WAR Part 3

The third night Cullen had the soldiers lined up before dark. He thought the Host would come early, and he thought they would attack in greater numbers for longer this time. Everyone was tense and even the singing of battle songs didn’t relieve the tension.
Cullen had revealed to the Dreamweaver and Tik that his Sword could take the properties of the other Swords and during the afternoon he had used his Sword to take on the magic of the Naginata and the Vechevoral. He wasn’t familiar with their use, but he thought he couldn’t be worse off for trying them.
The Asrai had held a funeral for the two that died and as a clan they were angry and ready to fight harder tonight than ever. The Queen said she would don her armor and fight with her people. Cullen had tried to convince her to stay out of the battle, but she was persistent and already decided.
When Dagda heard that Queen Gwyddneu would be fighting along with Garm the Dwarven King, he decided he would do battle as well. Grimm almost had to wrestle Remus for the right to fight as well after he saw the others getting ready. The Dreamweaver and Grimm finally convinced him that Cullen was in effect fighting for their sake and under his name, so he was represented.
Sonia seemed resigned and distant, but Cullen knew she was struggling with the third day, knowing it would be worse than the others before it. Tik was at her side from the moment she woke until they reached the wall.
Tik had convinced Cullen that he could carry the cursed sword in the event that Cullen needed help, but Cullen warned him to only come if absolutely necessary. Cullen was worried the sword would have a cumulative affect on his friend.
The thousands of human soldiers were lined up outside the walls. The bonfires were lit. Everyone was fed and well rested. This night would be the challenge. There were no more efforts to hide the might of Cullen’s army.
The Merrow were on the left near the sea. The Dwarves were in the center, four hundred and fifty of them still able to fight. The cavalry was to the right and behind the Kingsguard, ready to charge. The Asrai were mixed in everywhere, aching to take the fight to their ancient enemies.
Cernunnous and Manawyddan were both up on the wall, weaving magic winds already to defend against the black smoke. The Host sent it forward again, thicker this time and it managed to hang around the bonfires. It would be difficult to see, but there was no choice.
Even thought he expected it, Cullen was surprised to see the army that charged out of the dark. He could see the creatures in front, galloping spiders and beetles, fodder for the charge.
Behind them came more Goblins and Dark Fae. The hulking monsters that guarded the Queen were interspersed throughout the horde, their ten foot tall bodies easily seen above the crowd.
Cullen focused on them at first. There was a massive crunching sound when the two armies hit. There were screams and bodies instantly; falling away to the side and back as creatures from the underworld came charging in to deal death.
Cullen swept a group away from him and his Shield protected many on both side of him. He let his preferred weapons of fire and force smash through the many enemies before him. Then he would single out one of the giants and attack them before they could reach the humans.
He had to use the magic of his Sword to cut them down because their bodies were covered in thick shell and they were strong. He tried to avoid being hit, but some of them bowed down and charged when they saw him coming and he was knocked back more than once.
He kept his footing and ran from on side of the field to the others, fighting amongst the humans, then the Dwarves, then the Merrow. He saw faces he recognized and others he had never seen before. But all of them brightened when he arrived, as his Shield would bounce attacks away and then his Sword would sweep through, killing dozen at a time.
The chaos of war, of battle washed through him. He let his anger swell within him and take over his actions. He thought he felt stronger and faster as he fought, and if he could have seen himself, he would have noticed that his muscles had grown larger and hair sprouted across his body.
It suddenly occurred to him that the inborn magic of transformation was happening. His anger was tapping into those forces that would let him change into a were. He embraced the feeling and let out a howl of joy that was answered by the Asrai fighting all around him.
He saw bodies of human soldiers felled to earth. He saw Dwarves being overwhelmed by numbers of the Host, of creatures and dark elves that were fighting in unison. The saw the pale bodies of the Asrai go dark red with painful wounds and he wondered how his mother fared.
He fought like a whirlwind, cutting down hundreds of enemies on his own. The coppery scent of blood was everywhere and he was awash with fluids that splashed from his foes. He ran at the edges of the cavalry, smashing enemies away so they could charge.
He stopped and blew his Horn in the middle of the field, letting the magic of its sound wash over the fighters around him. They cheered again, responding to the note and his heart was glad.
He turned to look down the line for his next opponent and he managed to see an attack just before it hit him. A figure wearing the mask of a Bear swung a massive warhammer at his head.
Cullen ducked under his Shield and caught the attack but it smashed him fifteen feet away to crash and roll across the ground in a heap. He got up fast but he was winded and suddenly weary. He shook his head to clear it and saw a purple arrow of light hit the ground in front of the Bear and explode.
The Bear stepped back and gave Cullen a moment to consider him. He was another Champion, with a perfect physique and covered in dark scales. The mask was a hideous roaring bear with huge fangs and the warhammer had a head that was as large as Cullen’s own.
He lowered his Shield and started to move forward. A space had opened up around them, as fighters from both armies realized getting between these two would mean death. The Bear raised his hammer and large chunks of the earth rose up out of the ground. Four piles of rock and grass rotated around the Bear, spinning in the air like a group of shields.
This was new magic and Cullen wondered at such power. He snapped his Sword across the space between them and fire and force rent the air. The earth caught the fire and the force, stopping them before it reached his opponent.
Cullen made a change in his stance and pointed the Sword at his enemy, willing a bolt of lightning to come. It crackled and exploded from his weapon, ripping through the night with a bright flash. It hit one of the piles of dirt and exploded but didn’t harm the Bear.
Then he lowered his hammer, swiping it like Cullen did with his Sword and the dirt clods flew through the air at Cullen. He caught them on the Shield, one after the other, but they pushed him back and hurt his arm.
Cullen started to run at the Bear, hoping to cross the space between them quickly. Another figure stepped out of the swarm of fighting all around them and took a swing at Cullen. He had the mask of a Boar and another staff weapon with a wide thick blade on the end.
The Boar his Cullen’s Shield and Cullen flew away back where he had run from, at least twenty feet before he hit the ground. This time he struggled to get up, and Sonia’s arrows kept the two Dark Fae back from him.
Cullen slowly got to his feet and saw the third Champion step away from the masses behind him. He wore the mask of a Spider and carried the strangest sword Cullen had ever seen. It was long and almost square with a small point at the end. It had a long curving handle with a wide guard part way up its length.
Cullen took a deep breath and started forward. The three Champions moved out into a line. The Bear lifted his hammer and more clods of dirt rose into the air. The Boar readied his staff weapon and the Spider lowered his strange sword.
Cullen stepped again, starting to pick up speed. He could see that Sonia’s arrows wouldn’t reach them and he needed to close the distance as quick as he could before the Bear fired off more stone at him.
The Bear shifted his hammer and the dirt flew ahead. Cullen dodged and ducked, running fast now, cutting through the piles of dirt and letting them fall away. He needed to connect his Sword to their weapons to steal their power, but it would be very difficult with three of them attacking.
He moved off to the right, turning the face the Boar first. He tried to deflect the attack with his Sword, totally focused on winning the weapon’s power. The Boar’s magical might was simply strength and when Cullen put up his Sword to block, he got blasted backwards again to hit the ground a dozen feet away, rolling into a heap.
The three Champions rushed forward, weapons lowered and ready for the kill. Suddenly the ground erupted in front of them and whole sections of dirt shook and rocked them backwards, forcing them to their knees.
Cernunnous stood on the wall, motioning with his hands and speaking strange words of power. The ground between Cullen and his foes shook and rolled, forcing the Champions to back off.
Cullen picked himself up again and waved to the Forest God on the wall. Cernunnous nodded and lowered his hands. Cullen ran forward once again, racing over the twisted ground that Cernunnous has twisted to his whim. Cullen came in with magic this time, letting loose fire and force, lightening and wind.
He wasn’t familiar with the wind or the lightening, and it came out in one massive rush. The arch of fire washed over them, burning them for only a moment before Lightening and wind hit. The lightening was blocked by their own weapons, but they couldn’t stop the wind or force and that knocked them down.
Cullen raced in and attacked while they were trying to get back up. He connected with the hammer, focusing his Sword’s magic inward, pulling in the abilities of that weapon. Then he struck the Boar’s staff weapon, pulling in the strength and magic.
The Bear swung and Cullen caught it on his Shield, reflecting its wall of power back and the Bear’s warhammer flew away from him. Cullen cut quickly with the Sword, using the new found power of strength and he cut through the Fae’s arm in one thrust.
The Bear screamed behind his mask and fell away. The Boar swung his long staff at Cullen and Cullen caught it on the Shield, no longer victim to his power. The Spider managed to get a cut in and the Shield dented.
Cullen backed off and looked in amazement at his Shield. How could it be dented, he thought? What power does this last weapon have, that it scarred the Wall? He moved in a slow circle trying to keep the two enemies on one side of him.
A Dwarf suddenly ran ahead out of the swirling battle all around them and he attacked the Spider. That strange sword whipped through the air and cut through the Dwarf’s axe head, his hand, his arm and then his body, all fell away in halves. That sword could cut through anything!
Cullen was grateful that his Shield was so powerful of else he would have died. But he needed to be careful of that weapon, because perhaps another hit would get through the Shield this time.
Cullen circled again, firing off lightening and wind, pushing the two Fae backwards towards the thicker fighting. They both had to turn to defend from attacks and Cullen decided to try the newest power.
He concentrated on the rocks and dirt below him, already torn apart by Cernunnous, and he raised four clods of his own. When the Dark Fae turned back, they looked at each other in surprise as they realized what power Cullen’s Sword had.
Cullen directed the dirt forward, tossing it hard and then swinging wind behind it. Both enemies were hit, and even though they tried to defend with their weapons, both of them were knocked to the ground.
Cullen ran ahead again and leaped on top of the Spider, thinking his was the most dangerous weapon of them all. He hammered down with his Shield, pressing the warrior into the ground and he cut with the Sword repeatedly until finally he got past the fighter’s guard.
His Sword, with power behind it, bit deep into the fighter’s chest and he gurgled as blood rushed out of his mouth. Cullen was so focused on that weapon that he missed the Boar rise and attack.
The Boar hit him on the side where he carried his Shield and it took half the blow but Cullen was smashed off to the side by the attack. He hit the ground and rolled again, spitting up dirt and blood.
The Boar rushed at him and he scrambled to get away. Fire arched over him and washed across the Boar and Cullen knew Tik was there. The Boar screamed and fell forward and Cullen just lifted his Sword to stab him as he fell.
Tik attacked from behind and the Boar was cut down from both sides. Cullen was pushing himself back up when a huge pile of dirt smashed into Tik and knocked him away. Cullen looked across the field and saw the Bear, with only one arm swinging the hammer and sending piles of dirt at Cullen and Tik.
Cullen leaped in front of his friend and empowered the Shield to defend them both as he slowly walked forward through a hail of dirt and stone until he was only a few feet away from the Bear.
The Bear tried to swing his hammer on last time, but it was pitiful at best. Cullen knocked it aside and cut through the mask, destroying his enemy totally. He spun and ran back to Tik.
As he reached him he heard explosions all around him and he looked up to see Sonia running across the field, firing arrows all around where Cullen knelt to see to Tik. Tik was battered and bruised but aware and getting to his feet.
“Take each other back to the wall!” Cullen hollered at them. Tik grinned and nodded his head and grabbed Sonia’s arm and directed her back they way they came.
Cullen ran towards the wall, shouting for Cernunnous. He blew his Horn again and the fighting seemed to stop as heads turned to look at him.
“Once again Lord!” Cullen called and Cernunnous lifted his arms and spoke. The ground just beyond the majority of the human soldiers suddenly lifted and rippled sending the Host falling and tumbling down. Fights stopped and people ran back towards the wall where they were better protected.
Manawyddan stood next to his brother and raised his arms, speaking words of power in unison. The ocean beyond the field rose up with terrible waves and washed across the shattered ground of the field. The water washed the Host back, drowning them, battering them, tossing them around until they couldn’t keep afloat.
The two brothers that were once worshipped as Gods swept the battlefield clean of enemies. The sun gleamed over the horizon and Cullen saw the sky brighten. Any of the Host that had been there was either dead or running away.
Cullen blew the Horn again, sounding the victory. He turned back to his army and watched them with pride. Tris’tan ran up to him followed by the twins, both grabbing Cullen and lifting him up, cheering.
Cullen walked back to the wall, dragging his feet a bit, exhausted and weary and glad it was over. He saw Tik and Sonia back on the wall with Alex and some of the other Rom.
He saw his father coming and he slowed, accepting the hug and handshake from the man. Grimm came off the field and nodded, a silent recognition between warriors. Cullen looked for his mother and saw her already tending to wounded Asrai.
He found water and drank a whole skin of it by himself, letting the dregs wash over the back of his neck. Everything hurt from his tumbling falls and being battered by magical weapons. He looked back wondering where the other cursed weapons went, but he couldn’t see them or the bodies of the Champions.
He accepted the cheers and thanks from the many human soldiers that made their way to him to show their thanks for being alive. Everyone had a sense that the battle was finally and truly over. As the sun climbed into the sky, the bright sunlight illuminated everyone with a feeling of joy and relief.