A King's Legacy Ch. 20-21

"I'll do my best to live up to your stories, the honor is mine. Good luck out there." The husky flashed a cheery smile that seemed out of place amid the pending battleground, but happily barked out his own answer over the approaching rumble of the fiends.

"I owe you for playing that trick on you with the song, so I'll try to keep up!" Stahl only nodded at the smiling fool. Chief Crag spoke to the wolf after.

"Thank you again for the aid... You could have ran. We would have accomplished little compared to what your mage and prince did alone... That bloodskill of his certainly comes in handy. To think he could channel half a village of energy through the rabbit... I can only have faith that our plans will work, and our tactics will crush those soulless abominations." Stahl agreed. The prince really was something else. The orc continued on. "And also, thank you for your help in our forge today. You and that fox really saved our skins... We even got our needles in time." Stahl gave the chief an inquisitive stare as he asked his question.

"About that... What are those things anyway? Why are they so important?" The chief looked at the wolf, and pointed to one of the many black marks that covered his greenish skin. The one he motioned to appeared a bit red around the edges still, and the ink appeared darker than some. Chief Crag spoke in that gruff voice of his.

"Before any great battle, all orcs that will fight take another mark. This is a very important tradition for us. It tells the story of each orc, and helps us easily identify the younger among us in the throes of battle. We protect our young, so they may live to someday protect theirs. There are many marks with many meanings. This one is for unity, more or less, or at least, our word for it. Unity is what I am taking into this battle with me. Those needles are how we apply these marks permanently... I assumed your human would have told you?" Stahl's puzzled expression grew even more apparent. The orc simply chuckled to himself before he answered.

"I suppose you'll find out soon enough." Stahl wasn't sure if he had time to think on that, considering the foe was just out of range and rapidly approaching, but the wolf did give the orc a glance in a new light.

'One before any great battle huh?' Stahl marveled to himself. The orc had well over thirty of the black marks upon him. Chief Crag tightened the grip on his mighty club, and steeled himself for the thrill of the fight to overtake him once more. Stahl gave another glance over towards the husky, and saw the canine had drawn a steady handed rapier back eye level. His cheerful expression had melted away, leaving in its absence an alert and analytical veteran readying for the pending clash of armies. The wolf realized then he was truly the least experienced among the three, maybe among most of the front line orcs fighting beside him. Stahl unsheathed both of his swords and took his position, standing firmly and confidently beside such worthy allies. The fiends would reach the front lines where they stood ready in mere seconds. The noble beast was ready.

===

Just moments before the battle started, as Milky idly strummed a tune on their lute nearby, Rust was dutifully following his prince's order. The fox had the important task of watching over Lady Alice herself, and so the fox had received a bit of help to move her outside near the wagons waiting at the ready to make a swift retreat if necessary. Rust knew it wasn't the most important job, but he accepted the responsibility regardless. The young fox stayed close to the resting cat, standing guard like a true, noble knight, just like his uncle's were. Rust heard a familiar cough, and turned to see his mentor, Tan, approaching. The orc looked a bit different in his light armor, and certainly a bit too old for such attire, but Rust knew the smith had a few tricks left to use if needed. The orc reminded him of his grandfather in that way, older, but reliable, and never to be underestimated. The fox smiled up at his mentor, and gave a light nod. The orc suddenly held something out to the fox dangling by a short strap, and started speaking in a tone filled with earned respect.

"Every defending warrior deserves a worthy weapon... And this one was crafted by the best blacksmith I've ever seen for his age. I just touched it up a little... Don't use it unless you have to, young Rosten."

Rust recognized the dagger immediately. It was the very first thing he had forged with the orc's guidance, but it appeared his mentor had been busy. There was a burnt orange scabbard that fit smoothly over the blade now. The orc had adorned ivory colored stones along the sides of the sheath with touches of black metal, making the clash of orange and white from the scabbard meet the red steel, and black handle of the dagger itself. There were decorative holes punched through the sides of the sheath, allowing a glimpse of the crimson blade to peek through threateningly. In one single weapon, every color of the fox's fur was represented. It was custom made to be his. The young fox accepted the gift in awe, and slowly pulled the blade from the hilt. It slid effortlessly once a small bit of force was used to bump it free from the hilt. As the crimson steel slid from its holster, the entire blade shimmered reflectively beneath the last golden rays of the setting sun, casting a warm glow back upon his bewildered expression. Rust saw three large black markings on the sides of the blade, and ran his fingers over the symbols. Tan smiled as he spoke three words.

"Bravery. Determination. Heart." Rust looked to the orc then back at the blade. He couldn't believe the orc had given him something that undeniably took up so much time and so many resources. Tan gave the fox his own mission then. "Should you ever find yourself lacking any of the those, draw your blade, and look upon the markings there to remind yourself that you've already shown me you possess all three. May your blade guide you true, through all of your battles, young Rosten."

The orc gave the fox a small bow, and Rust scrambled to return it, still speechless as the dagger trembled in his hands. The fox began to squeak out a response of overwhelming thanks a short second later, but the orc simply ruffled the fur on the cub's head, and walked off without a word to stand on the edges of the village, keeping an eye out for stragglers. The cub could barely hold in his pride, or his tears in that moment, and dutifully returned to Alice's side, sheathing his new weapon as he attached it securely around his hip. The fox listened to Milky's song for a few chords longer, still stricken and humbled by his new blade before a loud explosion interrupted the strumming beast without warning. The battle had begun. The first trap had been triggered.

===

Mollis stood his place on the battlefield in deep thought. The hare was perched on a raised pillar of stone near the rear of their defenses, about thirty feet into the air with Aster and Prince Tyfin. Mollis took a deep breath and made a final pass-through to ensure everything was ready. His timing, and his ability were the determining factors for how this all started. The hare had been laying rune magic in the ground before them throughout the morning, and quickly went about using his anima magic to manipulate the rocky soil to create two thick walls of stone, nearly six feet deep and twenty feet high, to run along the battlefield, coming to form a bit of a funnel between the approaching army, and their defenses. Nearly all of the combined forces were within the three formations at the ready within the raised walls leading up to the river, stationed a good measure behind those runes. The fiends would overwhelm them if they were allowed to encompass them from three sides, so this was their best way of avoiding that. The Aschefell wolf, the musician Dally, and the orc chief were stationed among that front line. A number of archers were laying upon the twenty foot walls on both sides, ready to provide what support they could, but staying low and out of sight for the time being. The hare gave this central part of their defense a final once over to ensure everyone was in position, and turned to his left.

Behind that wall, also remaining out of sight, was Captain Rix and his select force of warriors. The bull had expressed his worry about the two larger fiends he had seen breaking through their ranks too easily and overwhelming them, so the captain offered a solution. The goal was to split them away from the larger force, and have a small force committed to keeping them from re-entering the fray as they dispatched the pair on the other side of the wall. Fiends were mostly instinctual, they seemed to have only one purpose that drove them, to kill, and to eat. Nobody knew the reasoning, but only greater demons ever acted on anything beyond that. As such, a distraction was often enough to bait them away. The orcs and beasts could only hope it would work, and adjust if it didn't.

The hare gave a glance over his shoulder, and looked over the river and back to the village behind him. The rabbit wanted a final reminder as to what was at stake here if he messed up. The mage took a deep breath, and took three paces forward, standing near the front of his platform. Many of the smaller fiends were already sprinting forward quickly, enticed by the scent of their prey, and the hare knew the time had come. The rabbit knelt down, and placed his hand on the first of two smaller runes. These were the triggers for his larger spells weaved into the field, and the first one needed to be timed as perfectly as possible.

Mollis stood firm as the first of the smaller fiends raced across the larger runes, their exact placement marked by a smaller cherry tree on either side. The faster of the creatures propelled forward at astounding speed, and was only a few short leaps from the line of orcs when the first of the smaller hidden runes activated under its step, sending a small explosion echoing between the stony walls to signal the time had come. The allied forces stood their ground as one by one, more of the smaller traps took care of the fiends before they could ever reach them. When Mollis saw the two larger ones nearing the first rune with a swarm of the smaller around them, he steadied his focus. Just a split second before the first of the two large bodied fiends crossed between the tree markers, Mollis shouted the key, and channeled a hefty sum of magic into his trigger, setting off the rune.

A row of several stony spikes jolted from the earth twelve feet into the air as a glowing circle appeared where the mage had planted the rune. The spikes pierced multiple fiends at once, and even caught one of the larger ones through the spine, stifling the brunt of the charge and only leaving smaller spaces between the spears for the fiends to filter through to reach the army between the walls. The goal was to help prevent the bigger ones from charging, and to slow the speed at which the steady flow of enemies could descend upon the army. The plan had worked, and Mollis had even pierced into one of the larger ones, rendering it immobile. The larger fiend's heart had been missed though, as it still only struggled around the spire as it roared in pain.

Two archers began firing from the left wall immediately, attempting to draw the attention of the larger fiend that was still free. Their arrows did almost nothing to hurt the creature, but their plan had worked, and the fiend turned its head just in time to see Captain Rix coming from behind the wall. The bull held up his axe, and gave the creature a large, mock wave, making sure he was seen before ducking back behind his cover as the larger fiend charged over his direction, splitting off from the horde of smaller ones. It seemed most was going according to plan so far.

At that point, nearly all of the smaller explosive runes had already been triggered, so the hare gave a wave of his hand, and dismissed the last few remaining so the army could safely advance and engage. Mollis reached his hand forward once more, and spoke in the language of the gods, reciting his incantation swiftly. The sound of thunder roared over the battlefield, and Aster recognized it as the same signal used back in The Selection, only this time, it was to signal the charge was safe. The army of orcs surged forward to meet their ravenous opponents at last with a bit of hunger of their own.

===

Just as Stahl was about to connect his sword to the first fiend to reach him, a shout of an anima spell filled his ears just before he looked to his right and saw Dally swinging his rapier in a wide arc, sending bolts of lightning flashing outwards to strike the majority of nearby fiends, the one he was about to stab included. The arcs of lightning jumped from fiend to fiend as they got progressively weaker with each transference, but dropping over fifteen instantly, and leaving even more writhing on the ground stunned. The husky flashed the stunned wolf a smile in delight as he plunged the end of his thin blade into the closest fiend still moving.

The carefree husky had just earned a new degree of respect from the wolf. Competent spellblades were a rare occurrence, but a welcomed ally. The wolf turned his attention back to the next wave of fiends approaching, and readied himself once again. Chief Crag eagerly rushed forward to bludgeon on his own targets with a hefty laugh, and the wolf realized both of them were actually having fun here. He was fighting beside two battle-crazed lunatics... Two skilled lunatics though...The wolf flashed his own smile, and raced forward himself, eager not to be entirely outshined by his comrades.

Stahl was a bit faster than the orc, so he caught up quickly. Chief Crag was crushing fiends with every swing of his club without fail, so the wolf figured he should match that pace alongside him. Stahl lunged forward, and pierced the heart of the nearest one as the pair began advancing as he cleaved through the writhing monstrosities, taking step after step and swing by swing with perfect accuracy with both swords. His polished movements and practiced swordplay never failed to cut down those that charged toward him from a steady flow of monsters that hungered for his flesh. The orc chief and the husky both smiled cynically at the sight.

The archers stood on their walls, and began firing upon the trickle of fiends, providing invaluable support at thinning the overwhelming size of the large force. Despite that assistance, there were still too many making it through the spiky pillars too quickly, and the front lines were starting to feel that pressure. Stahl heard another incantation, and saw Dally rushing passed him. The husky was inches away from a fiend lunging towards him when the canine drove the tip of his rapier into the dirt. Thin icicles formed into spears, and erupted into an arc from the earth where the blade pierced, skewering a good deal of the approaching fiends, and giving the vanguard a short reprieve. Dally stood, his face less than a hands length from the agape, toothy jaw of the lunging fiend suspended before him by the stalagmites. The husky turned with another large grin as he tapped his blade against one such icicle and flaunted.

"Not bad, right? I've definitely killed the most this time Crag!" Stahl was in disbelief... He was gloating... And Stahl had though he was cocky... The chief grunted his sour response.

"Did YOU make those kills? Or did your magic? It's not the same when you don't get to feel them break! It should count as half in my opinion!" The husky turned his nose up mockingly as he huffed his reply.

"Sooo... Still a sore loser then... Got it." The musician turned back to Stahl and spoke another seemingly misplaced statement.

"I've got to give it to you Aschefell, you haven't disappointed yet either! I bet this will make a fantastic song! Let's see... The ashen wolf, on their darkest day, fought by orcs, with grand swordplay... I think it has potential, you?" Stahl stared on blankly... Surely this wasn't the time for this... He was writing a song? NOW? Chief Crag huffed as he raised his club for the fiend approaching him. He gave his criticism with a grunt as he crushed it with a heavy swing down.

"No! That's too vague! It makes it sound like we were helpless! Maybe just make a single verse about him?" The husky rolled his eyes and kept speaking as if they weren't standing in a battlefield. Stahl cut down another fiend in the meantime.

"Oh, right, because you should always be the star of the tale, right Chief?... You can share the credit you know." Stahl finally let out a laugh, despite the task at hand. He spoke his swift response, yielding to the lighthearted mood the two were setting.

"Aren't you the one keeping count of who killed the most, Dally? Maybe you're trying to hog the credit?" The wolf flashed him a brief grin, and the husky lunged to pierce through a nearby fiend with a huff. All three laughed a moment later, carving through their enemies all the while. The rest of the vanguard nearby thought all three had gone absolutely mad as they struggled against the few fiends that made it through to them.

===

"INCOMING! BE READY!" Captain Rix shouted as the larger fiend barreled towards the end of the wall. The bull waited with his axe at the ready, and gave the command as soon as the creature ran through the opening. "NOW!"

As the bull swung his mighty axe through the back leg of the monster's left side, Sir Corper stepped forward and delivered two swift strikes to its front left leg, forcing it to drop as the bone snapped, and the creature flipped face first over itself from the sudden loss of balance, shrieking all the while as it stirred up the dust around it. The creature flipped quite a few times at the speed it was charging, putting a short distance between it, and the two beasts that had wounded it.

Oust got his first clear look at the opponent then. The fiend easily stood at twelve feet tall on all fours, and its massive, rounder body made the tiger wonder if it's weight wasn't in the thousands. The creature looked similar to a feral boar, but off, as if all of its facial features were just a bit shifted from where they should be... As if they were painted on. Something about that offset made the tiger's fur stand on end, but he would face this opponent regardless. Doing so with a bit of caution was never an unwise thing, however, as the two orcs going for the kill would soon find out the hard way.

As the pair of warriors made it to the writhing mass, they swiftly went to strike for the heart of the fiend, one raised a spear, and one raised a sword. The fiend let out an odd little snort, and the next thing the tiger knew, he received his answer for the shifted features in the most uneventful way possible. The fiend's face split open without warning, and the divided flesh slid open wider as if it were a blooming flower, revealing a circular formation of sharp teeth at the center with a writhing, barbed tentacle for a tongue. The skin which made up the false petals expanded outwards into stretching flaps of flesh with teeth pointed inwards, and closed firmly around the first orc's head, crushing it quickly with a popping sound as the body went limp. The encasing flesh latched around the fallen orc's shoulders, and started undulating, forming grotesque slurping sounds as the orc's body shriveled from the action, everything inside of it being sucked through the hole where its head used to be. The petals started drawing the carcass in further and further with a wet and crunching swallowing sound as the fiend swiftly made its way through the appetizer.

The second orc dove towards the abdomen to strike, but the creature's stomach also split apart on the underside with a huff of heat, revealing a long, oversized, grinning mouth of sharp teeth to unfold from between the creature's front legs, to its back. Something that looked like intestines shot out a short ways and wrapped around the second orc's neck, snapping it effortlessly as the tendril drew the body back towards the new mouth. The teeth gnashed through the steel armor and the thick bones like they were merely eggshells, even devouring the sword with no trouble at all, and within seconds, both of the warriors had been completely consumed. The fiend shifted, and its missing back leg writhed wildly for a bit until a fresh appendage burst through the skin. The front leg snapped back into shape, and the fiend rose up, and snarled through both mouths this time as it turned back towards the bull. Captain Rix huffed in his disgust as he yelled his warning.