Dark Age Of Camelot: A Dark Age (II)

A Dark Age (II)
Chapter II

"Paxle. Pax....hey Pax! Hey!" Kaerin stood over the diminutive kobold runemaster with her hands balled in to fists on her hips. Kaerin was not to be ignored, she stood only five foot three inch with fiery red hair and freckles accentuating her blue eyes and red lips. Still, she towered over the two foot four inch kobold.

Paxle didn't look up from his text he was reading. The leather bound book was old and as mysterious as the runemaster. The leather cover even changed colors, one day it was red, the other day a dark blue and at night even the pages would glow a pale white color so that the symbols could be discerned in the dark. "You are right next to me, girl. I can hear you fine, I just choose not to listen to you now." Paxle smiled to himself, he loved getting her upset, which was quite easy to do.

"If your nose wasn't always buried in that book you could listen to me, I bet." Kaerin reached down to close the book he was reading. As her hand got close Paxle eyes widened in alarm.

"Kaerin! No!"

Just as her fingers grazed the outside cover a blue flame enveloped her with dark blue symbols appearing in mid-air. Suddenly she was launched off her feet and sent flying backwards landing in one of the campfires. Kaerin yelped in surprise and instinctively rolled out of the flame, and inadvertantly into a puddle of mud leftover from where some dishes had been washed.

Paxle closed the book and leaped up. As he was running over to her, he scolded, "You never, never, NEVER interrupt me when I'm reading the ancient pages, girl! The book is alive, the symbols inside are wary. It took me 15 seasons just to convince the pages that I meant it no harm." He face softened as he helped her up. She was still wide-eyed and bewildered, more embarrassed from the scene than hurt. "There now, no harm done. But please be more careful! Anything you see of mine is best left alone, if mishandled anything I own could be harmful.

Kaerin looked at the old runemaster warily. He always had curious odds and ends attached to his clothes. Symbols and pictures of an ancient world inscribed on pieces of light wafer thin stone and metals. Even his staff that he used was a sight to see with carvings all around it, the wooden end in the shape of a clawed fist holding some gem that lay dormant in a pale white but could glow red, blue, or even a dark green at his bidding. Now everything on him looked like a trap ready to spring on someone. As if every part of his clothing was booby-trapped to protect him. Maybe it really was.

She looked in disgust at the mud all over her jerkin. "You promised to show me the castle we are taking today." She said in a pout. Kaerin was still quite young, only 17 by her clans counting. She was studying the arts of savagry, learning to use the handblades like her late father. Though this is the first time she had seen any real battles.

"I know young one, I know. And I will, you'll be seeing the castle soon enough I deem. But I have many things to prepare first. There can be no errors this time, no mistakes. We have this one chance to take Renaris from the King's men and we have to be quick about it. The element of surprise has long passed."
Paxle was surpised they had done this well so far. Three castles already overtaken but problems were already starting to appear. Sursbrooke was holding off the onslaught and now they had word that Renaris had called for and received reinforcements from Excaliber. And so much was at stake. For over 11 seasons the King's men had taken and held the ancient relics of the north. The much sought after Hammer of Thor and the famous Horn of Valhalla. These were more than just famous heirlooms, they had power. And now with them both out of the hands of the clansmen elders, the dark forces were overpowering the races of the north. The trolls were riddled with diseases they could not explain, their hunting grounds overrun with the undead. And not for 3 seasons now had any troll pups been born. The race was dying. The dwarves were ousted from their mines by monsters, demons set loose and preying on the living. The celts have opened their villages to the dwarves with an unsteady truce being made. But they too were dying and disappearing mysteriously by the hundreds. And Paxle's own town was destroyed just last year from raiders, they took everything and burned the old ones who could not escape.

The relics had to be reclaimed. They could wait no longer, peace had to be restored. Fortunately a valkyn had proved himself worthy of leading an assault. Takh was a bonedancer and feared by those who knew him well. The dead he brought back to fight for him were not mindless zombies, they were old warriors lusting for war and human flesh. They were, in fact, undead albions. His latest dead general aided in plannning this assault in the first place. It was his idea to hit all three castles at once. A risky proposition divided the armies like that, but proving very successful in catching the soldiers off their guard.

Now the trolls were starting to move the heavy machinery up the slope that lead to Renaris. The hunters gathered into six groups of sixty each, marching steadily behind the large trebuchets, a sight to see considering hunters were loners by nature. Behind them in lines of 50 across and 20 back marched a motley crew of bezerkers from the mountains, savages from the islands and warriors with their razor sharp axes and huge spiked hammers.

Runemaster, a voice said inside Paxle's head. Cold chills went down the old kobold's spine knowing it was the dead general that spoke to him. Or rather thought to him. The dead can't speak, they deal directly with the soul of the living. Master commands you to the front of the lines with the machines. You will protect them from the archers. The trolls must not die.

Paxle regained his composure and glanced briefly at Kaerin. She tried her best to hide behind him, her face white with fear. The dead had that effect on people. "Go back to the healers and aid them where you can, Kaerin." On seeing her face he added quickly. "I promised your mother I'd look after you and I plan to do just that, no arguement! Do as I say!" He turned back to the dead general, ignoring the overpowering smell of earth, maggots, and rotting flesh. "Takh, I'll do my best, but they will have magic too to counter mine. You must be ready for their sorcerer, I can feel him from here." Paxle never addressed the dead, he knew Takh was merely using it as a conduit for his own voice.

Leave the sorcerer to me, focus on your old runes. Protect the trolls and we will defeat them.

Paxle left it and hurried to the frontlines as they marched slowly up the hill. The torches were lit and the drums pounded in unison to spur them onward. In everyone's eyes was the same look of determination. The same look of bloodlust that overtook a normal being and turned him into a virtual animal. He noticed one of the bezerkers chanting his warsong to himself and remembered some would even be animals before everything was over.

A warhorn sounded from somewhere in back and the entire procession came to a grinding halt. One troll bellowed out a roar at the castle outer wall as if he would take it on by himself. And no doubt if allowed, he would. Paxle didn't hesitate to begin inscribing the symbols surrounding the trebuchets and wagons filled with stones. His lips barely moving as the runes were drawn, whispering the ancient tongue that caused the symbols to glow a dark blue. In less than three minutes the entire front line was covered with the signs, creating a blue aura around the huge machines and the trolls themselves.

They were ready.

Gluht, a heavily armored troll picked the first stone to place on the trebuchet. "Now we knock on door. Gluht say hello." He grumbled in typical troll fashion.

Takh was nowhere to be seen, but his dead general slave stood out in front of the battalion. No doubt he could be seen by the scouts on the wall. Then something happened that explained why the northeners were so successful thusfar. The dead general spoke to everyone's mind at the same time. The commands from Takh were reaching everyone instantly.

Send the first stone alone, then follow it with everything. ONCE THE LEFT TOWER HAS COLLAPSE THE HUNTERS WILL ASSAULT THEIR INFANTRY. Let them come to you.

Gluht loosed the first stone. It was a direct hit. The top half of the tower exploded. In perfect unison the trolls resetted another stone in each machine. All twenty of them. And in perfect unison, all twenty stones sailed through the air towards the same tower.

Paxle was too focused on his words to notice the dark stormclouds gathering overhead. He was too focused to wonder where the clouds were coming from.
Lightening struck the earth behind the frontline scattering the hunters. Their wolfpets barking and growling at the thunder...

To be Continued...