The Tidesinger entered the city hall. It was empty. He searched through the passageways when he heard a noise in one of the closets. Opening it, he found Hasan cowering inside.
"Congratulations, councilman. You are being rescued." Achillean said. "Please do not resist."
"Es tut mir leid you find mich like zis," Hasan croaked, his throat dry, "But ich aam nicht ein fighter. Ich habe never held ein spear in mein life."
"I see." The Tidesinger nodded understandingly. "However, your presence on the battlefield will inspire a great many men."
"Zas ist gut. But ich aam afraid zat von't hold back ze Nether forces."
"Do not worry." Achillean placed a hand on his shoulder. "We are not as alone as you might think."
Hubris, Grek, and Grim followed the Tidesinger into the city hall. In the dungeons, Grim found a huge iron golem, its arms chained to the walls. Seeing Grim, it roared and pulled at its bonds, trying to swing its arms to strike.
Grim purred softly and moved his hands up and down, like shushing a baby to sleep. When the golem was calm, Grim unbuckled him from the chains. The golem walked up, his huge figure looming over the silver mercenary. Then, it held up a poppy. Grim took it in his hands and, assuming that is what he was supposed to do, awkwardly held it up to his nose. The golem waved him aside and smashed through the wall, where it lobbed skeletons around like they were toys.
"We have taken back our beacon!" Shouted a triumphant soldier as they cleared the city plaza of wither skeletons. "The city is ours…Ugh!" A sword descended from the sky and struck the man right in the center of his head. The Angel of Death landed and, pulling out his weapon from the dead body, swung it around him and killed every man there. He placed a Nether star into the beacon and the Nether reinforcement beamed in. Quickly, he took it out just as the fresh troops materialized.
"Soldiers!" Tygren raised Thalleous's sword high. "For the Nether!" The skeletons fanned out into the city. Golden blazes with their legs spinning around them rose to the sky, raining fireballs on the houses below.
Masani started shooting down the blazes, but they were constantly on the move and hard to hit. Abbigail and Denny took to the sky. Together, Luna and Thunderdome bit, blew fire, and swiped their tails at the blazes. Some were knocked out of the sky and exploded on the rooftops in a fiery inferno. Others simply moved out of harm's way with a gentle shake of their body.
Tygren found Onyx in a courtyard, pulverizing wither skeletons left and right. He jumped behind him and slammed the ground, sending scarlet shockwaves out from where he landed. Onyx was sent flying onto the fence. He turned to face his attacker.
"The Knights of Ardonia must be desperate if they're calling upon Magnorites!" Tygren mocked as Onyx stood up. "I always thought your kind was dangerous and strong, but you don't look like either."
"Raawwr!" Onyx roared and charged at the Ardoni. He threw a punch at lightening speed and hit Tygren square in the chest. He staggered backwards.
"Not bad," He remarked. "But you are still weak."
"Less tal', take this!" Onyx thrust his other fist forward. But before it even covered half the distance between them, Tygren flashed behind him with golden circles and stabbed him clean through the chest.
"Aargh!" Onyx yelled, and he fell to the ground, light fading from his markings.
"Pfft, weakling." Tygren yanked out Thalleous's sword and wiped it on the Magnorite's body. "Now, where is that white Ardoni runt?"
Senn and Aren rushed the group of people down the road, heading toward the sanctum. Then, off a rooftop, jumped a red Ardoni with a blue sword.
"Aren, escort the people! He's after me!" Senn shouted.
"Very wise, puny one." Tygren mocked. He marched up, sword raised." I'm so glad that our paths keep crossing." Senn drew his sword and readied his stance. "You watched and ran as I killed Thalleous, put up a pitiful fight at the Vault, and have returned to shame yourself once again." He scoffed. "It's no wonder you are clanless. No clan would welcome a weakling like yourself. I'll be doing them a favor really."
Tygren swung the blue sword over his left shoulder, then his right, and pounced. Senn blocked the first strike with his weapon, his feet digging into the ground.
"You're going to pay for the atrocities you've committed, Tygren!" Senn shouted through clenched teeth.
"Ha!" Tygren laughed, pressing the sword even harder. "One does not pay for such things. One is rewarded. Like this beautiful blue sword for instance." He pulled back, running his left forefinger along the weapon's edge.
"Sleek, powerful, with," He smiled, the corners of his mouth creeping up his face, "a very rich history." A smile creeped across his face. "Only for the best Ardoni to wield"
"That sword does not belong to you!" Senn thrust forward, but Tygren simply stepped to the side and the iron blade missed him by an arm's length.
"You," Senn shouted, "You and the rest of the Voltaris. You're all just pawns of the Nether. In the end, you're nothing without them."
"So what if I am?" Tygren brought Thalleous's blade, enchants roaring, from the right, straight towards Senn's waist. "I have more power than you EVER WILL!" Before the swords touched, he pulled it downward and slammed the ground. A scarlet shockwave billowed out from beneath him, rocking Senn as he barely managed to maintain his stance.
Then, Tygren flashed behind Senn with a twirl of golden circles. "I could just kill you right now, but where's the fun in that?" He kicked Senn on his waist, who tumbled forward, landing face down in the dirt.
Senn leaned on his sword as he struggled up. Spitting out a mouthful of dirt, he turned to face Tygren again. Without another word, he lunged at Tygren, piercing his weapon forward with all his determination. Again, Tygren easily sidestepped him and kicked him in the chest.
"Oof!" Senn flew backwards into a ditch.
"Stand up, face me again." Tygren sneered. "Or are you too weak, runt? How ironic it is, for you to die by your mentor's blade."
"You know," Senn staggered to his feet, very much winded. "One thing the Nether will never do for you, is friends."
Tygren whirled around just as Ria flew in on her Mobilium Song. She slammed into Tygren, bouncing back and sommersaulting in the air.
"Perfect, the runt and his girlfriend." Tygren licked his lips, as if standing before a delicious morsel. "Two for the price of one. Yarrgh!" He swung Thalleous' blade over his head and charged at Ria.
Tygren lunged at the end of his sprint. Ria lodged her spear on the handle and pulled it out of Tygren's hand. Before he could react, the blade came hurtling toward him. Quickly stepping to the side, he smiled as the sword flew towards Senn, tip first.
The sword flew closer. Two meters, a meter, and just as it was about to pierce the white Ardoni through the chest, a blue bubble emerged around him and caught the sword in mid-air.
"Well played, runts." Tygren jeered. "But this fight isn't over yet." He watched as Senn picked up Thalleous's blade.
Wham! Ria slammed her spear into his face and Tygren stumbled head first into a nearby well. Ria and Senn peered over the edge just in time to see his red markings consumed by the waters below.
"It is over now." Ria said, embracing Senn.
"The Nether is retreating!" Masani shouted as she shot down the last Blaze.
"All forces, attack!" Hubris shouted, raising his sword and barreling after the wither skeletons northward.
He flew above it all, raining down lightening bolts at the Nether army. Skeletons showered arrows into the air as they fled. One grazed His forehead. He reached up, and a single drop of red blood came away on his fingertip.
"Boom!" Lightening struck again and He vanished into thin air.
"Aaand there he goes again." Grek sighed as they ran.
"I'm sure he'll return." Said Hubris. "As he always does. The Tidesinger mentioned something about 'cross-dimensional beings' and their fragile mortality."
"Right yeah, you mean they die easily?"
"Something like that. Perhaps power comes with compromises." Hubris couldn't help but think of the Songs.
The army reached the border of the dunes of Cydonia. They had just crossed into the sand when they halted. The Knights and soldiers stopped too, for what they saw gave them hope, and gave the Nether doom.
All across the nearby dunes, a fresh troop, sporting K'arthen flags, stepped onto the peaks. Among them were humans and Magnorites. At this time of dusk, their orange markings became a continuation of the orange sky to their right,
"K'arthen," Borgen stepped forth with pickaxes in each hand, "has come to rejoin forces with the rest of Ardonia. Together, we will purge the world of the Nether!" He charged forth as the rest of the K'arthen army followed.
Surrounded, the Nether army could do nothing but fight to the last skeleton. One by one, their skulls were parted and their bones strewn across the desert. Meridian was liberated, as the day drew to a close.
"Merlin, are you up for some important business?" The Tidesinger asked as they settled down in Meridian's city hall for a banquet, to celebrate the victory as well as the reunion of K'arthen.
"Certainly." The bird answered. "But do I get a peck to eat before the delivery?" He bent down to smooth out his feathers with his beak.
"Oh, alright, here you go." The Tidesigner grabbed a handful of seeds and laid them out on the table. "Now, you must fly to Feldon, to this cave between the roots of a big tree. Tell Lucan and Nikka that we will launch an invasion on Felora tomorrow."
"Huh, you have come to the right bird." Merlin squawked as he picked up a seed. "I specialize in urgent deliveries."
"Yes, we need you to depart immediately." The Tidesinger stressed.
"Naturally." Merlin finished his dinner. "A human male and a Felina female, is it? In a small cave? Do you know if…."
"Just go!"
"We have a few hours before we continue to Feldon." Ria announced. "Use this time to gather your strength; we're not finished just yet."
"Sheesh, captain." Grek said, lounging on his chair and stuffing food into his mouth. "We just finished. Give us a break."
"You are having a break." Ria said. "We are not changing our battle plans."
"Alright, I guess this'll do." Grek continued munching away.
"Nevor in mein lifetime did Ich think Ich vill see our kingdoms fighting side by side again, yet the day has komm." Hasan said.
"And the K'arthen people are likewise glad to rejoin the rest of Ardonia." Borgen replied. The two leaders sat next to each other in the banquet hall, sharing stories about their nations.
"How did you vanquish ze Nether in K'arthen?" Hasan asked, "If it veren't for ze Knights of Ardonia, ve vould never have taken back Meridian."
"The Nether never made it to K'arthen." Borgen took a long drink from a bucket of lava. "Our beacon had been disabled since we left the union. They had no way to surprise us with an infiltration. They did attempt to take Tartarus, but our tunnels and soldiers held them off."
"Das ist richt. You left ze union and hence you left ze beacon system. Vill you rejoin ze conduits?" Hasan asked.
"We most certainly will." Borgen poured Hasan a cup of wine. "Here it is, to our kingdom's reunion."
"To ein brighter future!"
Ria entered their small battle room where the Knights of Ardonia gathered. "How many did we lose?" She asked gently, seeing their solemn faces.
"Casualties are always high against the Nether." The Tidesinger spoke. "Wither skeletons are stronger than ordinary Undead. We lost about a quarter of our troops, Ardoni included."
"And we lost Onyx to Tygren." Hubris said, solemnly. "He was one of the first to join the Knights of Ardonia."
"He will be remembered," Ria said, "As will all the other men and women who died saving a great many lives today. Many more will fall before the break of dawn, but their sacrifices will never be forgotten."
Denny patted Thunderdome on his head. "You must be hungry after all this fighting." The dragon nodded vigorously.
"You want something to eat?" The dragon nodded again.
"I made you a giant fruit salad." Denny said, revealing a plate of mashed melons, sliced apples, and crushed pumpkin.
The dragon snorted through his nostrils and looked away, while Luna nuzzled the morsel and pulled back, making her melon face.
"Hey! You can't always live off farm animals! You need to eat your fruits and greens too!" Denny lectured. He placed the plate in front of Thunderdome. "I'll just leave your food here and hang out with people who enjoy my cooking." He joined the other Knights.
"So," Denny asked the group, pulling out a tray. "Anyone hungry?"
"If it's more travel food, I'll pass." Saxon said without lifting his head from the brewing stand.
Denny looked at Trevor, who paused his enchanting ritual mime "Yeah, I'm not too hungry."
"Not even for freshly baked cookies?" Teased Denny, picking one up from the tray.
"Oh heck yeah!" Exclaimed Saxon, leaving the stand immediately and rushing to the table.
"I'm starving!" Trevor rubbed his hands eagerly as he grabbed five.
"Thanks, Denny." Abbigail took a cookie and sat down to eat.
Thunderdome's belly rumbled as he watched Luna munch on the salad. He tried to take a bite but Luha held out her right front paw, keeping his snout away. Her face still said "Nauseating", but she was grudgingly chewing through the vegetables like a kid.
"Mhm! This is really delicious!" Trever said as he devoured his 10th cookie. "Where'd you learn to cook so well?" He said through a mouthful of crumbs.
"This is actually one of my own recipes." Denny blushed at the praise. "I was never the best farmer, so I mostly helped out with the meals. You'll have to try one of my Pinkolson family cakes."
"After this war is finally over, we'll have to stop by your farm again and have one." Abbigail said. She and Denny smiled at each other, imagining the scene. No one seemed to care as Thunderdome leaned down and swiped the rest of the cookies away with his tongue.
Senn sat alone on a pier, caressing Thalleous's sword. For so long, his mentor has wielded it against the demons. Voltaris, Nether, Undead, whatever came across his path. When he was murdered, this sword fell to the hands of that Tygren. Now, it is his.
He ran his fingers across the body. The enchants hummed and danced to his touch. He may not be the best swordsman, but he too will defeat whatever blocked his path to victory. With this weapon's might, no one, not even the Deathsinger, could…
"You're Senn, right?" Borgen interrupted Senn's thoughts. He walked up with a huge shoulder pack and sat down next to the white Ardoni. Gently taking out a thick volume of books, he held them out to Senn.
"These belonged to Igneous." Borgen said quietly.
"I thought, he would be with you." Senn gently opened the first one, which seemed like a collection of notes.
"He ended the oppression of K'arthen and our conflict with Cydonia." Borgen said. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for his sacrifice. I'm sorry."
A tear slid out from Senn's eye, and he wiped it away before it could stain the pages. "He wrote about his travels, and about me." Senn turned over the pages. "He wrote about everything he saw. He was so jolly…"
He looked up, a smile emerging on his face. "Igneous always said his life was short, and he wanted to make a difference. I'm glad he was able to."
"You know," Borgen said, "Magnorites have a tradition. We name all our mountains and cities after heroes and leaders: Tartarus, Kaelos, Markar. They were heroes of the past. Some were founding fathers of K'arthen, some won key victories for our kingdom. One was nearly named Malakai, but I think the new name will be much more appropriate."
"Igneous?" Senn asked.
"Most certainly."
Trevor mounted a tower and set up his little collapsable enchanting table. Placing his sword on it, he stepped back and took a deep breath. Slowly, he began moving his hands in a flat figure 8 motion. Concentrating on the spell, his lips moved in unison with the silent incantation. The sword floated into the air. Silver white trails revolving around it, the blade started to spin. Trevor heaved forward with his hands, and pulled back. He pushed and pulled. From his pockets, he took out two small fragments of lapis lazuli and threw them at the sword. The blue stones joined the circle, merging with the sword's body, the weapon's hue gradually changed from its normal metallic glint to a pulsating purple.
Trevor pulled his fists to his waist. His sword, now gently pulsating with a very basic Unbreaking enchant, floated over the table. In awe, he walked over and picked it up in his hand.
"Heyyyy! look at that!" Saxon ascended the tower. "Your first enchantment!"
"I did it!" Trevor said in disbelief. "I enchanted something." He turned around. "I can save you from buying a new pair of boots!"
Still on the pier, Senn mimicked movements with his new sword, trying to find its spot and balance. He thrust it forward, arching his knee, and pulled back, drawing the sword beside his head, skimming the edge with his left forefinger and standing on his left foot.
"How about you give that weapon a test against a real opponent?" Ria caught the sword mid-swing with her spear as she joined Senn on the pier. Her light blue markings glowed softly against the dark night, illuminating the dark waters below.
"I'm not sure, Ria." Senn put down his new weapon. "You need some rest. We have a long day tomorrow."
"I know." Ria leaned forward and touched her left antler to his. "Which is why I need to make sure my soldiers are trained and ready to fight."