“Move! Move! Quickly, to the inner walls!” Astra yelled through ash choked lungs as fire and death surrounded the Aelves fleeing forms. Smoke and brimstone filled her nostrils in a soporific musk, she gagged in horror, fear-stricken eyes laying upon the carnage before her in its totality. Death danced on blood-soaked limbs, death shrieked and clawed in insane babbles, death tore the throats of her fellow Watch Sisters in gouts of blood as the Aelves tried desperately to maintain a rearguard. Death was demonic, and death was everywhere.
All around her. Avelorn burned.
A jabbering Pink Horror lunged at her from the corner of her vision, Astra spun, Watchbow already firing before the thing could even utter a strangled cry of surprise. Its form caught alight in an immolating instant as the light of Sigendil burnt the things very soul. Briefly, Astra saw two blue shapes try to wrestle out of the dissipating flesh, yet they too were consumed, screaming before the fury of her ethereal flame. The Watch Sister wiped the ash from her eyes, starting backwards to the City’s inner wall, Avelorn’s structure was layered upon rows, like the rings of a great oak, each of the city’s defenses were fierce. Impenetrable. Or so they had thought. The Daemons had come without warning, and despite their pleading cries, no aid had come from their Everqueen. Reports had even filtered in that the Goddess’s Wargroves had retreated, but that was impossible, the Sylvaneth would never abandon them, not in their darkest hour. Alicia shook the thought loose, an explosion of magical energies in the distance ripping her back to the present as she moved. Suddenly, a woman’s cry pierced her ears. A scream of desperation. Terror. The Aelf bolted towards it, clearing through the canopy of ash and smoke like an arrow. Sapphire eyes spotted its origin, and her heart clenched in panic. It was a family; civilians were still retreating into the inner walls, but many more were still trapped outside, reduced to the playthings of creatures from the darkest of mortal nightmares. She saw the terror in the Aelf’s eyes as a man, presumably, the father, stood in front of his cowering wife and children with nothing but a small farming pitchfork. The Aelf had no doubt never seen combat in his life. His hands were shaking as a great slathering brute languidly paced towards him. The thing’s skin was blood red, shimmering like burning coals, Astra’s eyes darted towards its weapon, a glowing sword, scorching the ground as the demon dragged it behind him. She realized in abject disgust the creature was enjoying it. Causing terror, seeing the fear in the Aelves eyes. Practically salivating at the bloodshed to come.
“Face me, monster!” Her words startled herself as she yelled, the statement sounded brave. Funny, Astra did not feel brave in that moment. She felt only the cloying dust and boiling embers on her burnt skin. The Watch Sister did not even give it ample time to respond, her bow denying any chance for the demon to growl or shriek. A flaming blue bolt piercing its jaw in the space it took to blink, already she was rushing forwards as it clawed desperately at its melting face. Within an instant, its body was dissipating in fiery agony as her blade cleaved its convulsing form in twain. Astra breathed hard, exertion briefly overpowering her surge of adrenaline. She turned swiftly to the family behind her. The children took one look at her and burrowed their face into their mothers’ arms, the Aelf’s father dropped his pitchfork with a loud clatter as he mutely nodded thanks, tears spilled across their ragged faces. Fear writ their pale features. Deep down Astra knew, despite her training and combat prowess, she was as terrified as they were. Just a scared girl who had no idea what was coming next.
No matter, she knew her purpose, and there was still hope. She gripped her Watchbow tighter, the thing sparked and hissed amid the hot, dry air. “Follow me, I shall shepherd you to safety.” The father nodded, motioning for the others to rise, offering small words of comfort as Astra turned to scan their surroundings for an exit. But a hideous roar whipped her attention up and away, she heard one of the children whimper, and hastily, she notched an arrow in preparation. “Stay behind me you understand? No harm will come to you.” She gulped, feeling the rising tension in her bowstring, as if it too felt her beating hard, “I swear by Alarielle, you will be safe.” Her cloak billowed behind her lithe form, its once fine green stained with blood and soot. Exhaustion wracked her body, but she would not relent, Avelorn needed her yet. The roar sounded once more, and as the smoke partially cleared, its wielder revealed itself. A whole mob of hissing Bloodletters stalked towards them, once more, Astra’s heart wracked itself with fear, but she pushed it down. She gave one last glance at the family behind her, they too knew what the outcome would be. The man had picked up his pitchfork once more, giving a solemn nod in the Watch Sister’s direction. Astra could have sobbed right there and then, no words were needed, the gesture was enough. They would not die cowards. One last throaty roar echoed from her depths, briefly drowning the screams of the wounded and dying, and the insane cacophony of gibbering demons in their multitudes. “For Avelorn!”
“For Avelorn.” The man whispered shakily with her.
“For…Avelorrrnnnn.”
A deep rumbling cry, like that of cracking branches, joined their call, and then all of a sudden, the Bloodletters turned to fiery ash. A great oaken limb smashed down amongst their ranks, so fast was this attack Astra could have sworn it could have come from the gods themselves. A thunderous blow swept the snarling demons up into the air, and the stomping footfalls of something massive filled her ears. As quickly as it had come the commotion was over, the demons slain, and their savior stood idly in front of them. The Aelves, Watch Sister and Civilian alike stared in awe at the sight before them, chipped wood and heaving bark seemingly rose to the heavens, as a Treelord of truly monstrous proportions poised before them. The children screamed, and for a moment Astra knew not if this Sylvaneth was friend or foe. But her fear dissipated, for the great giant suddenly knelt, and spoke in a voice as comforting as ages past. “YOUUU, SAFEEE?” The Treelord managed to utter, albeit with great difficulty as the words rasped and whistled from its ancient mouth.
Astra felt great tears of joy streaming down her face as she replied shakily, “yes, yes! We are fine ancient one, I-thank you, truly.” The Treelord seemed to attempt a form of a smile, if they weren’t in the fiery heat of battle, the moment would have seemed almost comical as it struggled to articulate its mouth.
“I AMM ERIDOR AEEELVEN SSSPRITE. YOOU, MUST GO. I, PROTEEECT.” It raised a massive arm, gesturing to the sudden hole its furious entrance had made; splintered stone and shattered glass littered the ground where the building it had slammed through once stood. The way was now clear. Astra quickly huddled the family through, she could see the walls of Avelorn’s inner sanctum now, the Treelord had forced a path right to it. In the distance, her fellow Watch Sisters kept the daemons at bay, Aelf civilians scampering past them towards safety as Eternal Guard shepherded them inside the walls. Before she could utter more words of thanks, another deafening bellow shook the sky, this one seemed to exalt the daemons assailing the city, and she watched as their forms howled with the sound in bestial delight. The Treelord turned sharply, rising and bracing its limbs as its branches bristled. Whatever was coming was big, and by the sound of its roar and the cloven beats of its hooves, it was coming fast. “YYYOU. GO.”
Eridor’s voice shattered Astra out of her daze, her head snapped to him, “Go?! But you are sacred ancient one! I must defend you!”
He did not turn to face her as he replied, his words now forceful and strong. “GO! NOWWW.”
“But…you’ll die.” Astra’s reply was quiet, the bestial howl grew louder, closer. Smoke and flame drowned out Eridor’s last words, although the Aelf was sure she caught a sound like “die before.” Slowly, ever so reluctantly she moved, tears flowed as she sped past the corpses of her former comrades, past the dust-strewn rubble of her home, rushing towards the steadily closing inner gate with all her strength. She turned one last time, rejoining her Sisters and the terrified faces of Avelorn’s citizenry to gaze at the climactic battle about to unfold. The Treelord, now in the distance, roared to match his opponent, a great flaming axe soaring down out of the smoke to crash into the oaken warrior’s form. “Light of Alarielle be with you, Eridor.” Astra saluted softly as the gates finally slammed shut, the last she saw of their savior was a giant in a sea of monsters. Stalwart, resolute, enduring. Avelorn would survive, in her heart, she knew.
For its eternal guardian would always be with them.