Reks lazily flicked his tale. It slammed into a might oak tree, sending crashing to the forest floor.
"Can't stand these woods," muttered Ra from the dinosaur's back. "Nothing grows down here below the trees. Where are the swarms of lethal insects? The poisonous flowers? The herds of devastating stegadon? All you get here is a dank darkness that just makes you miserable. Plus I definitely get the feeling that these trees are looking at me very judgementally. Trees in Lustria are so much more forgiving."
"Perhaps we shouldn't be knocking so many of them down, my friend."
"Now Zhat, I've told you I'll have none of that superstitious thinking around here. It's not like there's an enchantment on this land that curses any trespassers to the fury of the woodland dwellers. Ha."
There was a restling in the undergrowth.
"Who goes there?" shouted Ra. He looked harder, finally spotting a chameleon skink blending in perfectly with his surroundings. "A yes, one of the scouts that went up ahead. Well? What do you have to say? And where are the others?"
It became obvious that the scout was in no position to give a full report. A handful of arrow shafts pretruded from his scales. Zhat Tsiki rushed up and clutched him in his arms.
"Medic!" he screamed. "OK, stay with me buddy, you're going to fine. Just keep breathing, don't leave me. Oh gods."
The chameleon looked lovingly into the Priest's eyes and raised a single claw to stroke his cheek.
"Elves," he said, and the light left his eyes forever.
"Noooooooo!" wailed Zhat, looking to the sky.
"Riiiiiiight," said Ra, after an awkward pause. "I'll ignore than uncivilised display of emotion for now, Mr Tsiki. Did the dead chap say something about elves? I thought we already beat them."
Suddenly arrows began to whistle all around them. Almost all hit a lizardman in an uncomfortable area.
"I say, do these elves seem somewhat more...accurate to you, Zhat?"
"Yes Ra," said Zhat, whiping away his tears.
"OK, everyone forward while there's still some of you left. Quickly now!"
---
The elven Queen surveyed the battle. She could feel the rage and anguish building inside her. How dare these barberous reptiles set foot in her forest! Summoning the depths of her emotions and magisterial powers, she chanelled a spell to guide her soldiers' arrows.
"By the power of the seven suns, by the light of Elendrihil the Fair, by the glory of the Forest that is and forever shall be, bring ruin and despair upon this our foe," she intoned menacingly, as magic began to swirl and build around her.
The ripples began to coalesce, and then they wobbled slightly and burst furiously outwards. The elves' arrows sped off their bowstrings so fast that they caught fire in the air before impaling a number of lizards, but both the Queen and the sorceress who accompanied her howled in pain. Further away, she felt a sister of the thorn cry out and expire.
"Ooop, sorry! Don't know what happened there," she muttered.
"Maybe go easy on the magical wind next time, dear," suggested the sorceress.
"Yes, you're quite right. I mean, I only used three wind-units worth of power, but it was much more than I was expecting. OK, this time I'll use two. Fly true, arrows of the wood elves!"
She spoke another incantation. Fewer ripples began to gather around her, forming much more pleasant shapes in the air.
"Good work my Queen, keep it up," said the sorceress cheerfully.
The Queen glanced up. Suddenly the ripples shimmered and a huge vortex of death sprang out of another dimension. With terrible cries of anguish, every one of the Queen's wardancer bodyguard was sucked into the void.
"Got you!" said the sorceress, grabbing the Queen's hand before she too could be consumed. "OK, let's just lay off the magic for the little while hun, what do you think?"
"Probably a good idea, my lady. I'll just go have a sit down for a moment." The Queen wiped her brow. "Don't know what's come over me. Well at least it's a good thing that we set up all our key troops really close together in this impenetrable area of wood. They can't get us in here, right."
A shadow passed over her face. She looked up at a rapidly growing shape coming from the sky.
"Comet!" someone shouted. "Run for your lives!"
"Oh bugger," she said. "This day really couldn't get any worse."
There was a roar as Mu'phas-a burst into the clearing, snorting and careering, with arrows sticking out all over his body. The Queen sighed. "Knew I should have brought my Moonstone." There was a huge explosion as the comet struck the elven position. Then Mu'phas-a charged.
"Can't stand these woods," muttered Ra from the dinosaur's back. "Nothing grows down here below the trees. Where are the swarms of lethal insects? The poisonous flowers? The herds of devastating stegadon? All you get here is a dank darkness that just makes you miserable. Plus I definitely get the feeling that these trees are looking at me very judgementally. Trees in Lustria are so much more forgiving."
"Perhaps we shouldn't be knocking so many of them down, my friend."
"Now Zhat, I've told you I'll have none of that superstitious thinking around here. It's not like there's an enchantment on this land that curses any trespassers to the fury of the woodland dwellers. Ha."
There was a restling in the undergrowth.
"Who goes there?" shouted Ra. He looked harder, finally spotting a chameleon skink blending in perfectly with his surroundings. "A yes, one of the scouts that went up ahead. Well? What do you have to say? And where are the others?"
It became obvious that the scout was in no position to give a full report. A handful of arrow shafts pretruded from his scales. Zhat Tsiki rushed up and clutched him in his arms.
"Medic!" he screamed. "OK, stay with me buddy, you're going to fine. Just keep breathing, don't leave me. Oh gods."
The chameleon looked lovingly into the Priest's eyes and raised a single claw to stroke his cheek.
"Elves," he said, and the light left his eyes forever.
"Noooooooo!" wailed Zhat, looking to the sky.
"Riiiiiiight," said Ra, after an awkward pause. "I'll ignore than uncivilised display of emotion for now, Mr Tsiki. Did the dead chap say something about elves? I thought we already beat them."
Suddenly arrows began to whistle all around them. Almost all hit a lizardman in an uncomfortable area.
"I say, do these elves seem somewhat more...accurate to you, Zhat?"
"Yes Ra," said Zhat, whiping away his tears.
"OK, everyone forward while there's still some of you left. Quickly now!"
---
The elven Queen surveyed the battle. She could feel the rage and anguish building inside her. How dare these barberous reptiles set foot in her forest! Summoning the depths of her emotions and magisterial powers, she chanelled a spell to guide her soldiers' arrows.
"By the power of the seven suns, by the light of Elendrihil the Fair, by the glory of the Forest that is and forever shall be, bring ruin and despair upon this our foe," she intoned menacingly, as magic began to swirl and build around her.
The ripples began to coalesce, and then they wobbled slightly and burst furiously outwards. The elves' arrows sped off their bowstrings so fast that they caught fire in the air before impaling a number of lizards, but both the Queen and the sorceress who accompanied her howled in pain. Further away, she felt a sister of the thorn cry out and expire.
"Ooop, sorry! Don't know what happened there," she muttered.
"Maybe go easy on the magical wind next time, dear," suggested the sorceress.
"Yes, you're quite right. I mean, I only used three wind-units worth of power, but it was much more than I was expecting. OK, this time I'll use two. Fly true, arrows of the wood elves!"
She spoke another incantation. Fewer ripples began to gather around her, forming much more pleasant shapes in the air.
"Good work my Queen, keep it up," said the sorceress cheerfully.
The Queen glanced up. Suddenly the ripples shimmered and a huge vortex of death sprang out of another dimension. With terrible cries of anguish, every one of the Queen's wardancer bodyguard was sucked into the void.
"Got you!" said the sorceress, grabbing the Queen's hand before she too could be consumed. "OK, let's just lay off the magic for the little while hun, what do you think?"
"Probably a good idea, my lady. I'll just go have a sit down for a moment." The Queen wiped her brow. "Don't know what's come over me. Well at least it's a good thing that we set up all our key troops really close together in this impenetrable area of wood. They can't get us in here, right."
A shadow passed over her face. She looked up at a rapidly growing shape coming from the sky.
"Comet!" someone shouted. "Run for your lives!"
"Oh bugger," she said. "This day really couldn't get any worse."
There was a roar as Mu'phas-a burst into the clearing, snorting and careering, with arrows sticking out all over his body. The Queen sighed. "Knew I should have brought my Moonstone." There was a huge explosion as the comet struck the elven position. Then Mu'phas-a charged.
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