Read Paradon: An Unexpected Chronicle Page 5

started beating their weapons against their shields and gave a loud war cry. The Humans were now going to give the beasts a hell of a fight. The beasts began their elaborate taunts on the Humans and Aldor bellowed a terrifying loud roar that infused his troops to fight. He raised his Warhammer into the air and the beasts themselves unleashed blood curdling roars. The roars of the beasts were extremely terrifying and creepy. Aldor ordered his stone throwers to begin a heavy bombardment on the Human troops, to his surprise, the Humans automatically began to spread out to minimise the damage done to them by these weapons. The Humans then returned fire by using their more powerful artillery, catapults and onagers to fling deadly flaming rocks into the densely packed and less agile beast force. After this brief skirmish, the beasts with their leader at the front, charged at the Humans and the signal was given to the Wyverns and Gargoyles to scale the walls and eliminate the deadly accurate archers perched on them. These archers lit their arrows and began rapid fired at the winged beasts, many arrows could hit their targets, sending many of these winged beasts to come crashing down on their own troops. Aldor had under estimated the tenacity and resourcefulness of the Humans.

  The Gargoyles and Wyverns still managed to cause great casualties to the archers and a few got into the city, however inside the city they were met with unexpected resistance from armed Human citizens, women and children armed with clubs, pitchforks, spears and bows were putting up a struggle. Meanwhile outside the city the highly decisive land battle raged on, and the Humans were being pushed back by these larger and more numerous adversaries which included Lumbre. He was observed by Henriet and his troops, hacking and slashing at the other Humans with an indescribable anger. The unsuccessful winged beasts were recalled and reorganised and used hit and run tactics on the infantry. Though they did manage to disable the catapults in the city that were firing over the walls, before ending their unsuccessful raid inside Ohith.

  When all hope seemed to be lost, the gates opened, and the citizens of Ohith ran out to join their fathers, brothers, sons, and husbands. The Humans, simply refused to give up and threw everything they had into the fray. Aldor continued his relentless attacks on the Humans, frantically trying to break them for good. Both he and Henriet were in the thick of the battle, fighting alongside their soldiers, continuously spurring them on and encouraging them to fight.

  The battle goes on into the early evening but the men and beasts were still fighting. Human and beast corpses lay motionless all over the ground, turned into nothing but obstacles those that were still alive had to negotiate around while fighting. In the chaos of the battle, Aldor spotted Henriet, the two locked eyes once more and the beast charged at him. Spearing his opponent, he turned to face a beast that is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of both beasts and people. Aldor rushed to meet him and they stood face to face, the beast towered over Henriet who stood his ground against such a terrifying monster. Aldor began the duel to death by swinging his hammer, the swift and skilled Human warrior, moved back and crouched to dodge, after crouching, he plunged his spear into the unprotected belly of Aldor, the beats roared in pain and dropped his hammer, furthered angered he breaks this spear into with the metal tip still lodged in his gut, he swiftly raised the spear and smacked down onto Henriet, causing him to collapse as the immense strength of Aldor was too much to bear even with a strong helmet made in Unodos. The beast hurriedly grabbed his Warhammer and attempted to crush him, Henriet the grabbed a dropped shield and managed to stop the hammer from hitting him, the hammer got stuck as it made a hole in the shield, just an inch more could have proved fatal for Henriet. He then drew his sword and went straight for the chest of Aldor, he lodged his sword into the chest of Aldor, who soon dropped his weapon, with his weakening strength, he wrapped his hands around Henriet’s neck which would have instantly killed him if not for the around his neck. With his last ounce of strength, he pushed the sword deeper into the beast’s chest, Aldor’s head fell backwards and he then lost balance and slumped to the ground, bringing Henriet down with him. Who watched the life fade away from the dark eyes of this beast, Aldor was at last slain. He then drew his sword from the dead beast’s chest and with one clean swing, decapitated his head.

  Witnessing the Orc king die at the hands of a Human, the remanence of the beasts lacked the discipline to continue fighting this battle, soon the great army of beasts broke and ran in their vast numbers, while the Humans mercilessly fired their arrows into the disorganised mass of routing beasts. Some of the archers continued to fire after they were issued orders to stop, they were doing it out of revenge, a trait the Humans will never cease to have. The Humans stood on the battlefield after winning decisive victory which ended the Great Tri War. However, one remained fighting, it was Lumbre, one of Henriet’s elite guard hit the man with a mace and he fell to the ground, another soldier came behind him and put his sword onto his neck, that soldier’s name was Wilmot Walter. The guard was waiting for his king to signal his death. “Help me die King of Humans, help me” pleaded Lumbre. “No I will not, throw this one into the jail,” said Henriet furiously. As soon as Henriet turned his back, Lumbre swiftly drew a dagger and stabbed the arm of Wilmot that held the sword to his neck, forcing him to drop it. Lumbre then turned around and kicked Wilmot backwards, onto the ground, the dagger still lodged in his arm. With the sword, Wilmot dropped, he drove into an incoming soldier’s stomach, which ended up killing him. It had taken place incredibly fast, Henriet, tired and bleeding picked up a crossbow and shot a bolt straight at Lumbre as he tried to flee the battlefield. Unfortunately, due to the state Henriet was in, he was unable to land a deadly hit, the bolt however pierced Lumbre’s calf. Miraculously he kept running, a horseman rushed him with a spear to finish him off, when the soldier on horseback thrusted his spear, the now runaway blocked it, grabbed it and with all his might he pushed the soldier of the horse and then he immediately got on the panicking horse. With a spiked whip, he forced the horse forward and he rode off and away from the battlefield, evading capture by the Humans.

  After recovering from the battle at Ohith they lead their coalition forces into the Kingdom of Unodos as the beasts still occupied this kingdom. However, the remaining beasts there had low morale after such a crushing defeat and the death of their leader. The Humans invaded Unodos and then marched into the capital city, Maredos, the beasts were driven out of the north and out of the land of the Humans for good. They now stand divided once again and would return to their lives prior to the war. Greatly indebted to Henriet, the Unodites crowned him as the new king of Unodos, making him King of Unodos and Hetheil, though Henriet was not keen in holding this position.

  The war has finally ended and the Humans now focus their energies on rebuilding the battered Kingdom of Unodos and recovering from the war. Later that same year in Ohith, Elia had given birth to two boys, they named the first of the pair Allan. Their second son was born just moments later. Tragically, she died after giving birth to this second son, his father named him Elis. His wife’s death would be his final sacrifice. Henriet would never take another bride, his love for Elia had been strong and it broke his heart to see her die. For the many years to come during the birthdays of the two princes, Henriet mourned the death of his beloved wife rather than celebrate the birth of his sons. Peace would follow these dark and discerning times, as a reward to the people for persevering through so much of suffering. A long-awaited period of peace, the battles the Humans have fought with the beasts and each other, came to a halt after the Great Tri War. The Humans were united, no longer having border conflicts with one another but as clients and allies.

  The boys would grow up without a mother, just a wise and strong father posing as a parent. Wilmot the Elder, was like a second father to them, since they could talk he had been their loyal mentor and teacher, he was very strict as he took his position seriously as the mentor of the princes. He never had children, he never had the time, he had spent nearly his entire life in the army otherwise he would
be spending time on inventing, at times he was historian and other times a writer. He was well informed, he had travelled to all the Human kingdoms and even was involved in military campaigns in the south and Doomenheim, the land of the beasts. An interesting character he was, he had no respect or love for his own life, he valued all but himself and he had devoted it to serving the Kingdom of Hetheil and Humanity. He was tasked to pass on his great knowledge to the young princes and other children with high nobility to produce capable leaders for the future of the kingdom.

  Chapter 1: Pinnacle

  Every year saw the people of Hetheil, celebrating the births of Allan Reeve and Elis Reeve. These royal birthdays were always extravagant in this kingdom’s society. The boys were now leaving childhood and beginning their teenage ascent to manhood. Colourful decorations would line the streets, men and women would dancing in the square of Ohith, commemorating passing of years for the princes. The villagers of the more rural areas