“Have they reached Landen yet?” asked Lord Tyrienwalker, leader of the Meleirelnar subterranean nation. His voice was calm with a chilling coolness to it. His black skin seemed to not reflect light at all but absorbed it.
“Yes my lord. They are in the small forest of Peppin. We now have a sizeable force in the heart of the high plains” replied master Shadowin. His dark features masked any signs of emotion. His skin too seemed to absorb any form of light.
“Excellent…now we can gather our main force here in Tansanee…above ground” replied Tyrienwalker. He was still amazed that the fallen guardian had kept her promise and removed their light curse. Now they could travel above and below the earth. This change made his kind capable of anything. He planned on making the most of this great opportunity. Their skin was even blacker than before and somehow any form of light was absorbed and not reflected.
“So, once we have the soldiers assembled, what is our plan of action?” asked Shadowin simply. He was curious what his leader had in mind. He too knew that their potential was unlimited now, so he was anxious to see what their first battle move would be. Getting a small force into Landen was rather simple with their centuries of practicing the complex art of magical stealth. It also helped that everyone was focused on the war so that they did not sense the intruders as they passed. The dark forces gathered some vital intelligence along the way, which they had passed along to the fallen guardian.
“It is time we made ourselves known to the giants who infest the west. We will take all of these western lands back as our own. So, in short, our first move is to decimate the land of Burien” Lord Tyrienwalker replied darkly. He knew that his forces were far superior in numbers and in ability. He looked forward to using his power above ground…something they had not been able to do since the guardians had cursed them after the last war of the races. They had been punished for their role in the genocide of the most ancient race in Tuwa. They had destroyed the Eldar which happened to be their forefathers. The elves had also sprung from the Eldar, so the fair folk were their cousins though it is difficult to see the resemblance.
The two dark figures were silent for a moment as they both consider the possibilities. Their race was the only one that meddled with the dark magic of the underworld. They had made pacts with its keeper and had been granted special abilities that no other living creature possessed. Even the dark lord Drogan did not possess the same magnitude of powers as the dark elves. Drogan was the representative of the keeper in the world of the living and was an actual creature from the realm of the dead. These two immortal beings possessed more magical power than any wielder in Tuwa. They also commanded considerable dark powers which they were given by the keeper himself. They were a force to be reckoned with and even their kin feared them.
Over the next few days the main force of the Meleirelnar gathered in the southwestern part of Tansanee. This woodland was not too far from their peninsula homeland, the Wesh Forest, which was to the west of their current location. No one in the western lands ever went to Wesh out of fear. There were rumors that at night evil creatures came from under the ground to feed on the living. There was some measure of truth in these reports; however, reality was much more frightening than the stories told around camp fires.
After nearly three weeks of marshaling the ranks above ground, the dark armies of Meleirelnar were ready for action. The leaders of the one million strong force met together to discuss their plans for dealing with the people residing in the Burian lands. Never before had anyone dared to assault the giants to this extent on their doorstep. The land itself should have been a deterrent due to its inhospitable nature. There were no underground paths to Burian, so the only options were to come at them above the ground or in the air.
"I think the best approach is to not hide our coming. Let’s make them see their doom coming and then make them wait for it" Tyrienwalker said wickedly. His face was black as night and as cold as the furthest reaches of the northern ice lands. There seemed to be a black mist at the edges on his person as though evil was literally emanating from him.
"My lord, I would also recommend that we completely encircle the entire land before we start moving in. That way we can account for every last one of them. Also, they will know that death is all around them" intoned a dark warrior captain. He was not quite as dark as the others…his skin was more of a dark gray color. This difference made him look more sinister than those that followed him.
"Excellent point Captain Tyrianal, which would definitely add to the fear factor. We need them to be afraid so we can muster enough time to summon dark friends from the underworld" master Shadowin interjected smoothly. His silver hair reflected the light beautifully and had almost a glow to it above ground. His long hair was tied back in a ponytail and went all the way to his trim waist.
As the dark elves plotted their first open assault above ground in centuries, fowl began to circle the air above the massive gathering. From the air the Tansanee forest looked like one big black spot. The Meleirelnar army was more numerous than any other fighting force currently engaged in battle. The sheer size was not the most frightening part…it was the fact that every one of the soldiers were wielders of magic. Not just any form of magic…they worked the dark arts like no other living creature in all of Tuwa. The crows circling overhead sensed eminent death which was continuing to draw more and more of their kin.
"The crows are coming and we are ready to move out" intoned the silvery voice of the last dark elf to arrive at the camp. There was a black shroud around the person who had spoken.
The military leaders quickly turned about and dropped to one knee. Their faces were toward the ground and they did not move. Lord Tyrienwalker was the first the break the respectful silence. He raised his head slowly while keeping his eyes cast down so as to not look the underworld demon in the eye. "We are ready to begin the summoning process. We are honored with your presence at such a crucial moment in our nation's history. We will send many souls to the keeper to repay the knowledge and gifts he has given to us." Tyrienwalker spread his arms wide was he bowed down to the ground once more.
"It is I who is indebted to you. You alone were able to breach the barrier between the world of the living and dead. If it were not for you, I would still be bound until the end of this world" the demon Selven replied in a wavering whisper. The shroud seemed to engulf him and caressed him almost lovingly.
"Are you here to assist us in our fight?" asked Lord Tyrienwalker and the dark elves stood to face the demon from the underworld. Selven had an otherworldly glow about his face and did not appear to have any feet. He shimmered and rippled with the breeze. When the sun shone through the trees, he seemed to fade a little. He was the arbitrator between the dark elves and the keeper.
"I am here to inform you that the keeper is watching and waiting for his opportunity to enter the world of the living. He wants me to remind you of your promise to free him from his prison and that his patience is wearing thin" the silvery voice trilled lightly. The way it was said sent chills down the spines of the dark elves that were in range of his voice. The price was high; however, the entire Meleirelnar nation entered the deal willingly with the keeper in exchange for powers beyond the world of the living.
"We know our vow! It would do well for him to remember that without us he has no chance of escape. Also inform him that we are confident that the weapon that will allow us to breach the barrier has been identified and we are working on locating it. The old man has moved the prize which has set us back a little. However, Kana is playing her part as we discussed and she should be in possession of the orb by the time we have finished with the giants" Lord Tyrienwalker said darkly.