There was a great creaking and groaning sound as the Citadel’s wall was rocked by the giant’s impact. The fire giant released blasts of fire, scorching the wall. Steam rose from the moat as the flames licked the water. Suddenly the giant fell to its knees and plunged its fists in the Holy Water. It let loose a horrific scream of pain even as fire raced over the moat’s surface, turning the Holy Water to steam.
Tom heard a shout from behind him and turned to find the frost giant now charging the Citadel wall, even as the fire giant had. The beams of Holy Light were still following it, but were really not slowing it as much as one might have thought. The Holy Light suddenly went out as Inethya collapsed to her knees, clearly overtaxed by the spell. None of the avatars were operating at full power yet.
Tom moved to tackle the frost giant, but with the giant’s momentum and Tom’s smaller size, all he could do was grab it by the waist, knocking it off target as it leaped the moat, and then he and the giant crashed hard into the wall.
Darg-Krallnom flew over and slashed down at the fire giant’s head as it bent over the moat, trying to vaporize it. That blow connected, hard. Apparently the liches controlling the risar had learned their lesson about changing to elemental form.
Targh Bowelsplitter and his D’Orcs suddenly descended on the giants and began working to pull the fire giant’s hands out of the moat.
Tom struggled to pull himself out from under the frost giant. “Argh!” he howled as the frost giant got to its feet, stomping on Tom’s legs. “Screw you, ass wipe!” Tom shouted. The giant’s foot came down, smashing into Tom’s head. Argh! That really hurt!
He heard D’Orcs cursing and as the giant’s foot lifted to stomp on his face a second time, he could see why. The wind giant was back, and while not in gaseous form, it was able to create windstorms that were blowing the D’Orcs away from the fire giant.
“Argh!” Tom yelled again as the frost giant once more stomped soundly on his head. The stupid thing did not seem to mind his horns. Its ice armor seemed to be protecting it. Lightning suddenly struck the frost giant, knocking it off balance sufficiently for Tom to pull his legs free and escape.
Tom heard a whistling of air, and suddenly a spinning set of glowing blades hurtled out of nowhere and began attacking the fire giant, impervious to the wind giant’s efforts. Tom’s eyes widened in surprise. Ruiden had suddenly appeared and came to their aid. Had he been still out there mowing through the Army of the Night? Tom wondered.
Ruiden’s attacks caused the fire giant to flash to flame and relocate a short distance away. Tom could not help but notice how blackened the giant’s fists were. The Holy Water had obviously been effective.
KTHUDD!The ground beneath their feet shook.
Tom looked around, trying to figure out what it was.
A loud cracking noise came from somewhere; it sounded like it was on the other side of the wall.
“What the hell is that?” Tom asked Targh, who was the closest to him at the moment.
A bergrisi is attacking the southern wall! Tamarin informed him from the control tower.
“Tamarin says a bergrisi is assailing the southern wall!” Tom yelled to the others.
“Lilith’s teats!” Targh cursed, clenching his fists in anger.
“When the three risar stood up to the south, I was grateful that they had not brought a bergrisi with them. For walled cities like this, they are the worst possible thing!” Targh yelled even as Inethya landed another lightning bolt on the frost giant.
“What are bergrisi?” Tom yelled back.
“Mountain giants!” Darg-Krallnom called out. “They are affiliated with Earth, and thus stone!”
“And they are twice the size of the other risar!” Targh yelled.
“Twice the size?” Tom asked in shock. “You mean two hundred feet tall?”
“Roughly!” Darg-Krallnom nodded.
“Where was it?” Tom asked. “Why didn’t we see it?”
“I am guessing they hauled it north on a cart, close to the ground, while we were staring at the standing risar in the south!” Targh said.
“Shit!” Tom yelled, shaking his head.
“Is that your sword down there without you?” Stainsberry asked Talarius as they stood upon the southern wall looking at the battle raging at its base.
“Yes, he is somehow still going,” Talarius replied. “I really have to wonder how he has so much mana. This flying glaive thing must be incredibly mana-intensive. He obviously has a mana pool, and honestly, it’s never run dry before, but this is far more mana than I’ve ever seen him use.”
“What’s the longest you’ve ever seen him do this?” Stainsberry asked.
“I have never seen him do this. He’s always been an intelligent sword who assisted me in battle, but until we got separated, he’d never turned into a sword golem and never done this sort of thing. This is also only the second time he’s used the glaive form. The first time was unmasking and attacking an archdemon.”
“An archdemon?” Stainsberry shook his head. “Well, being an essentially unbreakable magical artifact, forged in the bowels of hell, probably would give one the self-confidence for that sort of thing.”
Suddenly a new set of horns began blowing, this time to the north. “What is that?” Talarius asked as people began moving quickly to reinforce the northern walls on the other side of the Citadel.
“I have no idea,” Stainsberry said, shaking his head.
“Do you fly on your own?” Talarius asked.
“Belt of Flying. Really not safe to have an aerial steed without one,” Stainsberry said.
Talarius grinned at the other knight and nodded in agreement. “Let’s go to the command tower and coordinate with Grob,” he suggested.
Stainsberry nodded and the two launched themselves into the air, speeding upward to the central tower.
“Whoa!” Stainsberry yelled as they approached the command tower. “That thing is twice the size of the others!”
“This is going to be bad!” Talarius yelled back to the other knight. “We need to head straight for the southern wall.”
“I don’t think we can stop that thing!” Stainsberry yelled as the two shifted course for the oncoming mountain of giant flesh that was charging the wall.
“What kind of risar is it?” Talarius yelled.
“By its size, I’d guess a bergrisi, a mountain giant,” Stainsberry shouted back.
“Does it turn to stone?” Talarius asked, thinking of what the other giants had done.
“That would be my guess,” Stainsberry said. “Did you see the stone plates it has strapped to itself as armor?”
“We need to get people off that wall!” Talarius yelled.
“I know; I am hoping that others will realize that. I am going to try to slow it down!” Stainsberry said as they approached the wall. The giant was about one thousand feet away and closing very quickly.
The Knight Magus pulled his staff from over his shoulder and took aim at the bergrisi. “Ghairm mi a-nis an dealanaich de na diathan! Le mo bòidean a 'mhòid-cheartais, faodaidh!” he chanted.
The air was suddenly rent by a giant arc of the bluest lightning imaginable. The thunder crash behind the lightning was tremendous. Talarius was much closer to it this time; his visor darkened to shield his eyes. The giant took a direct hit to the chest, knocking it off course but still heading forward.
It stumbled into the moat and screamed in pain before slamming into the base of the wall with an earth-shaking crash. Several people on the wall were knocked over.
Talarius and Stainsberry landed. “Everyone! Get off the wall!” Talarius shouted, drawing his bow.