As Kana flew through the air over the Black Forest, she felt surges of excitement and an ever-mounting anticipation. She looked forward to crushing King Ciel Tiranidrol and his dilatory elves. She knew that the good king would do everything in his power to avoid a conflict and that this reluctance would give her the time she needed to surround the forest kingdom. She laughed softly as she continued to think about her plans and what she was going to do next. She knew that garnering support from the ores and goblins would be rather easy. The rock trolls would be somewhat difficult to cajole into action, but she would find their weakness or give them something that they had longed for.
The thick forest below gave way to an open plain that had rolling hills and tall grass that swayed with the wind. The sun shone brightly overhead as she continued her journey to meetwith the first nation that would aid her high elves in exterminating the woodland elves. Two massive mountains came into view on the horizon. She altered her course slightly to head to a mountain on the east side of the Blaine River. The mountain to the west was Mount Adem, home of the dwarven king, Kasim. The mountain she was heading for was much taller and did not look like its neighbor at all. There were two jagged peaks that rose high into the air on the west and east sides. In the middle appeared to be a vast body of water that was shimmering slightly as the sun reflected off of its calm surface. Kana was heading to Mount Tarin, the home of the ores of middle Tuwa. She knew that these creatures would be some of the fiercest warriors she would have in her army.
As she neared the lake at the summit, she saw several ores running about on the shores of Lake Tarn preparing to defend their camp against her intrusion. These creatures did not trust anyone; they even fought amongst themselves because of their ill temperament. Kana dived suddenly toward these stout defenders, which caught them completely off guard. She came up abruptly and lighted on the lake's shore. She walked resolutely toward the ores who had taken up their posts at the massive arrow launchers. They had trained the weapons on her but did not fire. They had changed their minds about killing the intruder once they had seen who it was. They instantly knew that it was an Elemental and that she was very powerful.
She had forced these thoughts into her would-be attackers' minds so that she would not have to kill them unnecessarily. She had no problem with this as ores do not know how to shield their minds. She smiled slyly at the small group of defenders and then came to a halt a dozen paces in front of the nearest defensive weapon that was aimed at her. She waited calmly for them to speak or to make some kind of indication as to what they were planning to do.
The ores looked at one another uneasily as silence enveloped the standoff. They were all thinking the same thing, and that was who had the great displeasure of reporting to their general that an Elemental had arrived. Their leader would not be happy that they had not even fired once at her, especially since she was one of the wretched guardians who had always kept their kind in check. Slowly one of them in the back of the formation slid down off his seat on his launcher and began to walk toward a small camp at the base of the mountain peak on the eastern side. Once he felt he was out of firing distance, he broke into a dead run. He began shouting something quite unintelligible in his native tongue as he ran toward the encampment.
As the orc neared the biggest tent in the camp, guards came out of nowhere and tackled the frantic messenger. They could tell by the color of his clothing that he was one of their tribe, but they did not know why he acting so crazy. As the guards wrestled with the poor soldier, the tent door swung open abruptly. General Akuji Tadok K'K stepped out into the sunlight with a look of suppressed rage at the sight of the fight taking place at his entry. He was a towering figure that was as tall as or taller than most elves. His long silver hair swayed in the breeze while the sun glistened off of his hard gray and black hide. He had a bulky muscular frame that made his stature overbearing to anyone who was in his presence. He was the leader of the largest and most feared orc army in Tuwa. His hard, cold, gray eyes fixed on the struggling figure that went still once he felt his leader's gaze.
"General Tadok K'K, you have an unexpected guest," the messenger stuttered frantically. He was shaking all over as he spoke to his general.
"Stand up, you filthy scum!" blasted General Akuji. He looked even harder at the trembling orc. "Who is it that you let live? This person had better be very important since you disobeyed my standing order to kill anyone or anything that nears our camp!" The threat sent chills down the spines of everyone that had gathered around this impromptu meeting.
"My lord, it is an Elemental. She … she did something to us in our minds so that we would not shoot her out of the sky. She is holding the others hostage and sent me to tell you that she has business to discuss with you," the poor orc explained. He shuttered at the hard look General Akuji gave him. He was so scared that he soiled himself as he stood in front of his leader. The guards that had been holding him moved away from the shaking orc because they could sense that their general was about to do something to the messenger. The smell of feces and sweat filled the air around the antsy soldier as he shook uncontrollably in front of his general.
"I do not care if it were the guardian himself… you still try your best to kill him, you maggot!" yelled the general as he wrapped his hands around the messenger's head. In one swift motion, he ripped the poor creature's head clean off and threw it aside. He stormed off, screaming profanities in his own tongue into the air as he marched toward the shoreline. He would deal with this unwanted visitor himself.
As he neared the massive arrow launchers, he could see that the ores manning the weapons were in a transfixed state. This only enraged him more, and his cursing became even more offensive. He walked right up to the Elemental and drew his massive silver war hammer and swung it back for a deathblow on this intruder.
Kana smiled slightly at this gesture and allowed him to swing away. His blow missed the guardian somehow, and he went spinning past his target from the force of his errant attack. She immediately turned about and seized him with her mind. He rose slowly into the air as she approached him. His face was full of rage and disbelief as his struggled to break free of his invisible bounds.
"General Tadok K'K, it is a pleasure to meet you at last. I have heard stories of your power and greatness from the peoples ofTuwa. I must say that I am not at all impressed by what I see in front of me," she said nastily. "You were purported to be this fearsome leader that took no prisoners and that trusted no one. Yet, your guards did not kill me, as is your custom. Why is that?" She was taunting the captive general just to prove her superiority and power over him.
"Why are you here, you filthy witch? Why bother us when we have kept our pack with you and your wretched council?" queried the general hotly. He was trying his best to not be afraid, but that was rather difficult when a powerful being like Kana had you in her clutches. Still, he managed to give her baleful looks that clearly told her that she was not welcome in his camp.
"I am here on personal business, Akuji. I have need of you and your kind. I want you to join me in a cause that will cleanse Tuwa of lesser beings like the elves." She was baiting him with what every orc wanted: revenge on their neighbor to the north. It was the residents of the Forest of Renshaw that had acted as the guardians' tool in punishing them so many years ago. Revenge would be sweet and was long overdue for the ores. General Akuji's fear subsided, and he looked hard at Kana as if trying to ascertain whether or not she was being truthful.
"You want us to attack the light footed elves? What's in it for us?"
"Your chance at revenge is one of the obvious benefits. The opportunity to help me take over the rest of the Tuwa is another reward. I plan on cleansing Tuwa of elves, men, and dwarves. Ores, goblins, and rock trolls will then rule these lands once again with me as your leader."
"You plan to conquer Tuwa and make it your own? Why?" He knew that he was in no position to argue with the powerful guardian, so he decided to play along. Maybe there was something in her offer that would benefit him personally.
"The ultimate form of power is dominion over others, my witless general. The Elementals command the elements of this world in which you live, and I want to rule the people who live in Tuwa. To have control over the elements and the races would make me invincible." She desired to have absolute power, and she was willing to do whatever it took to achieve this goal; even if it meant having to deal with these unintelligent brutes. She would be able to control them much easier than any of the other races because of their lusts for blood and revenge.
"As long as you share your power with those that help you capture it, we will work with you. Agreed?"
"You are very shrewd, general; we are agreed then." She lowered him back to the ground slowly. As the general touched down, he quickly realized that she had risen slightly above the ground and was hovering a few feet in the air. It was clear that Kana wanted him to understand that she was in charge and that he was beneath her in every way. However, they would both benefit from this arrange ment and would tolerate the uneasy truce they had just established for the sake of exacting revenge and gaining power.
"What is it that you want us to do now?" General Akuji bowed slightly as he addressed Kana. The ores that were standing around this spectacle immediately bowed as well. They knew that if their leader bowed to someone else that it meant they were all in that person's service even if they all thought she was nothing more than filthy scum.
"I want you to get Generals Maurizio G'Dang, Nero Oggoa- mak, Synan Thrudak, and Tomo Bruguk Tak," she listed off the other leaders of the orc tribes. "They will be needed in order to win this war. I will be off to invite our little goblins friends next. Then I will visit the rock trolls to help shore up the weak parts of their armies. By that time, I expect you and the others to be ready to make war upon those accursed elves. Do not attack them before I return. I will need to split the army up so that we do not put all of our eggs into one basket. You will have help in your assault on the people of the Black Forest."
"Who is it that will help us in our attack on the elves? Will it be the rock trolls or the goblins … or will it be both of them?" Not that we need help from scum like them.
"In order to answer your question effectively, I will need to explain what has happened to the nation of the elves. Many months ago the two daughters of the elven king fled with a third of the elven nation to escape their father's tyrannical rule. They now dwell in Mount Quang and Mount Konane in the north. They no longer associate with their fair brothers and sisters of the woodland. Their main army has already begun my campaign with an assault on your arch nemesis."
"You mean to tell me that they are attacking those vile Nairians?" The elves had always gotten along fabulously with the men of Nairi. General Akuji had had many run-ins with Nairian patrols along the Blaine River during his lifetime. He could not believe that the elves, someone he thought to be a long-standing enemy, were now their allies. He stood there with a skeptical look on his face.
"Yes, General Akuji, the high elves, which is what this separatist group is known as, was betrayed by the Nairian general and his army. They attacked their capital city in the night and slew everyone in their path while they slept. I have allied myself with Queen Kishi Tiranidrol, the eldest daughter of the elven king. She is a powerful sorceress and will be able to annihilate the people of Nairi. She has powerful motives to carry out my commands. Her twin sister was murdered by the villainous General Yukio of Nairi."
"Can you guarantee me that these high elves are different from the others? How will we be able to tell them apart from the ones we are supposed to attack?"
"I personally guarantee their loyalty. If they should waver in their charges, I will allow you to destroy them on sight. In answer to your second question, the high elves have much darker skin than their fair cousins of the woods unbeknownst to them. I have also added a special symbol that represents fire and air on their armor and weapons. The symbol will glow when two of my soldiers should cross paths. This way you will not kill any of those that are on our side."
"What a wicked and cunning move. We will serve with you." He lowered his head slightly again as a show of respect.
"General Tadok K'K, go and do all that I have asked. I will return to you by week's end. Be ready to move out when I arrive." She then rose higher into the air until she was nothing more than a speck in the sky. Then she burst into a ball of fire and dashed off toward the goblins in the east.
General Tadok K'K stood there for a moment while he watched the flaming Elemental fly out of view. He quickly turned about and stared coldly at the sentries who had not done their duty when Kana had arrived. The ores that had failed their general walked dejectedly toward their leader and bowed before him. Each lowered their heads as if they were praying to a god that would somehow help them in their precarious situation. The fear was palpable in the air around the soldiers.
"You vermin failed me! You know the penalty for such insubordination," the general declared menacingly.
"General, why are you going to punish us for not attacking our new leader?" asked one of the ores timidly. As soon as the words had left his mouth, he knew he was dead. Tadok K'K took two swift steps to reach the idiot who dared to question his authority. He reached out with his right hand and ripped his throat from his body. Black blood gushed everywhere as the helpless soldier fell to the ground soundlessly.
"Does anyone else feel that I am being unreasonable?" General Tadok K'K asked imperiously. "Good; the rest of you will be spared for the war's sake. However, you will be on the front line to help us determine just how far the elves' arrows can fly." He laughed hard and loud as he marched off toward his tent. The rest of the ores joined in the laughter as they went back to their respective duties.
Kana continued to streak across the sky toward the Sheldon Mountains where the goblins of Tuwa made their aphetic home. They lived so deep under the ground that no sunlight had ever touched the cavernous halls of the goblin nations. They simply cannot stand natural light, which made them use artificial means. They loved to make fire and to use it against their perennial enemy the dwarves. They hated those bearded midgets and their intrusive nature. The stout people of Carrick were always driving their western neighbors out of their perfectly dark and dank dwellings within the mountains so that they could get more of their precious ores. They loathed these intruders completely, but they were no match for their power and military tactics.
As the rogue guardian approached the mountain range that was home to her little friends, the sun had set and the day was drawing to a close. She could see the night post arriving at their stations just outside the main secret entrance on the western end of Sheldon. She burned white hot now to make an even stronger impression on the goblins that stood watch. They would be very impressed by the display and would send for their leader immediately. They were a superstitious bunch that would hail her as their god. Her task here would not be nearly as difficult as her visit was with the ores. The most difficult part would be when she explained that they would be fighting on the same side as the brutes of Tarin.
Kana knew that the ores had the nasty habit of eating their little goblin friends, but she would be able to persuade them to join her cause in spite of this risk. When she explained that the rock trolls would be fighting with them, their fears would subside. She knew that this visit would not take long and that she would have the time she needed to persuade the rock trolls to join her. They would be the most difficult by far to convince, but they should prove to be the deciding factor in the overthrow of the dwarves and men.
She went into a dive so steep that it looked like a star falling from the night sky. The goblins that were on guard began to tremble and shake before this awesome display. One of the guards had enough sense to run back into the tunnels to report the spectacle to their leader. Kana stopped just above the ground and hovered there while she waited for the lords of the five tribes to arrive. She continued to be illuminated as she remained suspended in the air. She smiled to herself at how easy this task was going to be. She knew that in order to unite the different tribes they would all have to witness this grand display. She stayed where she was for only a few minutes before one of the lords appeared with his entourage.
Within minutes of one another, the remaining three lords appeared followed by the only ruling lady. They were all transfixed by this powerful display and were in awe that such a visit would be made to them. No one said anything for a long time; they just stood there looking at the Elemental. They could not tell exactly what the creature was or from where it came. More importantly, they did not know its intent toward them. Maybe the being was there to destroy them. Kana read these nervous thoughts and decided to end the prolonged silence.
"My friends, I am Mistress Kana, master of fire and air. I am here to discuss a cause that requires your special talents and abili ties," she said with a warm smile. "Will Lords Daray Krumok, Kieran Magurth, Rothrock Momurth, Pirro Thadak, and Lady Kiara Sodok please come forward?"
The five leaders came forward slowly and stopped several yards before the stunningly beautiful apparition. They kept a respectful distance from the guardian and dropped to one knee as they awaited further instructions. Kana smiled at this display of total obedience and submission from her newest subjects. They apparently revered her as a god, so she would make use this to further her cause. This is going to be even easier than I thought.
"Noble leaders of the great nation of goblins, I have come to ask your aid in cleansing the lands of Tuwa of its rebel races. Men, dwarves, elves, and even giants have plagued these lands for too long. As a guardian, it is my duty to protect the elements from these thoughtless creatures, and I require your help to cleanse Tuwa of one of the vilest among them. Will you join me?" she asked in a booming voice.
"We will, Mistress Kana," said Lady Kiara with a sanctimonious nod.
"Excellent. As my first act, I will form a unified army of the goblin nations. I will then bolster your ranks with your neighbors to the north of your beautiful mountain homes," she explained.
"Who are you referring to exactly?" asked Lord Daray cautiously.
"I will meet with the rock trolls tomorrow morning to persuade them to join your ranks. Once you have joined together, your first mission will be to wipe out King Jarvis and his pretentious dwarves," she said with a venomous hiss. Stunned silence greeted this declaration. The leaders of the tribes looked at one another uneasily as they took in what they were being commanded to do.
"How will we be able to uproot the bearded miners?" asked Lord Pirro tentatively.
"With the aid of the rock trolls, you will be able to remove your foes from their strongholds," she replied coolly. All five of the leaders nodded their acceptance of this answer while harboring a sense of dread in their hearts. They did not believe they could do what was asked of them.
"I sense that you still do not believe that you can overthrow stunted dwarves. Bring Yuki Togok to me," she commanded imperiously.
"I am already here, mistress," Yuki said with a slight bow. She was a fearsome-looking goblin that had silver hair that glimmered in the moonlight.
"You will be my general of the armies of the goblin nations," Kana said resolutely. The tribal leaders looked at Yuki in shock as they backed away to allow their new general to approach their mistress.
"I will wreak havoc on our stunted foes until they are no more!" she shrieked vehemently.
"Very well, General Yuki. Now, prepare the armies for attack, and I will return to you with the rock trolls to fill your ranks. They will have two commanders that will answer to you, and they will keep their soldiers in line," Kana said succinctly.
"We will be ready," replied General Yuki. She bowed to one knee this time. The host of goblins that had gathered together outside the gate bowed like their general.
Kana smiled warmly at their acceptance as she rose steadily into the night air. She began to glow crimson red as she turned into a ball of fire again. When she was nothing more than a red dot in the sky, she bolted in a northeastern direction toward the home of the rock trolls. The goblins went into a frenzy of work after her departure. They were excited and scared all at once. They were afraid of the dwarves and their brutish ally from the north, but they felt a new level of confidence after their meeting with the powerful Elemental. They had never seen one before and were in awe that she would choose to reveal herself to them in person.
As the land below Kana changed from mountains to open and desolate plains, she began to think about the task that lied before her. The rock trolls did not revere the guardians as gods and would have to be persuaded in a different manner altogether. They would not be willing to accept her as their leader simply because of who she was. They would not be impressed by her magic, and she could not use it on them. Their tough hides made them impervious to her powerful offensive magic. The only exception to this rule was her ability to control minds. The only problem with this is that they can break a mind-controlling spell after only a few minutes. They did not use the same mental defense mechanisms that Kana was used to. She did not fully understand how they ejected mental intrusions. She would have to persuade the brutes to do her bidding without resorting to coercive measures. She would have to appeal to their destructive and distrusting nature.
She had another problem to address first, and that was finding the rock trolls. They did not have camps or homes that were visible to the naked eye. Their dwellings were hidden within the rocky and forbidding terrain of the Land of Nodin. Even if a person could navigate the windy and unrelenting landscaped of the brutes' homeland, you would not be able to actually find them. Their rough skin had the ability to mimic their surroundings so perfectly that sometimes they cannot even see one another. Kana would have to use her mental powers to track them down.
As she continued to fly high in the night's sky, she began to be buffeted by the winds of Nodin. She immediately changed into her ethereal form so that she could fly with greater ease and also to disguise her approach. She could already sense the presence of a large number of rock trolls directly below her. She did not think she would find them so quickly. It was her understanding that there were not that many of them and that they lived deep within their barren land. Why are there so many of them and why are they so close to their southern border?
Her thoughts were interrupted by a massive boulder narrowly missing her ethereal head. She quickly changed back into her human form and threw up firewalls in the air to protect her from the numerous projectiles heading toward her. How did they see me? She was stunned for several seconds by this surprise attack. She had gotten careless in her approach and had waited too long to disguise herself. Her task had become even more difficult than she had anticipated. She would have to make examples of some of her attackers to gain control of the situation.
She concentrated on the minds of three of the closest brutes. She immediately turned them on one another. One of the rock trolls in her control grabbed the head of one of the attackers and pulled with all of his might. The ensuing brawl filled the air with dust as debris flew in every direction as it escalated. The sun began to crest over the eastern horizon and helped to illuminate the fight in progress. Kana extinguished her flaming walls and descended rapidly toward the center of the action. She turned into a mix of flames and fierce wind as she approached her target. Some of the projectiles became trapped in her vortex and followed her speedy descent.
A sickening thud was heard as she hit the ground bodily. The purpose of this tactic was immediately apparent. A massive shock wave went out in all directions. The brawling rock trolls were reduced to pebbles within seconds. The earth continued to shake and rumble for minutes afterwards. She had landed in the very center of the entire nation. Her attack had woken every single one of them, and the quaking was the sound of their approach. She did not fear them because they could not kill her. However, they could beat her incessantly, which would rob her of valuable time. She would have to kill every single antagonizer if this situation escalated into an all out battle. Their loss would be significant to her. She would have to try diplomacy.
"Lord Trahern, I must speak with you," she said in the most commanding voice she could muster. As she said this, the ground shook violently. A massive figure landed directly in front of her and began to laugh mirthlessly.
"Little witch! Why you trespass here?" bellowed Lord Trahern. His red and yellow eyes narrowed in dislike as he looked down at her. He did not believe the guardians were gods; rather, he believed them to be devils or demons. He fixed her with a deadly gaze that would have killed a lesser being.
"Lord Trahern, I am here to enlist your help," she began coolly. She stared fixedly back at the massive leader who was twice her height. "I believe that the races of men, dwarves, elves, and giants have made a pack to conquer the lands of Tuwa. I learned of their treachery firsthand when the men of Nairi attack a separatist group of elves without provocation. These elves, which now go by the name of high elves, have allied with me and have struck back at the people of Nairi. They have also joined forces with the ores in the south. Together they will attack the elves of the Black Forest by week's end."
"Why should care?" he bellowed back. Rock trolls did not speak much, which was why the races of Tuwa believed that they were mute. Kana knew this was untrue and that they could definitely communicate when the need arose.
"I need you to help the goblins in their assault on your neighbor to the south. You do remember them?" she asked slyly. King Jarvis regularly attacked the rock trolls to try and thin out their numbers. The king's trade routes were constantly under attack by the brutes even though they carried nothing of value that the mindless oafs would want.
"I kill little beards?" asked Lord Trahern. It was clear that he did not speak much because his actions did the speaking for him. Kana knew better than to be deceived by his broken speech. He was very intelligent in spite of his verbal handicap.
"Yes, Lord Trahern. You will kill the dwarves. You will also kill men, elves, and giants as well. Does this please you?" she asked.
"Me happy," replied the massive leader. He had a grim, satisfied look on his face as he looked at Kana.
"Good; then we are agreed. The goblins are organizing as we speak for the assault on Mount Carrick. After you have gathered your people together, head to the western end of the Sheldon Mountains. General Yuki Togok will be expecting you. She will lead the combined army, but your commanders will lead the siege battalions," she explained with an air of command.
"Me agreed," he said sanctimoniously. He then began to laugh raucously as Kana shot up into the air. She felt reassured in her plans now that she had sorted out the finer points of her plan. Now she had one more visit to make before returning to the ores. She must visit her captive friend, Lord Keb.