Chapter 13 -- Strange Happenings

"Ouch!" Gilgamesh flinched as the small brownie put ointment on a deep gash at his elbow. A fierce battle it had been. Without the help of his new thief and the powerful enchantress, all might have been lost. An entire regiment of staffmen had been mowed down by the dark javelins. Never before had he been responsible for the loss of so many lives. Nearly 100 of his followers were lying beneath the soil, never again to see the light of day. He had personally informed the families of those brave elves of their loss. Heartbreaking it had been...he began weeping again, just at the thought.

"Sire, your wounds have been dressed. With a little rest, you will be fine in a few days." The brownie looked him over worriedly. "Will you be alright, my Lord?"

Gilgamesh smiled weakly. "Thank you, my friend. I shall be fine. I'm sure rest is all I need."

"Very well. If I may take my leave?" Gilgamesh nodded, and the brownie hopped out the door.

As he watched the brownie exit the room, he thought of his messenger to Order. What had become of it? More and more renegades were appearing every day. Small parties, to be sure, but their mere existence spoke of the advancing of Balkoth.

Earlier that day, he had received word of Fire. It seemed they had amassed quite a large following, much to the dismay of Gilgamesh. Chaos was also stirring. There had been little noise from the lands of Water, but he hoped they would be receptive to the idea of an alliance. Strangely enough, Balkoth was the quietest of all. Aside from the occasional raiding party, he seemed to be keeping his followers in his own land. Very odd...disquieting. What could he be planning?

If Lord Reisz of Order did not return a message soon, he would have to send a scouting party to his lands. He had heard of trouble brewing near their capitol. Maybe that's what Balkoth is doing. Taking over one city at a time isn't usually his style, but it's possible. Maybe a party should head over there now. He didn't want to be late, and lose an ally.

"Vragen!" Gilgamesh bellowed.

A few seconds later, the staffman popped his head into the room. "Yes, my Lord?"

"Find Theli and Resam. Tell them to gather their ten most skilled soldiers. Take along the same number of your best men, and send Qar'Sela to me immediately!"

Vragen nodded, and jogged out of the room. Theli and Resam would head riders and archers, respectively. Vragen would gather his staffmen, and Qar'Sela...

"You sent for me sire?" A young elf stood in the doorway.

"Yes, Qar'Sela. You have finished your warrior training, have you not?"

"Just last week, yes." The elf peered questioningly at Gilgamesh.

"You will lead the scouting party to the land of Order. You will be escorted by three parties of elves. If you have questions of any kind, Vragen will gladly help you. This is your first command, but I have great faith in you. Meet your troops in the entry hall. Good luck!" Gilgamesh chuckled at the stunned expression on the man's face...still a boy, really.

I hope they have a safe trip, Gilgamesh thought to himself. There would be plenty of time for trouble soon, I'm sure. He decided it was time to take that rest the brownie had suggested. He would need it.


Chapter 14 -- Organized Chaos

Wyrdaxe watched in silence as his band of followers dispersed into the surrounding hills. His thoughts ranging back over his speech, wondering if it was enough to get through the thick skulls of Chaos followers. Shrugging, he turned and began his own trek across the lands of Chaos.

"I will need more than great word to lead these great fighters," Wrydaxe thought, "they already doubt my wisdom and call me coward for suggesting alliances. A show of my strength will quell their suspicions."

After a few leagues traveled, the answer came to him. "The greatest enemy we face in the mountains of Chaos are the mountain lions and great cats that stalk our villages. If I subdue the greatest of these, the great Whiteclaw, and make her my steed, then no one will doubt my dedication to Orkus and the ways of Chaos." With that, Wrydaxe turned north, heading for the great caves of Mount Wyrm, the home of the greatest mountain lions of legend.

.................Bred for the rugged terrain, Wrydaxe and his race are known for their ability to pick the fastest path through the treacherous mountains. True to his upbringing, Wrydaxe reached Mount Wyrm in 3 days, half the time it would have taken the lesser races of Urak. The only delay came from the quick snowstorm that sprung up with a moments notice as he crossed a ridgeline separating the lands of Air from those of Chaos................

"Ahead lies my goal." Wrydaxe thought as he reached the plateau. Checking the direction of the wind, he moved quickly and quietly to the west side of the cave entrance, to keep the wind in his face and directing any scents away from the cave. With a mental shout of: "For the love of battle!", he stepped into the cave............

‘Good signs," he thought, as his eyes adjusted to the dim interior and saw the large tracks in the dust. A pile of bones lies in a recessed alcove to the left. Some bleached white, others cracked open by powerful jaws. The smell of decay and spoor filled his nostrils. In silence, he listened carefully for signs of movement. The only sound to reach his ears was that of the wind as it whistles past the cave entrance, a hollow and desolate sound.

He treaded deeper into the cave, leaving the sounds of the wind and the light of the sun behind. A slow turn in the cave to the left opens into a den of sorts. Across the opening, "Maybe 15 paces away" he realized, lies Whiteclaw, the greatest of all Sabertooth tigers. "The cat legends speak of", he thought as he stared at the beautiful beast. "The perfect killing beast!" in awe. "Claws as long as my palm! More muscle than I have ever seen on any Sabertooth! Two foot long fangs protruding from her jaws, overlapping her lower lip, both stained red from a recent kill! Her fur a mesmerizing pattern of black stripes on a white background." Wrydaxe stood motionless for many long heartbeats drinking in her beauty.

"The fur!" he exclaimed, as it suddenly dawned on him why this beast was so extraordinary. "White, not orange-ish! Whiteclaw will indeed inspire awe in the lands of Chaos!" With that said, he readied his battleaxe and unlimbered his battered small shield.

A few slow deep breaths to fill his lungs and "WAAAAAAAARGH!" With that yell, he leapt at the prone cat.

Faster than he’d expected, the sabertooth sprung from its bed and lashed a mighty claw at Wrydaxe, drawing four lines of blood in his bare chest before Wrydaxe even had a chance to complete his swing.

Off-balance, Wrydaxe was hard-pressed to avoid the cat’s next lunge, but somehow, he managed to get his axe in the path of Whiteclaw’s attack, giving him a moments reprieve. The wound across his chest a fierce reminder of his failed attack, he decided to take the defensive.

"Here kitty, kitty!" He taunted as he gestured for the cat to come at him. Obligingly, Whiteclaw sprang at him once more. With feet planted firmly, Wrydaxe swung the shield on his left arm in a long swooping attack, to catch Whiteclaw on the side of her head, knocking the attack aside and slightly stunning the great beast.

With a snarl, the cat turned and leapt again. This time avoiding his shield arm, but failing to see the flat side of his axe until too late. With a crack that echoed through the cave, the flat-side of the axe collided with Whiteclaw’s skull, this time nearly knocking the cat unconscious.

"Again, brains over brawn! If only all my troops had such discipline!" Wrydaxe thought as he watched Whiteclaw circle him slowly. Both taking the moment to evaluate the other. Wrydaxe, with blood streaming down his chest and Whiteclaw, dazed from the ringing blows to the head.

A quick feint from Wrydaxe drew another snarl and a quick swipe from Whiteclaw, neither one willing to commit to the attack.

"A stalemate does me no good," thought Wrydaxe, "I need more than a few scars to prove my worth!" With that thought, Wrydaxe dropped his great war axe and removed the shield from his arm, tossing it aside. In a crouch, he resumed circling with Whiteclaw. With each complete circle, he noticed Whiteclaw drawing in closer and closer. "An attack is coming......NOW!" Wrydaxe thought as he saw the great haunches on the cat contract in anticipation of a lunge. Dropping to a knee, he watched as the foot-long fangs passed inches over his head.

With speed born of a hundred battles, he shot his hands forth and grabbed the rear legs of Whiteclaw, with a quick twist, he turned the great cat upside down in mid-air as the weight of the great beast pulled him on top of her. Struggling fiercely, Whiteclaw managed to open a great gash in Wrydaxe’s leg with a rear claw, but not before he had a chance to wrap her in a great bear hug.

This close to her, wrapped in the bear hug, she was unable to bring her claws underneath to push him off. Her large fangs kept her from tucking her head in against her chest to bite him, forcing her to rake her front claws across his back.

In massive pain from these attacks, Wyrdaxe struggled to work an arm free. With a mighty pull, he yanked his arms out from beneath her, but kept them ready for his next move.

As Whiteclaw wriggled around to right herself, Wrydaxe used his newly freed arms to catch Whiteclaw from behind with the same bear-hug, differing only in that his arms wrapped around her throat, slowing squeezing.

In frustration, Whiteclaw began bucking, kicking and rolling around. To no avail. With his life depending on it, Wrydaxe was more determined than ever to hold on! Despite his greatest attempts, he lacked the strength to completely choke the great beast. Nevertheless, his efforts were restricting the beasts breathing and combined with her exertions to get him off her back, she was slowing.

Minutes later, both combatants were exhausted. Wrydaxe’s arms were aflame from over-use, the muscles shaking with the effort to hang on. Whiteclaw panting desperately to inhale enough air for one more struggle. Neither willing yet to surrender.

In moments, Whiteclaw was forced to lay down, lacking sufficient air flow for any more strenuous efforts. Wrydaxe still hanging on, with one arm crushed below the great beast as she lay down. Hours pass like this.

"Whiteclaw," Wrydaxe began "surely you too now realize our predicament." If I release you, I will die. If not, I will lie here, slowly choking you to death."

At the sound of his voice, the great beast turned its hear to view him from the corner of an eye. Wrydaxe would have sworn he saw respect and acknowledgment in the eye, but was not about to give up his advantage. "How does one communicate with a beast?" He wondered. "Will I be stuck here until I die of thirst or hunger?"

Nearly 2 more hours passed before Wrydaxe spoke again. "Today is a good day to die, beast. Let us end this silly predicament once and for all!" With that, he released his hold on her throat and pulled his numbed arm free. Quickly rolling away from the beast to grab his axe he had discarded earlier. Turning around, he was surprised to see the great beast lying on the cave floor, licking it front paws.

Eyes wide, he slowly approached Whiteclaw, lowering the axe peacefully with each step. The great cat sat quietly as he approached and snarled mildly only once, when Wrydaxe held his fist out for the beast to sniff. Like the dogs he raised as a child, Whiteclaw sniffed the offered hand and then sat idle as Wrydaxe rubbed his head.

"What a magnificent beast you are, Whiteclaw!" he said. "Together, we will lead the greatest army Chaos has ever fielded!"

OO........................ After a few days of rest, Wrydaxe and Whiteclaw set out for Chayt-Domazh. Their journey was uneventful, but for the stares of amazement they endured as they passed through each village. Without trying, Wrydaxe drew a group of followers, inspired by the sight of a mighty warrior atop the greatest sabertooth ever seen! By the time he reached Chayt-Domazh, his followers numbered nearly 600! Without hesitation, he sent forth trained cats to scout the areas immediately surrounding the capitol and to the great Temple of Orkus, to learn the size of the forces there. The scouts returned with worrisome news. About 900 troops held the temple, Dark Javeliners, Dark Elf Horsemen and a stealthy Thief to lead them. Wrydaxe decided to bide his time, awaiting the arrival of fresh troops.

OO...............Within a few days, the members of his original band returned to Chayt-Domazh, bringing with them over 300 followers. Mostly unarmed, but eager to fight! "Aren’t we all?!" Wrydaxe thought to himself as he stood before his amassed forces. "Tonight, let us celebrate the return of Orkus! A feast in his honor!" On cue, hundreds of beer kegs were brought forth and tapped open. The revelry was fierce! Beer flowed freely, as did blood from scores of drunken brawls. Women ran screaming, sometimes playfully, sometimes not, from the clutches of well-muscled men.

"Chaos never does anything meekly!" Wrydaxe smiled as he downed the last of his tankard. Turning to the nearest serving wench, he tossed her over his shoulder and retired to his tent for the evening.....................

Dawn broke with the revelers nursing hangovers like never felt before. Even another round of beer failed to eliminate the lingering pressure in their heads. In anger and mild pain, a few fights broke out. Seeing this, Wrydaxe called the men together and said: "We move out today to reclaim the Temple of Orkus for the forces of Chaos! Gather your weapons and gear, we move out at noon!"

"Hey, Wrydaxe! I don’t got no weapon!" A voice in the crowd cried. "Yeah, me too!" Another joined and as was followed by hundreds more.

"Fools!" Wrydaxe thought to himself. Aloud: "Then grab whatever you can find on our journey, be it sticks or entire trees! WE MOVE OUT AT NOON, WITH OR WITHOUT YOU!" He turned and walked over to Whiteclaw, to prepare her saddle for battle. His thoughts wandered to the coming battle. Would the evenly matched forces decimate one another, or could his army retake the temple? "If only we had better prepared troops, or more war-beasts like yourself, my friend." He thought as he started to place the saddle he’d made for Whiteclaw. To his surprise, Whiteclaw sprang away from him and made her way to the high outcropping of rocks nearby. With a mighty leap, she was atop the outcropping turning to face the rising sun.

Tilting her head back, she let out a thunderous roar that echoed for long seconds through the highlands of Chaos. Moments later her cry was returned by the throats of more saber-toothed tigers. Within the hour, a half-dozen of the great cats arrived at Chayt-Domazh and walked through the crowds of astonished onlookers. The bravest of my army stepped forward to greet the mighty beasts and were rewarded with acceptance.

For their bravery, I quickly made them my lieutenants and sergeants. Charging each with the command of a division of troops.

Leaving a few hundred behind to guard the capitol city, I set forth at the head of 900 troops to retake the temple. Whiteclaw and I are both eager for the rush of combat! "If nothing else, maybe it will cleanse my body of this damned hangover!"


Chapter 15 -- Temple of Orkus

By now, we have lived in the shadow of the great Temple of Orkus long enough that I will not bore you with another description of its exterior. The interior, however, is another story........................ As the army neared the temple, Wyrdaxe called a halt to discuss his plans with his captains. In the brief meeting he outlined the details: "We will enter the temple in a column, to fit through the archway entrance. I will take the honor of leading the army. Once inside, my division will hold the middle." He traced the floorplan on the rocky ground, pointing out his plans as he described them. "Wyndlynx you will move to the left flank with your division. Shadehawk, you will take the remaining troops to the right flank. Have them gather even more sticks, as you will cover the main body of troops with a rain of sticks."

"Do you all understand?" He asked, for many looked confused and bored. The captains nodded or grunted their assent and returned to their positions. "We’ll see." He thought to himself as he called to his division and led them into the temple, followed by the body of the army..........

The interior of the temple was covered with a layer of dust as thick as a man’s fist. Their passage stirred a great cloud that nearly choked those unlucky enough not to be in the first few ranks. "Well, there goes a stealthy approach!" muttered Wyrdaxe, as he lamented on the dust cloud they stirred up. "They must know we have entered by now."

As if on cue, a battle horn called out, a wickedly deep sound. At the sounding of the horn, hundreds of Death worshippers emerged from their hiding places to form ranks against the far wall of the temple. Their leader, a shadowy figure would disappear and reappear as Wrydaxe watched.

Urging his troops to form ranks quickly, he circled his battleaxe over his head in the agreed-upon signal to rally the troops for attack. Eager for battle, many troops had to be cajoled or whipped back into formation my his captains. Fearful of losing control of his men, Wyrdaxe circled the axe once more above him, and ended the circle with the axe pointed at the heart of the enemy army.

With a mighty "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" that shook loose mortar from the ancient temple’s walls, his host broke ranks and ran full speed at the enemy. Wyrdaxe at the lead, thanks to the mighty bounds of Whiteclaw.

In what seemed like mere seconds, his first foe lay before him, dead. The dark elf’s head still rolling away from the lifeless body falling to the floor. A flash to his left! Only the quick reflexes of his mount saved Wrydaxe from the wickedly pointed javelin as it flew behind him, catching only a few stands of his long oily hair.

Ignoring the close brush with death, he spurred Whiteclaw into the heart of the fray. During brief glimpses between foes, Wrydaxe could see that his captains were faring well, but his own thrust into the enemy left them all far behind. Suddenly, he was surrounded on three sides by the enemy! The only way out was back the way he’d come.

"Chaos never retreats!" He yelled as he caught sight once again of the elusive shadow that was the enemy leader. A nudge with his leg sent Whiteclaw in a leap that cleared even the reach of the long halberds held by some of the enemy. Landing as gracefully as a cat one tenth her size, Whiteclaw turned quickly towards the shadowy figure, giving Wyrdaxe a clear path for his war axe. Seizing the great axe in both hands, Wyrdaxe swung at the figure before it even had a chance to turn to face this new threat. With a satisfying *splurch*, his axe was embedded to the shaft in the figure’s chest.

Eyes wide in fear, pain and realization of death, the figure managed one last gasp of breath before expiring. "Balkoth will not be pleased..."

Kicking the body free of his axe, Wyrdaxe turned to the battle to find that the remaining Death troops had lost their will (or motivation) to fight and were summarily dispatched by his remaining troops.................

OO......................."Casualty report." Wyrdaxe demanded as he met with his captains following the battle.

"Ummm.......er...... lots?" Wyndlynx hazarded a guess. "Uh, yeah. More than 10!" Shadehawk agreed.

*sigh* Wrydaxe shook his head. "Let me try this again. If you stacked all the dead Chaos warriors in a pile, how big would it be?" he asked, hoping that the numerically-challenged captains would do better with a mental image than counting.

"Oh, it would be as big as a house." Wyndlynx assured him. "No, as big as a Chayt (castle)." Shadehawk corrected.

*groan* "Yes, good reports both of you. Now go tell your men to drag all the bodies into the pit we dug and set it afire. We will consecrate the Temple of Orkus with the bodies of our foes and of those who fell in combat against them. A suitable offering."

"Uh, right." Both captains responded and stared blankly.

"Well, do it!" Wrydaxe commanded.

"Do, uh, what?" They both asked.

"Nevermind." One thing at a time. "PULL. THE. DEAD. BODIES. INTO. THE. PIT!"

"Um, Yes." The two captains wandered off, wondering why Wrydaxe talks so funny.

"Imbeciles! Any commands not related to combat go in one ear and out the other. It is almost as if their brains are good only for fighting.!" Wrydaxe commented to himself.

"They are." A voice from behind him spoke.

Turning swiftly, Wrydaxe found himself staring at a stooped old crone of a woman. A shaman! Bowing in mock-respect, Wrydaxe asked: "And what makes you so sure, fairest hag?"

"Save your flattery for someone half my age, Wrydaxe. Very few followers of Chaos have your mental capacity. A trait grown into their bodies by our lord Orkus." Her words were softly spoken, but carried the truth of knowledge. "In creating the basic races of Urak, each lord had a set amount of energy to work with. Some lords chose to use this energy to create well-muscled men, such as Chaos and Fire. Other dieties used the energy to create races well-versed in the healing arts..."

"Like Water and Life!" Wrydaxe exclaimed as realization dawned on him. "Order has well-developed minds, hence their structured societies and so on."

"Yes! As each race has its strengths, it must also be lacking in other areas to compensate."

"I like this much. It makes Urak that much more Chaotic... no one set of plans for each faith." Wrydaxe noted. "But why then, do I have the intelligence to notice these things that go unnoticed by my brothers and sisters?"

"Because, child, you are Orkus’ chosen and a small amount of his power flows through your veins, granting you exceptional abilities. Surely you thought it was strange that Whiteclaw gave in to you so easily?"

"EASILY! Look at these scars, you hag! I EARNED that cat’s respect in combat!"

"Maybe so, but would you ever have expected to be allowed to ride atop such a fierce beast? She was testing you, to ensure that you were indeed Orkus’ chosen. Do not let your chaotic ego get the better of you, you were chosen for your brawn AND brains."

With that, the hag turned to leave, but was caught at the last minute by Wrydaxe who asked:

"While you have explained much, you have not explained how you came to be here, appearing form nowhere right behind me! Nor do I know your name, though you surely know mine."

With a smile, "Yes, indeed. You are not easily distracted. Orkus has chosen well. You are suitably fit to assume command of his earthly host."

Wrydaxe visibly preened under the praise of the hag and nodded sagely, as if to agree with her assessment.

"I see a great future for you. Many battles and many deaths. I see hordes of Chaos sweeping across the land and I see small pitiful bands of Chaos hunted by large armies of Order. I see you standing atop piles of dead bodies, I see your body buried under hundreds of your followers, unnoticed. The future is changing constantly. The one assurance I can give you is that you will be a key play in the fate of Urak!"

The old hag left Wyrdaxe standing alone with his thoughts. Minutes passed as he reflected on what she told him. "What will it take to stand atop the piles of dead enemies? What mistakes will he make that could lead to his death?" He thought to himself.

It took a few more minutes before it dawned on him that she never answered his questions...................


Chapter 16 -- To Life

Lady of Magic was pacing back and forth. I could see worry on her face. I must do something as she is normaly a very cool calculating fae slinger. My lady of Magic whats troubling you so? I ask. Its Wind Walker my lord. He is been missing for a fortnight now. I worry that he may have come to a bad end. I could see the deep care in here eyes. also the tourcher as she has sworen to die at my side but she has a love for this Wind Walker and wants him free. My lady, The winds tell me that Wind Walker is fine but being held captive with Bear in the 11 level mysterious keep. I have sent word to the many friends out there and help is on its way. In the meantime we have another problem as the Capitol has fallen since the rightfull Heir has been captured, our mines and brewerys are gone and a army of renagades is marching toward us and should be here within the hour. We have one windrider Chuck, and two fae slinger Yourself and lady d. A young man of great tallents named Archiever Jr. has almost died twice now trying to intercept them. He is great at gorrila warfare and it is my hope that he learns his lessons well. Wind Walker will be Ok so lets make preperations for the coming battle. I send Chuck down to the base of the Great Air Temple to scout around. Lady d is snoring as usual but needs her rest. Chuck returns with excitement in his voice. Sire they are here. Most of them are wounded but they outnumber us 3 to one. Is the a Lord with them I ask? No but there is a regiment of fire rock thowers and some riders. Ok chuck let us see what they do. Lady of magic as soon as the battle starts i need you to draw thir fire. dont let them hit you. Chuck you will take to the right and try to come in from behind the rock thowers. If the riders come after you lead them back to me. Somebody wake up Lady D. My Heart is racing and this brings back memories of my youth. Gee I feel so young now. Lady D wake up zzzzhuhzzzzz. Chuck just shakes his head and Lady of Magic raises our spirits by saying Let them come we are ready. To Life and Happiness. I cant help wonder what happen to Archiever Jr. I hope he is alright also.

On to Part 5