Blazing Glory Ch. 08

"Damn mutts," she muttered as she stomped out the last flickering flames on the ground with the heel of her leather boot. That exertion had tired her quickly. Any more hounds had been in that group, she would have had a bit more trouble than she would have preferred.

"Kendra!" Blaze called out as he saw her, running to her swiftly. The warrior blinked as he nearly slipped and fell on his face from the ground slick with blood. He paled nonetheless when he looked over her blood coated body. "Are you alright, Kendra?"

"Of course," she said with a flourish of her whip before she put it away. She noticed his cuts and claw marks but was happy enough to see that he was alive. That was all that mattered. Quickly he told her about saving an elf girl and helping a few other civilians out before he had found her again.

"Hey guys!" a familiar cheery voice rang out.

Glancing to their right, both lovers saw Nadine and Tyra coming around a large tree to them. Blood covered the lycan's claws and the gargoyle's massive spiked mace in testament to their battles they fought this eve as well. Nadine leaned on Tyra as she was limping badly on one leg that had a wicked gash.

"It looks like you had a close call there Nadine," Kendra said with a frown as she observed the wound.

"All bark and no bite... one of them just got lucky," the catwoman managed a weak giggle.

But Blaze could see the pain in her eyes and the tears nearly forming. He was about to suggest the two wait there as he and Kendra searched for Rae to heal Nadine, but as luck would smile on them this night when the drowess stepped out of the shadows like a wraith. Her red eyes quickly observed everyone's conditions before she put away her bloody ring sabers. Without a word, the drowess set about healing the wounds with Nadine being first.

"I sensed something was wrong deep down," the drowess finally said as she worked. "I was fortunate enough to come upon the first guards being attacked. I sent up a magical flare in hopes it would alarm the city to the assault. Thankfully the wood rats were smart enough to realize it as I had hoped."

Blaze was amazed that Rae had even acted to save the people she hated with such passion. She simply could have warned them to get out of the city and let the elves perish. He wondered if something had happened to change her feelings on such. But he had no time to ask as the attack was still ongoing about them with the flames pushing closer towards the center of the city. And the palace!

Blaze immediately began to run back towards the direction they had come, all four women right behind him ready to show the hellhounds to true meaning of hell!

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"Go! Do as the Queen ordered," Callista commanded with a thrust of her pointed finger at the door. The last of those most reluctant to see shelter within the deepest recesses of the palace caved in before her ferocious glare and ran through the door.

How had it come to this? She had only made it halfway through the city when she heard the alarms sound. The beautiful elf immediately rushed back to protect those she cared for. She could find Blaze and his friends easily enough but knew they were already out there doing their best to help the elves. She was best here in the palace protecting her close friend as best she could.

"You'd best go too, Allora," the Silver Enchantress said as she walked up to the Queen standing at the foot of the stairwell.

The dance hall was now empty of all occupants having been taken to the shelters deep within. If need be to escape further, they would be taken down into the secret tunnels that led away from Riodanol to safety.

"You may be right..." Allora whispered as she watched numerous guards of her personal watch blockading the massive entrance doors to the hall. But the Queen shook her head as her jaw set firmly in resistance. "But I won't. If Riodanol falls, I might as well be dead then. Our city is a symbol to our people. If it is destroyed then the rest will lose all hope. Better to stand and fight to the very end than run and be scattered to the winds as a people!"

Callista stared in wonder at Allora's passionate words. She wasn't seeing her friend at that moment, but the Queen of the Elves. She nodded to her blonde friend with a smile as they turned to face the doors together. The squad of her finest guards backed away from the door and ringed out to protect their Queen. Blades bristled and arrows were knocked as the doors at the end of the hall trembled from a massive blow, but the doors held. Callista slid her own sword from its sheath as she watched the doors surge again from another blow. The doors held once more but the distinct cracking of wood giving way was clearly audible.

With a mighty heave of finality, the doors exploded from their frames and sent furniture flying everywhere as the hellhounds poured in like water from a rupturing dam, a few demons pack leaders walking in to direct the attack on the Elf Queen. The guards screamed their rallying cry as they ran forward to meet this onrush. Callista charged right with them as her close friend hung back to watch what fate would play out for them in this hall. Back and forth the parties clashed. When it seemed that all else was going to fail as elf after elf fell into bloody death, the royal guard surged back with such anger that it pushed the demons backwards.

But the elves were outnumbered with the rest of their other forces unaware as they fought outside in the city. Soon only Callista and a few elves remained as they were pushed back against the bottom of the stairs. The others fell quickly and it was only she that remained now. Three hellhounds leapt at her to finish the resistance to their goal. With a sharp cry of defiance, she whipped her blade about to severe the head of the first before bringing it across to cleave to other two in half.

Panting heavily with the exertion, her sweat trickled down her skin to mingle with the blood that had splashed onto her in this battle. There was simply too many, she cried to herself. Even now, many slowly closed in with anticipation of the final kill. She had thought she could defend her friend, but she couldn't she admonished herself. She was just a healer skilled with a sword. And even now it was clear that her blade would not be enough.

Her amber eyes glanced back over her shoulder to see Allora standing at the top of the stares. Her friend was looking down at her in return. She saw the fear in Allora's eyes for the life of a dear friend that fought valiantly. But even more, Callista saw the unwavering belief and confidence Allora had in her.

No! She couldn't fail her friend! She wouldn't! All her life others had treated her like shit on the side of a road. Nothing worth notice except for disdain. She had been a failure in allowing them to walk all over her as she did when she should have stood up for herself. She had been a failure when she allowed herself to become isolated from her own people when she should have stayed put. She had been a failure in many things that mattered in her life, but she would not fail in this! She would not fail the one elf who believed in her above all else!

The growls became more menacing as the demons began to converge on her, tendrils of saliva dripping from sharp fangs within those blood stained mouths. The image of Allora being torn to bloody pieces flashed into her mind before her vision went white with rage.

"NOOOOOO!!!!" The Silver Enchantress shrieked.

Her free gloved hand snapped up and magic exploded forth with such intensity that she staggered backwards. White light blazed from each of her fingers as swiftly as lightning to pierce many demons, incinerating them instantly before they could react. A small part of her deep down recoiled in shock at this. She had never used her magic to kill. She hadn't even known she was capable to using it in such a manner! But to protect those she loves, she welcomed it as a necessity.

"No! No! Nooo!" the livid sorceress screamed as green barbs lanced out from her to pierce her enemies and pin them against the far wall. They howled in agony as they writhed above the ground before dying. She didn't pay them any mind as she was already bringing a rain of white fire pouring down on the other attackers from above while the earth opened up beneath others to swallow them up in a crushing end.

Her magical wrath lasted no more than a few moments but was enough to decimate nearly all of the hundreds of demons that had filled the hall. Those that remained fled in terror away from such horrible power into the night, yipping as they went.

Callista Malthenniel collapsed to her knees as the exhaustion from such extensive use of her magic hit her hard. Her sword fell away from her and clattered loudly in the silent hall upon hitting the floor. Amber eyes gazed down to her trembling hands as she remembered the bliss of the magic rushing through her entire being. Where did these powers come from that haunted her all her life? Who was she? WHAT was she?

Sadly, she knew she didn't know the answers to those questions nor would she find out any time soon.....

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From the darkness within that very hall, bright blue eyes watched the Silver Enchantress tremble as she stared at those gloved hands. Those eyes had seen the entire event from the very beginning when the hordes broke through the doors to the explosion of raw power from Callista. Now they watched as the Queen rushed down the stairs to her friend and helped the stunned sorceress back up the stairs to exit the hall.

In the now empty hall, Eilistraee stepped out of the darkness and glanced down at the destruction all around her. Such power was incredible along with apt use of it upon first try. The attackers had never stood a chance against the fury of the Silver Enchantress. The Dark Maiden knew this as must Koas. Callista was a woman not to mess with or take lightly.

Eilistraee smiled as soft warmth filled her being while she turned about and walked towards a portal she opened up. She was so proud of Callista in another way, her words echoing the hall with a satisfied sigh as her form disappeared.

"That's my girl....."

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In the days following, repairs to the city structures that had refused to collapse were still underway. So many had died in the attack, but the elves were still going to continue on. Ashes still smoldered in places, but all fires had long since been put out on that first night. If not for the elves quickness in putting them out, Riodanol would surely have burned to the ground.

Blaze and the others helped as best they could, but knew they had to be on their way soon to fulfill Stavros's wishes. In their rooms, they had discussed their best options to take from here. It was clear that the lands west from Riodanol were no longer safe. It was extremely dangerous to assume no more large parties filled with enemies awaited their coming.

They went through long hours of frustration trying to figure out a better path when they found it out upon the second day.

"On behalf of me and my people," Allora said to them in their room in her visitation, "Thank you from the bottom of my heart."

"It was the right thing to do, Allora," Blaze grinned in response.

The Queen of the Elves smiled and nodded. "True enough, but a noble action nonetheless. May I ask where you will go from here? I wish to be able in providing any supplies you may need."

Tyra sighed as she leaned against the window frame, looking outside at the servants replanting in the gardens. "That seems to be the problem. We don't know yet."

"But we do know we want to avoid any trouble that waits west of here," Nadine chimed in from where she sat on the bed.

"Ah yes," the elf said with a thoughtful expression. "Callista informed me of your goal the other day. If land to the west is not an option, how about water?"

Kendra blinked and sat up within her chair, "Water? What do you mean by that?"

"Why there is a port to the south at the northern most edge of the Sonel Sea. I'm sure you can charter a boat to take you along the coast far enough south to where you could avoid any trouble," Allora explained with a smile.

The decision had been unanimous almost immediately as that to be the plan of action to take. They were all ready before midday and were getting directions from the Queen's personal servants on finding this port city when Callista found them.

"I wish I could go with you all," the Silver Enchantress said sadly as she stepped into the room. She looked to them as they all turned about to see her. "But I can't...."

Kendra smiled softly and stepped up to hug Callista tightly. "It's okay, hon. You have your priorities as do we. Just remember what I said about coming to visit when all of this is done. You're always welcome."

Callista smiled and hugged the succubus back tightly in return. "Thank you. I may do that as soon as I help Allora rebuild the capitol and fight off Koas's forces. All of you please take care until then... We will see each other again, I assure you."

The sorceress moved away from Kendra and stepped up to Blaze to give him a passionate kiss in promise of things to come between them before she turned about and left them. Blaze was saddened to see Callista go, but he knew she was doing what she thought was best. Without further disturbance to those around them, the small band of unusual companions silently slipped out of the lives of the elves for now as they moved to the south in search of this city by the sea.

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Koas hummed softly to herself in pleasure. Everything was going according to plan finally. The centaurs had by now joined her massive army as the final puzzle piece to create a masterpiece. A force of complete evil and an efficient slaughtering machine.

The humans were too divided amongst themselves to gather in force. Most of the other races were too weak to be able to make a difference. The dwarves would be overwhelmed before help could arrive. And help wouldn't arrive as the elves were the only ones that near enough. Her hellhounds should have taken care of that with the deaths of the Silver Enchantress and Queen Allora. The elves would be too disorganized without their Queen and lessened in strength with the sorceress gone. Nothing would be able to stop her army and the world would be forever plunged into chaos and suffering.

Her soft laughter filled her dark throne room as that last thought ran through her mind. And all of this thanks to Blaze being dead. No longer a distraction to her. No longer an annoying pest to interfere with her plans. He was dead! Even better, he no longer existed because of Lexiss's curse. If she ever stopped by the netherworld, she would never even find his soul.

A frantic rapping at her throne room's large doors, bringing her out of her pleasant thoughts.

"COME!" she snapped angrily in her booming voice, angry that this intrusion had now upset her good mood. This had better be worth it! Her glowing red eyes centered on a hellhound demon as he stepped inside and kneeled before her. Koas smirked wickedly. Oh this was worth it. The demon must have arrived to give her the good news of success in Solomon.

"Well? How did it go?" she asked with threatening impatience.

The demon trembled visibly before her and did not raise his head to look at her. "Mistress Koas... The attack..... failed..."

"WHAT!?" her voice boomed. The goddess was already on her feet and fists clenched in fury. Her red eyes glowed so intensely that it put the fires of the volcanoes to shame! How could this be? She had sent more than enough hellhound demons for a surprise attack to overcome the Elf Queen and Silver Enchantress.

"We met resistance as expected upon our attack," the demon quickly described before the infuriated deity, "But we encountered more than we had thought to. The elves had with them these powerful allies. A gargoyle and lycan that was as fierce as any hellhound. A dark elf if you can believe it. And even a demoness from the Abyss itself..."

Her breath caught in her throat as the realization hit her hard. Slowly, her breath finally came out in such a dangerous hiss that demon was cowering in pure terror. It could not be, she thought vehemently. It just couldn't! They were supposed to have split up soon after he had died. They would have no reason to stay together! Unless....

With eyes glowing so hotly in the darkness that they nearly appeared white, the Mistress of Discord clenched her fists until her knuckles cracked from the force. Lightning flashed from the dark volcanic ash clouds outside, ripping the air with violently exploding thunder as her fury reached unfathomable heights.

"Tell me one thing," she hissed with dripping venom in every word. "Amongst these unusual fighters... Was there a young human male that fought with two swords?"

The hellhound blinked and looked up to her at this, recognition in his eyes as he nodded. "Yes, Mistress Koas! I even heard one of them mention his name. She called him 'Blaze'."

BLAZE!!!!!

Slaves groaned and cried as they were whipped into working in the farthest reaches of Nealon. The castle of the evil goddess, their tormentor, was small and far in the distance as they hammered at rocks and boulders on the mountainside. That is when it happened.

A feminine shriek of such terrible hatred and wrath pierced the air before shattering it into a million pieces. Slaves and slave drivers alike dropped to their knees and hurriedly covered their ears from the terrifying sound. Those who didn't act quickly enough suffered their ears bleeding from the horrifying shriek. The scream lasted for minutes on end afterwards long after the source had stopped, echoing off the vast mountains repeatedly as it bounced back and forth with its intensity.

The only thing slaves and overseers could think afterwards was heaven help the poor soul that was the target of such rage....