Chapter 13 The Fall of Minas Ellalas (PT 2)

Since the end of the Cursed War two hundred years ago, Minas Ellalas' once luxurious grasslands had slowly begun to turn into a city of marshes and swamps. The plains, which spread out for miles surrounding the city to protect it, had now become a wasteland. Smaka's final battle had turned Brine's once largest and most populated city, with almost fifty thousand citizens, into an almost forbidden ghost town. It now had no more than five thousand people living there, mostly the male high elves of the A'eterna tribe, who protected the city from the occasional undead, or rabid monster. The mad wizard had placed two curses on the city, only to be released once he died. The first, was several large explosions, conveniently dispersed on the largest buildings of Minas Ellalas. The castle, that stood in the middle of the fifty mile wide city; and the immense barracks of the A'eterna military, one in each corner of the city. The second curse, a poisonous one much like the one Namzu planted in the sea south of the Eastern Alliance, was to spread through the roots and soil underneath the building's structures, cursing all life, and crops that provided nourishment to the people. The moment Smaka died, five explosions erupted as planned, and soon the fires spread throughout Minas Ellalas. More than half the population died, trying to fight Smaka's army of cultists and undead monsters while also trying to contain the fires. Half of the castle was destroyed, and most of the city had disintegrated to ashes by the time the fires died down. With the help of their Barad Military friends to the north, the remaining survivors buried their dead out in the plains, unaware of the curse that had already begun to spread underground. Over the years the ones who had lived, helped rebuild the city despite the land turning into swamp. Over the years, some people left, scared of the occasional undead; their once lively friends and family members that now crawled out of their graves, and wandered the waterlogged streets aimlessly. Over the years, more people left because the crops would not grow, and if they did, they grew into something no one had ever seen before, long green stems with multiple vines, each vine with a dark green bulb on the end of it that when opened, spit out a dark ooze that deteriorated anything. Eventually, the male A'eternians, who were now in charge, cut off transportation and most deliveries to the city. Being the largest, and most diverse city in Brine, Minas Ellalas at one point had multiple ships come and go daily. The Maelstrom Sea grew darker over the years, and soon all sea life had vanished from the waters, the fishermen no longer able to provide for their remaining families. Things still swam in the waters, but nothing that resembled a school of fish. No one hung around the shoreline or the docks these days, some of the docks had splintered down the middle, bundles of that poisonous giant plant growing up between the boards. There was a rumour a giant squid with long tentacles as black as the night sky now lived in the sea, but only one person had ever glimpsed the creature, and she closely resembled the town drunk.

Ironically, on the same night Riswynn and the girls were being held prisoner nearly halfway across the world, the city's skyline matched perfectly with the full blood moon. Once again, Minas Ellalas was under siege, fires spreading quickly with the help of dead weeds. Chaos ran rampant, screams could be heard down every street. Some people ran, trying to find the closest exit, but instead being pulled down by the plants suddenly coming to life. Some of the others hid, trying to protect themselves in the tightest enclosed spaces they could find. And those that could, fought.

The dead left their graves, traveling together in one large mass as they ascended upon the entrances of the city. This time they did not wander like they were lost. This time they feasted upon their brethren almost as if something controlled them. Packs of wolves, and dire wolves had gone rabid in the streets, a hollow hungriness in their lifeless eyes.

Gelmir, one of the male A'eternas' generals, stood near the castle, a look of shock on his face. He was lean, and tall; wiry, like the majority of the A'eterna elves.His long silvery hair was pulled back into a braid, the frazzled ends almost touching his buttocks.

"Kadashk," he cursed the impeccable sight of the A'eternian elves. A little over a hundred feet from him, at the other end of the castle, two blue luminescent lights suddenly appeared next to a broken statue covered in moss and vines. The spirits of the city's Queen, a half elf and half fairy, stood next to her King, an A'eternian. Their backs against one another, they scanned around them, surveying their city. At first, Gelmir thought they were here to help, they were here to protect their city even in spirit. Instead, he watched in horror, as Queen Rinni's spirit, retrieved the bow from her back, and aimed it at a small shop across the street. The General saw the tip of the arrow burst into a blue flame mid-flight, and exploded as it made contact with the building. He couldn't tell, but it looked like the Queen burst into laughter, the King standing next to her, his hand on the hilt of a large sword, ready to protect her. Gelmir chuckled nervously, even in death King Gonor never strayed too far from his wife.

"General, Sir," another A'eternian soldier came rushing up next to him, out of breath. There was a strong resemblance to Gelmir, except that the soldiers' eyes were golden, and his voice was a bit higher pitched as well.

"Galdor," Gelmir said, turning to face the younger soldier, noticing the high elf's weapons belt was missing several of their elvish swords. Galdor was covered in bruises and cuts. The largest cut, on his left arm, still bleeding. The soldier winced in pain as Gelmir hovered his hand over the wound. In seconds the blood disappeared, the cut partially healed.

"Mallit," Galdor thanked.

"Which section did you come from, and what's the status?" The General did not look at him, he was still watching the Queen as she continued to fly her magical arrows into the buildings.

"The graveyard. By the lower right quadrant. Jopha wasn't too far behind me, but… It's not looking too good." Gelmir looked to the east, where his soldier came from, looking for the half fairy, half elf. There were plenty of people screaming, and running. He watched as a two story house began to collapse. With a closer look he saw the vines crawling up the sides of the building, somehow pulling the building inwards with its strength. An elderly man on the roof tried to climb down as the wooden frame started to crumble, but as his feet touched the stone gravel, the vines shifted their direction, pulling and squeezing the man instead. Both soldiers gawked, engrossed in the scene as it unfolded in front of them.

"How far did you say she was behind you?" Gelmir's tone shifted to worry.

"Not that far, wait what's wrong?" Galdor saw the general's furrowed brow.

Gelmir pulled the soldier closer to him, completely forgetting about his injured arm, and pointed at the Queen.

"Ow," Galdor said, rubbing the spot tenderly.

"Wait. Is that? The Queen?" He stopped rubbing his arm. The Queen had now changed her mind to firing arrows at the civilians running; her laughter singing in the streets along with their screams.

Both men jumped as a small girl half their height quickly, and quietly showed up behind them. Her dark brown hair flowed freely, strands of it parted, and clipped back. Her ears were much smaller and slender then theirs, dark blue twine wrapped around the earlobes. It matched her eyes perfectly. She had tiny feet, which were bare, more of the dark blue vine-like thread wrapped up her legs, calves, all the way to just below her hips. Her body had less bruises and cuts than Galdor, and no need for armor at all. More of the twine wrapped around her torso, and her chest, holding a thin white fabric in place. Each arm held a brace etched with the same protection sigils that were on her olive skin. The long bow on her back was made of a thin branch, and it too was colored with a dark blue. Two silver daggers hung from her weapon's belt. She stood a little too closely to Galdor for Gelmir's taste, but there were other things to worry about in the current moment.

"So, what's," she began sweetly, then abruptly stopped when she heard a familiar laugh. She was looking right ahead, at the Queen and King. Her face twisted from surprise, to disappointment, and then fear.

"Grandma?" She finally whispered.

"It's not her, Jopha. Her spirit's no longer benevolent," Gelmir said, part of him wanted to comfort her.

"Well, obviously. Just like all the other shit that's going on," she said spitefully.

They backed away from her as her body became hot, and the tips of her fingers blazed a blue flame.

"Help! Someone help!" Behind them a young man was running towards them, arms flailing about, from the south gate. The three of them turned around, confused as to what the man was running from. He seemed to be yelling to anyone in general, and as he ran closer to the middle of the city, he spotted them. Jopha's body heat had dwindled, but the flames on her fingertips were still ablaze.

"General," the man shouted, and ran even faster towards them. He was shirtless, fresh cuts covering healed ones, his feet sloshing the murky water as he ran. Gelmir realized then, it was Jomond, one of the city's few blacksmiths.

In a blink of an eye, out of nowhere, several hundred circular shadows materialized behind the blacksmith. They fanned out, some headed east towards the graveyard, some went west, to where the lower left barracks were. Others hovered around him, soaring through parts of his body.

"Wraiths," Galdor swallowed. As the shadows flew closer, they could see their skeletal faces, burned to ash. Some of the shadows were small, and others were large. Hundreds more of them joined the fight, the fires still spreading as they lit up the night.

Jopha struck both her hands out at the shadow army, sending forth the flames from her fingertips. The blue flames grew bigger the further they traveled, the half elf, half fairy controlling their paths. They made contact with the wraiths, and a high pitched sound like fireworks going off blasted in the air. The now large blue orbs of light continued on even after the shadows vanished.

"Hmph," Jopha nodded, taking pride in her work, as the blacksmith finally stood in front of them. His jet black hair was drenched with blood that was not his.

"Thanks," Jomond breathed heavily, keeling over, his hands on his knees. His cuts were a lot worse than they had looked, now that he was in front of them. Vines clearly had slashed areas of his body while he was running, yellowish-green pus trickled down from the open wounds onto the street, making a sizzling sound as it touched the concrete. Jopha placed her hand on his arm, and instantly the wounds healed. She lingered longer than she should have, finding the feel of the blacksmith's muscular body appeasing. Gelmir thought it was a bad idea, sealing whatever had been injected in him, into his bloodstream, but he said nothing.

"So, what's the plan of action?" A high pitched voice made them all jump.

"Mauva, you gotta stop sneaking up on people," Gelmir sighed.

"Sneaking? I've been here several minutes, waiting for one of you to notice me." They turned to look down at a three foot gnome. She was covered in belts, each holding small weapons, or tools. Her skin was as dark as the night sky, her eyes yellow like a cats. Her hair, which was her current phase, was colored a light purple, and pulled into several braids. She held several pieces of parchment in her right hand, blueprints of the city she had hand drawn. Everything about her was sharp and pointy, her ears, her fingers, even her toes. Though she had boots on now, Gelmir had seen her barefoot several times. On her head she wore eyewear, which she called goggles, and proudly made herself. They were to help her see long distances, but Gelmir knew they were for decoration, gnome's had perfect hearing and vision. Jopha flung one of her silver daggers at a single wraith that was coming closer to them. The dagger passed right through it, and exploded the monster into thousands of black pieces. Another dagger appeared in her belt the moment she released the first one from her hand.

"It's hard to see you at night," Jomond pointed out.

"Are you taking a jab at my skin color?" She asked, glaring at him. She had stopped sorting through the tiny bag she had pulled off her back. The air around them suddenly felt more tense. With Jopha, people had to walk on eggshells, but Mauva was a mystery, you never knew how she was going to respond.

"Well, uh…" Jomond stuttered over his words, trying to find the best excuse. It was not his intention for what he said to come out the way it did.

"I'm just kidding," she said with a flirtatious smile, revealing her sharp teeth.

"General, plans?" She asked again, as she started to open her bag a second time.

"We'll need to find and gather anyone who may still be alive. Then we abandon Minas Ellalas."

Mauva grabbed a little ball made of some sort of metal from the belt on the back of her lower leg. She pushed one of the buttons on the outer edge before tossing it into the street in front of four dire wolves that prowled in their direction. Mauva was always fond of the gadgets she made, and this one was no different, as she watched the ball release a steam at the large four legged beasts. The metal object hissed as the wolves continued to slowly paw closer to their group. The gnome must have placed a sensor on the ball, because as soon as they came within an inch of it, a wider spray of steam exploded in their faces, with an added smell of something similar to rotten eggs. They all coughed, even Mauva, but despite the horrid stench, her toy had done its job. The wolves ran off in different directions, whining, their coats even dirtier, and whiskers singed from the steam blast.

"Not bad," Jopha said, trying her best not to look impressed.

"Okay, so we're gonna rescue those we can," Mauva mumbled as she searched inside her bag. She had lain it on the concrete street, and began pulling things out of it. Gelmir recognized the gnome symbols on the outside of it, it was the only bag she ever carried, and despite its tiny size, there was no limit to how many things she could pull out of it. Like most gnomes, Mauva was intrigued by magic.

"I have a few things that could help us," she continued, handing things to Jomond and Galdor from inside her bag. A handful of tiny multi-colored vials were handed to the blacksmith, but he lost a grip on one particularly muddy colored one.

"Oh," Jomond gasped as it smashed into pieces against the concrete, the murky solution turning into a small grey rat. It stood still for a second, stunned, then took off squeaking into the streets.

"Interesting," Mauva said, pulling a small leather bound book from her waist.

"Just give me a moment, I have to document this."

They watched her scribble in the little notebook, Gelmir secretly taking a peek at it. He didn't recognize the language, it wasn't even Gnim, which was the usual for gnomes.

"So where do we go?" Jopha asked, an impatient tone in her voice. She didn't care for the gnome, in fact she didn't care for most females.

"We don't even know if the other generals are alive," Galdor said agreeing with the half elf, half fairy.

The city had four generals, one for each of the barracks. General Gelmir was in charge of, and patrolled the lower left quadrant of Minas Ellalas.

"You're right," the general said, his blue eyes sparkling as he shared a smile with his soldier.

"Oh, no," Mauva said, but she was smiling too, while Jopha covered her ears.

"Wait, what's going on?" The blacksmith asked, confused, looking at each of them.

General Gelmir had already begun to howl into the night air. A loud and long howl. It sounded nothing like a wolf, but it sent shivers through all of their bodys, his own included. Jopha rolled her bright blue eyes, trying to clasp her hands tighter around her ears. All of the wolves in the city started to howl in unison along with the A'eternian general.

"What's he doing?" The blacksmith whispered to Mauva, who now had her hands cupped around her ears as well, but unlike Jopha, she was smiling.

"He's calling his brothers," she whispered back to him.

"How will he know if they heard him?"

"Watch," she told him.

Gelmir closed his eyes as he caught his breath. They could hear the wolves still howling, even after he had finished, and several were stalking towards them once again.

"Remarkable," Galdor said proudly.

"Don't worry, I'll handle these mutts," Jopha said, making a blue arrow appear out of nowhere. She nocked it into her bow and shot at the wolf in front, it's grey fur matted with blood and dirt. Just like the Queens', Jopha's arrow erupted into a blue flame mid-flight, and on contact the animals' fur caught fire. She threw several smaller flames as the wolf took off, yipping in pain. The other four wolves still continued to slink towards them, not easily scared this time. Jopha had no quiver, she didn't need one, another arrow appeared in her hand magically, and once again she shot it towards the wolves.

"Remarkable?" The blacksmith questioned the soldier.

"All he did was get the wolves to howl with him."

"Just wait," Mauva said, as the general put his hand up in front of Jomond's face, his eyes still closed.

"Cool," Jopha said with a nasty smile, as one of her flaming arrows hit a wolf in it's eye. It pawed at the arrow relentlessly; whining and growling, as it tried to remove the blue stick from it's socket.

Another several seconds passed, and they heard three distinct, yet somehow different howls. Although the howls were much shorter than Gelmir's, the nod he gave with a smile across his face told them the three other generals were still alive. There was a pause of silence as they watched him mouth words, his eyes closed once again.

"What's he doing now?" Jomond whispered, leaning into the gnome. Mauva rolled her eyes.

"Really, blacksmith. It's not good to be so curious all the time. He's having a conversation with the other generals. Telepathically."

"Jopha," Gelmir finally said, turning to the half elf, half fairy.

"You and Galdor will head back to the cemetery, and the lower right barracks. Then, I want you to head north, to the upper quadrant. Anyone you find alive, help them. No matter what. You'll find both generals somewhere in the upper barracks."

"Got it." Jopha nodded. Mauva reached into her bag, handing several weapons to Galdor.

"You'll need these," she started to say when she was distracted by an all too familiar voice screaming.

"Oh, man," Jomond sighed, recognizing the voice too.

The city's well known mad woman was several feet from them, screaming at the top of her lungs, in front of a burning building.

"Fools!" The woman yelled into the not so dead night.

"I told you! I warned you he would return!" He was in reference to the mad wizard, Smaka.

"Imbeciles!" She continued shouting to anyone who would be listening.

Gelmir sighed; like everyone else in the city, he wasn't fond of the woman, but as a General, he knew he had a duty to uphold.

"Anyone we come across alive, we help them. No matter what," he repeated.

"Even her?" Jomond asked distastefully.

"Yes. Even her." Gelmir eyed the blacksmith.

"I don't need those," Jopha said, declining the weapons Mauva was trying to give her.

"You sure?" Mauva asked. Galdor had placed the new weapons in his belts' empty sockets.

"Positive. My weapons magically reappear whenever I lose one." They watched as she threw one of her silver daggers in the woman's direction, who was still screaming bloody murder. Another exact replica of the weapon hung from her belt the moment she had released the first.

"Really, Jopha." The general gave her a stern look.

"What? I missed her anyways. I also got my own magic," she told Mauva, and proceeded to summon a bright orange ball out of thin air, and tossed it at the castle.

"Jopha! Seriously?" Gelmir said, annoyed. Jopha's magical ball had struck the front of the castle, setting it on fire.

"What? It's not like it's the only building on fire."

"What am I supposed to do with these." Mauva gave the weapons to Jomond instead.

"Fight with them," she said to him.

"I can't fight," he said, handing the weapons back to her.

"No surprise," Mauva muttered as she tossed the weapons back into her bag.

"What kind of blacksmith can't fight?" Jopha laughed. Jomond just shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, we're gonna head back to our quadrant, in the cemetery," Jopha said, grabbing Galdor's injured arm.

"Before you bore me." They both took off running back the way they came, Galdor trying his best to keep the large weapons Mauva gave him in his belt.

"Don't worry, they'll meet us back here as planned." Gelmir saw the worried look in the remaining twos' eyes. Secretly, he didn't know if he could trust Jopha, she could usually be a loose end. With his soldier, however, he could trust Galdor would steer her in the right direction. It was the only reason why he allowed them to be together.

"I trust you, General, Sir."

"Mauva, there's no need to call me Sir, when you are older…"

"Nutnutnuh," Mauva said, cutting him off quickly.

"We do not discuss my age. I share my knowledge and wisdom, but that is all." It was true, he did not know the exact age of Mauva. No one did. He did know she had been around when the final battle had occurred. He was only fifteen at the time, not even a soldier yet. She looked the same then as she did now, the only difference was the purple hair, and many new gadgets.

Gelmir had started to tell them where they were going, when there was another A'eternian howl, low and guttural, coming from the south gate.

"I seriously hope they are here to help us," Mauva said, trying her best to be funny, while Jomond looked confused. Gelmir turned around to see, in the same spot where they had first seen the wraiths, now stood hundreds of A'eternian elves, both male and female. They stood in formation, most of them upon large white horses. Gelmir stared at them, his grey eyes wide open, he had never felt more confident than he did in that moment.

"It's the spirits of the original A'eternian army," Gelmir whispered, more to himself than to the blacksmith who had a puzzled expression on his face. He knew they were spirits, he recognized the purple and silver lined armor on the male high elf at the front of the formation, the same armor on the horse he sat upon. General Miladir. Gelmir stood in awe, he had only seen him once, briefly when he was fifteen.

"That's a big army," the blacksmith said. It was a very Jomond thing to say, both Mauva and Gelmir thought, as they laughed.

"That's only one third of the A'eternian army," Mauva said, still laughing.

"The army we see here in front of us, their spirits patrol the jungle to the north east of here," she continued.

"So, that's why it's called Jungle of Ghosts," Jomond said.

"Well, yes, kind of." Mauva laughed again.

"But it was called something else before the war ended."

"Which was?" He prodded.

"Some A'eternian name. No one could pronounce it, not even some of the A'eternians. And you know those two forests' to the north of the jungle?"

"Yeah. Sharno, and Llany, right?"

"Correct. Those are where the rest of the army patrols, protecting it."

"So what's with all those markings on their faces?" Jomond asked, moving onto another question. The three of them stared at the large group of high elves, the high elves, each with several black horizontal markings on their faces, stared straight back. Gelmir didn't seem to mind all of the questions, but it was probably due to the shock of seeing the ghosts of his family for the first time in two hundred years.

"Each line is a mark for every two hundred years they serve as part of the army," Gelmir began to tell him.

"You see the guy at the front? The one with the different colored armor? That's General Miladir. He has led the A'eternian army since the beginning."

Most of the army in front of them had three black lines on their faces, very few had one or two, but the high elf Gelmir mentioned, had five black lines.

"Okay. I. See," the blacksmith said slowly, as he pointed the years on his fingers.

"Wow. That's a long time. So, why don't you have any markings? Shouldn't you have at least one by now?"

"Technically, if the original army was still alive, no, I wouldn't have a mark yet. A'eternians can only join ranks on their one hundredth celebration, which in your terms is birthday. I was only fifteen when Smaka and his army came to Minas Ellalas." He became silent then, remembering the nightmare from two hundred years ago. Almost nothing had changed, except the only thing that was missing, was the mad wizard and his army of cultists.

Gelmir smiled as he watched General Miladir and his troops gallop off in a rush towards the city's cemetery, the A'eternian warcry of howls and sounds of trumpets echoing with them.

"You see, we're trained from the moment an Elder sees something in us, up until our celebration. And then, in order to join the ranks, we must pass a test. Though, as far as I know, I don't think anyone's ever failed to get in."

"Also, that general he pointed out to you," Mauva joined in.

"He's the only one who could create those black marks. Something about him being an Elder beforehand."

"Yeah, a lot of people said that's what made him such a good leader for so many centuries." General Gelmir had a glossy look in his eyes, as if he was being reminded of better times.

"But the A'eternian army's ways died when General Miladir did. It doesn't take much to fight with us these days. Especially on a night like tonight, anyone who can swing a sword is welcome."

"Sorry, man. I don't know what to tell you. I can see why it looks silly, that I never learned how to fight with my own weapons, but I can lift up to three hundred pounds." Jomond felt guilty that he never took the time to learn how to fight, or at least properly. Sure, he knew how to swing most of the weapons he made, and most likely he would have been a decent fighter, if he had taken the time to teach himself. If only there was a magic spell that could instantly make him a fighter, but surely they would have mentioned it, if such a thing existed.

"You know, I haven't heard any screaming from the crazy lady for some moments now." Mauva suddenly realized.

They had been watching the A'eternian spirits battle so keenly, they had forgotten about the screaming woman behind them. The woman's limp body lay sprawled across the gravel, many of the Queen's arrows protruding from her. Several large wolves were chewing on her limbs, tearing the flesh off her body. Blood poured out from her into the many puddles around her on the street, mixing with the muddy water.

"Guess she figured she'd be safe with the Queen," Mauva said, holding another of her smoke bomb gadgets, ready to fling it at the wolves.

"At least we won't have to rescue her." Gelmir felt a little guilty for saying it, but he was also relieved. The last thing he wanted was to have to listen to her spew hours on end about her weird and insane theories.

"As long as we don't have to cross that path," Jomond said, gesturing towards where the dead woman lay, the street on the left side of the moss-covered statue, and the Queen and King still in the same spot they appeared in, on the right side of it.

"We're heading to the upper left barracks to meet General Forsch. So yes, we'll have to walk past the Queen." Jomond gave Gelmir a most displeasing look.

"No worries, blacksmith," Mauva cut in before he could get a word in.

"Both the General and I have spells to cloak us. Between both our energies, the spell will hold long enough that no one will be able to see us."

"And if she happens to follow us?" He asked. He knew there was a loophole for everything, if only one was stubborn enough to find it.

"She won't. Before they died they asked me to make them a piece of jewelry that would keep their souls bound to their bodies. They were well aware that Smaka's army was coming, so they planned ahead. Only a few of us knew about the binding ritual, and I helped perform it. The only way they can move from that spot, is if someone moves the necklaces from their necks.

"Let's move. We don't have much time. The screams are less, so that means there's not a lot of people still alive." The General said before Jomond could think of another question. He seemed satisfied enough though, because he nodded and stood behind the A'eternian elf.

Gelmir nodded at the gnome, giving his ready to go.

"Hug closer to me, Jomond. Our cloaking spells don't cover too wide a range," he said as Mauva tossed the smoke bomb from her hand, sending the two wolves scattering.

They walked slower as they neared the woman's body. It was as if they weren't quite sure if the cloaking spell was working. Awkward and uncomfortable positions were made, as the Queens arrows still soared through the air into the buildings that hadn't collapsed yet. The two wolves came back, rushing straight for the dead body again. They sniffed the air, they could smell their scent, but could not seem to actually see them. The three of them picked up their pace, satisfied that the spell was indeed working.

As they finally passed the moss covered statue by several feet, they took a left down one of the smaller streets, one of many back alleys. The wolves growled, and switched to them, the gnome and elf had released their cloaking spell. Mauva, who was at the back, pulled out another of her toys from one of her chest pockets and tossed it on the ground just behind them. A wall of electrical currents appeared, zapping the wolves as they tried to cross the invisible barrier. The Queen had noticed them, and began firing her blue flame arrows. The arrows broke and fell apart as they hit Mauva's electrical wall. The two beasts gave up after several more attempts, returning back to the easier catch.

"Let's hurry," Mauva said, knowing the magical gear she made wouldn't last much longer. They walked quicker down the alleyway, between the columns of buildings. Buildings that were small shops, the already small population trying their best to make a living off of almost non-existent tourists. The one story, old buildings that were now half crumbled onto the ground. It seemed the poisonous vines and moss came to life here too.

"Why can't we just keep cloaking? It obviously worked well," Jomond whined, a look of horrid on his face as he walked past the half crumbled shops. Dead bodies, too many to count, lined the dirty ground of the back alley, leaving not much room for them to walk. Jomond almost tripped over two bodies that were laying together.

As they neared the end of the first section of the alley, another pair of the larger, wolves crossed their path. Gelmir withdrew an arrow from his quiver, and struck the one with the missing ear, before Jomond could even react. It hit the muddy ground as it's companion leaped over him, heading right for the high elf. Gelmir's sword sliced through the beast's underbelly in a straight line as it tried to jump into his arms. He quickly grabbed a dagger from his weapon's belt, choking the wolf with his right hand. With his other hand he shoved the dagger through the wolf's snout, its back legs flailing wildly about in midair. Its blood dripped onto the high elfs' already blood stained leather boots. When the animal finally went limp, Gelmir pulled the dagger out, wiped the bits on his leggings, and placed it back into his belt. He let the body drop with a splash into the mud and bloodied street.

"Okay, well that works just as good," Jomond said with surprise and shock.

"It drains a lot of our energy for the both of us, if we continue to use the cloaking spell. Energy we will need to physically fight, and for other spells to get to the upper left quadrant," Mauva told him, while scouting around for any other enemies.

The blacksmith nodded, and tried his best to understand. He wasn't used to the concept or even the idea of magic, but he did know that it involved some sort of give and take price. In fact, when he first spotted Gelmir he was glad, if anyone could get him out of this chaos alive, it was him.

They continued to walk slowly through the second section, scouting carefully for any danger. Only the foundations of the shops and homes remained, more dead bodies lay sprawled across the muddy road. This section was just as dead as the first, but there were no signs of a fight. The bodies on the ground showed no signs of injury, yet they lay there lifeless. A little over a mile and they would reach the end of the third section, and come to the first main road that ran almost fifty miles, connecting the lower left barracks with the upper. Gelmir could vaguely see the outline of the city's wall, and a large hole in it. Pieces of the stone wall lay in a rubble around what looked to be at least a ten foot tall hole.

Stone Golem. Gelmir thought to himself. He had never actually come face to face with one, but he knew they were nasty creations. They were now on the third section of the back alleway, the buildings here also had collapsed, but there weren't as many bodies to trip over. A small grey hand quickly scurried out a few feet ahead of them from between two shops, using its fingers to walk across the gravel. Bone and flesh protruded from the wrist in what looked like a clean cut.

The high elf stood frozen in place as he recognized the small tattoo between the thumb and forefinger. It was an A'eternian symbol, the first mark an Elder in training would receive when she passed her test. Gelmir was only fifteen years old at the time Minas Ellalas was under siege, he had been in training to be in the A'eternian army, stationed to eventually guard the Queen and King. His mother had come to the city on an errand, another of her tests to become an Elder. She was delivering a message from the Elders, and had stayed an extra few days to see him, for she would never be able to see him again once she returned to The Vale of Omens. He knew she died that day, he didn't know how, but he felt a part of himself tear away as he did what he was told, and hid. He blamed himself for agreeing to see her one last time, and he blamed her for insisting to see him. For half a century he internally battled between seeing her before she died, or never seeing her again but she would at least be able to live out a long life. In the end, he found it was just easier to accept it for what it was and remember the memories. But this was not a memory he wanted, he thought to himself, as her body part came scurrying at them like an aggressive spider.

Gelmir hesitated at first, but as the hand got closer, he stomped it with his foot. He felt the pressure beneath his boot, and the sounds of the bones cracking made him and the others shudder.

"You okay?" Mauva asked him, as he stood there very still. He nodded, and they continued on.

It was a few minutes of walking the last section of the alley, when the high elf broke the silence.

"There is a dark spirit at work here," he said, thinking of the large hole in the wall, his dead mother's body part, and the undead crawling out of their graves.

"You can't be serious," the gnome said, looking up at him.

"Let's hope not."

Jomond had an idea of who they were talking about, but figured it best to keep quiet. Soon they reached the end of the path, just as dead here as it had been for the six miles of alley they walked. A battle had happened here, and it was a nasty one. Blood spattered the street and many body parts lay scattered throughout. Jomond did his best to avoid looking at some man's decapitated head. The left path, towards the south entrance, which was Minas' main gate, Gelmir couldn't see any more of the city's citizens. No one alive anyways. Instead, the wolves and undead were now attacking each other.

"Slim pickings," Mauva muttered.

"We need to hurry," Gelmir said, taking a right down the street without another thought.

Three more sections of alleyways leading to the center of the city were as bad, if not worse, than the first. Buildings in heaps of rubble, and lumps of bodies mixed with wolves and undead blanketed the streets. After a quick glance down the next section for anyone who might still be alive, a young child's cry startled them. Together they hurried to the fifth section, quickly turning right, only to stop short at what they saw. Jomond cursed as Mauva bumped into him.

"Shh," Gelmir whispered.

A young boy, no older than three, stood wailing for his mother halfway down the alleyway. What appeared to be a woman's body lay several feet to his left, not moving. The dead body of a small wolf lay several inches to the right of the woman, multiple arrows and daggers sticking out of it. The A'eternian high elf slowly stepped forward a few inches, but suddenly stopped. He froze in place once again, and Mauva could see his leather armor move with his slow, heavy breathing.

"Paoleta," he whispered, quieter than before.

"Stay here." He looked Mauva in the eye, hoping she had seen the same thing. She gave him a slight nod, and moved to stand next to Jomond. A white wolf, larger than any dire wolf Gelmir had ever seen, stood just as still at the other end of the section. The darker colored mane around its neck, was the first thing he recognized.

"What's going on?" The blacksmith asked the gnome. He could see the outline of the small child and a lump closely resembling a body.

"The wolf pack leader is just on the other end of the section," she whispered to him as quiet as she could.

"How can you tell?" Jomond stood on his tippy toes trying to get a better look.

"Our eyesights are even better at night. Trust us, it's there." Mauva fiddled in one of her pockets for something that could help. While wolves were quick to attack, a pack leader was unpredictable.

Gelmir began moving forward again, slower this time, and the white wolf did the same. Its eyes, one black and one red, shifted between the high elf and the little boy. True to its nature, it still hadn't lunged at Gelmir or the little boy. It stood still, only moving towards the child everytime Gelmir did. As he drew nearer to the child, he noticed that the body was a womans, and she was indeed dead. Her clothes were tattered, torn in places, and filled with holes. Blood and mud drenched her uneven, stringy hair. He did not know who she was, but he knew by her appearance she came from the poor section of Minas Ellalas. A sword was still gripped in her right hand, the tip of it only a few inches into the dead wolf's chest. Gelmir sniffed the air, knowing this woman had not killed the beast alone. He caught the faint scent of someone else, someone he had never smelled before. The large wolf had moved closer, and it too was smelling the air. It's one red eye glowed, and began to snarl at him, angry they were not alone. It bared its gums as saliva and blood dripped from its long, sharp teeth.

"Be ready to run as fast as you can, and grab that little boy." Mauva had moved in front of the blacksmith, her left hand held out in front of him. Several of her small toys were tightly gripped in her right hand, ready to be thrown at any moment. She knew the wolf had switched to its aggressive nature.

Jomond swallowed a large lump, and nodded at her. He could now see the large white wolf, not even twenty feet from the General. His heart raced, and while he knew he could not fight as well as them, he could run fast when he wanted too.

The wolf paced from left to right in a circular motion, surveying his attack. Gelmir took a step forward with his left foot, drawing one of his swords from his belt. The wolf tried to leap at him, its height towering over the high elf, but an arrow struck its front shoulder blade followed by a smoke bomb.

"Jomond, now!" Mauva cried, running forward. The wolf had ran off only a short distance, and was now circling its way back at them. Jomond took off in a sprint, jumping over the holes filled with water. The little boy hollered even louder as the blacksmith picked him up, trying his best to soothe him. He would have done his best to save the little boy, even if Mauva hadn't asked him too. His back was turned, bracing himself for the gigantic wolf to tear into his back any second. Instead, there was a large splash to his right. While he continued to hush the child, he saw out of the corner of his eye that a young man, no older than twenty, had jumped down from atop one of the buildings. Covered in mud, leaves, and tree branches; he was only a few inches taller than the odd gnome. Several daggers and smaller knives clung to his belt and inside his bootstrap. A small short bow slung on his back with a tiny leather quiver next to it.

"Halflings," Mauva muttered in distaste. Gelmir overheard her and

chuckled silently to himself. He didn't know who the halfling was, but he had seen him around before. He was a pretty well known thief in Minas Ellalas, and by the looks of him, he lived in the poor section of the city as well.

"It's making its way back," Mauva shouted, placing her gadgets back in one of her pockets. She didn't trust the halfling, and she was sure he had stolen from her before. The wolf had circled back, ready for round two. It paced from left to right again, looking for an opening. Mauva withdrew her weapon, some mix between a small sword and a wand.

"That was me last smoke bomb," the young man said with an accent, after searching his pockets. No one saw Mauva roll her eyes.

"Just use your daggers," Gelmir said through gritted teeth. The General held an elvish sword in each hand, in a stance ready to attack once the wolf made its move. He stared at the beast, the beast staring straight back. Small drops of sweat fell from his blonde hair.

Jomond found his chance to move the now sniffling child, away from the others. The wolf started to chase after the blacksmith, but was quickly met with two daggers to his front paw by the halfling covered in mud. The tall elf moved forward, cutting him off, slicing the tip of its ear with one sword, and its nose with the other. The wolf yelped as it moved backwards, something in those swords made the pain sting. Before the wolf could go back in for another attack, the sound of a bell echoed through the night. It stopped dead in its tracks, standing right in front of them, its ears perked up.

"The signal," Mauva whispered as the four of them exchanged worried looks. A second bell rang, and the wolf looked from them to the north, where the docks were, back to them again. It took off running, back towards the main entrance to the south, but not before they could see a look of utmost fear in its own eyes.

When they had won the last battle, the first thing that was built was a seventy foot tower that held the largest bell ever made in Brine. The Barad army along with the Wood Vale elves gathered people as far as The Eastern Alliance to help build the tower. Blacksmiths, welders, and jewel cutters from all over donated their time and resources to help make the one hundred pound bell. It took nearly a year for it to be built, for time was also spent rebuilding the salvageable parts of the large city. Many people believed that Smaka did not willingly lose, that he instead sacrificed himself to be able to return again at a later time. The bell was to be rung to alarm the soldiers from the Astral City, stationed along the forest (name of forest here) There was always multiple soldiers, and volunteers that guarded the bell, and it was to only be rung in an emergency. Gelmir had been up there several times for duty when he was a younger soldier. Tonight was the first time since it had been built that the bell had sounded through the city.

The bell rang for a fourth time.

"Well that the biggest wolf me ever seen," the thief said, trying to remove the caked mud off his body. The other three looked at him strangely.

"Camouflage," he told them.

"That wasn't just a wolf. It was the packs leader," Gelmir said solemnly.

"Really? A'some," he said with a large smile on his face, proud he had taken on such a dangerous animal. Mauva restrained herself from saying a few choice words.

"So where too now?" The blacksmith asked, cradling the small child against his chest. The boy had stopped crying all together, and now gently rested his head against the curve of Jomond's neck, his thumb in his mouth.

"We head to the Northern Barracks. With the bell ringing, everyone knows there is the safest for defense," Gelmir said, putting his swords back into his belt. The citizens of Minas Ellalas had always been instructed to run to the city's northern barracks for protection. They were built sturdier, and offered much more protection than its southern quadrants. Each time the bell rang, it was an indication of how severe the danger was and how quickly the city needed help. The bell was now on its seventh ring.

"I wonder what's so dangerous to make them ring that bell. You don't think he's back, do you?" Mauva asked after tucking her odd shaped weapon into one of her pockets. Gelmir didn't hear her, or the ringing of the bell over the multiple shocked voices rambling through his head.

"Holy… Oh God what… Is that… It can't be…" The whispers of the other Generals and even some of the soldiers filled his head.

"Could it be 'cause of that?" The thief said pointing towards the docks, his mouth opened wide in a o shape of horror. Difficult to see in the dark horizon, with only the light of the red moon and the blaze of the fires that spread quickly, but soon Gelmir realized what the danger was about. They all did. They stared in shock, like the halfling, at a huge wave that was at least twenty feet, coming towards them from the Maelstrom Sea.

"There goes the docks," Mauva said, more than sarcasm in her tone.

"Mauva, I'll need your help. Everyone move in as close together as you can," Gelmir said, quickly jumping into action. Mauva reluctantly moved in closer, careful not to touch the halfling. Jomond knew this meant another type of magic, and huddled in close to everyone, even the halfling. The little boy still rested against him as he gently stroked his hair.

Gelmir whispered a spell in his native language. Mauva could feel the energy draining from her as she willingly shared her magic reserve with the A'eternian general. It was another invisible spell, Jomond noticed, but it felt different this time. He wasn't sure what it was, nor was he sure if he liked the feeling or not. Mauva felt the same, yet said nothing. She tried her best to clear the adamant thoughts of not wanting to help the halfling. There was a difference between positive and negative energy, and that made most spells all the more useful or even dangerous. She knew the General had casted an old, but very basic spell of his ancestors. Though not many, if any at all, rarely casted the spell these days. It took a lot of energy the longer it stayed, and there had been stories that the more energy it used, the deadlier it became. Gelmir knew it was risky, and he also knew a spell like that would most likely cost some part of him, but they were already in a dangerous and tricky situation. There was something about the large wave that just didn't sit right with him, and he strongly felt that it went beyond life or death.

The signal bell continued to ring as the four of them watched a silhouette form from behind the wave. It started out small on the horizon, like a black moon emerging from the deep waters. A head, which then became a shape of a body. The sea monster was large, larger than the wave. In a matter of seconds the tidal wave flooded the streets, carrying with it splintered boards from the docks, dead bodies of the citizens, and wolves alike. Pieces of furniture, and sides of buildings, along with everyday utensils and tools. Weapons, clothing, childrens toys, all ran with the black water of the current from the Maelstrom Sea. The wave had missed them completely, pooled around them like they were a large boulder.

"General, your nose," Mauva said after the wave had passed. Gelmir wiped the small trickle of blood from his nose, and nodded his thanks. He had ended the spell.

"I'll be okay," he said, before she could ask. She forced a smile, thankful he at least still had his head about him.

The screams started again, louder this time, from the north. It was a bit of relief for the General to know that some of the city's citizens, other than his soldiers, were still alive.

"We go," the thief said, and hurried off to the north. Before Gelmir could tell him to wait, Mauva stopped him. Her tiny hand gently tapped his long fingers, and when she had gotten his attention, she nodded to the north. Where the wave had been, was now a large black monster. Several of its tentacles waved in the air, the sea dripping from them.Three of its limbs extended towards the signal tower, and began reaching for the soldiers that guarded each of its floors. They could stretch no further than thirty feet. Each arm coiled itself around a different beam that supported the tall tower, and then they squeezed until the beams were crushed under its power. Gelmir shut his eyes, he had already seen enough terror and panic to last him months, and this was the last thing he wanted to see. The screams got louder, as he heard the signal tower collapse; the bells rhythmic song became close to that of a young child with its mom's pots and pans. Gelmir closed his eyes tighter, hoping it would just erase the nightmare that had been going on all night.

"General Gelmir," Mauva said quietly. Her and Jomond were now in front of him, the small child still cradled against his chest fast asleep. Gelmir took a long and slow breath. He opened his eyes, smiling at the scene in front of him. He didn't understand how the young boy could still be asleep through all the noise. Perhaps it was for the best though, he had already gone through so much, and who knew what else the poor kid had seen.

Gelmir grabbed the sword from the dead woman's hand, and placed it next to his elven swords. Still smiling, he nodded at the gnome and the blacksmith. Together, they headed quickly to the Northern Barracks.

"Kraken?" Jomond asked breathlessly, doing his best to keep up. The octopus-like monster's arms continued to crush, crumble, and destroy the city's outer barriers.

"Worse," Gelmir said abruptly, picking up his pace. He knew once the outer barriers were broken in, the Northern Barracks would be in danger.

"Really? I thought those were just bedtime stories to keep the youngsters from going near the docks."

"Jomond, I don't have time to discuss the history of Brine with you, or the Gods," the high elf said harshly. He could feel the other General's energies, and he knew this night was going to end a lot worse than he had originally thought.

Jomond got the hint, and he kept quiet the rest of the way. The extinguished fires from the tidal wave made it easier for them as they splashed their way through the main street to the Northern Barracks.