The Chains that Bind

Present day:

Siegfried and his legion of Tempest Vanguards charged forward onto the island, shields raised and weapons out. The elves fired a few volleys of arrows, and began to retreat smiling as the knights followed them blindly.

The first rank of knights screamed as the ground caved in beneath them and their feet were impaled by spikes. They tripped and yowled as the spikes painfully tore up their feet and legs, regardless of their armor. Other knights sloshed through knee deep oil pits struggling to maintain the charge.

Siegfried lowered his shield and watched the knight beside him succumb to a spike pit. He chose his next steps very carefully, also noticing that no arrows were coming from the island. "Stand firm men!" He called out, hearing the rumbling of the cannons behind him. He turned to see some men hauling three cannons out of the ship and aiming them ahead.

He looked up fighting the unease that it was still to quiet, the elves were fighting just fine a minute ago, but now the only sounds he heard were the cannons, those made by his own forces, and the fading sounds of the sea battle.

His forces also seemed to notice, tightening grips on their weapons and raising their shields higher, but they still trudged on.

The silence was broken by massive rocks that were hurled from Trebuchets and catapults. The knights screamed and leapt for cover as the larger rocks slammed into the ground, while smaller rocks pinged off their shields.

The elves leapt from hiding and opened fire with their bows, they had hidden themselves anywhere and everywhere until the humans had stepped into their traps, now it was time to spring another. One elf aimed a fire arrow at an oil pit and let fly.

The knights who were caked in oil screamed aloud, but it was too late as the fire ignited the oil and raced up their bodies, the knights struggled to beat the flames out, hopping arrow as the burning metal scorched their skin. The elves fired round after round of arrows and several knights and men at arms fell dead.

The humans hurled spears and fired guns at the elves, even the cannons lobbed their fire over the heads of the humans and the iron balls crashed into elven positions causing them to scream in pain and fear.

Mael walked up to a catapult and pushed the elf aiming it aside. She aimed it herself and fired it, watching the rock soar through the air, directly towards its target.

Siegfried was attempting to focus on the battle, but he was suddenly shoved by one of his men who screamed "Look out sir!"

Siegfried turned to thank the man, but cringed as a massive rock crushed his savoir. He spun to see Mael standing by a catapult, and knew that she had fired it, and that rock had been meant for him.

"Death to the knights of the Tempest! Destroy them all!" Mael screamed those phrases from her position and dozens of elven spear and sword wielders leapt forward, effectively boxing the human forces in.

"Charge! Scatter the sea guard with our storm!"

The silver armored elves were seen clearly even with the dust from the battle blocking out the sun itself, and the knights were just as colorful with red paint on their silver armor. Both sides clashed with spears driven through ribcages, maces shattering heads, and swords slicing at arms and chests. Bloody swathes were cut by individuals strong enough to survive this clash of the storm and the sea, those who couldn't were killed, and the warrior next to the killed went after the killer.

Siegfried swung his sword like a windmill, severing heads from bodies and slashing chests and stomachs open. The elves found their weapons blocked by the sword and shield of the King of the Tempest Vanguard, but that didn't stop them from trying.

Five years ago you cheated me out of a proper battle Mael! That won't happen again!

He focused his eyes on her form and swung his blade savagely

You were mine to save, mine to love, and now mine to slay!

Mael walked away from the catapult and looked down at the swirling mass of fighting humans and elves, artillery would do no good now. She turned to the twenty warriors standing alongside her, her personal guard.

They all wore armor made from the scales of long dead sea beasts that each guardsman had slain. Their swords were twice as long as a man's arm, and their bows and arrows were carved from pure razor sharp glass.

Mael pointed to a group of humans who were attempting to regroup "Down there, fire!"

The glass bows slid from their positions and glass arrows were nocked in the blink of an eye.

The group of humans was backing away from the main fighting, and they looked up to late as twenty glass arrows whistled on the winds of death.

They screamed as the unique arrows ripped through their shields and armor stopping at their flesh. Some fell dead outright, while others clutched at wounded arms or legs or shoulders, struggling to stop the flow of blood.

A chilling scream went through the air as Mael and her guardsmen charged downward like birds of prey. The guardsmen lashed out with swords and lopped off arms and heads in bloody sprays. Although the blades were massive the guardsmen were able to parry the return blows of the knights who were able to stand.

Mael leapt forward with a shriek and jabbed her dagger into the unarmored section of a knight's armor. The knight jerked with pain as she withdrew her weapon and stabbed the wound again, and again, and again….

The knight's carcass fell to the ground as Mael raised the bloody dagger high and yelled again. The yell was animalistic, and Mael's eyes were red with bloodlust.

"Kill them! Kill them all!"

She watched as her guardsmen finished off the remaining humans and then she led her elves deeper into the chaos of the battle.

Chaos of the battle was right, the humans and elves were so focused on each other they failed to notice as a human frigate sailed around the back of the island.

The Captain shouted down as the ship began to dock at the island "Alright troops we're here!"

Caewen clipped her dagger and a sword to her belt and tried to calm her nerves, she was scared of the battle to come, but also excited that once the war was over and peace was restored she would call this band of warriors her family.

Kol stood by his thieves "Alright, we are ready to set off!"

The Captain looked at his band of monsters and his daughter, and he prayed that nothing would happen to them.

Weapons were drawn and the small army crept closer to the sounds of battle.

After a few minutes the Captain called a halt. "Hold on!"

A goblin warrior sniffed the air "Something's coming boss!" she whispered drawing her short blade.

The party took up defensive positions as the bush and trees around them began to rattle and for those with good hearing….footsteps could be heard.

Kol spun at the sound he knew well, the drawing back of a bowstring. He drew his dagger and by the time he completed his spin, the dagger was ready to throw even though the arrow was aimed at his head.

The one-eyed half elf who stood behind the bow motioned, and his forces came out of the undergrowth. The Captain drew his sword slightly as an ogre marched out of the trees, followed by a demon wreathed in flames.

"I thought our party was ugly….." The Captain smiled and walked forward with one hand still on his sword hilt.

The one-eyed half elf stared down his bow at Kol "Do you serve the Humans or the Elves?"

Kol gripped his dagger tighter; knowing that he could spilt the arrow, cut the bowstring in half, and ruin the elf's one good eye with a dagger throw. "We serve neither side, but we fight instead to end the war between them."

The half elf lowered his bow, and Kol lowered his dagger. "I am Elan, leader of the resistance; we've been fighting to slow the elven war machine for quite some time. Who leads you?"

Kol nodded in the Captain's direction "That man does."

Elan turned towards the Captain "You fight to defeat both sides?"

"Yes we do."

Elan offered his hand "Together?"

The Captain took it "Together."

Elan shook the hand and turned to a man beside him "Take the pirates and have their ships mass on the sides of the island, when we give the signal sail around and box the human navy between you and the island."

"Yes sir! You heard him men, load up!" The pirates began to troop back to the coastline and the Captain spoke up:

"We've got a stolen human frigate nearby, if you would like to use it it's all yours."

The pirate captain smiled "It'll be good to surprise those humans!"

Both the armies mingled as Elan explained his plan "My troops are going to take positions in the hills surrounding the battlefield and keep the fighting contained."

"My troops will support yours, however you see fit."

Elan smiled "Position your troops in the hills, and have them be ready for battle."

The leaders made sure their plans were finalized, and then they began the final march towards their goal.