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ஐGarrok, leader of the Narr'uk's battle lines, lay in cover as he waited. The human's words had been proven correct, not that he would often praise the weak humans. The faeries had succumbed easily enough to the poisonous luri nectar. It had been easier than even he could have hoped for. A smile twitched on his lips, his large canines gleaming. All through the forest he'd seen little faeries strewn about over the roots of their trees. Many had already taken the ashen hue of death and soon would fade to ash. But, they weren't his main concern. He was after the Higher Fae. His lord had specifically mentioned wanting the royal family as his prisoners so that he could devour their hearts. He knew the man planned to eat the king and queen and then use their brat in breeding so he'd never run out of delectable, powerful, hearts. He had been given strict orders to capture the heir with the least damage done to it.
His hands curled into fists. It was just like the warlord to have his men do the dirty work while he reaped the rewards. He knew the man wouldn't share the power with his men. No matter. He'd find a way to keep one of the fae secret and he would take the heart when the time was right and he'd usurp his liege lord. It wasn't like he didn't know how to lead the men anyway. For as long as he could remember, Garrok had always been the one to come up with the plans, found ways to better their people. Manauri had grown soft on his throne and it would be his downfall. These power giving hearts wouldn't stop Garrok from taking over.
But patience! He had a duty to complete. They'd heard word that the Higher Fae had been weakened by the poison running through their water source. Their magic was wavering and with their brat sick from the poison, their energy was on the heir's health, not attack. The victory would be sweet. And quick. The fae would have no resistance to them. It really was a miracle the sprites had even ruled this long. It was all thanks to their magic. Without it, they were nothing but flighty rabbits.
Garrok looked up when movement caught his eyes. The human that had helped them create the poison and told them of the fae's weak spots appeared from beside the waterfall Garrok and his men were facing. They knew it was the door to the Fae Glenn, but there was so much magic and glamour around the damn thing, the Narr'uk couldn't figure out where the magic ended and where it began. It confused the senses and no matter how much they looked, they never found the crack that would reveal the way to the Glenn. He had to give the fae one thing; they were crafty.
The human ran to the Narr'uk panting, eyes scanning the area wildly. Garrok reached out with one large hand and wrapped it around the human's throat. The human gasped and struggled against his grip. He couldn't wait to snap the twig's neck "W-What are you doing?" the human sputtered.
Garrok didn't answer the question. "Where is the opening? You promised us you'd open the way," he growled.
"Yes! I will show you. The King is in his hall. The queen has retired for the evening and Kailen is in his room resting. He may have had too much of the poison. His colors are dull," he human, Belain explained.
"You said it would just weaken the Higher Fae. If the heir dies-"
"He won't die. I am sure he won't. But he's weak. He won't be able to put up a fight."
Garrok snorted a laugh. The fae put up a fight? That was never a problem. The Narr'uk were a strong people, their skin almost like rock. Magic tended to slide off their skin like water on oil. Their tough hide was a shield and they were larger, more muscled than the fae. The fae were twigs. They had never posed a threat when it came to physical combat. Even their elemental magic wasn't a danger. Some were powerful, like fire, but not much else. The Garrok were perfect for fae hunting. To even insinuate that the fae could do them harm was insolence. "Open the door." Garrok released the human and watched as the servant rushed back towards the waterfall. Garrok followed him, his heavier armor the only thing making a faint clink as he moved. Each ringlet was made from iron; the element that made the fae weakest. 25 of his men slid out of the shadows behind him, each eager for blood. They may not be allowed the hearts of the Higher Fae, but they were ravenous to eat the hearts of the Lesser. Each heart would bring with it a buzz of energy, even if it didn't last long. The ones that devoured the most hearts would be decorated warriors.
The human swallowed hard as he led the Narr'uk warband behind the rushing water of the falls and all the way inside the wet and cold cavern it safe guarded. He went all the way to the end were a wall seemed to block their way. Garrok's eyes roamed over the wall that they'd come across before. He turned his gaze to the human and narrowed his eyes. "This is a dead end."
"No it's not. That is what the fae project." The human let is hands roam over the rocks before he found the one that was out of place. He pressed it and the wall slid away only slightly. Then the human all but seemed to vanish against the wall. Garrok frowned and he reached out to find that there was a wall behind the rock, but there was a gap. The gap had been hidden from view by the illusion of a second wall. Clever. Her weaseled in between the two walls until he made it to the other side of the waterfall. He shielded his gaze as the fabled silver trees with their white blossoms came into view, lining the pathway like a road that led right to the castle. Mirrors hung from the trees, a preventative measure to ward off the Red Caps he presumed. The mirrors also dispelled illusions not cast by the fae.
Garrok waited while each man came through the waterfall and a menacing grin played on his lips. He could already taste the blood in the air. "Let's move," he growled. He and his men fanned out then, approaching the castle at each gate that the human had told them about. No fae was going to get out of the doors without meeting at least two Narr'uk. Garrok himself strode right for the front gates with 4 men behind him. He was going to deal with the king and the others would go searching for the queen and prince. "Kill anyone or anything that gets in your way. The human servants will be our servants unless they fight. You," he said pointing to the human betrayer, "You will lead them to the prince's chamber. We want him alive and don't damage him. Too badly."
The men chuckled, their large tusks gleaming in the ethereal blue light of the Glenn. Garrok walked up the steps and threw the doors aside. Two Higher Fae guards stood just inside the hall and they gave a shout of alarm. The surprise in their eyes was priceless. One made the attempt to blow him back with wind but Garrok threw an iron dagger at the fae. It sliced through the magic and struck the fae in the shoulder. The fae cried out, the dagger burning where it had entered. Garrok grabbed him by the neck then, undeterred by the fae fighting in his grip. With a quick motion, he snapped the guard's neck and the fae immediately went limp, his colors fading to grey. As Garrok tossed the dead fae to the side, the second guard took off running to raise the alarm of attack. Garrok let him. He wanted a little bit of a fight after all. His men dispersed, following the human as they went searching for the royalty. Garrok himself simply walked into the throne room where the human had said the king was.
As soon as Garrok opened the door, a blast of fire came at him. Garrok stepped out of the way and watched the fire sail into the hall. The Narr'uk chuckled as he felt the battle lust fill his veins. He turned back to the room where the king stood, fire in his hands. 3 armored fey stood beside. Each had a different element; wind, earth, and light. This would be interesting. They all looked pale which meant they'd all been weakened by the poison.
"You're no match for me," Garrok mused as he pulled out his sword and shield; both made of iron. "We will be feasting on your hearts before dawn."
"I will not cower before you," the fae king growled, features sharpened in anger.
"I had hoped not." Faster than he should be able to run, Garrok leaped into action. He dashed forward, aiming for the light fae. He wanted the guards to fall at the king's feet so he'd see he'd led his people into the jaws of the dragon. Besides, the fae fought long distance. They were weaker up close. The light fae brought up a blast of light to blind him but Garrok slashed out with his sword in a sweeping ark. He was rewarded with a cry of pain. he didn't know who he hit but he kept charging, whirling in a circle. He felt a blast of fire against his back, the heat making his armor uncomfortable. He brought his shield up to block the rest of the flame. Beneath him, strong roots shot upwards to wrap around his ankles and reaching towards his hands but they soon withered beneath the touch of iron. The wind whipped at him then, the air slashing him like razor blades. They didn't make it passed his armor. His face was cut but he didn't pay it much mind.
From beneath the haze of light, he saw a fae just in reach and he lashed out, thrusting the sword deep into the fae's abdomen. The fae gurgled as he dropped to his knees. Garrok slid the sword deeper to get into the fae's personal space and with an armored hand thrust it deep into the fae's chest, right between its ribs, and yanked free its heart. Garrok shoved the fae back with a kick and watched it collapse as he held the heart in his hand. He shoved the heart in his mouth, blood oozing down his chin and arm. It was more for an intimidation tactic rather than actual hunger for the fae's heart. With the light fae dead, the blinding blast vanished, leaving him full sight of the two guards and the king.
Garrok shivered, the heart heightening his senses and energy. He gave roar as he went on the attack, swinging his blade. Though the two guards fought harder, Garrok slew them both. Garrok's armor had been slashed open with one well placed attack from the wind fae and he was bleeding, but his wounds were relatively minor. All that was left in the room now was the king, also injured and holding his side where Garrok had managed to nick him. The fae was trembling, weakness in his eyes. He had to give him credit; he didn't smell fear in his eyes. He wondered how strong the king would have been if he hadn't had poison in his veins. Even these warriors had put up a good fight.
"Just you and me now," Garrok grinned and twirled his blade.
"I won't let you kill me."
"You don't have much choice. You and your queen will be devoured by my lord; your son bred to make more fey. We'll make quite the staple of your hearts," he mocked.
That earned a pained look in the king's eyes. There was only one thing left to do; burn the whole castle down and hope he took as many of the Narr'uk with him as he could and if not them, he'd burn his family. He wouldn't let them be devoured this way. Death was a better end than feeding and strengthening the Narr'uk. King Illuwei gathered his fire and while Garrok tensed, waiting for the strike, the blast never came. Instead, the king thrust the fire into his own chest. Garrok realize too late that the king's intention was to cause an explosion, but someone else noticed. A sword slid through the king's chest, the fire sputtering as the iron blade sapped the magic. A second blade embedded in the fae's heart and the king fell limp, held up by the blades. The assailant let the fae slide off the weapons to crumble to the ground like he was nothing. Behind stood another Narr'uk, Garrok's second in command.
"Surri," Garrok said with a nod of thanks.
Surri returned the gesture. "We captured the queen."
"Good. Let's get the boy and be done." Garrok sheathed his weapons and prowled deeper into the castle.
RPG
