HE short story

[Levarion]

Levarion

A High Elves short story

He looked into the snow covered valley below him. He looked down on the village as he had done hundreds of time from atop the mountain. But this time it was different. This time his heart was filled with hate.
The smell of smoke and ash reached the summit. It was mixed with the smell of burned flesh. The hatred burned in his eyes as clearly as the blaze underneath him. It was time for vengeance. The druchii must die!

Ever since his village was attacked those many years ago, Prince Levarion hadn’t been the same. He had lost his mother in the slaughter that day. His father and a handful of his soldiers had tried to defend his home, but to no end. They were overwhelmed by the invading enemy and were forced to flee. What a horrible feeling his father must have felt. Unable to protect his own village, his home, his family. Levarion knew it was I horrible feeling, because it was the same feeling that lingered in him now. But this time he would strike back. This time his army wasn’t overseas protecting some foreign outpost, like his fathers was back then. This time it was here, right below him in the chracian hills.

Levarion looked back and saw a familiar sight. His trusted griffon Shadow. Or Last Shadow as it was known. The enormous bird of prey wasn’t a normal griffon. It was a special breed of these mountains. Said to be a divine mixture of the Great Eagles that sored high in the mountains, and of the White Lions that prowled the chracian wilderness. Dwarfing any normal griffon, both in size and strength, these fearsome creatures were white as the snow on the peaks around them. Save for the tip of the feathers, black as midnight.
He had found it in a cave many years ago, while hunting in the mountains. It was the only one hatched in its nest; the rest were killed before they could feel the cool air. A vicious manticore was in the cave destroying all the eggs with its black claws.

Levarion had attacked the vile beast but it was too powerful. Even though it wasn’t fully grown, the monster had attacked him and cut a bloody gash in his right leg. Unable to walk he was easy prey for the beast. If it hadn’t been for the griffon he would surely be doomed that day. The little griffon had attacked the manticore from the rear, seizing its venomous tail by the talons and bit the thing in half with its already steel sharp beak. The manticore howled in pain and turned on the griffon. The griffon evaded the attacks, easily jumping from cliff to cliff inside the cave. This bought Levarion time to drag himself on his feet and muster help from outside. When the hunting party arrived moments later, the manticore knew it was outnumbered and fled the cave, black blood spraying from its torn tail. Ever since that day, the griffon hadn’t left his side, hence its name; Shadow.

As his mind wandered away back in time, he was suddenly taken back to the mountain. A roar echoed the valley below. Yes, now it was time for vengeance. The druchii must die.
He mounted Shadow, and with one mighty leap they were airborne. His captains below knew it was the signal for the battle to begin.
Levarion scanned the advancing horde, but couldn’t find their commander. He knew that if he could challenge their leader and kill him, the rest of the dark elf host would fall beneath his boot. Below him he saw his White Lions crash into a wall of dark elf spearmen.
Cleaving a bloody path with their huge axes. Their war cries bellowed out as they broke the line of the spearmen, and cut them down as they tried to flee.

Levarion almost fell out of his harness. Another huge bolt rushed past him, missing only by yards. He quickly spotted the four bolt throwers that was shooting at him, and took the griffon higher into the sky. He couldn’t afford to be hit by one of those. Luckily for him his scouts had seen the danger and infiltrated towards the war machines. Without a signal the bodies of the bolt thrower crew were filled with black feathered arrows. All dead without a sound. The Anar shadow warriors drew back into the shade of the mountain, from which they had emerged.

Lacking the fire power of the bolt throwers, and seeing his spearmen fleeing, the druchii lord appeared. He wore a suit of plate amour the color of midnight, and in his hand he held a golden lance, gleaming with red runes carved into its side. He sad on top of a giant manticore, its bat like wings spreading as it roared, almost blocking out the winter sun.
The dark elves found their battle lust once more at the sight of their commander, and they pushed on, fighting their cousins, the high elves they hated so much. The dark noble steered his manticore to decent on Levarions spearmen. As it plunged into their midst it shattered shields and bodies alike with a deafening thunder. The beast ripped elves in half in a shower of mayhem, mutilating them with a bloodlust like Khaine himself. The dark elf on top piercing chainmail and flesh with his magical lance. Only when charged by the fiery dragon knights, provided to Levarion by his Caledorian cousin did the monster stop its berserker killing spree and flew into the sky, ready to make another decent of death.

Seeing his soldiers getting butchered, Levarion pulled Shadow´s reins, taking them direct against the carnage. Sensing the danger above, the druchii lord turned his mount to face the oncoming threat. The speed of the griffons dive took the dark elf by surprise. Only in the last moment he turned his manticore and avoided being sliced open by the giant talons of the bird. Shadow shrieked in anger as it missed the target, but hastily it turned upside down, swooping around for another attack. This time its talons found flesh, and as it tore deep wounds in the side of the manticore, Levarion challenged the dark elf by swinging his mighty battle axe strait for his head. The dark elf parried the blow with his lance, but seeing it was useless in close combat he draw his sword instead. Sparks on magical energy flew through the air as the two weapons connected. Temporary blinded Levarion pulled Shadow away, only to feel the manticore slamming into them midair. The two monsters tumbled into the ground on top of the mountain with a mighty blow.

Levarion was cast out of his harness, and he found himself kneeling on the frozen earth, snow covering his lion cloak and armour. Like him the druchii commander also stood on the ground, ready for the duel to come. Levarion heard the two monsters collide in the background, but his eyes were fixed on his foe. Shadow could handle herself he thought. His eyes met the sinister elf. He stood there not 30 feet away, with a deamonic grin on his face. His jet black hair was visible underneath his helmet. This is the true enemy Levarion thought. He must die today.

Levarion raised his axe, Khortniear high above his head. It was a family heirloom from the time of Aenarion. His forefather had slayed countless demons with this weapon and now it would slay the dark elf too. Feeling the cool metal on his fingers and seeing the runes turn icy blue he charged towards his enemy with a war cry that would have put fear in the heart of every man, but the druchii stood unaffected. 25 feet. Suddenly Levarion felt dark magic around him. 20 feet. He could feel the wind of magic turning and flowing past him and into the dark elf, a dark nimbus surrounding him. 10 feet. The druchii pointed his blood red sword at him, black tendrils circling the magical runic blade. 8 feet. A bolt of pure darkness raced out from the sword, hitting Levarion head on, engulfing him. All went black.

The crisp air stank of ozone. In the last second Levarion sensed the oncoming magical attack and spoke his own magical words of protection. The fiery amulet, Regulus shining with an ember halo, that hung around his neck, had taken the full force of the blow, keeping him alive, and not wandering the underworld. But even though he survived he still was shaken and barely standing. His feet wobbled on the scorched ground were the magic had melted the snow. The dark elf saw his time to attack and charged with his own war cry.

Levarion parried the blows and regained control of his feet. He returned with a big swing of his axe. Ice blue lightning raced across the black amour of the dark elf where the axe hit. Sending big shards flying onto the ground, hissing as serpents as it melted the snow away. Out skilling his opponent, Levarion swung his axe once more, this time hitting with full force. This time it pierced armour, flesh and bone. Deadly wounded the druchii lord fell to the ground, cursing at Levarion, spitting dark blood in the snow. Expecting no mercy himself he gave none either, and Levarion lifted his axe high in the air, ready to deal death. But a roar in the background stopped him and he turned to see a charging manticore.

Shadow was pleased to recognize that this was the manticore from the cave those many years ago. Its tail still scarred from where it had been severed, but now with two scorpion like stingers, a spawn of Chaos indeed. The griffon attacked with full force head on, sending the manticore to the ground in a shower on black blood. Mixed with her own, it looked like a grizzly painting on the snow, looking like daemons from Chaos itself, with the Dark Gods themselves as creators. The manticore was wounded fatally and knowing defeat, and with the speed of a devil, the manticore rushed towards Levarion knocking him aside and picking up his dying master. Together they flew into the cold mountain air and escaped. Levarion padded Shadow on her head. They knew the day was theirs. They knew they had won.

The battle below quickly turned against the druchii with their commander gone, and the invading horde was pushed back into the hills that surrounded the valley. Tomorrow they would be hunted down, and killed every single one of them Levarion thought. Later that night the scouts reported they had found the manticore and lord dead in a cave. The manticore dying whilst devouring its former master, trying to escape death. Levarion smiled. Revenge was his.

The End.

Notes.

Levarion comes from the Russian words; Lev – lion, and Arion – eagle.

Regulus is the brightest star in the constellation/zodiac of the lion, meaning “The Heart of The Lion”.

[Aicanor]

I expected the DE to be gone with the Manticore at the end. But then it wouldn't be a short story.