Chronicles of Fardel: The Rise of Syphon

Kephiyr woke in the early dawn, a fog was in thick on the ground. Bear was now three and a half feet tall, in the last three years Parlon has been finished. Now is the time for the war to begin he thought. He looked toward the reinforced gate, it had taken so much time to to finish. He almost felt remorse for this base he had ruled for the last three years. However, sacrifices must be made in war in order for victory to be achieved.

He wrote instructions down explaining that dwarves needed to come. Burn down Parlon, and "assassinate" him.

"Bear come here. It's time for this to begin."

"What is my mission?"

"No need to be so serious. Your mission is to take this letter to Feldor at Omar. Be quick as possible, but above all be safe. I'm rather fond of you."

"Rather fond? Why don't you just say I love you?"

"Okay I love you. Seriously be safe and come back to me."

"I will don't you worry"

Kephiyr strapped the letter around her collar and opened the gate. Bear bolted out the door running as fast as she could. Nearly as fast as a horse.

"What are you doing?" Doon asked Kephiyr after he shut the gate.

"Sending Bear to deliver a message. Now that the treaty is passed I suspect something soon. Parlon isn't the strongest, and thanks to Kelpon we've made enemies. Both Wolden and Omar have been injured by us stopping trade between the two."

"Yeah I know, we may have some issues."

"Some issues? We have a mere one thousand men. We're smack dab in the middle of two enemies, both of which we've pissed off."

"How long do you think it will be before we get aide?"

"A week maybe, that's being generous. That's assuming Melek has troops ready to send, and he sends them immediately."

"Do you think we have that long to wait?"

"I hope so, but all the same I want double guards on the wall. From here on out. I want guards on the walls at all times."

"Shall we sound the wake up call perhaps, get the troops up and ready?"

"Yes, man the wall and I want everyone else training. At lunch we will switch shifts. Again at dinner, and again at ten. First day shift starts at five."

"A little excessive?"

"We're on high alert now, I expect an attack. That's what I would do if I was them."

"I don't know, I figured we would make the first offensive."

"The jarl of Omar is Delador, Feldor's father, need I say more?"

"You're right."

"I want Abah and Abeh on the first watch, they have the best eyes. They also know the dwarves fairly well."

Phex and Cipher stood in the midst, they had been watching over Kephiyr.

"It's a dangerous game that Kephiyr is playing. Kelpon doesn't take kindly to traitors." Phex said as he looked on the soldiers coming and going.

"Would you rather he was on Kelpon's side? Much must be risked in war."

"Yes, but to risk the chosen. Wouldn't it be safer to keep him hidden?"

"Indeed, but the enemy would find him. And what good is a knight that doesn't fight?"

"I know, it's just, especially after the attempt in the forest... you know the enemy is just looking for an opportunity."

"Yes, they are and I need you and every eye I can searching for the mysterious necromancer. His sorceries went even further then we normally see. I have a feeling he's not your average wizard or orc shaman. He couldn't have been long in the forest, he wasn't well rooted. Have our scouts said if he has returned?"

"No, he's just vanished, nobody has seen him since he entered that portal."

"It just doesn't make sense, a portal has to lead somewhere. And why is it we couldn't use the portal?"

"Unless the portal crossed not only space but also time, or maybe it's a dimensional portal."

"Now your grasping at straws, we know he doesn't have a dimensional portal. However, perhaps a time portal would make sense. Though it wouldn't explain why we couldn't use it."

"Maybe he's much more powerful than even you are aware of."

"If that's the case, why run?"

"I don't know, I just know he prevented us from pursuing and evaded us. How many people have you known to do that?"

"None, not a single one. That's why it bothers me. We need to send troops across the timeline to search for him. The primary focus is Kephiyr's life, be sure nothing is altered."

"Yes sir, shall I go as well?"

"No, I need you here just send my orders to our top one hundred men."

After two days Bear came back and Kephiyr opened the gate for her.

"Are they on their way?" Kephiyr asked her.

"Yes, they'll be here by morning."

"Good girl, I'm glad you're safe." Kephiyr gave her some jerky and water.

"Of course I'm safe, what could they do to me? Or why would they?"

"Not them per say, wild beasts."

"Ha no way I'm strong. And I got better weapons and armor than you."

"I just worry about you, I love you."

"Awe shucks, you don't need to worry, I'm virtually an unstoppable force."

"But, on the off chance that..."

"Stop! You need to prepare."

"Everything is prepared, the letter stated that Doon, Abah, and Abeh are supposed to be allowed to escape. I'm supposed to be "assassinated" Parlon burns to the ground."

"Just be ready to take a hit, and make it at least look like you're trying."

"I will, now then let's have a late dinner and get to bed. We got a long day tomorrow."

The next morning Kephiyr woke to the sound of the trumpet. Doon, Abah, and Abeh were already on the wall.

"Who is it!?" Kephiyr shouted running up toward them.

"Dwarves, they've surround us and they outnumber us."

"How many are they?"

"At least three to one, and they have artillery. Which I'm sad to say we don't yet. Our artillery was supposed to arrive with our reinforcements."

"I was hoping they'd get here first. Why are they not attacking? Why are they marching just out of bowshot?"

At that moment the dwarves began playing a haunting tune as they marched.

"Everyone off the wall! Stay away from the buildings!" Kephiyr shouted and the color drained from his face.

"What is it?" Abah asked as he climbed down.

"Do you remember the battle of Tukor, how the dwarves started that battle?" Abah's face turned white, and he shouted all the more.

"Everyone off the wall!"

The men scrambled off the walls as fast as they could, while the tune gradually got faster. Then suddenly it stopped.

"Take cover!" Kephiyr shouted.

Catapults fired on all sides at once and smashed into Parlon. The mess hall was completely destroyed, obviously the main target. The archer towers at the four corners were also destroyed.

"The tune of death." Abeh said as the tune began again.

"Search the rubble for any salvageable food! Smart little bastards, took out our food supply first. Take away our energy source, they can just wait us out if they want." Kephiyr said.

"We should escape through the tunnel!" Doon said as the tune picked up pace again.

"No, we make our stand here, this is where the war begins. We need to make a statement by our stand here." Kephiyr said, the others looked questionable at him.

"With all due respect sir, we're outnumbered by a lot. They have artillery we don't." Abeh said.

The tune ended and more stones smashed into Parlon, mostly aimed at their sleeping quarters.

"Man the wall quickly they'll be coming in for an attack!" Kephiyr shouted.

Archers manned the walls along with Abah, Abeh, and Doon. Kephiyr stayed on the ground to oversee the whole battlefield as commander.

"What are they doing?" Kephiyr shouted up while he assembled another couple lines of archers inside the walls.

"Getting ready to mount an attack by the looks of it!" Abah shouted.

"As soon as they're within bowshot, fire at will!" Kephiyr shouted back and prepared his archers for a volley fired across every side.

The sound of bowstrings filled the air as the dwarves lead the main charge. Ladders attacked the walls of Parlon, and Kephiyr let loose his volley. Abah blocked a blow from an axe and hit the dwarf with the pummel of his sword. After knocking him senseless he threw him the twenty feet to the ground. Blocking another blow he beheaded the dwarf and slashed another through the heart. A dwarf knocked him to the ground and stood over him with a Warhammer. But before he could get the killing blow an arrow from Kephiyr killed him.

"I don't know how long we can stand against them!" Abah shouted down.

"As long as we can, then we retreat."

"Whatever you say boss man."

Doon shot a dwarf through the throat then taking up his sword he cut a dwarf in half. Blocking three blows he attempted to kill the dwarf to no avail.

"I don't think we covered this in basic training!" Doon yelled down while attempting to fight off two dwarves. Kephiyr shot one of the two. Doon used the other dwarfs momentary distraction to sever his leg. Then he climbed down the wall and joined Kephiyr.

"I think I'll stay down here, I'm not ready for that." Doon said firing his bow.

Abeh severed a dwarfs arm followed by his leg. Bringing his sword up he blocked a bow and kicked the dwarf toward Abah who stabbed him through the chin with a long knife. Abeh then another through the heart and beheaded a third.

"They're falling back!" Abah shouted as the sun was setting.

"They're just biding their time, this isn't over yet. They'll most likely attack tonight." Kephiyr said.

"We need to regroup, and prepare." Abeh said.

"Bring the men down, I'll go over the plan for our final stand." Kephiyr said and all but a few left the walls.

"First of all, Doon you wait in the main hall and have the trap door ready for our escape. Prepare to set fire to the building so they can't follow us. Men on the wall, under cover of darkness the enemy will not see you. Wait to strike until they're halfway up the ladders. This will lure them into a false hope that we have surrendered. Unleash a volley at that point, each man firing three shots. Then abandon the walls and prepare to escape. How many men do we have left?"

"We're at a little less then half our original strength. We took a hard hit today sir." Abah said.

"Okay, they'll be in here pretty quick, so when you abandon the wall if you can't immediately get to the exit, hide close to the wall. When the dwarves enter the main circle, I will call for attack. Anyone not already at the exit kill one dwarf and make a break for it." Kephiyr said.

As the night closed in the men waited having no light at all. Then the dwarves began coming, carrying torches and ladders. But no attack came. The dwarves looked up at the walls confused and skeptical. Even as they began to ascend and no counter attack came they began to be hopeful. Until suddenly Abah's voice rang out.

"Volley!" Each man fired three arrows and the dwarves made a short lived retreat. The men abandoned the wall but only fifty were able to reach the tunnel. Not long after the gate and walls were on fire and the dwarves came rushing in like a wave killing all in their path.

"Attack!" Kephiyr shouted and his remaining men charged the Dwarven ranks. They didn't last long however, most didn't even kill a single dwarf. Kephiyr crossed blades with Feldor in the middle of the fray.

"Are you still on our side Kephiyr?" Feldor asked searching his eyes.

"I am."

"Then order the retreat."

"Retreat! Retreat!" Kephiyr shouted and the few remaining men retreated, though the now enraged dwarves didn't allow them to. Feldor punched Kephiyr in the face and used his axe to lift him off the ground, being careful not to cut him, and threw him to the ground. Abah and Abeh saw it and Feldor walked out the gate as Parlon burned around him. However, Abah and Abeh rallied a few men and Abeh rescued Kephiyr packing him on his shoulder toward the tunnel. Kephiyr wanted to shout out to put him down, but he couldn't think of a logical reason why he should. They barred the door and crept down the tunnel throwing a torch on some fuel to burn the building down behind them. Upon a few feet in the tunnel Kephiyr coughed and Abeh dropped him in shock.

"Kephiyr! You're alive, I thought I was carrying a corpse."

"Just superficial wounds. My armor took the brunt of it." He said trying to hide his disappointment. The trip through the tunnel was miserable with only limited food and water. Only fifty of his men, his close friends, and Bear made it to Zolon alive.