Zintar sat alone at the top of a tower in his fort. He looked out over Mortis. His homeland was in trouble the bight was coming and few flocked to help them. The Dark Eternals had not really sent the help he was hoping for. Sure a few creatures had appeared to join their ranks. The Phantom Soldiers had helped them push back the magic user's monsters for sure. But as he remembered the last battle they faced he knew one big issue they had. Death could not heal others. Only the hunted spirit could manage to heal himself. But he was slow and fell victim to mighty blows that stopped him from healing himself.
At the last major battle with the blight. They had had numbers. It seemed like the battle would be over fast. Yet every time they had come close to finishing off one of the mighty tanks of the blight waves of healing had saved them. They had to retreat and get a new plan. They only had a few days before they headed out to defend the next stronghold that was being threatened. He had sent messages out to the other mighty house. But no one had reached out. They fear us like fools he thought. Don’t they know we battle this blight as well? The rest of the splinter lands had always stayed away from Mortis. It had made their people strong. But he feared without any support they would fail.
Jarlax burst through the door carrying a book from the library in town. He had a look on his face that Zintar had not seen in a while. One of hope.
“I found it Zintar, the piece that we have been missing. One we didn’t think we needed so we forgot about. The Corrupted Pegasus.”
Jarlax put the book down on the table and opened it to a page that talked about the wars of the past. It went over the issues they had had with the Life and Earth tribes how their healer magic was helping them win the wars. The masters back then had found a way to even the fight. They had found a way to corrupt the pegasus that roamed the plains of Khymeria. The beast became a follower of the Dark Enterals but was still able to heal the front line fighters.
“Jarlax this could work. Are you able to perform the corruption?”
“I believe so Zintar. I want to take a small team with me to try. I know we have a battle coming but I think I can make it in time. The plains of Khymeria are not far from the next battlefield and if we succeed we will be able to ride them to the battlefield to support you.”
“Go now and take ravens to send us messages once you have caught one. If you don’t have time to join us then come back here to prepare for a final stand.”
Jarlax rushed out of the room. Zintar looked out his window in the courtyard he saw a team of warriors waiting for him. No simple group would be able to stand up to that force. He was sure they would get a Pegasus but would it be in time and would the legends int he books be true? Some other legends had failed them in recent years.
Two days had passed and Zintar had not heard anything. It was time for their army to head out. A few more soldiers had joined them from the pits below. The archers had been working on an arrow that could help to deal with healing another way. But it didn’t always would and could be cured. Could the blight have that power also? Either way, the issue now as he was sure his army was outnumbered. Still, they started out ready to face their foe. If it was his time to meet the Dark Eternals he would face them with questions that’s for sure. They had told of a time Mortis would rise to be a might land in the splinterlands. One feared by all. That was not possible if the blight destroyed them.
Zintar had been riding in a wagon saving up all his power. It was going to take every magical summon he had to make this fight close. Jarlax wasn’t there so he was going to have to cover his area of the front line also. They could see the beast of the blight across the field. It was time to show them the might of a summoner of Mortis. He raised his staff and looked deep inside for the darkness that fueled his power. His mind reached out to the gods of the past asking them to lend him power.
Zintar felt the darkness begin to grow the power that flowed into him was new. So they would protect their home. With that, he opened summoning gates all along the front. Minions of Death flowed through them. The Lord of Darkness stood at the front with Haunted Spirts by their sides. It was more than Zintar had every summons in the past but far. He started to think that they could win. When he looked over again at the monsters of the blight he became unsure. Their numbers just seemed to have no end.
The battle started as they had in the past. Death’s forces pushing back the blight. Most of their minions were weak. It was the numbers that caused issues. His front end fighters would defeat many of them before they fell but they would fall over time. The archers had turned the tied with their arrows. The mighty beast that had been healed could be killed now but still, he wasn’t sure who would win the day.
Then a Raven landed on his shoulder. It caught off guard and he almost killed it before he saw the message it carried. It had Jarlax seal. He opened it right away. They had succeeded and were on the way to the battlefield. Zinar looked at the Raven it was from the keep. That means the message was sent there before being sent here. That means they should be close. At that moment he saw summoning gates open along the front lines. Reinforcements came through and joined the fight. Zintar turned and saw the group approaching riding Pegasuses that whereas dark as night. The spread out behind the front lines and provided amazing sport not just healing but landing strong blows but escaping before they could be attacked.
Zinter watched as the battle start to swing in their favor. Even though the blight sent more and more monsters forward they could not do enough damage to bring down the Lords of Darkness anymore. They started to cut deeper into the blights forces. Then something happened that Zintar had never seen before. The blight retreated. He didn’t think that was possible. They seemed like a group of mindless beast driven mad by something. But mindless soldiers don’t retreat. He pushed forward as fast as he could. As they pushed deep he caught a glimpse of something that stunned him. Riding a beast that leads the pack was a summoner. Zintar had seen staffs like those in his school years ago. So someone is behind the blight. That means we can win.
That night back at the keep Zintar look down at the letter he had written to the other lands. Why should I help them he thought? All of them didn’t answer my calls. Maybe I should let the blight destroy them and then we can rule all of the splinter lands. But he had only seen one summoner Could it be possible one man summoned that army? What power that person must have. He knew wars waged in all lands. No, I have to tell them to make sure that if they all turn against Mortis that we have a chance at support. The letters sent out the next day and he waited to see what would happen.
A letter arrived that morning from Azmare. He could tell that from the color of the wax but the seal was different. Zintar started to read and a smile was hidden inside his hood.
“Zintar many doubt your claims but I have seen these summoners also. I will not allow the fear others hold of your land to stop us from working together to stop these people. I offer a partnership until the blight is stopped.”
It was signed “The Ruler of the Sea” Zintar ha heard of that young mage. He was the reason Azmare had won a few battles vs the blight. He had become a leader of the Water people. Zintar knew now that his homeland would not stand alone. He looked out his window as he wrote his reply. Now we will start to take the fight to them.
