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A distant howling in the night sky raised the rusty-orange feathers on the back of Ta'vi's neck. He had hoped that it was his nervous imagination, but Kree'arra, Skree, and Kilisa also heard it. The howl subsided, and the flapping of the wings of the Aviansies over the badlands of Troll Country took on a nervous tone.
No troll could make that noise. It can only be a demon, Ta’vi thought.
“We've got company,” Skree said, with a gulp. “Zamorakians.”
“Standby for defensive maneuvers,” Kree'arra barked with a click of his beak. “We'll try to avoid the Zamorakians if we can. I don't want a fight; we absolutely must deliver this Godsword to Armadyl.”
GRRROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRR!!!
“I've heard that voice before,” Kilisa remarked with a tremor in her voice. The echoes of the roar rang through the canyons.
She's nervous, Ta'vi thought, grasping his shortstaff with both hands. No...could it be...?
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
Dark, red shadows suddenly rose, one by one, with loud, leathery, almost raspy gasps of air. Glowing, malevolent eyes below curled horns pierced seemingly into Ta'vi's very being. There was no denying it – these demons had been lying in wait.
“Ambush!” Geerin screeched.
“Top speed, forward! Ten degrees up!” Kree'arra shouted.
These demons usually have a hard time with flying, Ta'vi observed. But I can tell that these demons are good fliers, too. Someone's trained them for this.
The demons rose in the air, making a pincer formation as they went. Their features became more clear as balls of fire formed in their hands.
“Break and attack!” Kree'arra barked. “Punch a hole through!”
Wind spells clashed with the fireballs, lighting the sky up with flashes of vermillion. Kree'arra accelerated and slammed one of the demons head-on, then blasted it with a wind spell from his wings, before unsheathing the Godsword and slicing its head off in one fluid motion.
With his shortstaff in his left hand, Ta'vi withdrew a javelin from the holster on his back, approaching one of the central demons as he did so. He flapped his wings hard, sailing above the two fire balls it flung, before tossing the javelin and casting a wind spell, forming a whirlwind around the javelin and accelerating it, right into the demon's throat. It gargled with bulged eyes as it dropped to the canyon below, flaring up and exploding.
Other conflagrations signaled the other Aviansies' successes in fighting the demons, who had been reduced to ashes and smoke.
The air fell silent for only a second before Kilisa shouted, “Don't celebrate just yet,” as she circled back around.
Four large shadows, much larger than any of the demons they had just slain, approached menacingly. More and more stars vanished behind them at their approach.
“It's K'ril Tsutsaroth!” Skree cried out.
“Retreat!” Kree'arra shouted. “North! NOW!”
The entire squadron took a sharp turn to the north.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
K'ril let out the loudest battle cry yet, then growled, “After them! We shall take that sword after we pluck them!”
Scree! A pained cry rang out, as one of the rear guard Aviansies fell victim to a swing of one of K'ril's cleavers.
“There!” shouted Oro'ki, pointing at some abandoned ruins in a basin below.
Kree'arra nodded, and shouted, “In there! I'll hold them off. Ta'vi, Kilisa, Skree, with me!”
Geerin and Oro'ki led the other dozen Aviansies toward the ruins. They opened the stone doors to the abandoned temple, and the others rushed in one by one. Once all the Aviansies were in, Geerin and Oro'ki looked on, javelins and staff firmly in hand and wings tensed.
“You don't deserve to wield that weapon,” K'ril laughed in his awful, guttural tone. “I knew you were a simpering weakling, Kree'arra, but I didn't take you for a fool. Give that blade to me, and I'll consider allowing you continue to pollute my air.”
“I do not presume to have the honor of wielding the Godsword, K'ril Tsutsaroth,” Kree'arra spat back as the four Aviansies and demons circled over the temple. “But I was told to do what I must to make sure this blade makes it to Armadyl. I intend to do just that, even if I must use it myself.”
“I will skin you alive, whelp. And my underlings?” K'ril paused as one of his bodyguards cackled menacingly. “They'll be less kind to yours when I'm done. ATTACK!” K'ril roared.
“GET BACK!” Kree'arra shouted with a mighty flap of his wings. A gust of air blasted the three of K'ril's guards, nearly sending them flying into K'ril, who deftly dove. Behind K'ril, the minions disentangled themselves and formed back up behind him.
“I don't think so,” K'ril growled. He lunged towards Kree'arra, swinging both cleavers from left to right, aiming directly for Kree'arra's throat. With a whish!, Kree'arra blocked and parried with the Godsword.
Ta'vi would have loved to watch his superior officer take on the most feared enemy general, but a glow in his peripheral vision warned him to be more vigilant. He dove, evading dual fireballs, blazing, bright blasts powerful enough to level whole buildings. K'ril's mage-guard cackled and dove after Ta'vi, flinging more fireballs. Ta'vi dodged and weaved, and the fireballs slammed into the valley, erupting and fading instantly.
Let's show him what I can do, Ta'vi thought.
Using his wind magic, Ta'vi boosted himself away from even more of the fiery projectiles, gracefully positioning himself for the perfect throw. However, this demon was too fast for that. Ta'vi had no choice but to blast as much wind power as he could towards this demon, just to block the massive fireball that spurted forth from the demon's hands. In his peripheral vision, Ta'vi could see that Kilisa was exercising her aerobatics to ward off and evade the icicle-javelins of one demon, and that Skree was expending maximum effort to hold off the relentless clawing of the third demon, pounding it with orb after orb of dull blue, which it batted at with the metal claws. Kree'arra and K'ril, meanwhile, were trading parries and swings to no avail, sparks flashing and flying like a frenetic lightning storm.
Stalemate, Ta'vi remarked, dodging yet another fireball. This one just keeps on coming!
Ta'vi dodged and weaved past another series of skyward fireballs. Then, an opening presented itself: the mage-demon was clearly charging for a more powerful strike. K'ril, meanwhile, was exposed completely to Ta'vi.
That's it!
Aiding himself with another wind spell, Ta'vi ascended far above the fray. A wave of flame burst forth, but flew harmlessly away from the fight into the sky. With the moon at his back, Ta'vi closed his wings and pointed himself directly at K'ril. He subtly raised a javelin, dove at a blindingly fast speed – too fast even for the mage-demon, who howled as he frantically threw more blasts – and at the last second, unfurled his wings, cast an air spell, and released the javelin, aiming for the center of K'ril's exposed back.
Damn! Ta'vi thought. The javelin flew down like a meteor and struck K'ril directly in his lower knee. K'ril howled in pain, but still managed to parry what should have been a deadly swing by Kree'arra.
Though K'ril did not signal a retreat, he did so nonetheless. Kilisa punched the strange icicle-throwing demon, but barely missed her follow-up swing at his throat. Skree, meanwhile, struck a blow directly at the chest of his opponent, who was wildly swinging his claws but never managing reach him. K'ril's three escort demons snarled and followed their wounded leader while Ta'vi, Kilisa, and Skree formed up with Kree'arra.
“ARCHERS! MARK! FIRE!” K'ril bellowed as he flew away, his guards accompanying his retreat.
What?! Ta'vi thought, dumbfounded.
“Storms, align to us!” Kree'arra shouted.
Ta'vi gasped in horror as all along the cliff sides, men in red garbs suddenly stood up, each holding a longbow. Measuredly, they each knocked and released an arrow.
Before those arrows could reach the Aviansies, however, multicolored storms surrounded them, deflecting the arrows away. Kree'arra was hovering in place, clearly in deep concentration.
“FEEL ARMADYL'S POWER!” Kree'arra screeched. The strange vortices flung out in every direction away from the Aviansies, toward the archers. Thunderous explosions and what may have been screaming rang out across the basin.
“Quickly!” Kree'arra rasped, as the echoes rolled throughout the badlands. “In!”
“Affirmative,” Ta'vi said with a salute.
The four Aviansies dove and gracefully landed at the temple.
“General!” Geerin shouted.
“We are fine. But we don't have much time. They'll bring reinforcements very soon. Take defensive positions in the temple. We need reinforcements of our own,” Kree'arra said, straightening himself. “Ta'vi,” he said sternly. “I've asked much of you in this war...”
“You want me to deliver the Godsword myself?” Ta'vi asked apprehensively.
“No,” Kree'arra said curtly. “We're too beaten to be able to do that right now. I need you to go to the others. To the Council at the Empyrean Citadel, to Zilyana, and even to Graardor, much as I'd rather not involve that brute. We're pinned down here. Armadyl only knows how many trolls the Zamorakians have managed to turn, and how many more Zamorakian archers and demons are poised to shoot us down. You're the fastest among us. Now go!” From a pouch, Kree'arra handed air runes to Ta'vi.
“With Armadyl's grace,” Ta'vi said, clutching a fist over his chest, “I will be the wind that delivers our message.”
“For thy task is lawful, may the blessing of Armadyl be upon thee,” Oro'ki said, her sooty round face bearing a solemn expression.
With a short bow to Oro'ki and a salute to Kree'arra, Ta'vi took off, wings wide, above the clouds, to the southeast, a plea for help and a prayer to Armadyl on his tongue.