FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

20thDay of Nova

128thI.E.

A thunderous boom rocked Olaraa as mage fire rained down from above. Buildings crumpled like they were made of dust, and the streets were soon filled with smoke, ash, and flames. Arion awoke with a start after the first volley had struck the city, and he sprinted to his balcony to look to the south.

The enemy wasn't in sight, but he could see great balls of molten rock and fire arcing across the sky towards their location. With it still being the dead of night, it was the only thing he could see against the starless sky as the ordinance casted their murderous orange glow on the city.

There was no warning of the attack, and no scout had reported the Legion moving against them. Yet somehow they had managed to get in close enough to begin assaulting the city with their siege weapons and sorcery. Arion growled and slammed a fist on the balcony's railing, unaware of the chunk of it that shattered when he did so. They must have used magic to launch a surprise attack. But how had the dwarves not been aware of it sooner? Another explosion nearby told him that he didn't have time to think about such things.

The ursar quickly ran to get dressed and sent out a telepathic message to everyone in the Temple. <Everyone, wake up! The enemy is here! Gather in the cloister and prepare for battle. Hurry!>

The ursar reached for his combat armor, or what passed for it in the Temple. His robe was cinched tight around his body, and around his legs, he strapped leather pads over his knees that went down to his shins. They were light, but reinforced with metal plating to add a layer of protection so he wouldn't have to rely on his barriers constantly. He added a similar pair to his wrists that covered the back of his paws and partially up the forearm, and a vest that went over his chest and back.

A bright flash illuminated Arion's room as an explosion struck in the courtyard. One of the catapults was in ruins, while another had caught fire. Dwarven laborers worked to try and put the fires out, but the magical flames ate away at the wood faster than they could douse them. From down below, Arion could hear the screams of the unlucky few that had been caught in the blast and were writhing on the ground, wreathed in flames.

Arion flew from the balcony and floated in front of the dwarven siege weapons as another volley of mage fire came careening towards the temple. His foot paws lightly touched down on top of the only remaining catapult and he held his paws out. A barrier of mental energy was erected and caught the fireball with ease. It spun and rotated in the air as dwarves nearby cringed away from it, not realizing that they'd been saved.

With all the strength Arion could muster, he launched the fireball back at the Legion forces. Even if it didn't make the distance, it was at least better to strike the ground between them and the city, than to hit Olaraa itself.

"Get your wounded out of here!" Arion bellowed at the dwarves as he worked to keep the temple safe from attack until everyone had vacated it. "And get your weapon working. We need to return fire."

As the dwarves worked to regain some measure of control over the situation, Arion's students were running up to where he stood. He looked to them as they joined his side.

"I thought I said to gather in the cloister," he told them.

"We did," Sionache said, flanked on either side by her mother and father, "But when you didn't show up and we heard you shouting, we came out here."

"What now?" Shinn asked. "We're sitting ducks in here. We need to fight!" Several others expressed their concerns over what was going to happen.

Arion didn't have an answer. He watched helplessly as mage fire bombarded the city. A large one struck the top of the Lightweaver's Citadel, knocking its crystalline cone off the roof. If this kept up, Gantors and the others would likely be dead before they could leave the building.

"Asuran!" Arion called out, "Get up here please!"

"Yes Master, what is it?" the ursar asked.

"You, Marida, and Hannen are in charge. Take the Peacekeepers to the south gate and prepare to defend against the Legion's forces. I can't see them yet, but they'll be here once they've exhausted their ammunition and magic reserves. When that happens, I want you to make sure that none of them make it into the city. Once the Lightweavers join the battle, move to support them."

"Yes Master," Asuran said, then turned to his fellow monks, "Let's go, everyone! We need to defend Olaraa and our kinsmen fleeing to Sanctuary. For Xenaria!"

A cheer rose up from the Peacekeepers and they were off. They sprinted out of the temple in rank and file, heading straight south towards the city's gates.

A dwarf tugged at Arion's robes. "Thank ye fer the support. She's ready t' fire."

Arion hopped off the catapult and bowed to them. "I wish you the best of luck, brave dwarves. I need to ensure that the Highlord and his men are okay."

After departing the temple, Arion leaped up over the walls and rushed for the Citadel before anymore damage could be inflicted upon it. As he raced over the city atop the roofs of abandoned buildings, he spied a number of flaming projectiles coming towards Olaraa at an alarming rate. The soldiers rushing through the streets were not entirely aware of the threat looming above them. He dropped down onto the rooftops and began to deflect the ordinance before it could strike the city and the people still there.

Arion's movements were slowed, his focus divided between trying to advance to the Citadel and trying to protect the city's defenders. He'd work to deflect one attack with his telekinetic barriers, hop over to the next roof, then repeat the process. He wasn't strong enough to fly and use his barriers at the same time, so he had to choose between getting to the Citadel sooner, or defending the city.

And in that moment, ensuring the safety of the soldiers was a more pressing concern than the protection of the church.

By the time he reached the Citadel, its roof was crumbling and the streets were littered with the amethyst-encrusted rubble. Dwarves were pouring out of the building, suited up in their armor with their weapons drawn, and they began to rush to the southern gate.

War drums could be heard far off in the distance and flaming arrows now joined the assault against the dwarven republic. There was simply too much going on for Arion to be able to handle it on his own. His fur was matted with sweat as he wove his hands this way and that to defend the city from the ordinance, but his will was beginning to falter. He wouldn't be able to keep up for much longer, and he hadn't even gotten to the front lines yet.

Numerous arrows punched through his shields, raining down on the streets unimpeded. Soldiers fell easily to the over sized ammunition as they tried to rush for cover. Even Arion was nearly hit, had he not diverted all his attention to the single arrow that nearly punctured his skull.

A large boulder came careening towards the Citadel and threatened to strike the roof. It was massive, and Arion feared he'd be unable to defend against it. He held both hands out and exerted his will over the stone. The ursar fell backwards as it struck his barrier, and he struggled to hold it back. The flaming stone continued to move, and he cringed as he watched it plow into the roof. His thoughts instantly went to Gantors and Helga, and he worried for their safety.

However, the boulder stopped halfway in and the flames died out. Ice began to collect around it and then it shattered into a million tiny shards that glittered as they fell. Arion looked behind him and saw the mage corps joining in the fight. The ursar breathed a sigh of relief and ran to the doors of the Citadel.

He was greeted to the sight of Odinty in his full set of red plate armor, his sword still sheathed in its scabbard.

"Arion! You're alright!" Odinty exclaimed.

"Are the Highlord and his wife okay?" Arion asked.

Odinty nodded. "They're fine. They want to speak with you though. They said they knew you'd come. I'm escorting the remaining civilians out of here to Sanctuary, so I'm remaining a little while longer to make sure they make it out of the north gates safely."

"Alright, thank you Odinty. Xenar be with you." Arion clapped him on the shoulder.

"You too," the paladin said before he took off down the street to round up the stragglers.

Arion quickly ascended the steps of the Citadel to reach the top floor where Gantors and Helga were waiting. The roof in the Highlord's chambers had caved in, but beyond that there was no major damage to the structure. The doors were bent and had fallen off their hinges, and Arion had to pull them open to fit through the twisted metal.

The dwarf had yet to suit up in his armor, as he was busy coordinating troop movements before he headed out. He was talking into an amethyst gem that he held in his hand, a sort of communication crystal that connected him to similarly carved and runed stones. They were made exclusively by Olaraa, and no other nation had them. The dwarves weren't willing to share the secrets of their construction. Whatever magic powered them prevented Arion from tapping into the connection through his telepathy.

The gems encrusting the street lamps came to life, shimmering brilliantly where before they would've been mistaken for dull, painted glass. A voice echoed across the city as Gantors gave his edict in the dwarvish tongue. "People of Olaraa, our enemy is upon us! Non-combatants are hereby ordered to leave their homes and flee to the north gate where we will escort you to Sanctuary. All military personnel and all those willing to take up arms to defend our home, report to the south gate immediately! I repeat..."

As he finished his broadcast, the signal crystals around the city went dim, along with the large amethyst that Gantors held in his hands. The runic etchings glittered briefly before they too went dull as the magic faded from them.

Arion and Helga worked to suit the paladin up in his golden armor, with Helga clasping items on as Arion telekinetically brought the pieces off Gantors' armor rack to the dwarf. He slowly took the appearance of a proper knight. His armor was pristine and shone as the light from explosive magefire poured in from his window. Gantors took the helm that his wife offered him and put it on, strapping it in place. As a final act before he was ready, he took the amethyst and lodged it into a socket on the right side of his helm. When it clicked into place, a light shimmered along its surface before dissipating.

Arion stood off to the side and was quickly wrapping his hands, wrists, the bottoms of his feet and ankles with linen wraps he had brought with him. They would provide him with a better grip when grappling and better traction on foot. With a quick, strong tug of his red sash, Arion stood up. He was ready to defend Olaraa.

From the doorway, Helga stood waiting for the other two. She'd been ready minutes ago, having donned her robes that marked her station as head priestess of the temple, prepared as many defensive spells as she could maintain, and had a small flail hanging from her belt, her staff in her hands, and a small buckler over her left forearm. She watched her husband grab his weapon. It was a war hammer called Demonsbane that had a head nearly the size of Gantors' own skull. He gripped a kite shield in his other hand, and the sheet of metal was nearly as tall and wide has he was. He carried the equipment with ease, as years of practicing with them made holding them second nature, like they were nothing more than extensions of his own body.

"All set?" Gantors asked as another explosion rocked the building, the room filling with a fierce orange glow.

"Yes, my love. 'Til the end, like we promised," Helga said.

Arion simply nodded his response.

Gantors kissed his wife on the cheek. "Stay close ta me, I'll keep ye safe." They rushed out of the Citadel while Gantors tapped the amethyst on the side of his helm and spoke. "Captain Jacinth, status report?"

"Highlord sir!" a voice said back, loud enough that both Arion and Helga could hear it, "We're doing our best here to hold back their long range attacks with our magics but as you can tell we're having some poor luck." There was a scream, and the Captain could be heard on the other end issuing orders. "Sir where are you?"

"We be on our way. Are th' Paladins and Peacekeepers in place?"

"Aye sir! We have visual confirmation of the enemy and... oh gods, sir you'd best hurry. They sent in giants!" There was a buzz, and then the sounds from the other end went dead.

"Captain? Captain!?" Gantors yelled, but it was no use. The magical connection was dead, and there was no way to bring it back up. "We need ta hurry."

"I'm going on ahead." Arion sprinted past Gantors and Helga, ignoring their protests as he leaped off the railing.

"Arion, stop!" Gantors called after him. "Damn it, stop doin' that!"

Arion was only vaguely aware of Gantors shouting at him, and by the time the sound registered in his mind he was already halfway down the block, sprinting at full speed. He took great strides down the streets, leaping up onto a canvas-covered merchant stall to propel himself up onto a rooftop. Arion didn't have time to wait for the two much slower dwarves to keep up. His students would need his help if they hoped to survive against giants.

Even before he had crossed the gates, Arion could see the sea of metal in the fields beyond, and in his chest he could feel the thumping reverberations of the Legion's war drums. The ground trembled beneath him as giants and ogres came charging at the gates, while fireballs were launched from the back of the enemy's lines. In retaliation, Olaraa's catapults were already being worked, sending burning pitch and stones over the city to pepper the front line.

_Those stones won't clear the giants' bodies, protecting the rear lines They probably won't faze them one bit, either._Arion thought, and indeed as he crossed the gate and continued running, he saw one of them take a direct hit and all it did was cause the giant to flinch. Another stone smacked into an ogre a few meters to the right and the beast crumpled beneath the weight of the rock.

Within moments, Arion was reunited with his Peacekeepers and was joining them in a flurry of punches, kicks, and claw swipes to help defend Olaraa. Even despite the size difference, the ursar managed to stand toe to toe with the ogres. His highly refined training give him an edge against larger, more heavily armed yet less disciplined opponents. Arion used one ogre's momentum against him, grabbing him by the arm and throwing him to the ground as he charged. With a thrust of his elbow, he shattered the ogre's spinal cord at the neck and left the beast to rot on the ground.

Arion was forced to shut out his telepathic abilities, to drown out the sounds of the dying. The pleading and regrets of the dying flooded his mind. Had this battle been a small skirmish, he would've done his best to reduce casualties on both sides. It was suicidal enough to attempt to fight this foe with their numbers, let alone if Arion had been trying to not kill. He could bear through the screams and the anguish if he had to. It was what he was trained to do.

As he slammed an open palm into an orc's nose, shoving cartilage into his brain, he looked over to the side to see Sionache trying to fight. Her face was sunken and he could see tears in her eyes. The cub no where near ready to face the horrors of a real battle despite how well trained she was.

Hearing a hundred souls' death wails all at once in the back of her mind must have been excruciating for her.

"Sionache, just block it out. They can't hurt you," Arion told her as he moved to her side, to cover her unprotected flank. Marida and Hannen were both close by, casting glances over their shoulders to watch their daughter while fighting with staves against the Legion forces.

Arion held a paw out and erected a small telekinetic barrier between Sionache and a Legion attacker. He was quick to shove the opponent away while he spoke. "Just form a barrier around your mind. Seal your thoughts off. It won't block everything out, but it'll help you cope."

"No, it's fine," she replied, forming a kinetic staff in her hands and swinging it around, cracking the skull of an elf open. "If I do that, then I can't get stronger." She slammed the staff down on an armored orcs helm, knocking her to the ground. She unleashed a jolt of telekinetic electricity from her paws that finished the orc.

A hammer flew past Arion's head and struck a minotaur in the face, caving his skull in and exploding in a brilliant ring of golden light. The monk recognized the sigils on the side and peeked over his shoulder to see Gantors rushing to his side.

"Yer impatient."

"You were too slow," Arion said indifferently. He telekinetically pulled the hammer back and handed it off to Gantors. "Don't lose that."

"I don't intend ta," Gantors stated, and joined the fray along side Arion. The dwarf swiped a gauntleted hand over the amethyst and said, "All Lightweavers, the minotaur be undead. Switch ta holy magic an' finish 'em off from a distance!"

"Behind you!" Helga shouted.

The two veterans looked up as a group of minotaur and gnolls surged towards them. Arion shoved an orc away so he could deal with the new comers. As he brought an arm up to block a sword, a column of light crashed down from the sky. Flames licked outward, but they felt warm to the ursar. The undead beings caught within the blast writhed, clutching at their eyes as the holy energy poured into them and burned them to ash.

"Thanks, luv," Gantors smiled from beneath his helm.

As they fought on, arrows and magic from the dwarves' side of the battle field flew across the sky. Arion fought with his claws out as they raked through exposed flesh. He clashed with a human, not expecting to have to deal with something smaller than himself. When the man darted around the ursar's side, he moved to strike his unprotected side. Arion moved to put up a barrier as fast as he could, but he didn't need to. A crossbow bolt struck the man in the head, knocking him away with the force of the blow.

Bartholomew sauntered over to them with all the calmness of a man going for a walk through a park. He had a loaded crossbow in his right hand and was resting it on his shoulder. He had a huge grin on his face as he stepped up to the front lines.

"What are ye doin' up here, Private!?" Gantors bellowed as he felled his next opponent.

A Legion soldier, thinking that Bart wasn't paying attention, charged at him. Without turning to regard the enemy, the ursar leveled his crossbow and planted a shot between the orc's eyes. He moved over beside Arion, grabbed the bolt in the human he had shot, and reloaded the weapon.

"I can't let this ass have all th' fun!" Bart snarled as he began fighting on the front lines. He stood near Arion, picking off targets that the monk was charging after. Anyone who got close to Bart received the butt of his crossbow in the face, followed by his claws flashing out and striking the target in the neck.

"I wouldn't consider this fun..." Arion muttered, but it was drowned out by the clash of steel all around him.

"Yer supposed ta be on the ramparts!" Gantors shouted at him, spit flying from his mouth.

"I ain't gonna get any kills from up there." Bart squeezed off another shot. "There ain't nothin' ta do up there but scratch me ass."

"Why you insolent--"

There was a large guttural bellow coming from above them, and Arion looked up to see a giant towering over him. As the being thrashed, she kicked up whole clumps of earth along with the dwarves that stood before her. Fireballs from dwarven mages pelted her skin, but they did little more than singe her flesh and make her more angry.

"MORE BUGS!" she shouted, stomping an entire regiment into the ground, their screams cut off as blood splattered the ground around her. "MORE SHINY BUGS!"

Gantors started running back, pushing his wife ahead of him. Orders to retreat flew from his mouth as he called for all forces to fall back from the giant.

"RUN LIKE THE BUGS YOU ARE!"

She moved to strike at Arion with her foot, but all the ursar had to do was erect a barrier in front of him. The giant groaned like a child who stubbed her toe and pulled her foot back as it slammed into the wall that had the hardness of steel.

"Sionache!" Arion shouted, "Give me a hand with this one!"

"Right."

Arion wasted no time in leaping up towards the giant's head. He focused all his power beneath him to be able to propel himself upwards, leaving him vulnerable as arrows and magic whizzed past him. He gulped, swallowing his fear, and came face to face with the giant. He slammed a fist into her nose, then sprung up into the air using his telekinesis to push himself up as Sionache criss-crossed with him to rake the giant in the face with her claws. The giant screamed as the areas around her eyes were rent by claws, blood seeping between her fingers.

From the ground, Bart knocked an orc out cold with a solid thump of his fist into the being's skull, then brought his crossbow to bear. He held an extra bolt in his teeth as he fired a shot off, hitting the giant in the eye. He grabbed his extra bolt and slammed it into the crossbow, firing into the giant's other eye with equal precision.

Finally, as Arion came down from his jump, he focused power into a shell around his foot. He slammed his heel onto the soft spot at the tip of the giants head, shattering her skull. He spun midair, aided by his psychic abilities, and delivered a second kick to the side of her face that launched her to the ground, crushing several enemy troops beneath her body.

Arion landed softly on the grass, coming down to one knee and resting a paw on the ground. Sionache stood poised and ready for more. She clasped Arion's wrist and helped him to his feet. Around them, Arion could hear the victorious dwarven cries ring out across the battle field. If they could stand up to a giant, then they might be able to win this battle.

* * * * *

From the Legion's back lines, Xellik watched with a sense of satisfaction as the sprawling dwarven city burned beneath the ashes of his sorcerers' fires. In his hands was a small glass globe that showed him an image of the battle taking place on the front lines. He had not yet joined the battle, but he didn't feel it necessary. Let the troops have their own personal glory, he thought. There's no need for me to join in yet.

He looked out across the field where his camp was set up. Great chasms had been formed, extending out of the city and barring his troops from encircling the city. He was already working to try and seal the gaps, but they were so deep and so wide that even the emerald struggled to replace the earth that had been dug out. It was of little consequence to Xellik, as he felt that Olaraa would fall beneath their sheer numbers anyways.

Fippy stood by his side, along with Haij, Bytej, Rothorn, and several Fleshgorgers and Darkpaw. They were his personal guard, and though they were well armored, none of them expected the dwarven forces to make it anywhere near their leader.

"Pull the Blackhorn forces back!" Rothorn shouted to an aid. "Those paladins will destroy them!" Whirling around, the minotaur glared at Fippy. "You said they would not have that many holy warriors? They should have been easy to crush!"

The gnoll shrugged. "It's been four years. They've trained more."

"Grab my axe!" Rothorn called out to another attendant. "I'll go out myself and put an end to those dwarves!"

"No," Xellik said firmly, watching the battle play out.

"You dare to order me like that, whelp?"

"Calm down, Commander," Xellik told him. "I refuse to send you out there. Those paladins will destroy you, regardless of your bravado."

"You're letting the dog go!" Rothorn growled.

"Hey!" Fippy shouted. "What did you call me, you walking slab of rotten meat?"

"Enough!" Xellik snapped, finally looking away from his scrying globe. "Fippy and his soldiers get to deploy because this is part of my deal with the Darkpaw. They are only here because they want to fight Olaraa. Would you rather explain that to their tribe because you're jealous?" He met the milky-white gaze of the minotaur. "I need the majority of your warriors for the Kitair invasion and later on, the fight against Snowhoof. Don't worry, you'll get your battles."

Rothorn grumbled a response and stormed off.

"Speaking of which, I'm getting a bit itchy." Fippy said casually.

"Don't head out, not just yet. I want to save my best soldiers for last." He wasn't going to risk sending Fippy out into the field of battle. He knew there was a good chance the gnoll would lose if he was forced to confront the psion and the paladin when they were at their peak performance.

With a growl, Fippy said. "I don't like being ordered around."

Xellik looked at him over his shoulder. "Don't worry. You'll get your chance. Let the enemy tire itself out on Stonefist's troops, then we'll move in and mop up." He watched as a giant was brought low by the psionic ursar that Fippy had mentioned. He noticed the little cub that fought alongside him. "You didn't tell me there were two psions."

"I only knew of the one," Fippy shrugged again.

Xellik smirked in response. "No matter." He then turned to Stonefist, the ogre commander standing nearby and said, "Send in the rest of the giants. Let's see how well those two perform against the full might of your forces."

The ogre nodded his head and gave the order. A war cry rose up from the Legion's ranks as the resting giants stood up and began stomping towards the dwarven city. No matter how mighty the Olaraan's meager defense was, it would not stand before every giant in the Legion's employ. Their walls would crumble and their opulent settlement would be crushed beneath their might.

As Stonefist worked to organize the attack, Xellik took Bytej aside and asked, "Now then, since we have a moment of peace, I've been meaning to ask if there's been any word from Cinra?"

"Cinra?" Bytej asked slowly, seemingly confused by the mention of the name.

"The scout we sent to watch the succubus," Xellik said with a frustrated growl.

"Cinra? What happened to him?" Haij asked. Xellik didn't understand why Haij cared about the younger orc. He didn't even think the two of them had spent any length of time talking together. Then again, Xellik hadn't cared to take the time to speak with Haij about much of anything of late.

"Quiet, whelp!" Bytej snapped, "Don't interrupt!" He turned back to Xellik. "Old age, of course I'd forget the young orc. There's been no word from him yet, but you have to keep in mind we've traveled a great distance, it's possible he has no idea where we are at this time."

"Hmm... perhaps. Still, I'm growing concerned. Can you scry his location now?"

"It's not possible," Bytej told him. "There's too much magic out there. I would never be able to contact him in this mess."

Xellik thought as he idly watched his globe. "Once we've conquered Olaraa, I want you to get a hold of him. I want to know if he's made any progress."

Bytej bowed, "Certainly, Warlord."

Haij whispered something to Xellik, quiet enough that his father could not hear him. "What have you done with Cinra? I hope you haven't done anything to ruin our tribe, whelp."

"He's on a mission," Xellik said flatly, sipping from a goblet of wine an attendant brought him. He smacked his lips and smiled. "It tastes better when there's blood in the air."