Three elven soldiers cast magik, intercepting the incoming offensive spells and effectively defending the carriages from direct hits. The rest of the spells landed around the caravan sending soil and grass flying in every direction. Soon, more magik followed. 

X saw them clearly—at least twenty creatures ran through the valley, weaving between the rocks and boulders, and casting magik at the elves from the other side of the road. 

“Groups two and three, attack the hunters! Group one, follow me, we’re going for the carriages!” the leader of the bandits assaulting the caravan shouted at his underlings. At some point X heard more roars than words, but the criminals obeyed every command. 

“Dilio’fa lalun de ila!” the elven leader yelled to his soldiers who marched towards the incoming group, meeting them head-on.

“Spread out! Go, go! Kill the elves! Get the carriage!” the roars continued spitting fire.

The bandits split into three groups—two attacking each flank while the last one charged through the center. Feralis, orcs, gnomes, and several dwarves comprised most of the attackers, but a few reddish creatures ran alongside them. The one giving orders belonged to this new type of fauna—red and orange from tail to head, with an elongated mouth resembling a crocodile. He possessed four eyes, a pair on each side of his head. Two thick and extremely curved horns sprouted from his forehead and ended at each side of his mouth,. Lastly, two long scaly ears crowned his muscular build.

“These sub-races want to steal our prey!” Nila shouted.

“Can you see the bastards? Who’s leading the pack?” Mau asked X.

“A fiery red and orange scaly freak--”

“That’s Salamanyd’s King. K’bula is here! Fuck!” Mau cut off the elf’s words.

From his vantage point, standing on the massive boulder, X witnessed the overwhelming numbers descending upon the six elven soldiers who cast defensive and offensive magik left and right. The perfect opportunity unfolded before Del’vhario. 

“Damn it! K’bula’s got muscle and sparks,” Nila commented as she saw the magik blowing up all around them.

“What now, Ekk’s?” Mau looked at the redheaded elf.

“Whoever those bandits are, the cavalry has arrived!” X smiled at his companions. “Mau, Nila, focus on getting our loot while--”

Both gnomes listened attentively as X stopped mid-sentence, his eyes fixed on the last carriage. Then, his gaze darted to the first one. The four prisoners in the first carriage and the five in the last one stood up and discarded their robes.

“Holy hell!” X yelled.

“What?!” Nila asked.

“The prisoners...” X’s vision scurried from one carriage to the other. “They’re all Legazz!” Mau and Nila whipped their heads from left to right and saw it too.

While these units wore less armor than the common elven soldiers, their relaxed demeanor heralded their confidence and experience. Their light blue uniforms, adorned with golden threads, featured a dark red cape with an elven word embroidered on it: Le’Garantezz. But everyone called them Legazz for short. This elite squad’s commander issued orders, and six of his subordinates joined the developing battle. 

“Suddenly this shit got exciting, Ekk’s! I say we show ‘em how we roll,” Nila exclaimed.

Another Legazz trooper stood near the second carriage, guarding it and its passengers, while the remaining two elite units approached Mau and Nila.

“You’re staying right where you are,” one of the Legazz spoke to the trio.

“Two gnomes... surely the ones that blew up the bridge at Kargraz,” the other elite elven soldier remarked.

“Nah!” Mau dismissed their words. “Your heads are too fucked up and you’re not thinking straight.” Mau’s heart raced. He and Nila exchanged glances filled with violence and excitement.

“I told your Master that these are my escorts,” X said, glancing at the Legazz.

Amidst the chaotic fight and savage dances that blossomed in the background, these two special elven units focused on Del’vhario, and particularly on X. The two Legazz looked at the redheaded elf with a unique intensity, a contained fury beneath their solemn expressions. Despite their efforts to remain composed, hatred seeped in every word they spoke.

“What have I done, my fellows, my kin? That you would treat me with such... disrespect,” X smug’s face and tone crisped the Legazz.

“A redheaded elf with golden strands... half-masked...” one of the Legazz said, keeping his cool. “The one called Ekk’s.”

“Oh, you know of me...”

“The Delia’ilu told us all about you.”

“Doesn’t ring a bell.” The elf put on his poker face.

“Perhaps her maiden name will refresh your memory. Ruianne.”

“No... not that one either,” a slight disdain escaped the redheaded elf’s lips.

“‘He lies through his teeth, be cautious.’ It is you. And you’re coming with us, one way or another,” one of the Legazz stated, as both soldiers positioned to apprehend them.

“Yeah, well--” A sharp whistling sound cutting through the air caught X’s attention. “Mau, Nila, take cover!”

A large piece of ice hurtled in their direction. 

“Fucking sub-races!” Nila shouted.

The gnomes dashed towards the central carriage and slid under it while the two Legazz soldiers jumped onto the roof of the nearest carriage to prepare their magik defenses.

“Which side goes towards these elven sons of hell?!” X didn’t waste time and took out the scroll, holding it before him, yet still doubted.

“Any side! Throw it in the air and recite the words while staring at your target!” Mau shouted at him.

“You sure!?” The redheaded elf didn’t want a nasty surprise in which he ended up impaling himself.

“Yes, I’m fucking sure!” Mau yelled.

“Demongods darnit! Here goes nothing!” X hurled the scroll towards the Legazz. “Sihu deilo lamin’ gras!” He recited the words he had written on his sleeves. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t learn them all in one night.

A flare of violet light enveloped the scroll, followed by a fountain-like burst of magik that exuded raw power, growing in size and quantity. The Magik Barrage scroll began to disintegrate as a torrential outpouring of magik—several dozen of magikal spears—accelerated towards the backs of the two Legazz.

“Whoa!” X’s smile widened as a sense of accomplishment rushed through his body. His brain shot chemicals in every direction.

Sensing danger, one of the Legazz turned around and yelled to his slower partner. This soldier easily managed to evade the onslaught of magik, leaping onto the left carriage. The other Legazz attempted to erect a defensive barrier, but it was only half-formed when the barrage of magik struck, shattering the unfinished defensive upon impact. The spell left numerous incisions on his unprotected skin while one sizable magik spear impaled his left shoulder. The elven soldier fell to his knees on the ground, wounded.

With not a moment to spare, K’bula, the self-proclaimed Salamanyd King, landed on the first carriage breaking it in two. “Seize the Seeress!” Three of his henchmen jumped into the central carriage and battled with the Legazz on its roof while three soldiers on the ground defended it.

Two more bandits leaped into the third and fourth carriages. “Take everything!” They shouted, ransacking the chests of the last carriages.

Up close, K’bula appeared monstrous, not in a horrifying sense, but in a larger-than-life presentation, towering above every creature there as a unique being amongst monsters. 

X noticed the Legazz troops gradually gaining ground. Out of K’bula’s twenty-plus underlings, only twelve remained, while the Legazz had eight of their units fighting alongside three combat-ready elven common soldiers.

“Hah! Another elf!” K’bula spotted the redheaded elf standing on a boulder. He opened his jaws wide, conjured a fireball inside his mouth, and launched it towards X. 

“Hell no!” X leaped, hitting the ground as the fireball struck the massive rock he had been standing on, blowing its top into pieces. The redheaded elf crawled towards the gnomes as chunks of stone fell around him. He reached them in time, narrowly avoiding three large fragments that crashed down where he had just been crawling.

“Everyone’s getting pummeled!” Nila shouted, flimsy protected under the central carriage.

“Do we fight for what’s ours?” Mau asked the redheaded elf.

X stared at Nila and Mau. Although their smiling and excited faces already knew the answer, they wanted to hear it. “Always!”

“Bastards won’t know what hit them!” Mau yelled. 

“This is our turf! Our haul! Trash-species will feel our ire!” Nila exclaimed.

The gnomes spurred each other on.

“We need to hop onto one of these carriages and speed off with it!” X knew they had to escape, but not without something worthy of Del’vhario’s reputation.

“Preferably, before one of these flat-brained sub-races escape with what’s our!” Nila chimed in.

Del’vhario members yelled at each other; the screams, explosions, and metal clashes dulled their hearing.

“Which one should we take?” Mau asked.

But before their planning could conclude, the carriage under which they hid began to move.

“Shit! Watch out for the wheels!” Nila shouted.

“Hold on to the carriage!” X yelled to his fellow Del’vhario members at the last moment.

The trio quickly positioned themselves to avoid being crushed under the wheels. As the carriage moved, Nila and Mau grabbed on to a bar behind it with one hand while using their other hands to grip X. The carriage dragged them along the dusty road.

“Take the carriage out of here! We’ll cover your backs!” K’bula yelled to three of his underlings who had commandeered the central carriage as they raced past him. “The Seeress is our priority!”

A second carriage, taken by the bandits, followed the first one.

“Hold him!” Nila yelled at Mau as she climbed onto the back of the carriage and squeezed into a narrow space where two chests were kept. She assisted Mau in bringing X onto that space. “Pull!”

Shouts and magik escaped from the carriage’s roof, where a Legazz, an orc, and a feralis were locked in battle. A second feralis rode one of the sukullas pulling this carriage, guiding it downhill.

“Mau, Nila, go to the front and take hold of the reins,” X shouted at both gnomes.

The gnomes skilfully maneuvered around the carriage. Their small size made them perfect for this task. X held onto the carriage’s edges and walked carefully along its left side. He reached the door, looked inside, and saw three seated figures. They stared back at him, their pointy ears similar to his own, but their skin bore darker shades. A veiled figure sat calmly between a young male and female dark elf. Both of them clutched their sheathed daggers. 

The carriage began shaking. It wasn’t designed for high speeds on an old road littered with pebbles and bumps. Nila and Mau struggled against the bandit at the helm, while the sukullas loped aimlessly. A violent shake caused X to lose his footing, but he managed to insert his arm through the window of the carriage door, holding on to dear life. The door swung open with him hanging onto it.

“Ah! What in tarnation!” X yelled.
 
The redheaded elf held on as tightly as he could, but his grip slipped with each shake. 

“Watch out Ekk’s!” Nila warned him.

Upon hearing the female gnome’s shouts, X turned his gaze to the road ahead. A tree was approaching too fast, too close. He gritted his teeth and managed to recover some of his lost strength, pulling himself close enough to the carriage to find a solid foothold. His arms couldn’t quite finish pulling him in when the tree collided with the door, propelling him inside the carriage.

“Fuuls silun da cu’il oima!” a young female dark elf cried out. “Da cu’il oima!”

“Huh? You talking to me?” X tried to steady his spinning head, his right arm throbbing with pain.

The two dark elves, seated on each side of their veiled VIP, kept shouting at X in their indecipherable language. Yet, their daggers remained sheathed and in place—one hand hovering over the daggers, the other in front of the Seeress. 

“Darn it!” X pressed his hand against his right bicep. The superficial cut bled spectacularly. With his back also hurting, he settled into the empty seats across from the three dark elves. 

The redheaded elf was about to stand up and look out of the window when the orc and the Legazz crashed through the roof and landed in the middle. The orc fell on top of the elven soldier, and slashed his knife at the pinned Legazz who artfully blocked and dodged the stabs. 

“Fucking die! Die!” the orc shouted.

“Luhu’n dalle! Lai da!” the Legazz struggled with the creature on top of him.

The carriage continued its rocky ride, while shouts resounded from the outside. Mau aimed at both feralis and fired at one of them, but the shakes made him miss his target. Meanwhile, Nila tried to calm the panicking sukullas that were pulling them straight ahead into her forest.

“Swerve the carriage! Swerve it fucking now!” Mau yelled at her.

“I’m trying!” 

Inside the carriage, the two dark elves protected the Seeress from the beasts’ forceful intrusion. They remained tense but didn’t join either side of the fight. Growls and fighting noises reverberated throughout the transport. The new passengers barely fit inside, causing the existing occupants to spread out as much as possible in an attempt to avoid the escalating combat. 

X wouldn’t let this opportunity pass and brought out the Chain Lightning scroll. It tingled between his fingers as he hurled it in the direction of the fighting creatures. Without hesitation, he spread his arms wide and commenced reciting the elven words.

“Saccul’hun dahl rien,” the elf’s voice resonated with power, a rush of adrenalin coursed through his delicate veins. Upon hearing his words, the elves turned their sights on him. Their aghast semblances spoke for their horror and shock while the female dark elf yelled, “No! Not this close!” Despite her warning, X completed his casting, uttering the final word, “falun!” An evil grin crept across his face.

Too late to stop him, the two dark elves could only watch in astonishment as the lightning burst forth from the scroll, its devastating force directed at the orc. The jolt seared his back and blasted him through the carriage’s rear. Searching for targets, the lightning jumped over the Legazz’s chest who lay upon the carriage floor.

“Arghhh!” the elven soldier screamed in agony.

Electricity drilled into his muscles. Screams, blood, smoke and the acrid stench of burnt flesh bloomed inside this racing death box. The spell spilled its electricity onto the floor, cracking a hole through which the Legazz soon disappear. The wheels jolted as they encountered his body, crushing his head. Yet, the spell was far from finished. Seeking a new target, the lightning thirsted for more flesh to sear. Its power turned to the to dark elves and the Seeress. The veiled figured chanted magik and her veil floated, revealing the frail and elderly dark elf beneath. Creating her own lightning, she used it to divert the path of the Chain Lightning, nearly tearing the carriage in two. The resulting electrical force was unleashed into the carriage behind them, passing through the sukullas that pulled it and impacting inside. The carriage erupted in an instant, and now a ball of fire came racing down, threatening to engulf them too.

“What the fuck was that!” Mau’s voice came from the front, standing on one sukulla as he battled the two feralis bandits.

“Fuck the reins!” Nila shouted while astride a beast, pulling back with all her might. “Hold on!”

The inertia from the steep slope made it impossible for the beasts to swerve in time, causing them to crash into her forest. The carriage was totaled, but not before ejecting its passengers. X swallowed earth and had a sizable splinter lodged in his left shoulder. Nila and Mau had jumped earlier, resulting in several bruises and cuts. The two young dark elves had protected the Seeress while sustaining minor injuries themselves. Hurt, the two feralis used a tree to come to a stop and landed ungracefully on her grass. 

X saw his pierced, bleeding shoulder and tried to remove the splintered wood, but his strength failed him.

“Ekk’s! On the road!” Nila’s yelling drew X’ attention to the road, where he saw a fireball on wheels headed their way. “Hell!” he shouted.

“Fucking dryad’s gonna mince us for sure this time!” Mau shouted, a gruesome vision invading his mind: his mangled body strewn all over her forest floor.