Yulnagar advanced at the crowd running to the tower. ”Do you think you’ll be able to escape? The tower is locked from inside”.
He didn’t need to say that as Morgan found it out for himself. Slowly the crowed stopped. The situation didn’t look promissing. On one side was the insane Oracle, on the other a locked door to possible freedom.
Desperately Boromir, Diamond and Durelin took out their swords and shouted commands to the rest. Three totally different sets of orders were given and confusion only grew.
Lomiella screamed something about the Shade being among them. The people who heared this agreed with her and Kitanna was soon tossed among the fighters.
And then came the long silence as nobody dared to move. The Oracle said to them, ”Unlike you, I can wait all eternity. So I’d be pleased if you returned to your houses and told me your votes like you have done before.
”No? Blame yourselves”. Yulnagar lifted his hands and the pyre that burned in the middle of the city began moving towards them. Flames and timber flew through the air and then set themselves above Yulnagar’s head in a great sphere.
The survivors didn’t have a hope if were right with the intentions of the Oracle.
They were both right and wrong.
A big burning log launched itself at the crowd. Panic broke out and everybody ran in different directions. Another log followed. And another, and another...
They had to act, or else sooner or later somebody would have been hit.
Shasta trew a well-aimed knife at where the Oracle’s head was supposed to be. It would have hit the head too, if not for the sudden change in its flying path. The knife curved upward and flew into the burning sphere. Shasta cursed and tried to try again, but at the moment a log nearly hit him and he fell over. Xyzzy noticed this and rushed to help Shasta. Unfortunately a splinter hit Xyzzy’s leg and he tripped.
Rune was still carrying Enhol’s body when all of thes happened. He had managed to hide behind the tower’s corner, but when he saw that the others weren’t managing at all, he laid Enhol down, drew his sword and ran to Boromir’s help.
While Boromir and Diamond had been distracting Yulnagar and having most of the missiles sent at them, Durelin had taken a straight approach and rushed at the Oracle reclessly dodging the logs as they came. Kitanna on the other hand was more cunning and slowly advanced from the left side of the battle.
Durelin’s strategy would have worked if not for the fact that it’s usually wisest to hit the person nearest to you, and Yulnagar was no fool. With a barrage of fire Durelin’s path was blocked. He cursed and yelled and at last decided to retreat for a while. It wasn’t as easily done as said. When Durelin turned his back to the Oralce, a log brushed the recless warrior’s head. Durelin staggered and after a few steps fell unconscious.
It was extremely lucky for Durelin, that his show was noticed by Rikae who grabber Mac’s sleeve and pointed at the fallen man. Mac considered the situation for a moment and nodded. Together they creapt to where Durelin lay. Yulnagar was quicker, a log came flying straight at Durelin and that would have been the end of him if Kitanna hadn’t revealed herself at last.
A black cloud mixed with the flames flying and moved to float between Durelin and Yulnagar. Rikae and Mac hesitated for a moment and continued their way through the fire. Kitanna was like a barrier, the logs bounced off the clound and fell to the side.
”You. Didn’t you fall once? Why are you challenging me again?” Yulnagar changes his action, instead of flinging the logs at single targets he made them all fly up, above the crowd. That truly was a rain of fire.
The act worked well, as it immediatly turned all Kitanna’s attention to saving her friends. But not knowing Yulnagar spelled his own end. While he had possessed Enhillion’s body earlier, it was now free.
-~~-----------------------------------------------------------------------~~-
His head hurt. As if he had woken from a long unpleasant dream. He opened his eyes and looked. He saw a house. He sat up and gasped. His head hurt a lot. Then his hearing began coming back. It came a bit too fast. Many loud sounds could be heard, heavy objects falling, yelling and screaming. He tried to connect these sounds to something. For a while he sat there thinking. Ouch. He rubbed the back of his head and found that it helped.
A battle!
Enhillion jumped to his feet. There was a battle going on! The last thing he remembered was Yulnagar, his Lord, cursing him and fighting over his body. Enhillion had lost the fight.
He looked at himself: Alive, no blood, no weapons. Alive, that’d do.
Behind the corner of the great tower he saw the chaos. Ten Men running and shouting. A black cloud in a storm of fire deflecting burning logs and splinters. And there at the back, Yulnagar!
Enhillion didn’t hurry, he walked up to a girl who was shouting advice to a man called Mac, who was presumably trying to save somebody from the fiery rain.
”Umm... Sorry...”
”What?” said the girl rudely and then looked up at Enhillion who stood beside her feeling confused. Her eyes went wide open and she let out a shrill scream of suprise. The Vampire stared at his feet. The girl then gave him an angry glance, ”Who are you and what do you want?”
”I... I’m Enhillion”, he gave a quick nervous smile, ”What is happening there?”
”Can’t you see! That mad ”oracle” is trying to kill Mac!”
”Umm, yes... Why?”
”How would I- Mac, look out!”
”Where is the rest of you? I can see only a few left of the big group”. Where is Loss, Num and Fir? Enhillion frowned as the situation drawned.
”Huh? Oh, they’re dead. Killed by your friends by the way, and now they’re dead too”.
Enhillion gulped.
”Well don’t just stand there. Try being helpful for a while!” The girl looked at him sceptically and continued yelling to Mac.
The Vampire let her be and walked towards the fire avoiding occationally passing splinters. Only now he saw the complete situation. Many of the Men were either dead or soon would be. Yulnagar had no sympathy what so ever. And his friends were dead too. He speeded up and was soon running at full speed shouting to Yulnagar. While passing a body of thin man, Enhillion grabbed the man’s sword.
-~~-----------------------------------------------------------------------~~-
”Yulnagar! Why this madness? Why are you killing them? They can’t be of any harm to us!”
”Hmph. So the brat came back to sense. I don’t think there is any of ”us” left. You are a traitor like you pathetic friends”.
”What are you talking about? They would never betray you! Where is the wise king of old?”
The dark cloaked form made one of its invisible smiles again and let out a laugh colder than ice. ”Enhillion. You are now one of them and that means that I’ll have to kill you”.
Enhillion gritted his teeth and raised the sword he found.
”You are being stupid. You won’t be able to defeat me”. Yulnagar said with the intimidating calmness.
-~~-----------------------------------------------------------------------~~-
The inferno ended.
Kitanna descended to the ground and took her human form. She looked around. It looked bad. Among the splinters and ashes lay five figures. They didn’t move. Five other figures were regaining their senses and looked around as confused as Kitanna. Then she remembered Yulnagar and quickly turned to see the cursed Oracle. And the young Vampire who had been possessed by the Oracle. The two figures gazed at each other rather calmly. The Vampire lad had a sword in his hand.
The sword, it was Durelin’s!
The Shade looked back again and saw Durelin lying under several logs. With horror Kitanna ran to the poor man. Durelin. Durelin, was alive! His breathing was rasp and blood covered his cheeck, but he was alive. And very lucky! The two long on top of him managed to stay there without crushing Durelin. Kitanna grabbed Durelin and dragged him out of the death trap. ”Ouch! Hey, what do you think you’re doing?”
Not only was Durelin alive, he was alive pretty well and sat up. ”Kitanna? Don’t you see I’m hurt? You think I need your help with? If you do, you’re wrong! Just leave me alone”, shouted the angry man and wiped the blood from his cheek.
”As you wish...” said Kitanna with a crooked smile and raised brow.
-~~-----------------------------------------------------------------------~~-
Enhillion took the fighter’s stance he was taught by Numund a long time ago and moved a few steps towards Yulnagar, who laughed at that.
Yulnagar raised his arm and chanted something.
Enhillion heard a loud crash from above. He looked up. And with all his strength leapt to the side.
A gigantic sword struck where Enhillion stood just a moment ago.
Yulnagar disappeared and appeared again, by the sword. He lifted it out of the ground. It had a black wide blade with many runes engraved into it. And the dark shape moved towards Enhillion slowly.
The Vampire didn’t want to wait for the next trick, he sprang at his King, bluffed a thrust and tried to strike from below. The attack was easily parried and the black sword pushed Enhillion back with force. Yulnagar didn’t care much about bluffs, he struck hard and fast. Barely managing to evade the hit, Enhillion stubled. It wasn’t a fair fight.
Standing up Enhillion tried again, with even less success. He didn’t give up and the battle would be long if Yulnagar wouldn’t change the fighting style.
-~~-----------------------------------------------------------------------~~-
Kitanna sighed, nobody was dead, but a few were badly hurt. Morgan’s arm had broken from a flying log, Xyzzy had a wide cut on his leg and Rune got many wounds from flying splinters while defending Diamond, who apparently passed out from the heat.
Somehow they managad to calm each other down. The little band of unfortunate people gathered at the door to the tower and was now licking its wounds. Lomiella was suprisingly found good at tending wounds, the spoled girl got much more confident during the horror she had to face.
And than Morgan pointed out the completely obvious, ”Kitanna, you arn’t a human really, right? The black cloud shape is your true form, right? Couldn’t you just go through the wall and open the door to the tower”.
The Shade looked at Morgan, blinked, and said, ”Yes”.
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