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Ben Medinets / story2z

Part IV: The War of the Wizards

Chapter 26: The Earth Wurm

The first reaction was mass chaos on the part of Benny’s troops.

“Watchout!! A dragon is incoming. A vile and wicked wurm bent on our demise. We must take it out before it kills us all.” Benny shouted to his troops.

The dragon knew where to strike. Perhaps it always knew of perhaps it was because the BLACK MAGE was linked to it somehow.

There was one who didn’t heed the call to exercise caution to the dragon, and that was the King of Avon. It could have been that he was getting pompous in his old age, or it could have been that he was tired of hiding out. Whatever the case, he felt a bit of Adrenaline coming on, and wanted to do something heroic. With that added bit of adrenaline, he surged forward and headed for the dragon.

This is exactly what (or should I say who) the dragon was looking for. Seeing the King surging forward ahead of the troops, caused the dragon to take notice immediately and flew in the direction of the king. The ing, riding on his battle-hardened war charger, rode even quicker in the dragon’s direction. All the King’s efforts were all for naught as all it did was hasten the reality of the dragon’s wish and that was to taste the blood of the king. With one swoop, the dragon dipped and took a bite. The King’s head was ripped off his body, and the dragon, who also had a liking to gold, ate both the King’s head and the crown on it at the same time.

The BLACK MAGE shrieked with complete and utter delight. His champion dragon had just decapitated one of his most bitter enemies with complete ease. The dragon content at its quick “snack” and its first task completed, headed back to the temple to get some praise from its master.

The BLACK MAGE said after a bit of revelling, “I have not released you from your banquet of blood. Eat the flesh of my enemies, and slurp it down with their own mortal blood. Hahahaha!!!”

With that, the dragon turned around in flight and headed back towards Avon’s troops. and its next target would be none other than the WHITE MAGE, himself.

Benny knew that charging towards the Wurm itself would be tantamount to committing suicide. so he stayed with his fellow defenders, the Elite Cavalry of Wembly. Benny took out an arrow dipped in Holy Water and as the Wurm was flying towards him, he notches the arrow on his bow and lets it loose on the Wurm.

It hits the Wurm’s soft underbelly and causes great pain on the evil creature. The pain disrupts the Wurm’s concentration and totally misses the WHITE MAGE. Instead, the Wurm manages to dig its claws into one of the soldiers, and puts the helpless trooper into its mouth whole.

Across the battlefield, Sir Cletus saw his old friend Jean-Paul, who was the King of Avon, decapitated by the Wurm and didn’t want the same thing to happen to his best friend, Benny. So he was granted leave by King Leon to ensure Benny’s safety. so Cletus then rode out to Benny’s troops to offer aid.

The Wurm flew back in the direction of the temple once again. It gave a pleading look to the BLACK MAGE, Claus. All the BLACK MAGE said was, “I cannot heal the damage from that accursed arrow, however I can bog down the defenders to make it easier to strike down. Return to your mission, I want that WHITE MAGE taken out of the equation. MARSH BOG!”

With that the BLACK MAGE pointed in Benny’s direction and the ground turned to thick and slaggy mud like it had been raining for numerous days. The mud would definitely slow down Cletus who was very close to joining Benny’s troops, who were still in a defensive posture ready for another on-slaught of the Wurm.

The Wurm, itself, was still feeling the ill-effects of the Holy-laced arrow Benny had successfully scored on it. However, to save face, the Wurm mustered all of its remaining strength and stamina and took back to the sky to make its final try and taking out the White MAGE.

Benny had his sword ready, while Cletus readied his lance. Princess Lisa had obtained one of Benny’s Holy-laced arrows. As the Wurm approached them, Princess Lisa loosed the Holy arrow upon the unsuspecting Wurm. At this relative close proximity, it was impossible for her to miss the attacking creature. The arrow struck the same relative soft flesh of the Wurm’s underbelly, near where the first arrow had become embedded.

The arrow that just struck the Wurm, caused additional pain to the Wurm. It also caused the Wurm to flinch. The Wurm missed its target once again. Instead of sinking its jaws into Benny, it met the end of Cletus’ lance. Using all of his strength, Cletus thrusted the lance into the back of the Wurm’s mouth, and out through the Wurm’s scaley neck. With the two pierced arrows through its underbelly, and now the lance driven through its mouth, it didn’t take too long for the Wurm to die. Then Cletus took the lance and pulled it out of the Wurm so he could continue using it.

Despite the loss of the Wurm, the BLACK MAGE still smiled as he saw from one direction, a band of attackers, the Black Falcon’s from Buckingham, and from the other, just arriving on the coast from their ships, the Barbarians, led by their ruthless leader, Cedric the Bull and his sister, the Evil Witch, Celia. Both the Black Falcon’s and the Barbarians would enthusiastically kill on behalf of the BLACK MAGE.

Both the Black Falcon’s and the Barbarians attacked in the perimeter that was the weakest, where Tommy was with his troops. His troops included a handful of rangers under the direction of his girlfriend, Willow, and a bunch of friendly natives under Prince Achoo. These natives were ill-equipped and ill-experienced at war fighting, and Tommy doubted he could repel even one group with his troops, let alone two.

Both Benny and Cletus saw the enemy troops coming to attack Tommy from where they were. Benny didn’t want to see Tommy and his troops slaughtered mercilessly, so he sent Cletus and 4 Elite Cavalryment to reinforce Tommy’s troops. On Tommy’s otherside, Prince William sent a detatchment of 2 Imperial Elites, 10 Imperial Infantrymen, and 4 Imperial Archers to Tommy to support the cause.

Tommy sees friendly troops coming towards him from his flanks. He, the BLUE MAGE, wonders what sort of defense is expected of him, even with these “fresh” troops at his disposal. The Imperial troops are more battle-hardened, and more equipped than his troops, and altogether the new troop double his defense. He also wonders if he can hold against both invading forces, especially the scores of Barbarians landing off their boats.

However, Cletus makes it there pretty quick along with his 4 Cavalrymen, mounted on their horses. Cletus is an able General in Wembly’s army. He takes over the defense, and places Tommy in the middle surrounded by two Rangers on each side of him. On one side of this, he has the 10 Imperial Infantrymen, with a Imperial Elite on each side of them, and directly behind them, the 4 Imperial Archers. On the other side of Tommy, he has the group of 12 (8 with Spears, 4 with Bows) Natives, including Prince Achoo. Behind them, he has another 4 Rangers armed with Long Bows as well waited for the on-coming invaders. Behind the archers, Cletus, himself, and the 4 other Cavalrymen waited. Cletus jumped down off his horse, and further discussed strategy with Tommy.

He suggested to Tommy that Cletus, himself, should lead the 4 Cavalrymen to meet the Black Falcon’s and to then to lead the Black Falcon’s back to their line where they would be most vulnerable to arrow-fire. So Cletus mounts his horse, and leads his Cavalrymen against the Black Falcons, who are also mounted. He gets close the them and orders them back to the line.

The Black Falcon’s are eager to fight, and take the bait. Just before the last of the Cletus’ Cavalrymen make it back, the line unleashes arrows. The last friendly doesn’t make it. He is pelted with arrows and falls off his horse, already dead. Half of the 20 Black Falcon’s also get hit with arrows and are killed off right away. The 10 that make it, aim for the poorly equipped natives, and take out 4 of them, impaling them on their spears. As they are aiming for the natives, another barage of arrows hits, and all but 2 of the Black Falcon’s are hit. The two remaining Black Falcon’s retreat towards Buckingham. Included in their dead is George, their leader, who is the younger brother of the Duke of Buckingham.

The short success of the Tommy’s troops cannot be celebrated, because just as the last 2 Black Falcon’s leave the battle, a horn is sounded. That signals that all the Barbarians have landed from their ships, and are ready to begin their invasion...

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