Harthas Bird Prequel 3
The sixty or so Aviati that engaged Droigan's army had no intentions of resorting to unorthodox tactics, and indeed they had no reason to. Most of the human commanders were impaled in a few minutes, and the mercenaries fell into chaos quite quickly. An unexpected development was the difficulty the Wing-Demons had in killing the large, dark-haired man who appeared to be in charge of the mercenaries. Harthas Droigan was far more nimble than his size would suggest. One Alu warrior, after two earlier misses, finally struck the big man and was convinced he would fall. When she turned to confirm her kill, however, she discovered that Droigan was not only alive, but that he had returned her spear with alarming force. She was one of two Aviati warriors killed in the entire affair.
Harthas Droigan managed to survive the rain of spears and watched as the Aviati began their lethal descent. He later came to believe that the Aviati had grown fearful of his apparent invincibility, but a more likely explanation for their change in strategy involves their realization that Droigan no longer had any control over his soldiers.
As his soldiers were routed around him, Droigan found himself ignored for quite some time. It was only in the final throes of the battle that a Vwr fighter came across the solitary commander. A thrilling duel followed, with Droigan finding the Vwr too quick to assault and the Wing-Demon soon appreciating the human's brilliant swordplay. The stalemate broke when Droigan's patience and sharp eye finally rewarded him. The Vwr warrior lunged forward, and a quick sidestep and vicious slash from Droigan relieved the Aviati of much of his left arm. The Wing-Demon, Hafen his name, shrieked in painful rage and charged, but Droigan dealt his opponent a grave dishonor. He brushed past the outstretched talons of Hafen's remaining arm, grabbed the Vwr by the neck, and brought his opponent crashing to the ground. Hafen's skull was driven into a stone and the contents of his head spilled onto the battlefield. While the Vwr lay quivering, alive but dead, Droigan took a fistful of feathers and made an effort to scalp the bird. Unsatisfied with the defiling of his enemy, he hacked off the bird's remaining limbs, broke open its beak and pulled out its tongue. Hafen still lived, so Droigan began to drag the fallen warrior along by its eye sockets, but the bird died early in this final act of torture. This brutality would give Harthas Droigan the last satisfaction he would feel for a very long time.
Finding himself ignored again (the Aviati were amusing themselves with the men that had tried to escape back to Llamp), Droigan fled into the lower reaches of the nearest mountains and was able to survive there until a clear path to Llamp opened many days later. No other mercenary survived the battle. The Aviati returned to find Hafen's broken and ruined body in the dust. Had Droigan heard their cries of anguish, he may well have felt satisfaction again. The next discovery by the Wing-Demons, however, would have chilled the man's heart to the core. Though they searched long and hard, the Aviati could not find the corpse of the mercenary leader. Rudvas, mate of Hafen and a fearsome Alu queen, knew at once that it was Droigan who had defeated her love, defiling his body before fleeing. She took to the skies with a fiery wrath, but Droigan could not be found. Before leading her clan far away from the evil place of Hafen's desecration, Rudvas vowed to find Harthas Droigan, tear his asunder, and slaughter anyone protecting or being protected by him. This vow would later send the defeated mercenary's opinion of birds to a perilous low.
Starving and half-crazed, Harthas Droigan crawled into Llamp over two weeks after embarking on his expedition. While the town council was pleased that the raids on their convoys had stopped, the recently-arrived Otaceni Vozidel was far less impressed with Droigan's performance. Two hundred men had been brutally killed and the dried, feathered scalp Harthas presented to the general was not adequate compensation for such a devastating loss. Vozidel gave Droigan the courtesy of a day to escape before a bounty was placed on the former commander's head, but that was the last kind gesture exchanged between the former friends.
A day is hardly enough time for one man to escape an entire army, but Harthas Droigan was not harassed during his journey to the northern regions of Thot. This was due in part to Droigan's skill in avoidance, but Vozidel's mercenaries did not give a spirited pursuit; many of them still thought highly of the deposed commander. As Droigan traveled, his new distrust of birds developed into a bitter hatred. A call in the distance silenced his step, and a flapping of wings caused his sword to leap from its sheath. His nervousness, unpleasant as it was, would have paled against the dread of knowing that Rudvas, a winged angel of death, was also traveling north and did so with a thirst for revenge that could only be quenched by Droigan's dark blood.
Harthas Droigan managed to survive the rain of spears and watched as the Aviati began their lethal descent. He later came to believe that the Aviati had grown fearful of his apparent invincibility, but a more likely explanation for their change in strategy involves their realization that Droigan no longer had any control over his soldiers.
As his soldiers were routed around him, Droigan found himself ignored for quite some time. It was only in the final throes of the battle that a Vwr fighter came across the solitary commander. A thrilling duel followed, with Droigan finding the Vwr too quick to assault and the Wing-Demon soon appreciating the human's brilliant swordplay. The stalemate broke when Droigan's patience and sharp eye finally rewarded him. The Vwr warrior lunged forward, and a quick sidestep and vicious slash from Droigan relieved the Aviati of much of his left arm. The Wing-Demon, Hafen his name, shrieked in painful rage and charged, but Droigan dealt his opponent a grave dishonor. He brushed past the outstretched talons of Hafen's remaining arm, grabbed the Vwr by the neck, and brought his opponent crashing to the ground. Hafen's skull was driven into a stone and the contents of his head spilled onto the battlefield. While the Vwr lay quivering, alive but dead, Droigan took a fistful of feathers and made an effort to scalp the bird. Unsatisfied with the defiling of his enemy, he hacked off the bird's remaining limbs, broke open its beak and pulled out its tongue. Hafen still lived, so Droigan began to drag the fallen warrior along by its eye sockets, but the bird died early in this final act of torture. This brutality would give Harthas Droigan the last satisfaction he would feel for a very long time.
Finding himself ignored again (the Aviati were amusing themselves with the men that had tried to escape back to Llamp), Droigan fled into the lower reaches of the nearest mountains and was able to survive there until a clear path to Llamp opened many days later. No other mercenary survived the battle. The Aviati returned to find Hafen's broken and ruined body in the dust. Had Droigan heard their cries of anguish, he may well have felt satisfaction again. The next discovery by the Wing-Demons, however, would have chilled the man's heart to the core. Though they searched long and hard, the Aviati could not find the corpse of the mercenary leader. Rudvas, mate of Hafen and a fearsome Alu queen, knew at once that it was Droigan who had defeated her love, defiling his body before fleeing. She took to the skies with a fiery wrath, but Droigan could not be found. Before leading her clan far away from the evil place of Hafen's desecration, Rudvas vowed to find Harthas Droigan, tear his asunder, and slaughter anyone protecting or being protected by him. This vow would later send the defeated mercenary's opinion of birds to a perilous low.
Starving and half-crazed, Harthas Droigan crawled into Llamp over two weeks after embarking on his expedition. While the town council was pleased that the raids on their convoys had stopped, the recently-arrived Otaceni Vozidel was far less impressed with Droigan's performance. Two hundred men had been brutally killed and the dried, feathered scalp Harthas presented to the general was not adequate compensation for such a devastating loss. Vozidel gave Droigan the courtesy of a day to escape before a bounty was placed on the former commander's head, but that was the last kind gesture exchanged between the former friends.
A day is hardly enough time for one man to escape an entire army, but Harthas Droigan was not harassed during his journey to the northern regions of Thot. This was due in part to Droigan's skill in avoidance, but Vozidel's mercenaries did not give a spirited pursuit; many of them still thought highly of the deposed commander. As Droigan traveled, his new distrust of birds developed into a bitter hatred. A call in the distance silenced his step, and a flapping of wings caused his sword to leap from its sheath. His nervousness, unpleasant as it was, would have paled against the dread of knowing that Rudvas, a winged angel of death, was also traveling north and did so with a thirst for revenge that could only be quenched by Droigan's dark blood.
posted by Simon at 11:22 AM
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