As dusk fell, the barbarians unveiled their war machines and advanced towards the wall. Avvian rallied the subnatic elves, who were beginning to choke on the smoke from the burning forest.
"Men, hold your position!"
"WHERE ARE THE FLAMES OF FAFNIR?" Baldur yelled, just as a stray bullet grazed his head, causing a stream of blood to trickle down his face.
"Baldur!"
"I'm fine! Get the flames!" he roared, fending off a barbarian who had scaled the rock wall. Birger hurried down the wall into the settlement, seeking reinforcements. "What's the delay with the Flames of Fafnir!?" he demanded of Grymm.
"Don't go barkin' at me ya grizzled ol' elk! The pulley's broken, and we can't hoist it up the wall!" Grymm retorted.
"Son of a- Husafell!" Birger exclaimed, casting a spell to lighten the heavy basins. "Get the weapons to the wall, NOW!" he commanded, staggering under the magical effort.
"Oi! Calm down,man. You've done yer' part; here," he says, handing him a piece of jerky. "We don't need you dyin' on us just yet," Grymm tells him before ascending the wall. Birger steps aside and collapses to catch his breath amidst the chaos. War machines... for just a few women and children? Why would an army pursue them? Unless..., Birger pondered as he chewed on the jerky.
----
Atop the wall again, Avvian is sharing his last water with the subnatic elves when Grymm approaches with a massive cauldron.
"Please tell me that's the Flames of Fafnir?"
"Aye' tis indeed!" he confirms. "Oi, what's this I hear about war machines?" Grymm inquires before noticing the catapult being wheeled into place.
"By the horns of Surtr! Prepare the Flames of Fafnir!" Grymm bellows.
"Prepare the Flames of Fafnir!"
"Take your positions!"
Other elves began shouting as they positioned the cauldrons at key points along the wall. At Grymm's signal, they opened the cauldrons and started pouring a blue, hot liquid down the wall's sides. Initially, it cascaded slowly, but when it contacted the mass of bodies at the bottom, flames burst forth. The smell of burning flesh fills the air as the barbarians began screaming in agony at the burning liquid. Some caught ablaze, while others fell face first into the lava-like liquid, pulling up to have their flesh burned off. Many barbarians fled from the wall to escape the fire. Others seized the chance to climb over the hardening mixture atop the melted bodies of their fallen comrades.
"They're relentless!" Grymm shouted before Avvian pulled him aside.
"That's the least of our problems, look!"
They had completely overlooked the catapult, now targeting the wall's summit.
"MOVE! MOVE!" an elf yelled as they ran for cover, the catapult flinging a boulder cleanly over the wall.
Baldur's heart sank when the boulder missed them, realizing its true target was the settlement behind them. The boulder struck a tent outside the lodge for the wounded. Screams erupted as the elves hurried to remove the boulder, fearing it had landed on the injured. Swiftly, they wield pickaxes and hammers to fragment the boulder, urgently needing to extricate the men trapped beneath it. Some elves, in a desperate bid for freedom, had severed their own limbs, while others remained completely immobilized by the massive boulder.
"By the gods...they've discovered us..." Avvian realized, while Grymm looked on, bewildered. "They were watching us when we settled with the Parians. Those scouts...a barbarian must have slipped away from our attack. They informed the others about the men, so now they're planning to eliminate the Parian women while they can," he explained amidst the ongoing battle. Grasping the gravity of the situation, Grymm descended the ladder and started issuing commands.
"Attention, you slackers! Fetch the rattlers! We must smash the war machines!" With the blast of a horn, numerous copper elves began to climb, passing a metal hip cannon up the wall. As the elves took hold of the cannons, some barbarians managed to scale the wall, dodging the combatant elves in an effort to infiltrate the inner settlement. Spotting an opening, one barbarian toppled a flame in the makeshift forge, igniting a fire. Birger noticed the act and with a quick slash of his sword, he slit the throat of the barbarian, while the others battled the blaze. The barbarians engaged in fierce combat with the elven men, who valiantly fought to prevent them from penetrating deeper into the settlement.
----
Within the lodge, the women struggle to remain composed as the clamor from outside penetrates the walls. Shouts and the thunder of stampeding men nearly provoke them to flee, yet the elven guards within the lodge bar their exit.
"Stay calm!" one guard bellows. "No one's breaching these walls, we assure you!" another adds, guiding the women to their seats. In the midst of this, Arjana curls up, whimpering as the turmoil outside triggers memories of her home's invasion. The pandemonium, her brother and father seizing their arms as servants hurried her into a wagon with other women and children—it was overwhelming. Tears cascade down her cheeks as panic grips her, the thought of barbarians breaking through terrify her. "I'm not brave enough to end my own life... But if the barbarians capture me..." she ponders, beginning to hyperventilate. Suddenly, a comforting hand envelops her; it belongs to Izzimar.
"It's alright... if they get through, my magic will protect us," he soothes. Yet Arjana, distraught, clings to Menia tighter, the lodge's acoustics amplifying the battle's proximity. Izzimar tenderly takes Arjana's face in his hands, coaxing her gaze to his.
"Arjana... I promise...I will protect you," he swears solemnly. As the conflict rages on, the women and children endeavor to master their dread.
----------
Atop the wall, the copper elves unleashed the rattlers, launching streams of lightning at the battering rams. One device exploded on impact, hurling barbarian bodies through the air. The rattlers' use drew the attention of the catapult operators. As the catapult shifted, the Subnautic elves cast a flood spell over the wall, soaking the attackers as they positioned ladders against the stone wall. Wet from the spell, the copper elves took aim and fired the rattlers, electrocuting the men below as their bodies spasmed before dropping dead. With barbarian numbers dwindling, a new wave marched en masse toward the walls.
"This... is an army..." Avvian murmured, disheartened, glancing at the weary elves beside him, drained from all the fighting.
Birger climbed back up the wall, breathless. "Some breached our defenses, but we're holding them off," he gasped, then noticed the barbarian horde with their war machines approaching the wall. Absorbed in the sight, they missed the catapult targeting the wall. It launched a volley of boulders that began to rain down on the elves, some striking the wall, compromising its integrity,and others pelting chunks of flesh out of the battle weary elves. Avvian is struck in the ear,having it completely torn off as blood pools from the side of his head. The ringing is too much as he stumbles over in pain, clutching the spot wear his pointed ear once was. Birger seized Avvian just as he nearly fell from the wall's edge, and they hastily descended, almost tumbling in their haste.
"Damn...the walls won't hold much longer," Birger exhaled as the elves retreated behind the wall to commence repairs and attend to the injured. As the situation grew dire, Baldur seized Birger by the shoulder, pulling him aside.
"Birger... The human with you... she has my daughter... you're aware of that, right?"
"Yes... I'm aware..."
"And you claim she's the princess of her people... correct?"
"What's are you playing at, Baldur!? Hurry up, we don't have time!" Birger concealed his panic as he yelled. "The barbarians will overrun us if we don't come up with a plan!" he continued, observing as more elves fell back behind the walls with each successive barrage of boulders. Sections of the wall started to give way, crashing down on the stockpiled weapons. Birger gauged the growing panic when Baldur tore out his red braid.
"Take this... to Menia... It's from her mother. Tell her... what transpired here..." he spoke, masking the anguish in his voice.
Grasping his intent, Birger's expression softened to sorrow.
"Baldur no... you have a daughter-"
"By doing this, I'll earn the Parian people's favor and secure a future for my little girl... Convey my actions. Please... I'll do anything... so my daughter never faces hunger again," he declared, a resolute smile on his lips.
Birger brushes his hair back, a gesture of frustration and sadness. He didn't want to lose another of his kin... yet... there is no nobler death for a warrior than to die for loved ones.
"...What can I do to help, Baldur?"
"Surround the lodge with a shield... when I'm done, nothing will remain," Baldur whispers, handing Birger the braid. Then, he presents a horn adorned with a raven's skull. Grasping Baldur's intent, Birger nods and bellows with all his might.
"ELVES! TO THE LODGE! BRING EVERYONE BACK TO THE LODGE! IMMEDIATELY!"
His call reverberates across the settlement, rising above the din of boulders battering the walls. With that proclamation, Birger sounds the horn, its eerie note sending a shiver through their ranks, spurring them to hasten to the lodge. Avvian assists Grymm, who has suffered a fractured leg and is going into shock, in returning to the lodge. As they depart, Birger remains with Baldur, standing firm as the elves stream into the lodge.
"How long until you can cast the shield spell?"
"It's instantaneous," Birger replied.
"Menia... she has a home to return to... she just needs food... then I can die content, knowing she will be nourished."
Birger sighs and averts his gaze, uncertain of the young elf's future.
"The young princess with you,Arjana was her name, right?... Is it true that her people have never encountered elves?"
"No. But...this is their first experience being amidst so many..."
"Will she seek peace with our kind?"
Birger is unsure how to respond, but he attempts to comfort the disheartened elf.
"Yes. Knowing Arjana in the months I healed her, she's...open to the idea.," Birger says with sincerity.
"Then... please tell her of my sacrifice."
A silent nod is shared between the two elves as they go their separate ways. Birger navigates through the tumbling tumult of boulders and pauses outside the tent. He exhales deeply and then speaks a spell.
"Release."
The wall surrounding them crumbled, transforming into energy that flowed back to Birger, revitalizing him. As the wall vanished, some barbarians started to fall, breaking their bones and some being killed from the fall. Amidst the turmoil, he whispers another incantation.
"O tranquil moon and blazing sun, grant me the power to endure until the morrow."
With this incantation, a vast blue shield materializes around the lodge. Inside, panic ensues as women and children are hastily gathered with the elves returning from battle. As the shield stands, the barbarians surge towards Baldur, who has begun his spell.
"Searing Sol, tranquil Mani... let my foes experience your fire and frost from within the depths of Hati and Skoll! Whether in light or darkness, the sun shall rise again!"
Upon casting this spell, a wave of frigid air engulfs the vicinity, extending for miles, engulfing numerous foes as a blizzard arrests their advance. The barbarians are bombarded with ice and snow, soaking their bodies in freezing sleet, then a searing warmth prevails. With the intensifying heat, flames burst forth on all sides. The sky darkens to crimson as meteoric fireballs plummet and the earth ignites below. The barbarians' screams are muffled by the inferno's bellow as all is reduced to cinders. The masks of the barbarians begin to melt into their faces while their armor burned into their skin. Their siege engines, their warriors, all outside the barrier are consumed by fire. Birger can only observe as the conflagration spreads far and wide. Should any barbarians have fled, they would not survive very long, if at all.
The spell persists for twenty minutes before the flames vanish into thin air. Birger solemnly deactivates the barrier, and silence reigns. Gazing upon what was once a battlefield, now lies a vast expanse of desolation. Everything has vanished except for Baldur's ashen, lifeless body, while the sun continues to shine brightly in the sky.
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