Vadiim sent the command for the Diamond and Honey Badger clans to break formation and flank around each side of the mountain. Suddenly, the ogres came barreling out to battle, shrieking and cursing loudly. Aysha signaled for the troops to charge directly at the ogres. Both opposing and defensive parties sprang into action, violently assailing each other. With reckless abandonment, Keinah and her squad archers advanced by rapidly firing a barrage of charmed cross-bow arrows she prepared for the fight.
The team of archers swiftly blazed a clear path by plowing through the legion of ogres. Their first line of defense was disabled, which gave an opening for Lords Bilal and Chimique to head their troops directly over to the Goblin battalion. The harsh sounds of metal to metal rang loudly as Celestial swords crashed and shattered the goblin shields. The goblins were shredded to pieces one by one and left to die slow antagonizing deaths on the snowfield mountain. There was no mercy allotted towards the enemy camp.
As Vadiim and Aysha’s teams pressed forward to pursue the Sapphire clan, there was a thick mystical fog that descended, reducing their visibility. Without knowledge of their physical whereabouts, they inadvertently rode their horses straight into a deep pit. They found themselves trapped and unable to move as the ditch was coated from the bottom up with a gooey tar-like substance. The weight of their weapons and gear caused them to sink. The soldiers cried out in anguish over their impending defeat.
Though Keinah had become fatigued from her exertions in the battle, she mustered enough strength to climb up on the highest cliff overlooking a ravine. She lit a small fire from where she stood and whispered a chant. Her uttering became more fervent and thunderous. Light snow fell from the sky, and the density of the fog lifted. The snow drifted inside the tar pit, releasing the soldiers from being trapped. When the tar had completely dissolved, the soldiers quickly regained composure to fulfill their mission.
The light snow transitioned into a forceful blizzard that concealed Vadiim and Aysha’s teams. They made swift advancements towards the Sapphire clan, driving them as far back as their campsite headquarters. Though the blizzard proved to be an adequate cover, Keinah’s breathtaking illumination revealed her precise location. A Yellow Toad presumed she was the root of the sudden turn of events. He positioned himself near enough to shoot a poisonous dart that struck her directly in the throat.
Vadiim and Aysha witnessed Keinah’s demise. In a flash, Vadiim transformed into his celestial form to catch her before she fell off the cliff. He resumed his human form to brace her up. While gasping for breath, Keinah frantically tried to warn Vadiim that he was about to be assaulted by a Sapphire clan member. With Keinah in tow, Vadiim made a pivot to counter the attack. He was struck on his left leg with a sword embedded crystallization stones.
From the wound, his leg immediately turned into stone. The pain was excruciating and caused him to go blind. Vadiim clinched Keinah tightly as they plummeted several hundreds of feet off the cliff and were swept away by an icy river. Aysha rushed over to aid her comrades in a fury of rage. Ruthlessly, she beheaded the Yellow Toad and chased the Sapphire soldier until Lords Bilal and Chimique cornered and captured him.
Vadiim and Keinah were violently rushed to the bottom of the river bed. Vadiim treaded the icy water for three hours as he slowly succumbed to his injury. By the time Breonas and his squad found them, they were both in a coma. The Honey Badgers retrieved their lifeless bodies out of the water. It took Breonas and 9 of his men to pry Keinah out of Vadiim’s arms, as he would not turn her loose. The entire entourage somberly returned to their headquarters to camp.
The Far Side of Hereafter, Ch. 20
Living Works of D.K. Fair 