Back in the south at the ruined city in which the valley Rodes lived, the chieftainess had Lorserv stay behind for questioning while Osar was taken and locked away.
She needed to confirm his story from Lorserv especially since he didn't reveal much in the first place.
Since Lorserv was unconscious, she and the other valley Rodes present in the hall had no choice but to wait for him to reawaken.
Thankfully this didn't take long and his scaly eyelids soon began to flutter as he struggled to open his eyes.
"Argh." He groaned in pain, his injuries still very far from healing.
Once he fully opened his eyes and realized where he was, he felt his heart sink. The moment he had showed signs of waking up, numerous valley Rodes had already surrounded him and had their weapons out, ready to strike him down should he attempt anything.
Lorserv knew the dire straits he was in, but the fact he was still alive meant they saw some value in him, or at least he hoped that was the case.
He soon turned his attention to the being that looked to be the leader.
The chieftainess frowned at his gaze and looked angrier than anyone else as she looked down at him from her mat above the stairs. "I am T'kar, the chieftainess of this generation of valley Rodes. Having lived so long, you should be well aware of the wrongs you've committed towards us… Lorserv of the Drakar."
A frown appeared on Lorserv's face but he was helpless to argue or resist whatever verdict they would reach regarding him. He was well aware of what he had done in the past and had no regrets at all, if he did, it would've been he and the others failure to completely rule over both the northern and southern Komi.
For someone in his current position, no answer was better than any answer, so just kept his head down and looked pitiful. This gained him no remorse though and T'kar went on to ask.
"The one who brought you here claimed that the tulsa are responsible for this pitiful state of yours. Is that true? Are they back? What really happened?"
T'kar had a tone of impatience when she spoke, this wasn't understood by many of the valley Rodes present. How could they? Even among the Drakar, all except the olden ones were aware of the past between Komi and tulsa.
Lorserv could understand her concern all to well. He cursed at himself for underestimating the tulsa simply because the Komi reigned victorious in whatever conflict occurred in the past.
But judging from T'kar's mannerisms, it was also likely she knew far more than he did in regards to them.
With few options open to him, Lorserv had no choice but to answer what was asked of him.
He did so truthfully because in his mind, his survival now dependent on the valley Rodes. The more they knew the better his chances… provided they didn't kill him themselves that is.
Lorserv knew his life was already on the line so he could only cling to the slim chances open to him.
Even as he spoke about Aron and his group, he made sure their terrifying power was known to T'kar and everyone present.
Perhaps if they were desperate enough, they could let him fight with them. His condition was terrible and he would likely be of no help in a fight, but to Lorserv, every moment of life he bought himself mattered.
By the time he finished answering, fear had crept into the hearts of many who heard him speak. It was only natural after all, the enemy was not only powerful but also little was known about them.
To go against such a force, the lose of many lives was a guarantee. Lorserv inwardly smiled at his success in making them feel concern over the threat of the tulsa.
What was left now was for him to hear his fate, if they wanted to kill him then he could just plead for his life and offer to fight for them when the time comes.
It wasn't even a guarantee that Aron and the others would come south so in his mind, he could even make a full recovery while still feigning weakness. The moment they let their guard down, he would launch an escape.
A clever plan if any, but sadly, in the next moment it already began to fall apart.
"Chieftainess!"
"Chieftainess!"
The cries of male valley Rode echoed in the hall and ended the brief silence that had taken over.
All turned in the direction of the voice and saw panic stricken male breathing heavily by the entrance, his face covered in sweat.
"What is it?" T'kar asked with a frown. She and everyone else knew that whatever it was the male came to say, it wasn't good.
They could only hope it wasn't what currently concerned them most. Alas, it was. "Hundreds, no thousands of Drakar have been spotted in the skies north from here. It won't be long until they reach our settlement."
T'kar's frown turned heavier and she glanced at Lorserv with rage. "You dare try to fool me then attack my people!?"
The immediate thought of all the valley Rodes was that Lorserv had some part in all this. After all, didn't he claim the majority of his kind were either killed or displaced?
"No, this isn't me, it isn't us, they are likely fleeing…" Even Lorserv didn't understand what was going on, but he had to plead for his life in some way.
Unfortunately for him, the sequence of events just didn't favor him, thus T'kar could not bring herself to believe in his words.
"End his life and the other one's! And send scouts to warn the other races… we may be at war with the north."
Following her command, all the armed valley Rodes present brandished their weapons and attacked the weak Lorserv.
"No wait-Arck!" His attempts to plead were cut short as numerous spears penetrated his body in all directions.
He began losing blood at an alarming rate, he couldn't muster the strength to speak. His eyes also lost their color as his vision became blurry.
The only thing his mind could register were the sounds around him. Valley Rodes yelling at him to die, driving their spears deeper as they did so.
It didn't take long for his eyelids to grow too heavy for him to keep open. No matter how resilient he tried to be, no matter how much he tried to struggle, his body wouldn't move.
It was a situation beyond hopeless… and there was no escape for him, this was truly his end.
Eyes shut and body lifeless, Lorserv, an existence feared and hailed as one of the strongest Komi's alive, had finally died.
Despite his death though, no one in the hall looked the least bit pleased. How could they when a threat was lurking at their door?
T'kar only glanced at his lifeless corpse with regret, regret that she couldn't make him suffer for all that he had done. But such was the way of the things, in the end the safety of her people came first.
"Have our best archers gather at the front walls! The others should find high points to position themselves. The Drakar will attempt to attack from the skies, so any gap in our defenses could lead to our demise! Have the young migrate into this hall as well…"
T'kar continued to bark orders in preparation for the approaching Drakar, not realizing the real threat wasn't in the skies above, but lurking in the woodlands north east of their settlement.
Within that woodland, Aron could be seen leaning against a tree at the edge of the forest casually. His gaze directed at the large ruined city in the far distance.
"Well? Did they fall of it?" Without turning his gaze, he posed this question to Rose who was resting under a tree, away from the rain while inspecting the images her scouter had just brought back.
After a brief silence, she gave Aron the answer he wanted to hear. "They have, it looks like they are focusing their forces to the front of the city and high vantage points."
"Predictable."
Before entering into southern territory, Aron separated from the Drakar and had them lead by Greile, Amarr and Mikaa in the skies.
To ensure they didn't try to flee, Aron had Rorguvv stay behind at the highlands with their young and eggs. They had no choice but to fight.
While they approached from the front in the skies above, the enemy would become alert and focus on that threat, leaving other parts of the settlement vulnerable to attack from Aron and his main group, Rose, Evanora and Jagu.
Attacking upfront with no strategy was foolish, even if he had the advantage of power. The Drakar were now his tools, if he could, he would prefer a result in which the loses were minimal on both sides.
The best way to accomplish that? Sneaking in and attacking from within. The enemy leader needed to either be killed or made to submit for the battle to end quickly.
While pondering an exact plan of action, Aron had another point presented to him by Rose.
"It seems they're evacuating their young and weak towards the main building. That should make it the most ideal place to target." She suggested.
Aron who was helmless turned his head back at her and gave a slight nod. "The Komi put great value in their own kind, especially the young. Its what makes their ties to one another so strong. But, its also their greatest weakness."
As he said that, Aron moved his gaze to Jagu as if trying to hint at something. Jagu was clueless at the time but he etched those words into his heart.
"I will remember that."
RECENTLY UPDATES
Eastern
4.5
