Ashlani’s Reincarnation

“Didn’t every bit of information that we have about the Misti Hawar,“ I demanded, “tell us that they basically worship the wyrms?”

“To be completely correct,” Sybil answered, “they call them little gods.”

“Then why in Nievtala’s name are they using the ‘little gods’ as the first ones to lose their lives against us?”

Nobody answered me, knowing that my question was more rhetorical than anything else. Deciding to come out from under the cover of the forest's edge, mating pairs of the shadow wyrms crawled forward, their long jaws opening and spreading wide as they released their hissing, screeching cries towards the city. I didn’t see any Misti Hawar among them, but the shadows surely contained them somewhere. But how were they living with these creatures that, to my knowledge, would ordinarily eat anything they could get close to? After all, they were in their active period of the year right now.

“Hala,” I called out. She wasn’t immediately by me, and I snarled in displeasure. “Who knows how the cultivation of more flame magic users has gone?”

“We have two on each section of the wall,” Sybil immediately answered.

“There’s only eight? I know there were more.” I demanded.

“There are more,” she answered, “but they have not passed approval to be considered in charge of any section of the wall.”

“Shemira,” I called out, and the gravid Keel popped out nearby. She said nothing, just waiting for my command, and I gave it. “You’re on the north side. I don’t trust that this is all that they’re going to be doing tonight, and you and Sybil will be on the northeast and northwest edges of the wall. Keep morale up, but more than anything, your job is to disrupt general magic manipulation nearby. If you need to—actually, I don’t care what you think. Get Farahlia as well, have her work at your side. Sybil, you take the central section of the north, create a rally point around which the other two can piggyback off of. Together, you should ensure that the north side is protected.”

“Percral, you’re on the west. If you need to push south to support the lines, do it. Took, Foire, Vefir, east. Foire, your number one priority is maintaining a line of sight on everything approaching. You’ve gotten better at detecting which shadows they’re in, tonight’s the night to be perfect. If anything begins to cross the outer walls’ lines, your responsibility is to hunt it down. Leave no enemy breathing within the walls of my city.”

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The two groups split off, calling out commands to their immediate subordinates to fulfill their assignments. The numbers here on the south wall thinned as my lieutenants did as they were commanded. I had every confidence in the south wall's ability to hold the line with my presence, and I turned to Joral.

“Your job is continuous patrols of the inside of the city, especially around the hole into the anthill. We haven’t been able to get into contact with anything that can think inside, so I’m sure we’ll face some measure of infiltration from below. Let the wolfstags wander, keep some of your best Kou’Tal over them, but trust their instincts as much as your own. By now, they consider this to be their den, and you know what they do to intruders.”

“Do you want me to allow any of the other carnivorous flocks out?” He asked.

“No, I don’t think they’ll do anything but create more movement and distraction,” I denied. “Only the wolfstags are intelligent enough and have their own magic to take out any intruders.”

He flared his frills to accept my command and turned quickly, letting out a series of whistles to communicate with the other herdsmen as well as the herds themselves.

I wanted to give more commands, but there was no time. The last light of the suns disappeared, and the wyrms, already creeping closer, rushed towards the walls. As the darkness grew deeper, their bodies melted into the shadows that were cast between the stones and snowdrifts outside.

“We’ve been hunted by them before!” I shouted to my people. “And we became their hunters! Yes, they’re coming to our home, and now we are more prepared than ever! Hunt them all!”

“Victory by fang and blood,” came the echoed cry of support.

Despite any confidence I may have had in our ability to fend off the attackers, I also cursed the resources that the Misti Hawar were suddenly able to bring to bear. They were not a simple foe, every day reminded me of it. Pushing aside my anger, I held my spear in my hand, pushing Destructive Wave into it to drive off the first attackers. Even without empowering myself with Spear of the Many, I knew this opening attack of mine would be key to driving off the attackers from this wall. With that in mind, I commanded the other defenders to stand on the inside edge of the wall, at least those within 30 feet of me.

The shadow wyrms hustled forward, and I knew that there were Misti Hawar nearby, even if they weren’t within the range of this opening attack, but I raised my spear high and shouted, “Nievtala!”

Then, without saying anything more, I dropped my spear in a wide sweep, making a full circle in front of myself and on the enemy side of the wall. A vibrating wave of death flew out from the edge of my spear and first disrupted the magic of half a dozen shadow wyrms within the strike's range before then shredding their scales and shedding their blood. The smell of iron filled the air as many died all over, and my people shouted while the battle began in earnest while the wounded wyrms continued their assault

The clamour of combat filled the air as I stood as the shield for my people against our enemies. I wanted to know what happened on the other walls, as I heard those too erupt in battle, but for now, I needed to trust in those I had sent there while also striking terror into the hearts of those who would try to slaughter me and my children.

Without any further thought, I continued the slaughter.

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