Vainta's Last Stand ((Open))

[Zieg dil' Tulfried]

((Alright, this is my attempt to actually complete a thread. I hope I will be inspired enough to roleplay again. Open to any.))

Explosions rocked the city of Haidia as blast after blast of flaming rock pounded against the outer wall. Flames engulfed buildings throughout the city as the attack continued. The Demon Army was in chaos, scrambling around throughout the city trying to determine what there orders were. Screams erupted from the citizens of the large city. The dwarves were attacking, and they were very well organized.

Zieg dil' Tulfried, High General of the Demon Army, was doing his best to maintain the order he was used to, but there was just too much to do. He had sent his two generals, Zaketh ag' Dinmos and Johannan ag' Tranta to fortify the two gates, while he rushed through the city gathering whoever he could to brace the walls.

The attack had started just a few hours earlier, with no warning whatsoever. Out of nowhere a large ball of fire had rained down over the wall upon the Demon Army Headquarters, engulfing the building in flames. Zieg had managed to get nearly everyone out of the building, including himself, his son, and Xeppa. After setting up a temporary headquarters in a nearby shop, the High General had attempted to get word out to his men that were partrolling the countryside, but it was to no avail. Any man who left the safety of the city was killed instantly.

Zieg had had only one option. He had sent Kaza, on Xeppa's back, high into the sky to go get reinforcements from Vla'toros. Dera'losta'nofa was a good leader and if anyone could organize the men to help, he could. It also got Kaza out of the town and away from danger. He only hoped the help came in time.

The walls themselves were holding for now, but it was only a matter of time until the dwarves made it through into the city. It was then that the demons would have to be at their best. All were armed and ready, just waiting for that eventual moment. The demon knight had more pressing issues to deal with than waiting. He was rushing his way through the city, through the crazed masses, trying to get to the castle.

Finally arriving at the castle gates, he found them shut tight. He ordered the guards to open them, and rushed through before they were fully open. He ran as fast as he could up the steps into the main foyer. Passing by numerous guards and many of his own men, he made his way into the throne room where he found newly crowned King Aidos curled up on the throne. The young boy was crying his eyes out and shivering.

Zieg dropped to one knee. "Your Majesty, you need to leave the city. It is not safe for you here. Even though you are but a child, if anything were to happen to you, the nation of Haidia would be in shambles. Come now, make your way through the tunnels beneath the city which should take you to the outlying villages. The people there will hide you and keep you safe."

Aidos looked up, staring straight into Zieg's eyes. "I cannot leave my people," he said meekly.

"Go, Aidos," Zieg said gently. "There is nothing you can do here." Zieg turned on heel and ran back out of the throne room. He stopped at the first guards and ordered them to escort the king from the castle. He then sprinted out of the castle and back into the city.

[Molotov]

Molotov had entered Haidia without altruistic motives. Like many other places in Althanas, the mutant was a wanted criminal here. The chances of him getting a visa in Vainta were very unlikely, especially if the rumors about a recent explosion were true. Still, Molotov hoped that there might be a chance for redemption for him within the demon army. His appearance was not particularly noteworthy compared to that of demons, and one of his greatest services had been in the name of the son of Haidia’s king. In fact, it was in Haidia that Molotov had experienced a renaissance of sorts, in as much as Myrhia Bastilien had brought new focus to his life.

This appearance in Haidia would be a test of that. Molotov was going to offer his services to the Demon Army in their time of need and see if he couldn’t redeem his name in the eyes of the Haidia law enforcement. At the moment, Molotov was known only as the only outsider who had escaped the Labyrinth, and perhaps among a few as the mutant who had bested their high general, Zieg dil’Tulfried, in the Gisela open.

However, no stories of valor would help Molotov get into Vainta, especially in a time like this. The demon clerk in charge of granting visas by Vainta’s gate just looked on the mutant and sighed. “You are not welcome here,” he said. “This is not a place for your kind of people.”

“What if I told you that I was your last bloody chance, you ponce?” Molotov replied, confrontational not because he expected it would yield results, but because he had no other choice.

The clerk looked on sternly. “This is not the time to be trying to come into Vainta,” the demon said sternly. “If you have to be here, go to Hrenta Nodos, they tolerate your kind of miscreant there…”

“Now look you bloody sod…” Molotov began, only to notice that there was a royal precession leading out of Vainta. Desperate for an opportunity to prove himself, Molotov knew he had but few options. Immediately, he ran towards the royal precession, hoping that King Aidos was there. If the king were to remember him for his help with the prince, then it might be Molotov’s only chance in.

Immediately, the mutant ran through the crowd of guards and straight to the king. He was so determined in his movement that none of the king’s vaunted guards were able to stop the mutant before he was at Aidos’ palanquin.

“Please,” Molotov huffed, breathing rapidly so as to recover the breath from his mad dash. “Please King Aidos please, I beg you. Grant me refuge in Vainta. I need to seek my redemption here, show Althanas that I can in fact be a hero. I am Molotov, I have defended you, and my exploits are known well enough here. I bested your bloody general… Zieg dil’Tulfried, back when he was just bloody ag’Tulfried, PLEASE!”

Desperation was apparent in the mutant’s voice. If this was to be Vainta’s last stand, the mutant needed to be a part of it. Too much of Molotov’s history was embedded in Vainta, even though much of it was bad. If the city was going to be destroyed, it ruined Molotov’s chances of ever making amends there.

“I remember you,” Aidos replied. “You helped me, and now I'm desperate. Desperation breeds a willingness to do all kinds of things.”

“Yes… bloody yes…” Molotov said frantically, seething at the opportunity to get into Vainta. He could tell that Aidos posessed a king's wisdom just from the young king's voice. Aidos was frightened, but so was any rational citizen of Vainta. It would have been poor of Molotov to hold that against the young king.

Aidos sighed. “I will grant you entry. It is a desperate decision, but my people need you. If you truly bested my greatest general in Gisela, you will be the very inspiration my troops need. They will sacrifice for their king but not in vain. Remember what Myrhia taught you though, it is a lesson you shouldn't forget.”

“I will never forget that,” Molotov replied very firmly.

“Well spoken,” Aidos decided. The king turned to one of his footmen. “He is to be granted an emergency visa…” Aidos instructed.

Molotov nodded in gratitude, reluctant to say anything else for he might jeopardize his newfound position. Still, he couldn’t help but to thank the king. “Thank you,” he gushed. “You’ve bloody made me a happy man…”

“Lets see that you do the same,” Aidos replied tartly.

-x-

As soon as he’d been given entry into the city, Molotov had leapt onto his asperi and flown into the city. “Come on Cocktail, urgency is of the bloody key,” Molotov muttered to his reliable steed, the asperi who had remained loyal to him throughout his travails in Shanleh. Vainta was a particularly depressing sight. Explosions were everywhere. Terror rocked the city. Women who loved their husbands, children who loved their parents, all of them were in tears.

Molotov gulped. It was a jarring sight. Still, he needed to keep a calm mind. In Gisela, he wasn’t a tactician, he was a motivator of soldiers. If he were to be here to serve Zieg, it would be unlikely that he would be afforded the same luxury. Thus, the mutant knew he needed to keep his mind sharp.

Soon, Cocktail landed at Vainta's main castle. There was pandemonium in the city, and there were guards blocking the mutant’s way up into the offices of anyone significant. Still Molotov wasn’t frazzled. He had his visa. After this point, there would be enough desperation in Vainta that others would welcome him.

“I have come to help,” the mutant said. “If you bloody don’t know who I am, I’ll tell you. Molotov Insidious, former general of the Mutant Misfits. See if that name doesn’t mean anything to your high general if nothing else…”

One of the guards nodded. Molotov could tell that the guard thought the entire situation was a bit out of control, the demon had been left with little choice in wake of the bomb blasts that had rocked the city. “I’ll go get dil’Tulfried,” the guard said. “You wait here.”

“I will,” Molotov said. He grabbed the guard by the shoulder. “Keep in mind though, as long as you refuse me into the city, I’ll bloody be waiting here,” he threatened. “I’ll be waiting here to see what happens.”

[Zieg dil' Tulfried]

Zieg rushed down the stone steps of the castle and past the iron gates that seperated the castle from the rest of the town. He had barely made it past them before he was stopped by a demon soldier. An arm across the chest, fist clenched, was the salute he gave. Before he spoke, Zieg heard the gate close with a metal clang.

"Sir, there is a person here to help with the defense from the overworld. He claims to know you, a Molotov Insidious." Instantly, Zieg was sent back in time, thoughts filling his head of the previous year when he had participated in the Gisela Tournament. Molotov had been the one to defeat him. Zieg shook his head to clear it, before glaring at the soldier.

"If he wants to help, then take him to where he can. The dwarven army just closed off the last possible escape route we could take. We are trapped here now. Everyone inside has only to choices, fight or die. Even those that choose to fight may still perish defending this city, but I can't help that. It's time to fight, fool! Not waste my time!" Zieg shoved the soldier out of the way, ripped the Gamygym from its sheath and ran toward the East Gate. He caught glimpses of Molotov as he ran by, not bothering to stop. The mutant would do what he wanted, not that it mattered to the demon.

Houses and shops alike burned under the onslaught of the dwarves. Zieg had few options. The dwarves had come in massive numbers, more than any demon ever thought existed. The entire city was surrounded, and the walls were slowly crashing down around the smaller demon army. Several confused soldiers, seeing their leader run by, took up their weapons and followed suit. Metal boots clashed loudly on the cobbled road on which they ran, though noone heard over the deafening screams.

Once Zieg arrived at the East Gate, he knew the cause was lost. The iron reforced wooden gate was split down the middle. All of the soldiers there strained to hold it together, even General Zaketh had his shoulder into it, trying to keep the dwarves from entering the city. The High General was forced to make a decision that tore him apart.

"Fall back, fall back! Make a stand 10 meters back! Arm yourselves, the dwarves have breeched the wall!" The Gamygym burst into flames in the demon general's grip. His men fell back behind him, though Zaketh stood at his side.

"I hope you have some plan, sir." Zaketh muttered under his breath. A cyclone of fire began to spin around Zieg, grower stronger with every passing moment.

"So do I," Zieg said quietly. His statement was overwhelmed by the wooden gate crashing inward and an uncountable number of dwarves rushing in. Zieg pointed his weapon forward at the oncoming dwarves and they came closer and closer. Finally, Zieg released the massive cyclone and the air roared as it rushed at the Demon Army's foe. Flames engulfed the dwarves, singeing the ground, the broken gate and the wall. Zieg stayed focused on the task, releasing as much energy as he could without over exhausting himself.

He had to let it go, the cyclone abruptly ended and Zieg dropped to one knee, still staring at his foes. There were numerous dead dwarves littering the ground but still more came into the city. Blood red eyes staring his enemies down, he merely spoke one single word.

"ATTACK!!!"

[Molotov]

Everything was becoming much more tense as the mutant waited to hear back from Zieg dil’Tulfried. Dwarves were beginning to teem the gates, and as Molotov looked on, he knew no matter what happened, Vainta would never be the same as a result. “Bloody hell though…” Molotov thought. “Who thought that it’d be demons running in fear from dwarves.”

The mutant readied his tungsten staff. He looked at a small group of soldiers who were looking around towards each other nervously. Zieg had taken a group of soldiers over to protect the East Gate, but these fighters had remained behind merely talking with each other. The mutant looked at them and tried not to laugh. It was shocking to think that there would be these kinds of people in the Demon Army, but it wasn’t surprising. The carnage that Vainta had endured was enough to try even the hardest souls.

Still, Molotov couldn’t stand for it. While Zieg may have been able to hold off the East Gate, it was unlikely that the dwarves would offer the demons the courtesy of attacking from just one angle. Perhaps more importantly, Molotov had seen the way that the dwarves were preparing their attack. A huge infantry was surging up through the East Gate, but they were also preparing catapults to the north.

He was going to have to act fast. Molotov looked at the demons, and then towards the guard that had initially denied him entry. “What’s going on with those wankers… “ the mutant asked. “And why aren’t you bloody over with Zieg…”

The guard looked a bit sheepish. “That’s one of our strike teams, they’re special operations, not equipped for battles like this normally… and I’m a guard here. My responsibility is staying here.”

Molotov sighed. “Bloody hell… for the love of whatever sodding god you have here.” The mutant looked over towards the group of demons. All of them were clad and back, and they all carried short melee weapons like daggers and shortswords. Some of them were equipped with wings, but the most of them looked like they would be of no use to the mutant in his attack.

As Molotov looked on them and they eyed him suspiciously. “Whaddyou want?” their leader barked. “We’re planning a surgical strike here…”

“Yeah, about that,” Molotov replied, interrupting the demon. “I’m going to let you know, they have bloody catapults, ready with some flaming thing. This whole palace will go up in flames, and then what sodding base will we defend… look I don’t care what you were doing, I don’t want you to bloody stand by while your whole castle comes on fire.”

Like the cohesive unit they were, they all spoke as one. “Yes, Sir!” they replied, uncertain of who Molotov was, but the authority with which the mutant spoke gave the impression that he was qualified for this task.

The mutant smiled and leapt onto his asperi. “Anyone who can fly, follow me, the rest of you handle damage control,” he commanded.

However, there was a moment of silence before anyone responded. It was only then that Molotov realized that the first barrage of flaming rocks had been launched towards them.

[Zieg dil' Tulfried]

The small demon force attacked the dwarven army with such courage and valor that brought a smile to Zieg's face, despite the circumstances. However, the moment of pride lasted for only a moment, as Zieg would not let his men die alone. He rushed forward, Gamygym in hand, at the dwarves. Most carried hammers or axes that were crude but efficient. Zieg parried two axes with a single swing before slicing his blade into the neck of the first. A massive liviol club landed atop the head of the other.

Zieg glanced to his side and saw Zaketh standing there, lifting his massive club back to his shoulder. The large demon shifted his weight and swung the club knocked four dwarves into a massive fire with one single swing. The blaze flared as their bodies were absorbed within, becoming no more than kindling.

Together, Zaketh and Zieg fought as one, decimated the simple soldiers of the dwarven army with ease. However, as they fought, they watched their men fall to the overwhelming numbers of the dwarves. Even they were being pushed backward into the city. All at once, five dwarves swarmed Zieg and he found himself separated from Zaketh.

His blazing blade sliced through the first dwarf’s defense with ease, chopping the axe-wielder’s head off at the neck. Exhaustion was overcoming the demon knight and he was finding himself backed further and further into a corner. One particularly meaty dwarf carrying a giant axe sliced deep into Zieg’s left leg, knocking him to the ground. Blood leapt forth from the wound, dripping to the ground to mingle with the vile liquids which already coursed the ground.

The Gamygym had been knocked from his hand in the chaos and Zieg was fumbling at a clasp on his left shoulder. Finally, it broke free and he shook his left arm until the armor fell to the ground. Instead of what one would normally find under armor, a limb of pure fire was connected to his shoulder. The dwarves approach stopped in amazement, giving Zieg a chance to grab the Gamygym off of the ground where it had fallen.

Slowly getting to his feet, the High General limped forward, blazing arm in front. He inched his way toward them, oblivious to conflict around him. They charged at Zieg, but he stood his ground. The first came at him and he slammed his blazing arm into his chest, knocking him into a brick wall. Two more came at him from one side, axe’s at ready. Zieg twisted around and swung his blade at their chest, the first blocked the blow but the second was gutted by it. Zaketh finally arrived at his side again, finishing off the two of them with fair ease.

“Are you alright, sir?” Zaketh asked, hoisting his club to his shoulder. He looked as weary as Zieg felt, but the determination on his face kept him going. His body had a few cuts and bruises, but nothing to the extent of Zieg’s injury.

“My leg was cut, but I think I will be fine. We are going to have to retreat further into the city. Their numbers are too great. We need a strategic defense point. Out here we’re being downed left and right.” Zieg replied, stepping gingerly on his injured leg. High above he saw Molotov once again, upon his flying creature, as well as a massive barrage of flaming rock.

“EVERYONE BACK! BACK OR WE’LL ALL BE SLAUGHTERED!” Zieg shouted at the top of his lungs.

[Molotov]

“Come on,” Molotov shouted. “Bloody don’t be afraid!” He could imagine how intimidating the sight of the flaming rocks would be, especially when they emerged from an ever growing army of dwarves. The power of the attackers seemed to be almost overwhelming. Molotov shook his head as he looked down at the demons, watching as many of them took to the sky.

Once they had risen, a few of them began to prepare spells, while others held their weapons ready. Their leader communicated telepathically with the mutant, letting him know of their plans.

“Some of us will worry about taking out the projectiles already fired,” Molotov heard. “The rest of us will form your flank and spearhead as you go after their catapult.”

Molotov smiled appreciatively. Perhaps he had underestimated these demons earlier. A mission like this seemed to be perfect for their special operative skills. He watched as a few demons began to spin around themselves, coating themselves with huge icicles as they hurtled forwards and straight into the fiery projectiles. Molotov cringed, there were explosions all around him of fire hitting ice, and each one left a demon dead.

“These sods are bloody crazy,” the mutant muttered to his asperi. Cocktail agreed with a mildly impressed hrumph. The gravity of the situation was now beginning to weigh on Molotov. He had come here for his own self interests, to help people in need was an added bonus. However, to see demons sacrificing their very existence nearby him just made it feel to Molotov like he had to ensure now that they wouldn’t die in vain.

Molotov flew past the shards of ice and fire as he moved above the dwarven army, protected from dwarven arrows by a few demon soldiers who were batting them away with knives. Molotov now was in the middle of their formation, a few demons towards the front were taking care of the counter offensive, while demons in the back and below protected the group. Like a flock of geese they swooped forwards, Molotov holding himself tightly to Asperi’s flank by grasping the horse tighter with his legs.

“Come on… bloody stay steady now,” he muttered as he prepared his adze. There was nothing around with which to strike it for friction, but the fast pace with which he soared through the air provided the impetus necessary for the weapon head to emerge in flames. The mutant hung towards his left, holding the weapon in one hand as he guided Cocktail’s reigns with his right.

The demons were fighting bravely, but they were dropping like flies. The dwarves, fearful of what would happen, were doing everything they could to ward Molotov’s group away from their catapult. The first pass through was coming, and now dwarven sorcerers were beginning to use earth magic to protect their most prized possession.

Molotov had to swerve as rocks began to fall from the ceiling, and the entire demon attack squadron was forced lower. “They’re bloody bringing us down,” Molotov shouted, only to get a nervous nod from one of the demons. They were outnumbered now, massively. All but five of the demons had fallen and they were no closer to their goal. In addition to sending rocks towards Molotov and his men, the dwarves had been creating an earthen barrier to block Molotov from reaching the catapult.

“We’re going to need to turn back,” Molotov realized. There was practically no way they had the power to break through the dwarven magic. He looked down and saw a morass of bodies, both dwarves who were unfortunate enough to be crushed under friendly fire, and demons that had fallen to the mess of arrows and stones. The mutant exhaled deeply. “We still can’t,” he realized again. There was no way they could turn their back, not if it meant so many demons had died on a failed mission.

“Target their sodding sorcerers,” Molotov shouted. “Also would someone tell Zieg what’s bloody going on, we’ll need some damn new orders after this.”

At this point, the mutant didn’t know what to do. In one on one combat, he was a clever strategist, but there was a reason that he had given up serving as a general since the Gisela open.

[Zieg dil' Tulfried]

Zieg, Zaketh and the few soldiers still living pushed back further into the city. The east gate was a good distance away by now, what shards of it that were left. The barrage of flaming rock was slamming down all around them, tossing cobbled stone all about. Zieg stared through a bloody eye at the carnage all around him. While his body was being torn about on the outside, his soul was being eaten away on the inside.

The Demon Army High General was failing. He was not able to protect his people and his home. The dwarves were winning and it did not appear that there was anything he could do. The Demon Army was outnumbered and overwhelmed. They had no way to hold their ground and those who were still living were bruised and exhausted. Even Zaketh, whom Zieg saw as the strongest man alive, was breathing heavy and looked incredibly downhearted.

Still, Zieg looked to the sky and saw Molotov followed by several demons of the Special Forces atop the army’s flying Magim Beasts. They flew at the flying rocks, using magic to take out a few of the rocks. Despite a majority of them falling to the projectiles and the dwarves own magic, they flew on. Molotov led the men toward the catapult, but they were pushed lower and lower by earth magic.

There would be no way that they could make it past the giant barrier that had been erected, so it would be likely that they would be landing near where Zieg and Zaketh had taken their forces. Zieg hoped they would, the Magim Beasts fire breathing ability would be a great asset to keep them alive.

The demons found themselves in the center of the city, directly in front of the burning Demon Army Headquarters. Zieg shook his head, trying to decide what to do. Glancing behind him, he saw another large demon force heading toward them. The dwarves hadn’t come after them yet, probably to reorganize their forces, which gave Zieg a chance to approach the oncoming force. His spirit lifted as he saw Johannan ag’ Tranta leading equally weary forces.

“So glad I found you, sir. I had the beast trainers take the Magim Beasts out of the city so the dwarves would not be able to take advantage of their skills. The western gate has fallen and the dwarves have breeched the walls. These are the only men I have left. The entire western city is ablaze.” Johannan pointed his scythe toward the west. “We will not survive this onslaught much longer. We need reinforcements!”

Zieg nodded and allowed the tip of his blade to sag to his side. “I sent Kaza to Vla’toros for help, but it is a good hour ride from Vla’toros to here. We cannot wait for that.” Zieg took a deep breath and felt like crying. “We… have to evacuate. You take as many men as you need to get all of the citizens to the castle and out the secret tunnels. I’ll hold the dwarves as long as I can.”

Silence radiated between Zieg’s two generals as they stared back and forth at each other. They looked so down, but finally nodded and began barking orders to the remaining men. They ran down the main road toward the castle, stopping at various houses to get the residents out of the city. Soon Zieg was left with just five men and the dwarves had begun their second assault, this time a joint effort from both the east and the west. Zieg and the men began to slowly back down the road toward the castle, when Zieg had an idea. Concentrating deep within the earth, he found a pocket of magma, which he continued to call up from the ground.

The intersection of the roads soon became covered by magma, bubbling up from under the cobbled road. The dwarves rushed in, not seeing the magma in time. The molten substance burned many horribly, but still they pressed on toward Zieg and his few men. He muttered quietly under his breath.

“Hold your ground men. The city is counting on you.”

[Molotov]

“So bloody hell,” Molotov muttered. They had taken a second pass towards the catapult and were deterred again. He had sent a pair of ice shards at the dwarves, and he was making limited progress at eliminating the dwarven sorcerers. He had already lost two other demons, and now the few magim beasts they had left were likely a very prized commodity.

“We won’t survive many more rounds,” one of the demons mentioned to him telepathically before crashing down to the ground.

Molotov shuddered. There had been an incredible loss of life for such a pyrrhic mission. He could only imagine the shame of returning back with this mission as a failure. However, the mutant knew now that the only thing that kept the soldiers continuing to fight was their willingness to obey him. The fact that he’d approached them with information and confidence had kept them loyal, and now patriotism kept them from even considering the possibility of failure.

It was a shame. “Too many bloody hero stories where people have to push the odds…” Molotov thought. He looked back towards Zieg dil’Tulfried. It seemed that whatever would happen with the catapult, they would need to hold his line. Molotov knew that the longer they stayed hovering uselessly, the less likely they were going to help anyone.

“What do we do… what do we do?” another demon asked him. “There are more sorcerers now than us!” Prospects were growing bleaker and bleaker. The sky seemed to be a mess of falling rocks and arrows. The dwarves sensed blood, Molotov didn’t doubt that the entirety of the dwarven army wanted to take credit for being the one that had brought down a member of the demon special force. It was just normal nature of the demons.

Knowing nothing else to do, Molotov pulled back the reigns on Cocktail so that he was level with the other demons. “What are they bloody fighting over, do you think we could try some sodding negotiation? These sods are going to kill us all otherwise.”

“Then they kill us all…” one of the demons replied. “They just attacked out of nowhere, explosions rocked the city.”

“Don’t even know their enemies,” Molotov thought. “What have I bloody got myself into?” The mutant knew he was going to have to make the decisions. He doubted anyone else was really smart enough. “We have to retreat,” Molotov replied tersely. “Shoot any kind of magic as we go, but Zieg and the demons holding the base are going to need us…”

“But the catapult!” the demon protested.

Molotov sighed. “We’ve done enough. The bloody catapult was damaged by their rocks and bloody earth magic. They won’t be using that soon. We’ve revealed their mages and killed a bunch of those sods. Now we have to go help Zieg…”

The other three demons remained silent as if they were unsure.

“Bloody time to go,” Molotov said decisively.

“Alright,” one of the demons said.

They then headed back towards Zieg, hailing fire and ice as they surged back to help Zieg.

[Zieg dil' Tulfried]

The stout dwarves came at Zieg, legs burnt and marred. The demon had no idea how they were able to keep walking due to the excruciating pain they had to be in. There had to be hundreds of them. The magma upon the ground was beginning to cool as the dwarves kept coming at them. The first of them came to the demon’s stand and the onslaught began.

Zieg ducked beneath the broad swing of the first of his numerous opponents. Stabbing the Gamygym deep into the gut of the dwarf, Zieg slid the Rohtan out of its sheath with his flaming left hand. Pulling the other weapon from the dwarf’s chest, he spun his other arm around to parry another strike. The dwarves swarmed the demons as they fought valiantly on the bloody battleground. Buildings burned all around in the red tinted glow of Haidia.

Screaming aloud, Zieg punched a flaming fist into another dwarf before turning to block another blow to his right. A massive axe dinted his arm as it bounced away. Zieg cleanly sliced and cauterized his neck with the Gamygym. He swung the Rohtan at the approaching foes, releasing a burst of wind out at them. They slid backwards, slamming their weapons into the ground to hold their positions.

I need more men. Zieg glanced to one side as another demon had his arm sliced off by a dwarven axe. Wait, I can have more men. Zieg parried another blow and slid backwards a few feet, away from the nearest dwarves. He pointed the Gamygym at the ground, releasing two narrow beams of light at the ground in front of him. Two beings identical in appearance to Zieg appeared before him, each armed with two blades. They rushed forward to enter into the fray.

The High General saw one of his last three men struggling to hold off his dwarven foes, so he rushed to help the soldier. Zieg parried a strike that would have cleaved off the demon’s head, and slammed his other blade into the creature’s chest. Two more axes were swung at the two demons and each blocked one of the blades. The sweat beaded on the demon knight’s brow. He knew he wouldn’t last much longer.

The ground beneath his feet began to quake, then the earth cracked and Zieg, his three men and two doppelgangers were tossed into the air by a massive line of rock that instantly rose three feet into the air. Zieg’s helmet flew from his head, revealing his crimson locks, blood red eyes, and the diamond headpiece that showed he was the High General. Upon impact with the ground, the two doppelgangers disappeared with a puff of black smoke. The wall of earth disappeared as quickly as it appeared, revealing the large army that plagued the city. Zieg glared at the dwarves as he slowly rose to his feet.

The four demons that remained huddled together, blades pointed outward, slowly backing toward the castle. A particularly ugly dwarf picked Zieg’s helmet up off of the ground and raised it into the air, screaming raucously. Fury surged in the demon, but it was quickly quenched by the despair of defeat.

“We cannot survive much longer. Even if we had help, we would still be defeated by this force. We must retreat back to the castle. I can only hope that Zaketh and Johannan have had a chance to get everyone out.”

[Molotov]

By the time that Molotov had managed to return to Zieg, all but one of the demons in the special task force were dead. Both Molotov and the demon were wounded, though Molotov had emerged considerably less damaged. He was completely embarrassed. “I knew I bloody kept you out too long, damned sods! Why did those bloody dwarves have to have sorcerers why??” He was furious at the thought of losing so many of the demon army’s finest, especially since he wasn’t even a member of the demon army.

However, now was not a time when he could afford to wait. The dwarves were surging through despite every attempt by Zieg dil’Tulfried and the rest to bar them from entry. Even through the flames, the dwarves were surging through, almost as if they were willing to run through hell just to get at the demon castle.

Molotov just sighed. He hadn’t seen soldiers so determined before, and now they were fighting on both sides of the battle. While Zieg seemed to be a general of both wisdom and reason, those were two quantities that the mutant thought were generally lacking from the battlefield. Now, Molotov felt like his own rationality was slipping away. He stood now on the stairs of the castle, watching as the demons retreated.

“You go,” he said, turning to the sole survivor of his failed mission. “Bloody don’t look back and find somewhere to hide yourself in the castle. Just bloody get out of here so you don’t have any regrets… you can live to fight another day, alright?”

The demon gulped emotionally, as if it was a struggle to conceive of a Vainta overrun by dwarves. However, Molotov glanced at his remaining comrade with nothing other than stern authority. “Do it,” Molotov said, restraining himself from reaching out and shaking some sense into the demon. “Bloody do it before everything else here goes to rot…”

“What about you?” the demon asked.

“I’m going to fight this through,” Molotov replied.

“Then I stand with you,” the demon answered.

“Bloody well you won’t,” Molotov said and without another word, the mutant surged through the mess of demons who were making Vainta’s last stand. Engendered by the soldiers that had fallen before him and with tears of utter frustration in his eyes, Molotov looked on at the dwarves that were still rushing through the flames. Quickly, Molotov struck his adze on the ground and lit it, and prepared to take a stand.

However, there was little he could do there with ice magic. Fire was the only thing that seemed to have any effect on the dwarves, and as Molotov brought his adze straight into the crisped flesh of the dwarves that made it through the fire, he couldn’t help but think that if the fire was somehow just that much stronger and wider, that none of the dwarves would make it through.

“It’s our last chance,” the mutant thought. They were greatly overwhelmed, but a ring of fire might be their protection. If the dwarves were so obsessed that they were willing to run through flame for their cause, Molotov figured that they would rather die running through a ring of fire than attempt a more strategic siege.

However, the mutant had given up fire magic a while ago. Before he’d come to Shanleh, even before entering into the Adventurer’s Crown. Fire magic had consumed him for a while, it had stoked his rage and sense of justice to the point where the mutant had grown into nothing more than a slave of his passions and whims. He hadn’t just killed, but he had murdered, and all of Althanas had suffered as a result of his actions. His time in Shanleh had offered spiritual redemption, and this emergence in Haidia now was the start of his attempt to earn back everything he’d lost. He’d come to make amends, and he’d found that good intentions weren’t enough.

“Well they bloody should be,” Molotov shouted, as his eyes inflamed with passion and burned a bright red. Curls of flame began to dance in the mutant’s palm, and they grew bigger and bigger. The flame on the mutant’s adze began to dance more wildly, and there was even a noticeable effect on the flames surrounding the area.

Molotov smiled, and laughed dryly, as if he was more than pleased with his own power. “I can do this…” he shouted. “Bloody hell… I can do this!”