladder that fell was replaced with three more that rose in its place.

            Karceoles raised his zylek and channeled his power through it with a few muttered words. A line of orange fire escaped the tip that burned an enclosing Nacropis, causing it to leap from the wall and collapse to the ground.

            All around him men and elves died as draeyks and Nacropi reached the top to create havoc. Draeyks were slowed, but the nacropi destroyed crowds, knocking most off to drop hundreds of feet. The wizard drew his blade and began to fight the creatures overrunning the wall.

            The sound of shattered wood echoed; followed by cheers from dreayks and daerions alike. They swarmed like locust through the obliterated gate and into the city of Sudegam.

            “We’ve lost the gate!” Karceoles bellowed.

            Vil’ek’s face paled, “Fall back! Fall back to the city!”