Gerodi was the leader of the Tribe of the Eagle. Lang was the head of the Tribe of the Bear. Boaz was the chief of the Tribe of the Elk. Marcello was the chieftain of the Tribe of Mystics. The five groups had never been united under a common cause, but that time appeared to be drawing to a close. Four of the clans lived in the far western parts of the Land of Burien in the west lands. Angus, who lived on the extreme eastern border, was much more concerned about the new neighbors. The others were not concerned one bit about the unusual happenings at Mount Quang because of the considerable distance they had between them and the tall mountains. They believed in not getting involved with the other tribes, let alone the other races, so they stayed away from the strange activities in the north. The only giants that had any dealings with any of the other peoples in Tuwa were Angus’s tribe. He had made a pack with the elven King Ciel Tiranidrol many years ago to come to the aid of the other if ever they were in need.
The giants who were circled around the bonfire were silent as they ate their evening meal. The fire rose some twenty feet into the air and burned a brilliant crimson color. The shadows cast by the flickering flames made the ominous giants look even fiercer as they sat there. Anyone walking by this site would have turned tail and fled, but Lord Aellenas was not just anyone. He crept up silently on the mute brutes as his spider set traps with his kin along the border between the Burien Lands and the Black Forest. Dukker wanted to find out for himself exactly what was going on with the curious bunch. He did not trust anyone else to get the information he was looking for and knew that he was the only one who could defend against an attack from multiple giants.
“Who do you think is living up in the mountains?” asked one giant in the circle.
“You remember what Angus said, don’t you?” asked another. “He said it was some type of elf.”
“Then why are we bothering with them? Aren’t they on our side?” asked a third giant.
“No. The chief thinks that they broke off from the woodland elves. They are not to be trusted,” said the second giant in reply.
“You said you would tell us the plan once we got here, so what is it?” asked yet another giant from the circle.
“We are going to visit these deserters and determine whether or not they are a danger to us. If they pose a threat, we wipe them all out. We cannot risk them living so close to us when they may have evil intentions. We do not want another war like the one that destroyed our homes when the Eldar were wiped out. We must circumvent another such possibility. Besides, our pack is with the elven king and not these traitors,” explained the second giant.
Dukker had heard quite enough of this talk and decided to act. Had he put more thought into his actions, he probably would have done things differently, but his close proximity to five giants blinded his mind to any other option. He conjured up a staff out of thin air and pointed it dramatically at the bonfire, and the flames turned a purple color right before it exploded into the unsuspecting brutes. The giants were unaffected by this attack and were on their feet in a blink of an eye. They are much more agile than I would have thought possible. This split-second of thought by Lord Aellenas cost him dearly. As he stood there in temporary shock, he was hit with a rock the size of his head. He tried to dodge the projectile, but it caught him in the right shoulder. He went flying backwards some twenty feet before landing on the rocky field and skidding to a halt. Dukker realized that he was not going to be able to regain his feet before they were on him, so he summoned his staff to his left hand and put up an energy field that deflected several rocks that had been thrown at him.
As Dukker stood up straight, he felt sharp pains throughout his entire body. The rock had shattered several bones and would require extensive healing for a normal person. This warlock was no ordinary creature, so he pointed the staff’s tip, which had a purple crystal placed at the top of the staff, and his shoulder glowed purple like the fire. Several trees in the distance wilted as though their life force had been drained. His wound seemed to mend itself, and he moved his whole arm to make sure that he had all of his functionality back. After making sure he was completely healed, he turned his fiery gaze on his attackers. He removed the protective shield quickly and sent black smoke from the end of his staff at the five giants. The vapor obscured their faces for a few moments, and then it was gone. The massive brutes stood there coughing and gagging as if they had been poisoned or were being choked. After a few more minutes, they had stopped their struggle with the invisible attacker and turned their attention toward the elven warlock.
“You are one of those evil elves!” bellowed one of the giants.
“You will die little one!” yelled another.
“I am afraid that I cannot allow that to happen,” Dukker said with an evil grin.
“What do you-” began one of the giants. They all went silent, and they began to look at one another.
They did not notice Dukker muttering something under his breath while they stood looking at one another. His speech was so low that it was rather difficult to tell what he was saying. It had a rhythm like a chant or incantation. As he continued to mumble to himself, the giants’ countenance fell, and they began ripping each other to shreds. The giant who had done most of the talking survived the sudden attack from his companions by knocking off their heads with his massive club. He turned his attention to Lord Dukker and started making threatening movements toward him.
“I do not know how you did that, but you will pay for it with your own blood!” the giant raged. He swung down his club just as Dukker threw up his protective shield. The giant’s blow was deflected, but the warlock was sent reeling from the effort of keeping the magic shield up.
“You are a powerful brute for sure, but I am much stronger than you,” replied the warlock savagely.
Fire burst from the end of his staff and sent the giant flying through the air. He landed some fifty feet away and was on his feet within seconds of landing. He came bounding back at the wizard with a look of pure loathing in his eyes. As his attacker approached, Dukker had decided to try a different tactic. He summoned a bow and arrow into his hands out of thin air. The arrow was dripping with some kind of poison as he let it fly. The arrow flew with great speed and struck the brute right between the eyes and imbedded itself in his skull. The only part of the arrow that did not penetrate the giant’s head was the feathers. The poison immediately dropped the massive soldier to the ground. Within a few moments, he lay completely still bereft of life.
Lord Dukker smiled savagely at his handiwork and looked about him to make sure that he was alone in the desolate plain. He could see no one around him, so he decided to leave so that he could return in time for the assault on the elves. He looked forward to this momentous occasion. He had longed to teach his lesser brethren the true meaning of power. He would make them suffer horrific deaths and take their place as the dominant race of Tuwa. The high elves would replace the elves just like the elves replaced the Eldar in days of old. He knew that the circumstances were drastically different but the principle was the same. When the dominant nation fell, then a more powerful one took its place. The only difference, in his mind, was that they were forcing the elven race down from their throne.