Erumon stood atop the southwestern portion of the wall surrounding Myrdin. The trees gently swayed with the breeze that flowed through the forest, as if ignorant of the coming battle. Just below him, there were scores of soldiers all lined up and prepared for the eventual assault.
"Lord Erumon," Captain Ense began from his right, prompting the warden to look at him. "The citizens have all been accounted for and are each in their homes," he reported with a crisp salute. "Thank you, Captain. What about your family?" Erumon asked, causing Ense's eyes to widen.
"Her Majesty offered to protect them within the palace, and I was grateful to hear King Elhael agree with no hesitation. I could never repay her for such kindness, my lord," Ense said, lowering his head humbly, prompting Erumon to allow a slight grin that tugged at the corner of his mouth to show. "She really is a queen among queens," he said, glancing over at the palace briefly.
"In that case, I will see to the barrier myself. I'd suggest you stay up here, but if you wish to fight alongside your men, I won't stop you," Erumon said with a subtle nod. "I wouldn't have it any other way, lord," Ense said, offering him a firm nod, though Erumon's was much slower and filled with understanding.
Lifting his hand high above his head, he first muttered in a language Ense didn't understand, but could feel the power within the words he spoke. "Clyw fi, un Hynafol," Erumon finally whispered in flawless Caegweni. His eyes burst open as power began to flow from his fingertips toward the ancient tree. It heard his command, and with a wave of mana strong enough to distort the air around its trunk, golden light flowed through all the roots that spanned the entire city.
Each house, regardless of how small, was encased in a barrier of the purest Ethereal mana Ense had ever seen. "Hynafol mawr," Ense said in disbelief, dropping to a knee immediately in reverence to the sight of the entire city being protected.
This battle will be the first of many, but is this realm prepared for what comes next? Erumon wondered, observing a handful of guardsmen below him exchange worried looks. With Nenvalur and Thorsen leading the defense, I'm confident in our ability to defend Myrdin, but for how long is another matter entirely, he thought, shifting his gaze over to the Hjalfarian giant, who stood next to a frustrated-looking Nenvalur.
"Bah, where the fuck are they? If I weren't on direct orders from Erumon himself, I'd have gone out to look for them already," Nenvalur growled, fidgeting with the hilt of his blade. "If we did that, we would be putting all these men and women at risk. Would you really place your kinsfolk in such a position?" Thorsen asked, keeping his eyes straight ahead as he'd been trained to by the Guild.
Nenvalur sighed heavily and shook his head. "I wouldn't, but what good is it to throw their lives away by being out here? They would be much safer within the walls," he said with a shrug. "These brave warriors all volunteered to be here instead of hiding within the walls. I'm sure their sense of duty to their homeland far outweighs their desires to be safe," Thorsen said, giving him a quick glance.
"True, but the longer we wait, the more they'll begin to regret that decision. You know that just as well as I do," Nenvalur said quietly enough not to be heard by those directly behind him. "I do, unfortunately," Thorsen admitted with a subtle nod, recalling the first time he went out to hunt an ochelon with his fellow junior Synners.
While Thorsen was lost in thought, Nenvalur spared a glance up at Erumon, who looked out over the woodline with his eyes glowing brightly. "Can you feel it? There's a faint trace of him pushing his mana through the woods to sense their location. I've always prided myself on my combat abilities, but he's on an entirely different level," Nenvalur said, turning back to face the woodline once more with a shake of his head and a quiet chuckle.
"Thanks to the Authority he gave us, I can feel it, but it feels like I'm trying to feel for the edges of a long-lost thought," Thorsen said, slightly furrowing his brow, prompting Nenvalur to chuckle at his comparison. "I know what you mean, but you've only just been brought up to the fifth stage. It will take you some time to adjust to it, since you didn't gain it through progressive training," he said, clapping Thorsen on the shoulder.
"When this is all over, I'll gladly teach you as much as I can about it, though I won't be of much help with Shifting mana," Nenvalur said with a grin. "I'm looking forward to it," Thorsen replied with a slight grin that tugged at the corner of his beard. They're closing in. Ready yourselves, Erumon sent, immediately removing the grins from both their faces.
"Ready, hen ellyll?" Thorsen asked, using the term he'd learned from Bernar for old elf, taking Nenvalur by surprise. "Your pronunciation is brutish at best, but as your senior, I feel I should be the one asking you that question," he said, drawing his blade in a smooth motion as he backed away, letting it hang at his side with the point facing slightly away from his body.
Thorsen did the same, but never once took his eyes off the treeline. The guardsmen behind them saw their drawn weapons and readied their own in a unified draw, all holding the same pose as the next, finally prompting him to look over his shoulder and raise an eyebrow. "Impressive," he said, immediately returning his eyes to the trees, causing Nenvalur to feel a sense of pride come over him.
Wait, what's that? Thorsen wondered, thinking he'd seen something poke out for just a moment behind one of the trees.
A hissing sound gradually increased in pitch as it soared overhead. "Incoming!" he shouted over his shoulder as the massive arrow, nearly as thick as a man's forearm, careened toward its target. The guardsman it was aimed at managed to bring his shield up to deflect it, but the force of the arrow almost knocked him off his feet.
That was close, Thorsen breathed a sigh of relief, but set his jaw and exhaled firmly in preparation for the battle.
A cackling sound much like a barking wild dog came from the treeline as another arrow was sent their way. Nenvalur reached out and used a mild Exar spell to push it off-course. The thick arrow's broadhead sank deeply into the ground, leaving a small crater where it landed.
That could have taken a normal man's arm off. These elves really are stronger than they look, Thorsen realized.
Another few arrows came for them from the treeline, but none of them met their marks. "They're trying to lure us out and make us think there are fewer of them than we think," Nenvalur said with a snarl as he put up a twenty-meter barrier of pure mana to help protect the others behind him.
Don't rush them yet. I have a plan, Erumon sent them, having heard and understood what Nenvalur meant. I wasn't going to, but how long are they going to keep hiding like that? Nenvalur asked, clearly annoyed by their cowardly display.
As long as it takes to wear us down. According to Kalia, they're shrewd hunters who often wait for their prey to land in their traps before pouncing, Erumon said, his tone conveying just enough annoyance to let Nenvalur know he was feeling the same way, getting a mild grunt from the elf in return.
More and more arrows began to beat against the barrier, increasing in both frequency and power, much like the beginning of a rainstorm. One by one, the arrows clashed against the barrier, but there were no signs of any of the creatures who were attacking them.
Suddenly, the barrage of arrows halted, but in its place came a deep, low rumble in the ground. The canopies of the furthest visible trees began to shake and sway violently, some even going so far as tipping over with a thunderous crash onto the forest floor.
What devilry is this? Thorsen wondered, doing his best to see into the treeline, when a pair of bright green eyes in hollow, blackened sockets met his own.