…The New Moon…Hollow Shade… The Western Wall…
The last rays of sunlight trickled down the horizon like raindrops on a window. The orange hues of the sky faded away and gave into the darker blue hues of the evening sky. Grey clouds soared above Dusk Valley, obscuring the stars. The silver light of the moon was gone, nowhere to be seen on its night of cyclical rebirth. The only light that could be seen was from the magestone lamps hanging on the wall’s battlents and the torches that covered the grasslands outside the city limits, like a swarm of fireflies.
The armies of the valley tribes had slowly encircled the entire city after the attack on the docks. Most of the armies’ forces stayed on the south-west side of the city, but even the less defended eastern wall faced several thousand warriors.
Hollow Shade’s War Master, Lord Krall Katag, stood atop the western wall, where the enemy forces seed greatest. He was a giant of an orc, many had confused him for a dire. His rippling muscles could be seen in the cracks of his armor and his large war hamr rested on the battlent next to him. Yet for all his imposing appearance, his grim expression gave little comfort to the soldiers under his command.
Krall turned to their city’s mysterious patron, a young woman in appearance, short stature, long dark curls, and warm brown skin. Her olive eyes glanced up at him expectantly.
“You said Marek had 20,000 n under his command.”
“I did,” Holo replied.
“The latest reports count closer to 25,000 savages out there,” Krall growled.
“How many soldiers are under your command, War Master?”
“Counting the untrained conscripts? About 13,000. Actual soldiers who will listen to commands and not break under pressure, about 8,000. …They outnumber us almost 2 to 1.”
Holo leaned over the wall and stared at the shades swimming around the city, a moat of magical souls. “I’m not sure about that.”
Lord Elzri Noir walked over to the duo, dressed in a white cloak and armor. “The shades keep the soldiers from rushing our gates, but what is to stop their trebuchets?”
Holo stared out at the grasslands, her eyes focused on the god standing amidst the valley armies. “Let’s find out.”
~~~
…The Southern Wall…
The orphans of the Cinder Brood tribe hurried to stand at attention as the Southern Bulwark Commander walked across the battlents, inspecting his soldiers with his infamous perpetual scowl. Fergus Stonehand was a legend among the barracks. Many of his escapades had been recounted in the taverns to hushed rapt attention. Where most drows were tall and lithe, Fergus stood a head taller and twice as wide. Even the likes of Krall Katag seed short in comparison.
There were whispers of frost giant blood running through his veins, though no one seed quite certain, but as Fergus walked past lfyn, there was no doubt in his mind. The goblin teen craned his neck up just to catch a glimpse of the drow’s cold eyes underneath his helm. For a mont their eyes t and lfyn felt a chill run down his spine.
The Bulwark Commander’s right-hand, Captain Talia, walked behind him, and glared at lfyn and his friends. lfyn quickly straightened his back and saluted as best he could to the vampiress. Talia had allowed a place for the Cinder Brood here only so long as they followed orders.
Children had no place on the front lines, she had told them.
lfyn was eager to prove her wrong. He kept eye contact with Talia as she walked past, only breaking when she had moved on.
“What are you doing? Do you want us to get kicked off the wall?” Sandra elbowed him in the ribs.
“Ow,” lfyn flinched. He glanced at his fellow goblin and tried his best to hiss like his idol had done on many occasions.
Sandra hissed back, her teeth bare. Hers seed much more accurate. “Do you want to attract attention? Captain Talia will kick us off the wall if we so much as sneeze wrong.”
“That’s why I refuse to show weakness,” lfyn said.
“No, Sandra’s right, best not to antagonize our superiors,” Jack nodded. Unlike most of the Cinder Brood tribe, he was a human. He was only 15, but he was already taller than most humans, albeit lanky. Where Sandra was lfyn’s right-hand and greatest warrior, Jack was his left-hand and the voice of reason within the tribe.
“We already have enough problems as it is,” Jack said as he looked pointedly around at the lines of soldiers on both sides. Most were drows, so orcs, and vampires as well, few were human, and none besides the Cinder Brood were goblins.
Lord Bulwark Commander Stonehand suddenly stopped and raised his hand. Captain Talia grabbed the horn hanging at her side and placed it on her lips. With a deep breath, she blew the horn and it resounded across the wall.
Soldiers in service to noble Houses grabbed their lords’ banners and held them aloft before placing them in the sockets found in the lower spaces between the rlons of the battlents. ȓÅŊỗΒΕ𝒮
“It’s a show of strength,” lfyn mumbled in realization.
The goblins of his tribe glanced at him expectantly.
“O-Oh! Right!” lfyn nodded.
Jack and he hurriedly grabbed the banner Witt had stitched for them, lifted and placed it on the flag socket in front of their station. The banner of Cinder Brood, a black flag with a sapphire burning like the sun behind the full silver moon, stood proud on the shade wall. The orphans couldn’t help but smile with pride at the small but certain reminder that they were here, they existed, even among the giants of Hollow Shade.
“What are you kids doing?” Rorik groaned as he walked over.
“Captain Polamtal!” lfyn stood up straight and saluted. He recognized the drow captain from his district. He had seen Rorik drink with Stryg on many occasions at the rry Crescent tavern. It was largely thanks to Rorik that Talia had even allowed them to stay on the wall.
“What are you guys doing with that flag?” Rorik furrowed his brow.
“It’s our banner, sir,” lfyn answered proudly.
Rorik sighed. “You don’t have a banner, you don’t belong to a House.”
lfyn glanced at his friend uncertainly. “But, sir—”
“Only noble Houses are allowed to display their banners on the wall. You need to take that down before Talia sees it,” Rorik explained.
Sandra stepped forward, “But, our friend, he worked really hard to make it and—”
“It doesn’t matter,” Rorik said firmly.
“So you can wave your House’s banner around all you want but we can’t!?” Sandra hissed.
“Look out there!” Rorik pointed at the sea of torches in the darkness of the valley. “That’s our enemy. That’s why we’re here. Not to play around or show off. Now take the banner down before you all get in trouble.”
lfyn bowed his head begrudgingly. “As you wish.”
“l, you can’t—!” Sandra cried out.
“Do it, Jack,” lfyn said quietly.
Jack nodded grimly. He took down the banner and placed it by their feet, at the bottom edge of the battlent.
“I’m sorry, guys,” Rorik sighed and walked back to his n, a few dozen ters away.
Sandra bit her lip and clenched her fists, tears in her eyes. “It’s not fair,” she mumbled.
“Fuck that guy,” said one of the goblin orphans.
“When Master Stryg gets back I’m going to tell him Rorik is an ass!” said another.
lfyn shook his head. “No. Rorik is right… This isn’t a ga. We aren’t here to play.” He turned to the sea of enemies in the darkness. “We don’t need a banner to remind us who we are… Do we, Sandra?”
She sniffed and shrugged weakly.
“Sandra,” he said. “Who are we?”
She wiped the tears in the corner of her eyes. “We’re the Cinder Brood,” she mumbled.
“Who. Are. We?” he repeated.
Sandra looked at l and the strength in her yellow eyes returned, more fiercely than ever. “We are the Cinder Brood,” she said resolutely.
“We are the Cinder Brood,” the others chid in.
“We are Lunisian.”
“And we are strong.”
~~~
…Dusk Valley… Hollow Shade’s outskirts…
Caligo stared at the western wall of Hollow Shade. The wall swirled with black mana as shades erged from the magestone and flew around the city in a protective periter.
“My lord, we are ready,” said the vampire Sylaril, chieftain of the prominent Adder Tribe.
Caligo glanced back at the thousands of archers waiting, bows and arrows in hand. Further back, a line of trebuchets stood, each one was loaded and ready to fire.
His lips curled in a slight smile, “Prepare to fire.”
“As you wish, my lord.” Sylaril bowed and turned to leave.
“Only the archers,” he added.
Sylaril frowned in confusion. “My lord?”
“The city’s defenses are greater than they seem.”
“My lord? I don’t understand.”
Nokti stepped forward and glared at the Adder chieftain. “Since when was it your duty to understand our lord’s will?”
Sylaril frowned at the other vampiress for a mont then smoothed over her features. “Of course, my mistake.” She walked over to the archers and raised her golden scepter high, “NOCK!”
At once, the hoard of archers drew arrows from their quivers.
“LIGHT!”
The archers lit the tips of their arrows with the standing torches next to them.
“DRAW!”
The archers placed their arrows on their bowstrings and pulled them back. They raised their bows and pointed at the City of Shades.
Sylaril glanced at Caligo for one last confirmation. He inclined his head.
“FIRE!” Sylaril scread.
The sound of thousands of strings letting loose echoed through the grasslands.
~~~
lfyn’s eyes widened in fear as he saw the thousands of orange lights soar into the night sky. Terrified cries rang out among the hundreds of soldiers as many crouched and took cover behind the battlents. lfyn stood frozen as the hail of fire disappeared into the clouds, lighting them up in an instant, before falling back down.
“l!” Sandra yanked him downwards.
At the center of the city, runes flared to life all over the Ebon Tower. Purple lightning crackled over both split sides of the black obelisk and t at the top in an explosion of power. Waves of purple energy echoed outwards and ford a transparent do over the entire city.
Thousands of flaming arrows crashed into the swirling do, breaking harmlessly away in crackles of violet energy.
~~~
Elzri Noir stared up at the faint violet do in awe. “So this is the Tower’s power of legend… The sheer vastness of such a spell… how is this possible?”
Holo’s lips curled in a smirk.
Krall Katag laughed a deep bellow. “Ha! With this, they stand no chance! Lady Holo, can our own attacks cross through the do?”
She nodded. “Any projectile from within the wall’s limits can penetrate the do without damaging its integrity.”
Krall’s smile widened. He spun around and turned to his Bulwark Commander. “Prepare to fire!”
~~~
Nokti stared in horror at the massive do and the looming Ebon Tower flaring with power. “What is this…?” she muttered.
Thousands of soldiers broke out into worried whispers, glancing at each other with fear in their eyes.
“I knew it, the might of Hollow Shade is too great.” Sylaril took a trembling step back and glanced at Caligo. “My lord, what do we do!?”
“We wait,” he replied calmly.
Lin-Lu poked her head out from underneath the cowl of his cloak and looked upon the magical do. “It’s been almost 300 years since we last saw that damned spell array,” she growled.
Caligo placed his cheek on the fox’s head and whispered into her ear, “This ti things are different.”
The cracking sound of trebuchets atop the wall resounded through the air even from this distance. Giant burning rocks hurled through the air, each designed to shatter on impact in a storm of fiery shrapnel.
“Indeed.” Lin-Lu buried herself back underneath his cowl.
Caligo stepped forward onto the air, as if walking on invisible steps, and climbed above the army.
Nokti saw her lord rising into the sky and she felt a fire of zeal burn within her. She shook off her fear and cried out in a steely voice. “HOLD THE LINE!” Yellow mana filled her voice and carried it across the wind with a spell.
The cowering troops still stumbled back on each other, but her voice shocked them awake from their hysteria.
Caligo stared at the dozens of flaming cots hurling in the sky and he raised his arms high. With a low growl, his outstretched hands flexed, mana pouring through his veins. A wave of unseen energy rippled through the air and shattered the projectiles mid-air. The giant stones exploded in hundreds of flaming shards and fell into the grasslands between the do and the frontlines of the valley armies.
The valley tribe n and won scread in triumph and raised their weapons to Caligo. He floated down slowly, his black feather cloak billowing in the wind. He landed with a soft step.
“The God of the Deep Earth lives up to her na,” Lin Lu whispered delightedly.
“It still won’t be enough to break through the Ebon Tower’s barrier,” Caligo said quietly.
“Then…?”
Caligo glanced to the back of his army, where giant wagons, each pulled by dozens of centaurs, carried massive cages covered in leather canopies. “The world has forgotten the dragonbanes. The mortals have forgotten what fear truly is. It’s ti we remind them.”
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