The Last Battle (open)

[Arani Lepenque Aes Sedai]

Estean poked Nenen in the shoulder, and she looked questioning at Estean, then passed the link.  The amount the circle was drawing grew less as Estean did no wield as much as normally did.  Wielding a lot was tiring after a while.  Going around, she washed away first Nenen's weariness, then Seyneru's, then Nesyer, who had returned to the ground, then Readon Gaidin and Halen's.  Then, passing control of the circle to Nesyer, who healed her, then passed the circle back to her.  Trollocs were now rushing again, after the attack ceased, having finally gained enough courage, and since the water had died down and seeped back into the earth.

 

Redoubling her Vertigo efforts, which were starting to fade as the weave started to unravel, she cut the weave and wove the weave again with all the Saidar and Saidin she possessed.  Now with Halen's strength added, the amount of Earth she could wield was increased, and her weave became more effective, especially considering Seyneru and Nenen's strengths in Earth, which were now added to her own because of the link.

 

The whirring sounds started up again, and the lights emanating from her staffs this time were blinding green.  The air itself seemed to warp around it as it descended on the trollocs and darkfriends and dreadlords.  She felt no pity.  Darkfriends and trollocs condoned senseless killing and murder.  She did not.  This did not count, not when she was fighting for her life.

 

Suddenly, her weave was turned against her.  She had forgotten to invert it.  She had one moment of shock before she was on the recieving end.  Grasping her head, she was only partially aware of trollocs rushing towards her, and Readon, Halen, Seyneru and all of them doubling over and emptying themselves.  Her head was on fire that grew and grew and grew...

 

Suddenly, she lost control of her mind.

 

"AAAHHHHH!"

 

She lashed out with the One Power, and suddenly the weave of Vertigo stopped.

[Readon Taydin]

OOC: Janai Elensar-Sister of the Green-Strength-30:Skill-32 Air: 7, Earth: 3, Fire: 5, Spirit: 5, Water: 8(are those stats ok? I don't really know if they are)

 

Janai thanked Estean and turned to Readon, smiling. She felt Estean channeling again and suddenly she was doubled over in pain and sicking up. She felt the pain in the back of her head that was Readon and screamed. She saw the shadowspawn and the darkfriends rushing in at them and screamed  whe she knew here was nothing to do about it. Her mind grew hazy and she felt faint. Then suddnly,thank the Light and Creator, the pain stopped. She straightened and stared in amazement that Readon was in front of her, already erect, though pale from the effort. He brought his blade up and looked across at the Trollocs, now 300 paces away and fast approaching. "I love you Shade of My Heart." he said, using the Aiel term that he knew she favored. She smiled and tears came to her eyes. "And I you Heart of my Heart." She whispered. She looked over at Estean for guidance.

[Hayden Cistra]

Halen Kerani - Sister of the Green - Strength: 28, Skill: 30, Air: 7, Earth: 2, Fire: 6, Spirit: 4, Water: 7(Is tht ok?)

 

Halen felt the wonders of linking with her brother. Through the link she knew that he was fascinated but that was quickly dampered and determination and anger took its palce. She motioned Ashda to follow his orders and he complied by crouching. She smiled at him and turned back to her brother as she felt him draw every bit of the Power that she could draw. She watched with fascintaion as he wove a weave she thought he was making up on the spot. He released his Ward and she watched as a moment later, the weave blasted against the shadowspawn in the form of gigantic waves of Fire. "Wow." She said in amazement as the first rankswere incinerated and the rest were decimated. She watched as he wove diffrent weaves with a great dexterity and she felt his rage. He wove a Ward and thrust control of the circle at her. "Be careful." She said and began to weave lightnings and another Wave of Fire but she altered the weave slightly and touched it with more Spirit. The weave exploded outward in a wave of fire but she directed it now and it was more of a stream that burst out into a wave. Wherever she pointed her fist the fire enveloped and consumed all tha stood in its way. She maintained the ward around them and started to move forward slowly, testing its movability. "Lets go you two." She said to Ashda and Serick. Ashda began to move forward with her, though he now sported a small cut in his coat that had missed his skin by a hairs breath. She let the Stream of Fire die and wove deathgates and lightnings. The air was filled with the roars and screams of dying trollocs and men but the occasional woman's shriek pierced through. She felt her own rage fill her and she wove with a new fierceness. They were making their way steadily to the circle across the field. "Its not to far."She whispered.

[Arani Lepenque Aes Sedai]

Estean panted as she regained control of her weaves from the trollocs, behind her, she could hear her grandchildren panting behind her.  Wilemi had fallen off the tornado, and was nursing a bruised arm.  Touching it, she wove the healing weave and the bruises faded immediately.  Estean stepped into the tornado, and fell herself being lifted up into the air.  It was an exhilerating sensation.  But her attention was now on the trollocs that were rushing towards them, howling and screaming.  300 metres and closing in again.

 

Directing her staff at them, she rewove the weaving.  The whirring sounds started up again, and the lights emanating from her staffs this time were blinding green.  The air itself seemed to warp around it as it descended on the trollocs and darkfriends and dreadlords yet again.  This time, she was alert to any shiftings in her weaves.  Countering the weaves of the dreadlords at the same time, who were fumbling, trying to weave at the same time while vomiting on the ground.

 

Her attention was diverted somewhat by the feeling of channeling around.  Looking out at the corner of her eye, she saw an Aes Sedai, an Asha'man and a Gaidin battling towards them, incinerating trollocs with fire that was wielded with semblances of ease.

[Serick Kerani]

Serick Kerani- Asha'man - Strength: 29, Skill: 30, Air: 4, Earth: 9, Fire: 10, Spirit: 5, Water: 5

 

Serick battled the Fade with every bit of skill he possesed and was awarded with cleanly slicing the shadowspawn's head from its neck. He turned to find that for the moment they were clear. He saw a Trolloc arrow bounce off the Ward that he had woven before he had passed control to Halen. They moved forward at a steady and quite fast pace, as most before them ran from the fires that Halen was weilding. He felt a swelling of pride in knowing that his sister was every bit as dexterous in her weavings as he was. He smiled over at her and turned back to see that a Trolloc had gotten past Halen's Stream of Fire. He darted around a lunge from its sword and with two quick moves, took its hand and opened its stomach. He qanted to empty his stomach but quelled that as much as he could. He looked over at the Aes Sedai floating on the winds, a new one if he could judge from this distance. He caught some of the weaves and saw saidin mixed with her workings and his smile broadened. "They will take me." He whispered. He heard Halen whipser something and barely caught it even with his saidin heightened senses. "We will make it sister." he whispered to her. His blue eyes turned back to the circle they were fighting to and darkened with determintaion. "We will make it." He said louder. "Kerani and the Blue Doves!"He roared. the battle cry lent him strength as he knew that he was fighting for something besides his life. "We will make it." He said again.

[Arani Lepenque Aes Sedai]

Some of your scores are inaccurated.  I've modified them accordingly.

Janai Elensar - Sister of the Green - Strength: 30, Skill: 32, Air: 7, Earth: 5, Fire: 5, Spirit: 5, Water: 8

Serick Kerani - Asha'man - Strength: 33, Skill: 30, Air: 4, Earth: 9, Fire: 10, Spirit: 5, Water: 5

Halen Kerani - Sister of the Green - Strength: 29, Skill: 33, Air: 7, Earth: 4, Fire: 6, Spirit: 5, Water: 7

[Serick Kerani]

(thanks. I didn't really understand how it was done lol)

[Readon Taydin]

As soon as the pain faded, Readon stood in front of Janai, it took all of his willpoer to stand but if he didn't then she would be cut down. He felt her looking at him for love, admiration as well as astonishment flooded through the bond. His face was a pale mask of detrmination as he faced the oncoming flood of shadowspawn. He felt a pain inside him as he thought that he may never get to see what his and Janai's children would look like and he said," I love you shade of my heart." He felt more love swell through the bond and he steeled himself for what was to come.

 

Janai looked back to Readon as she saw Estean Heal Wilemi and fly up inside the tornado. She felt a chaneling away to their left and saw large flames leaping about. She recognized Halen's weavings even from this distance. "I told you they would find each other." Janai said to Readon, putting herself at ease as estean once again had the trollocs screaming in pain and was succesfully defeating the dreadlords. "I wonder how long it will take them to get here." She thought aloud. If I remember correctly Halen was nearly as strong as I am and there is no telling about her brother. She walked over to Wileni and said,"From what it looks like, we have another sister and an Asha'man on the way to help us. Make sure Estean knows and ask her if she can see how far away they are, please." She asked.

[Arani Lepenque Aes Sedai]

Hearing Janai's concerned thoughts, Wilemi looked up as Estean and smiled as Estean shifted her stance.  Standing on a rock, she saw the light cut a path between the Aes Sedai, Asha'man, the Gaidin, and their group.  Trollocs fell over themselves vomiting and the other circle finished them with one blow, while trollocs rushed in to fill the gaps again.  Turning back to Janai, she smiled reassuringly.  "Estean does know.  She is helping them."

 

Raising her hands to the sky, for she had not rejoined the circle, she channeled, and suddenly, masses of clouds were flying about in the sky, growing ever darker and darker.  Lightning lanced in them as the clouds grew ever darker.  With a rumble and a crash, lightning blazed down and crashed down among the trollocs that were advancing.

[Hayden Cistra]

Halen stared, stunned for a second, as the Trolloc she was cutting down with lightning was suddenly heaving up its food on the ground. She quickly finished it off and stared for a secong at the weaves of saidar that had caused the Trollocs unappealing reaction. She smiled. "It looks like they want us to join too." She said to Ashda and Serick. Ashda smiled breifly and they took advantage of the breif interlude in trolloc atacks to run forward. They made a good 500 paces beofre the Trollocs surrounded them again. Halen wove the Stream of Fire again and they shied back out of the way. She pulled in every bit of saidin and saidar that she could and wove the Wave of Fire, smiling as it roared away from them, incinerating Trollocs and Darkfriends alike. They didn't have to much farther to go before they made it to the circle. She let the Stream of Fire disapate and wove Deathgates and lightnings anew ad began to hurl fireballs as fast as she could weave.

[Serick Kerani]

Serick danced a few more steps with a Fade before beheading it and cutting its swordhand off. He grounded his blade when the creatures around them began to throw up and clutch their heads and scream out in pain. He straightened and he followed Halen, matching her stride for stride. He looked over at her, her dark green skirts slashed with bright green billowing in the wind as they ran. He knew that their dark hair flaired behind them in matching banners, his was shorter though. He didn't stop moving when the trollocs rushed back in around them, taking advantage of his speed as he attacked those that came to close. He dodged the Stream fo Fire and smiled as she wove another Wave of Fire. He looked at her, pride shining through his dirty face and they moved forward at a fast pace.

 

He and Ashda cut a wide swath out of the ones who were brave enough to come close. He saw tha tthey didn't have much further til they broke thorugh the ranks and he raised his battlecry once more. "Kerani and the blue doves!! Kandor and the Red Horse!!" His tenor's voice carried the cry over the din and let everyone know that so long as one borderlander was alive the fight would continue as it had for years.

[GrandpaG]

The old man, nearly blind and almost lame, crawled up the last short stretch of hillside to reach the outcrop that would be his last resting site.  He knew that he would die here today.  But that did not bother him greatly.  What did bother him was the carnage going on below him in the broad flat plain once occupied by the citizens of Almouth.  He could make out faint shapes in the distant and he knew that each ant sized parcel was actually a fist of trollocs or a division of soldiers waiting for their turn to kill or be killed.  Such a waste.  If only they could have embraced the Way of the Leaf as he had so many years ago.  In his mind he could sense his brothers the wolves joining the fight.  He did not approve of their involvement but deep within him he understood that they must do what they must do just as he had.  He relaxed for a moment and was startled back to awareness by a sound coming from where he had just been on the path.  He strained to try to see.  He knew that he didn't have the strength remaining to get up and run.  Perhaps this was a trolloc coming to finish him off.  He relaxed again.

 

"Perrin?  Are you up here?"

 

He couldn't believe what he was hearing.  But his ears were still in very good working condition.

 

"FAILE!!!  I'm up HERE!!!"

 

After what seemed an eternity, he saw the outline of what he knew was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on.  The woman who had taught him how to be a lord.  The woman who had given up everything to travel with him and his wagons.  The mother of his five children.  The grandmother of his seventeen grand children.  The love of his wife.  His falcon.  Faile.

 

"There you are, husband."  He knew after all of these years that the disgust in her voice was not genuine.  "I thought that perhaps after all of this time that you had found a new axe and was joining the fight.  You had me very concerned to say the least."  She used her apron to wipe sweaty, dusty mud from his forehead while her eyes checked for signs of bleeding anywhere else on his person.

 

"I was not even tempted, my dear.  When I first felt the passion of the wolves I must admit that my old instincts were tickled.  But, in short order, I came to my senses and remembered the truth about violence.  When we became separated, I almost chose to lie down rather than run.  Now that you are here, I almost wish that I had."  She looked at him with such shock that he had to continue.  "I know deep within my soul that I will die today, Faile.  I don't want that to be your last memory of me."

 

She cocked her head in her special way and he could tell that her mind was racing.  He had always admired her mental abilities.  After a few moments she leaned toward him and kissed his cheek as if she were tucking him in for the night.

 

"How many memories of you do I have?"

 

She looked at him as if daring him to answer.

 

"If this is your final day, it will be one more memory to add to the pile.  And I am GLAD to be with you at this moment, my husband.  We have shared a good life.  And I WANT to be here.  Do you understand?"

 

He did.  She was strong.  Stronger than him at times.  She had insisted that the wagons continue even when he knew from the wolves what lay ahead.  She had brought him to the Last Battle because it was his destiny to be here.  And he had helped Matt and Rand by bringing the wolves and being their eyes through their special link.  Even though he no longer believed that violence was necessary, he did feel that this was the right place to be.  He relaxed and closed his eyes.  He recognized Hopper and the Wolf Dream.  He felt no fear.  He knew that Faile was where he had been and that she would join him and Hopper some day.  He smiled.

[Saguin Venart]

[ooc] No posts in a while, and no CoTL representation, disgraceful :-\[/ooc]

 

[ic] Captain Nalol Linari gripped his horses reins tight at the sight of the carnage below him. Lighting fell from the cloudless sky, Jets of fire set men and shadowspawn on fire. The work of Darkfriends, Tar Valon witches and the explosive nuisances that were 'al Thor's Asha'man. He heard the heavy hoof beats of a horse from behind him, he turned to face a young man wearing the armor of a Mayene winged cavalry "ummm sir..." he stumbled betraying his nervousness immediately. "Yes what is it boy, and I don't have all day to listen to you stutter so get it out". He was usually more soft spoken, the final battle between good and evil did harden you he supposed. "Well sir I have my direct orders from the First, to meet up with your cavalry division for a charge on that Trolloc position" he faintly pointed to a fist of Trollocs firing crossbows into an already ragged position of Andoran regulars. He sighed and looked at the boys collection of roughly 200 winged cavalry. "Very well, form up on either side of my horses". The Mayeners lived up to their reputation of fine horsemanship and formed up in a minute. He brushed back his curly brown hair and donned his golden helmet. "LANCERS!" he cried out as the thousand men behind him raised their white lanes with golden caps. The Mayeners raised their own at the cry of the young man. "For the light!, For the Creator!, For the Dragon Reborn!". All the horses thundered forward, quickly closing the gap between them and the 500 Trollocs. The Trollocs had noticed and began firing bolts into the oncoming formation. Men fell behind him and several bolts whipped past his head. Only 100 feet, 70 feet, 40, 20, 10. A terrible noise as the two forces met.[/ic]

 

 

[ooc] What did you think? [/ooc]

[GrandpaG]

When the gateway is fully completed, GrandpaG timidly peeks through to see where he has ended up at.  His getaway from that previous melee was so hurried that he didn't have time to be picky about where he Traveled to so long as it was away from there.  This place didn't look much better.  Just down slope from him a couple of thousand whitecloaks and a couple hundred Mayeners were slamming into a smaller force of Trollocs like waves crashing onto the rocks along the seashore.  He thought of a silent prayer for the forces of the Light, stepped through the gateway and let it close.  Immediately another gateway opened.  This time he thought of his destination before hand.  Kelsey's bar.  He was ready for a mug of ale.  :o

 

 

[ooc cool mental picture /ooc]

[ps: I think Taim is innocent, too...readers are being purposely misled..."you can't believe everything that you read"]

[Winterwinds]

OOC: I feel the need to bring by my Wolfkin to this thread.

 

IC: Faerwenda was in trouble, and he knew it. The battle was going worse then even -he- had expected.

 

All around him the Trollocs seemed to stream endlessly from what ever dark pit they were spawned from, the Darkfriends seeming to apeare almsot without warning in the ranks of the armies of Light. Something in the back of his mind seemed to tug at this image, seeming as if this battle had played out before.

 

This was doubtlessly a memory from the wolves, passed down through the years. He shrugged it off, and got back to the battle at hand.

 

Somewhere in the distance he thought he saw a Children calvery charge knock into a hill of Trollocs, and laughed. Perhaps they would prove a worthy distraction for Faer to slip in and kill some more of the Dreadlords, or perhaps not.

In his mind it did not matter, this was afterall the last battle wasnt it? He would fight until he was killed, and hn he would fight on in the minds of the wolves around him, and there were thousands of wolves.

 

The ranks seemed to thin around him though suddenly, and he was faced with a Neverborn, spawning a feeling of dread in his gut which he pushed away before it could get a hand hold. He laughed in his booming voice, and charged it, determed to take down one more of these beats then they could take down wolves.

 

Faerwenda Wolfcaller.

Death has no meaning at the end of the road.

[GrandpaG]

Sitting peacefully in Kelsey's tavern, GrandpaG took an even heavier hit on the mug of ale that he had been gazing into.  Was it his third or fourth?  It didn't matter.  A mild stupor was easing it's way into his consciousness.  And it was a welcome feeling.

 

How long had it been since those days when all he had to worry about was where to go to get in out of the weather and whether or not he would fall asleep once more with an empty stomach?  Compared to the present state of affairs, those seemed to be minor inconveniences.  Freezing rain and hunger could be endured until they were gone.  Knowledge that this battle was the Final Battle was much harder to face.

 

Gleemen know the legends well.  Their stories recount the facts.  The details are often different depending upon the teller and the audience, but the themes are consistent.  The tales are the same:

 

"When the Last Battle comes, the world as we know it will end."

 

Although the actual conflict was only a few months old, massive changes had already occurred.  What was once the Spine of the World was now merely a long series of flat topped plateaus.  The former tops had been excavated and deposited into the valleys below by warring factions of Ashamen and Dreadlords.  The moisture that used to be blocked now passed easily.  What used to be the Aiel Waste was gradually becoming green with new vegetation.  The new metropolis of Rhuidean sprawled not into desert but onto fertile plains before meeting the nearby slopes.  The indestructible Stone of Tear lay in ruin; a massive heap of collapsed rubble.  It had been one of the early casualties.  The river that used to flow around Tar Valon now slowed slightly before washing over the former island which was now completely submerged.  The age-old city of Caemlyn was flattened as an early epicenter of fighting.  People in all lands scattered in every direction seeking peace.  But there was no peace.

 

A quick gesture sent his favorite bar maid to fetch more ale.

 

It suddenly amazed the old timer that Kelsey's was still pretty much the same as it always had been.  A handful of forlorn, hard-ridden customers slouching in high backed benches on either side of slab-topped tables.  Most four person booths contained a single patron.  That was how they liked it.  That was the way it should be.  "That's the way it's always been."  The war had not yet made it's way to the remote reaches of the Shadow Coast.  Not yet.  It would, eventually; but, not yet.  News of the carnage arrived every day.  New, monstrous stories of great victories and defeats.  New heroes.  Far, far away.  Not here.  Not yet.

 

The Sea Folk could have stayed out of it all.  The water barriers kept the trollocs from them.  The other shadow spawn were content with what they faced on land.  There was no reason for them to get involved other than to support their Cooramor.  Yet, there they were.  Right in the thick of it.  Hauling desperately needed supplies.  Transporting troops.  They even granted passage to Aes Sedai when it was vital.  Windfinders used the Bowl of Winds to keep the weather favorable for the forces of the Light.  They could have stood aside, but chose not to.

 

Shaking his head in silent contemplation, GrandpaG finished the latest mug and waved for another.  The ale was helping precious little.  His mind was still clear enough to realize that he could remember what was happening in the outside world far away from Kelsey's.  For what must have been the thousandth time he asked himself why he did not get directly involved.  He was old, true, and his muscles ached constantly.  But he was not dead yet.  He was of more use than Pedron Niall would be since his assassination.  Maybe his talents were not those of his old chum Thom, but he was still able to channel.  He could Travel.  They might not be large, but he could produce a fire ball big enough to singe the fur of a few trollocs.

 

The ale made him think.  What could he do to help the Light?  ::)  ???

A few more sips and he'd have the answer he needed.

* nods *

* nods off *

* spills remaining ale all over the table *

* sleeps it off at Kelsey's once again *

[Blackhoof]

Pherno smiled as his fireball incinerated the midsection of an Andoran soldier. For once, Pherno was truly, genuinely, happy. Fire lanced from his fingertips, cutting dozens of Andoran armsmen into charred pieces, and more fireballs from his fellow Dreadlords did the same to some nearby Aiel. Weaving Fire, Water and Spirit into a weave that he had perfected himself, he created a small, microscopical fireball inside the bodies of a group of Tairen soldiers. The soldiers continued to charge him, unaware of the fact that the fireball inside them was slowly expanding. Pherno watched in smug silence as one soldier raised his sword, preparing to smite the pyromaniacle Dreadlord where he stood. Suddenly the would-be Dreadlord killer dropped his sword and screamed in pure agony as the fireball set fire to his innards. The other soldiers followed suit and soon they were all on the ground, rolling around as they were burned alive from the inside out.

[GrandpaG]

GrandpaG slowly lifts his head and tries to open his eyes.  Beams of light stream in through cracks in the boards covering the windows.

 

"Where am I?", he wonders aloud.

 

Straining to see, he looks around.  He seems to be inside some sort of granary or storage shed.  At the far end of the enclosure he spots a door made of vertically nailed boards.  He rises...slowly...his body resisting his will to move.  When he is finally fully erect, his head begins to throb; his temple pounds violently; the sound of his first step forward crushing the straw beneath his foot makes his ears hurt.  Then he remembers.

 

"Kelsey's."

 

He nods as he gradually regains his memories of the night before.  He had smiled at his favorite bar maid as she helped the owner lift him from his bench.  As he began to tell them thank you but he didn't need their assistance, his knees gave out and he nearly hit the deck.  The bouncer was there in an instant to replace the pretty young maid.  Which was lucky for her.  He frowned at the owner, then at the bouncer.  Just as he was once again starting to speak, up it came.  All of that ale.  Foamy.  Mixed with the beans and mutton he had eaten for supper.  And some chunks of the apple that he had gobbled just before that last battle scene had interrupted his snack.  His escort had drug him through that mess and deposited him roughly into the alley behind the bar.  He had found his own way, somehow, into this shed for a nap.

 

From the angle of the bars of light and the intensity of his hangover, he guessed that it was still pretty early in the morning.  He briefly considered channeling a gateway...then quickly discarded the idea.  His physical condition would not allow it.  And he had apologies to make.  Besides.  He still had the haunting notion in the back of his mind that he needed to help the Light in some way.  He just didn't know where or how.  He needed more time.  And some of that Seanchan "kaf" stuff that seemed to help when he had had a few too many.  The way that his head felt this morning, he might even try some of the really thick, dark black stuff that was supposed to be extra potent.

 

As he finally forced himself to push open the board door, cringing deeply at the loud screeching sound that the hinges made, he realized that there would be no apologies today.  Where Kelsey's used to stand, there was nothing.  The inn that used to be two stories high and across the street from Kelsey's was now a pile of smoldering rubble.  Every building on both sides of what used to be the main street in this small, secluded village had been flattened.  The war had made it here at last.  Had it followed him?

 

At least the sun was shining.  That was something that he had not been able to enjoy for some time.  Strangely, his physical ailments seemed to vanish.  He found a nearby barrel and sat down.  Soon he had his pipe lit.  Without thinking, he inhaled deeply and held it.  The Two Rivers tabac didn't help as much as kaf, but it was better than nothing.  It took the edge off from what he was seeing.  And thinking.

 

"What if I hadn't drank so much?  I'd have been inside that bar.  Did the pattern will me to be thrown out?  Or do I have the Luck of the Dark One?  Why didn't I hear any of the commotion?  I must have REALLY been out of it!!!  But.  I remember her smile.  Guess I'll never see that again."

 

As if summoned, the young bar maid appeared from behind the shed.  She was rubbing her eyes as if she had just awakened.  Or maybe she was wiping away tears?  It was instinct alone, or perhaps a touch of his luck, that made GrandpaG produce one of his hidden knives.  In less than a heartbeat, his beautiful young barmaid had reached for her belt knife and raised her arm far above her head.  She was focused...aiming for the old man's heart.  Reflexively and regretfully, he launched his weapon and watched it's hilt blossom beneath her chin.  Her eyes bulged and she tried to gasp but couldn't.  Instead, her blood gurgled out the corners of her mouth.  She spit blood at GrandpaG and tried to curse before collapsing in a heap to finish her death dance.  

 

GrandpaG recovered his knife and cleaned it on her apron before replacing it up his sleeve.  He regretted killing her.  She had been his favorite.  Then it dawned on him.  Had she been a darkfriend?  Or had she thought he was one?  Now he would never know.

 

As he wandered away, hoping that he would soon be able to channel again, he tried to decide which path to choose.  Could he continue to run and hide like a Tinker?  He was running out of sanctuaries.  If he did decide to join the fight, when?  Where?  How?  He took another drag off from his pipe and blew the smoke away.

 

"I've got time to think.  I still have some time.  There's time yet."

 

[Blackhoof]

Pherno strode happily away from the incinerated bodies of the Tairen soldiers, singing loudly to himself.

 

My whole family, they all burned,

And the woman, my love she had spurned,

I kill and burn, but i'm not done,

I'm just trying to have some fun.

 

My fiery wrath, they will learn,

The worlds destiny I will turn,

No one can stop me once i've begun,

I'm just trying to have some fun.

 

The fire and lightning, that I hurled,

The power I called, it destroyed the world,

The Power was mine, the strength of the sun,

I'm just trying to have some fun.

 

Pherno continue singing as he sent several "Firegates" whirling towards a formation of Lancers. The Firegates were another inention of his; they were ordinary Deathgates that shot fire out of its entrance and edges, and it was imossible to enter it, on account of these flames.

 

The Firegates tore flaming rents in the ranks of the horsemen, leaving charred bodies in their wake. When they had faded, Pherno wove Earth, Air and Fire, and threw flaming chunks of dirt and rock at the Lancers.

 

When the Lancers were no more than scorched husks, Pherno turned and saw a flood of Trollocs coming over a hill a  few hundred metres from him. Pherno waited paitiently waited while the two-hundred-or-so Trollocs formed up in front of him, awaiting orders. Pherno was more than happy to give some to them.

 

"Greetings, servants of the Dark One, listen to me, and you'll have some fun." Pherno had long ago gotten used to the voice that caused him to talk in rhyme, although it had provided much useful information. He wove a complex mix of Fire, Air and Earth, and ended up with a compressed, circular dirt platform about 50 paces in diametre hovering a few feet in the air, and supported by several small jets of fire. Seeing that it would be too small, he made it big enough  to accomodate the Trollocs.

 

"Now, hop onto my Fre Disk thing, and we'll all go slaughtering." With a few grunts and growls, the Trollocs complied, and they filed onto the platform. Pherno was the last onto the strange disk. Increasing the power of the firey jets under the platform, he made raised the platform and made it fly across the ground. In a few hours a small town came into view, and PHerno  judged it to be on the Shadow Coast. Lowering the platform to the ground, Pherno released his weaves and panted in exhaustion. The Shadowspawn roared and charged towards the town. PHerno waited a few moments before following them, and he made a mental note to visit Kelsey's tavern, because he had been their before, and had liked their roast pork.

[Arani Lepenque Aes Sedai]

As the shadowspawn neared the town, a gateway appeared, and five people stepped through from the previous scene of chaos and madness.  Eshara Aravell, Wilemi Kailadel, Nenen Kailadel, Nesyer Yoshan and Seyneru Yoshan.  A gale blasted through the ranks of trollocs and a high wind whirled around the town they were about to beseige.  Lightning stormed through the clouds above as the sky darkened further.  The sky was now positively black, and the scene was only illuminated by the flashes of lightning constantly shone and blazed, ever shifting.  The winds howled and moaned, surrounding the scene as the five channelers split.

 

Wilemi walked forward, eyes blazing towards the trollocs, Nenen and Nesyer beside her.  Eshara and Seyneru moved apart, linked in a circle, and walked towards the male channeler who was dancing on a circle of earth and dirt, supported by flames of fire.  But now Wilemi's eyes were on the Trollocs alone.  She, Nenen and Nesyer were not in a circle, but they had Talent enough such that alone, they were as efficient as they were in a circle.

 

Weaving gusts of Air, Water and Fire, she caused a high gale with crackling lightning to swirl around her.  A column of wind whirled around her, and she directed it towards the trollocs.  Her brow was furrowed in concentration, her Brown Shawl whipping around her, and the column of wind blasted through the numerous trollocs, scattering them like ninepins, as Nesyer channeled, weaving Spirit and Fire, killing their minds instantly, causing them to fall over, eyes staring at the flickering sky.

 

But there were many trollocs, and fades in the bargain, and they were only three.  Slowly but surely the front rank advanced as Wilemi channeled continuously.  Again and again she struck, and again and again the Myddraal were enveloped in flames, or blasted from their horses with lightning, or swept up in whirlwinds that blew around the hordes and the town, never touching the town, but around it.  Air and Fire became lightning, and she threw it again and again at the horde, until it seemed that lightning was shooting continuously into the hordes.  Wilemi panted slightly.  She was incredibly skilled for an Aes Sedai.  But she was also weaker, though with an uncanny ability with Air and Fire to match.  Especially fire.  She frowned at the weave and adjusted it, and suddenly the lightning was pronged, striking down at least five with a single shot.

 

She divided her flows, and suddenly, the winds surrounding her pulled her upwards in a column of air.  Her dress fluttered and blew this way and that, tossed in circle, outlining her body as it was pulled flat against it.  Her golden hair whipped around, streaming out, mingling with the winds, where they belonged.  She was flying again.

[Blackhoof]

Pherno watched in annoyance as the Trollocs and Myrrdraal were torn to shreds by the newcomers. Then, he felt an uncontrollable urge to sing and dance.

 

Oh, silly, silly Aes sedai,

You can't stop me, even though you try,

I'm stronger and more skilled than you,

Come on, now, you know it's true!

 

Oh, silly, silly Aes Sedai,

Now it's time for you to die,

Do you think that you can win against me?

Because your trying, evidently!

 

Pherno stopped singing and let his platform disintegrate. "You just had to intervene, Aes Sedai, now it is time for you to die!" He shouted as tendrils of fire shot from his fingers, heading towards the Aes Sedai.

[Arani Lepenque Aes Sedai]

Oh, silly, silly Aes sedai,

You can't stop me, even though you try,

I'm stronger and more skilled than you,

Come on, now, you know it's true!

 

Oh, silly, silly Aes Sedai,

Now it's time for you to die,

Do you think that you can win against me?

Because your trying, evidently!

 

Nenen raised an eyebrow at the singer, having decimated the remaining trollocs with a set of Riven Earth weaves.  There were 3 Aes Sedai here, 1 Asha'man, and 1 powerful wilder.  They all trusted each other, each having their own powerful or talented abilities.  This dreadlord was clearly underestimating their effectiveness in working together.  Her green shawl flapping in the winds, she looked around, taking stock of their surroundings.  All the trollocs and Myddraal were gone.  All that was left was the five of them, and the enemy dreadlord.  Seyneru and Eshara were halfway from her to the dreadlord.  Wilemi was flying again, her golden hair swirling, hovering on a column of air, whilst Nesyer was striding purposefully, her Yellow Shawl almost lost in the bright glow of Saidar around her.

 

They all moved, except for Wilemi, towards the Shadow channeler.  Nenen filled herself to the brink of burning out with the True Source, moving determinedly.  If this dreadlord was indeed as powerful and as skilled as he was claiming to be, well, they were not going to go down without a fight.  Suddenly, tendrils of Fire lanced towards them.  Some were directed at Eshara and Seyneru, others at Nenen, and some as Nesyer.  They shot towards them like an arrow from a bow...

 

And skittered off a barrier of Air that suddenly seperated them from the dreadlord, woven by Wilemi and Nesyer, who had linked without Nenen noticing, and woven the barrier just as the fire had lanced from the dreadlord.  But Nenen had already started to weave, with the aid on an Angreal that she had taken from an Aes Sedai who had fallen near her.  Weaves of Earth, Fire and Spirit swept down from the sky, and the trolloc's weapons, having steel in them, was attracted by her weave of magnetism.  Nenen had discovered the weave, and was one of the few in the Tower who could actually use the weave to any effect.  They rose up in the air, and flew, whistling menancingly towards the dreadlord just as Eshara and Seyneru worked together, and flames of tongue not unlike that of the dreadlord, only stronger, blasted back at him, just as the weapons of metal hummed around him.

 

---

 

Eshara snorted as she heard the song.  She was not even Aes Sedai.  This dreadlord apparently knew nothing.  He had not even seen Seyneru behind her, tall as he was.  He truly was mad to dismiss five channelers so easily, especially since there were enough women to link...  and although they weren't linking right now, they were able to fight on their own.  Her three granddaughters had proved that by tearing the shadowspawn army to shreds without too much difficulty.  Even now, a head flew past her, as the winds tossed trollocs apart, ripping their bodies as they bore the stress that Wilemi's tornado was having on them.

 

Suddenly, a bolt of fire shot from the dreadlord's fingertips towards her, Seyneru, Nesyer and Nenen.  Her own death approached...

 

And struck a wall of Air that blocked the flames as they skittered, trying to penetrate.  Looking around, she saw that Wilemi and Nesyer had linked, combining their great strengths in Air to block the weaves, although Wilemi seemed to be straining mentally to keep the wall strong, held as it was only by two channelers, and females were usually weaker than males.  It was now time to shift from the defensive to he offensive, and take the stress off Wilemi and Nesyer.  A humming sound told her that Nenen was at work.  She knew that sound often enough and had heard it being used to great effect.  Her senses were confirmed as a blade, once a trolloc sword, now still dripping blood, hummed towards the dreadlord, followed by several other blades.

 

Just as Eshara unleashed a blast of fire, more powerful than the one the dreadlord had thrown at them.  Linked as she was, she felt the strain as she drew to the limits of the circle between her and Seyneru.

[Blackhoof]

Perhaps I underestimated them... Pherno thought to himself as he saw his Fire Tendrils crash and disintegrate against a wall of Air. Well there are five of them, you knowThe annoying voice in his head answered. Suddenly the Trollocs fallen blades sprang up and shot towards him. Pherno smirked and drew the powerful,  sword-like angreal that he had found, nearly a Sa'angreal, and used it to melt the blades before they had gotten near him. With no more metal in them, the handles fell uselessly to the ground.

 

It was unfortunate that his skill in Spirit was so abysmal that he couldn't shield even the weakest channeler. Pherno, crazy as he was, knew when he was beaten. The angreal shone with black light, and he threw up a wall of fire and dirt. Before the wall had fallen back down, Pherno had opened up a gateway and leaped through it.

 

As the gateway closed behind him, Pherno looked around at the bleak, corrupted landscape of the Blight, seeing the tall, black fortress that was the base of the Dreadlords in this area. Here he would rest and recuperate and rally more Trollocs and perhaps some other Dreadlords to help him track down that team of Aes Sedai and that Asha'man. Perhaps I should have included him in my song... but not many things rhyme with Asha'man; darn, carn, drar, tarn, sarn... and most of those aren't even words...

[GrandpaG]

GrandpaG felt his stomach rumbling.  The exiting ale had left his tummy empty.  On a nearby stump that was a massive oak tree the day before, he spotted what appeared to be a chunk of left over roast mutton.  He carefully sliced off a smidgen and tasted it.

 

"Chicken."

 

A little over done, but it definitely tasted similar to fried chicken.  As hungry as he was, he didn't care if it was moose meat.  It tasted good, didn't appear to be spoiled, so he happily gnawed away at it as he wandered through the town gazing at the carnage and trying to decide what to do next.

 

He turned a corner and saw a large open field burned to a crisp with piles of dead trollocs littering it.  Nearby were a few trollocs which had apparently exploded.  Trolloc pieces were spread in all directions including the direction he had just come from.

 

:o

 

"Oh, well...meat is meat."

 

He took another bite of his free meal and continued to ponder his next move as he walked along waiting to regain enough strength to form a gateway.

[Blackhoof]

Lupin raised his head as he saw Pherno enter the room. Clucking his tongue in annoyance, Lupin stood and walked over to the infamous Dreadlord. "I thought you were dead." He said to Pherno. "I nearly was, no thanks to you, you could have helped me then, had you wanted too." Pherno replied testily.

"Why should I have? With you gone, I would have been the most infamous Dreadlord this side of the Blight." Lupin responded wryly. Pherno cocked his head to the side and stared into space. He's listening to that voice of his... Lupin thought to himself. I wonder when he'll finally snap and give me the excuse I need to finish him.

 

Lupin was a master of Necromancy, a field of the Power that he had created himself with his Necromantic weaves that raised the dead and bound them to his bidding. Over the years he had adapted and evolved the original weave so that he could now raise up to twenty dead bodies at once. These mindless zombies were intelligent enough to wield a weapon in a basic hitting motion, and were fairly hard to kill, being dead.

"As much as it pains me to admit, I need your help, so what do you say? Will you do your bit?" Pherno asked suddenly. Lupin was shocked. Pherno needed his help? Pherno? After a few moments of consideration, he decided. "What do you need help with?" Pherno went to a nearby desk and grabbed a piece of paper and a quill. He dipped the quill into a pot of ink and began writing. After a few moments, Pherno passes the sheet to Lupin.

 

I need a few hundred Trollocs and a some Dreadlords to help take down a group of Aes Sedai and an Asha'man. There are five, and from what I saw, they work very well together as a team. It is in our best interests to shut down this "team", permanently.