Chapter 8: ALHM Chapter 7: The Battle of the Bakarti
A small rabbit nibbles on a strange looking vegetable in the middle of a grassy field. The rabbit seems content on munching on its meal unaware of the incoming danger.
The rabbit pauses and its ears raise in alert. It's head turns left and right trying to locate the source of the disturbance. The ground begins to rumble as something big is approaching from the west.
The rabbit bolts like its life depends on it leaving the half eaten vegetable on the ground.
Hundreds of horses appear from over the hill, their thunderous hooves making every living thing scatter into their holes. The horses sprint across the grassy field kicking up rock and dirt as they pass through. Their riders determined to get to their destination with all urgency.
At the front of the group is a woman dressed in tight fitted leather armor from her neck to her toe. Her raven locks swaying back and forth with the movement of the wind. Her gaze was serious and focused on her mission, her eyes ever watchful for any enemies or danger.
She spots a familiar set of tracks ahead of the group and call outs the command,
"The carriage turned east, all soldiers form up!"
The hundreds of horses stretch out and form a long line. Then the head of the group turn to the east followed by the rest.
As the horses ride at full speed the sun begins to rise transforming the dark pitch of night into a fiery hue of red. The horses ride into the sun rise, their forms now illuminated by the crimson glow.
James awoke to find himself in a gentle, comfortable bed in a wooden house amongst the treetops of the elven forest of Ninir. He was covered in soft blankets and felt thoroughly warm and cozy. He looked up to see the woman from earlier, now garbed in a flowing purple dress that seemed to shift and dance with the wind. Her green hair shimmered and her orange eyes sparkled with a mischievous gaze.
"How did you sleep?" she asked, her voice still sweet and lilting, but with a slight edge to it.
"What do you want from me?" James asked with a serious tone to his voice.
The beautiful elf put her hand over her mouth and giggled.
"Why so serious dearie? Didn't like the ride?" The elven maiden asked with a mischievous smirk.
James thought back to the kidnapping, but also to the hot sex he had with her last night. His cheeks turned a soft hue of red as he relived it in his mind.
"I know I did. And I wouldn't mind another go. Just after I complete my task." The elf admitted, playing mindlessly with her emerald locks.
James didn't like this situation. He was taken by this woman to who knows where. He didn't know her intentions but they couldn't be good. No self respecting person crashes your party and abducts you.
Then again this beautiful woman had mind blowing sex with him last night. So he had at least a little interest in her, if nothing else he wanted to find out who she was.
"And what exactly is this task?" James inquired.
The elf shifted her hip and crossed her arms so her breasts squeezed together in the most perfect fashion. James averted his eyes for a moment before sneaking another peek.
"I was sent to retrieve you and bring you to my village. My chieftain is very interested in meeting with you." She explained, tapping her finger on her arm.
"And why does your chieftain want to meet with me?" James asked, amused by her flustered expression.
"You'll find out once you ask her, dearie. Now get your ass up and let's go see her." She commanded, gesturing for him to get up.
"I'm not going anywhere with someone who's name I don't know." James playfully refused, crossing his arms and tilting his head up in feign defiance.
"Ugh! Fine! My name is Emilia Everwood. Now can we go Mr. procrastinator?" Emilia asked getting impatient.
"I'm feeling a little weak, perhaps you could help me up." James asked with a playful and mischievous look.
Emilia rolled her eyes and reached out and took James' hand, helping him to sit up.
As he rose up he watched her creamy breasts bounce inside her dress. The soft mounds of flesh called to him like a siren, begging to be touched and squeezed. He resisted however when his eyes met hers. She was all too aware of his perverted mind set and had a challenging expression on her face.
"Come along James, there will be time for that later. Now stay close to me and try not to embarrass yourself." She instructed, turning to face the entrance to the house.
James let himself be led by her, curious to see where she would be taking him and meet the chieftain of this mysterious elven village.
As they made their way through the village, James could feel the magic in the air and was amazed by the beauty and tranquility of life so far above the ground. Emilia took James by the hand and tugged him along.
"Come on, keep up, we don't have all day you know." Emilia insisted, giving James the cutest little pout.
James chuckled and sped up a little so he kept up with her spirited pace. Emilia enjoyed the warmth of his hand and lightly blushed as she led him along the first wooden bridge.
The entire village was a marvel to behold. Set near the mid point of trees taller and thicker than redwoods, the village was suspended high the air. A tumble off the edge would mean certain death.
Most of the houses seemed to hang on the outside of the trees, however a few were dug into the tree itself. Each of the inner dwellings was a special place among their people. A blacksmith shop, a temple, the home of a great warrior, and even a communal bathing house.
Several young elves bathed naked in the communal bath house. The floor was a circular pool made with a iridescent rock that reflected light in a dazzling display. Two elven maidens poured boiling water into the pool from beautiful silver containers that could easily hold several gallons of liquid.
Two of the bathing elves noticed James and they covered their naked breasts with their slender arms. Their cheeks were bright red and flushed as they eyed him from a far. One of the less bashful girls stood up and waved at him flirtatiously. The water poured off of her soft and slender figure and followed her perfect curves down into the water.
Emilia wondered why James was beginning to slow down and she turned to see the exchange. She yanked on his hand to urge him forward and gave him a haughty disapproving glare.
They reached the large community center which resided in the largest tree around. The village center was carved into the trunk of the enormous tree and held multiple houses and a central fire that the elves conversed around.
Emilia led James to the central fire and then waited as the chieftain came from her house and joined them.
"Welcome James to Hanalei Village. The Bakarti have been awaiting you for some time. Sit and eat with us we have much to discuss." The chieftain welcomed him with a gracious smile.
The chieftain seemed to be a middle aged woman with dark green hair that was braided into a single long ponytail. Her wrinkles near the eyes spoke of her age but, the rest of her seemed to be still young and strong. Her accent on the other hand was far more pronounced than that of Emilia. It made it a bit hard to understand her.
James, still stunned by the warm welcome and the beauty of the village, nodded his head tentatively and went to sit by the central fire with the chieftain and Emilia. He noticed that the chieftain's eyes had a certain strength and confidence to them, despite her kind demeanor.
As they ate, he also noticed the chieftain's wrinkles and the way her expression seemed to change the longer he watched. It was subtle, but something felt off to James. As if something was lurking underneath the chieftain's kind, peaceful exterior. He couldn't quite put his finger on it.
After eating of what he could only describe as a huge spicy omlette and some form of wheat bread, James made up his mind to ask the important questions.
"I have to ask, where the heck are we? And why am I here?"
The chieftain lowered her food onto the clay plate and cleared her throat. She was obviously thinking of how best to say what she had to say.
"You are in Hanalei Village which lies at the eastern edge of Karneth. This vast forest has belonged to my people for centuries and we have thrived here until the time of the Great Rift. You have been brought here to help us repopulate our race before we face extinction." The chieftain explained gesturing proudly to the many wonders of the village.
"I noticed the lack of male Bakarti, I'm guessing this rift affected your race like they did to the kingdom of Karneth?" James wondered, looking back and forth between the chieftain and Emilia.
The chieftain and Emilia exchanged glances before the chieftain sighed and readied herself to reveal the awful truth.
"Yes James, the whole world of Erodus has been consumed by these monsters from another world. But for the Bakarti, our price was most steep. We before you are the last of the Barkati. Our last male died four years ago leaving us all widows in a world filled with death and destruction."
James could feel the atmosphere change as the grave events were told. No wonder they wanted him so bad, there wasn't a single man in the entire village.
"I'm so sorry to hear that eh…"
"You may call me Faera (Fair-ah)" The chieftain replied, placing her hands over top of the other and resting them on her upper thigh.
"Faera. Beautiful name." James said, nodding his head.
"A strong name, given only to one who has the fury of the ancestors." Faera added, a slight feeling of indignation.
James felt just a bit of guilt but he changed the subject.
"Soooooo how about those pools, they look amazing. Bet they help soothe those tired muscles." James sheepishly grinned hoping he saved the conversation.
Emilia placed a hand over her eyes and Feara had an expressionless dead stare.
"Oh boy." James muttered under his breath.
A few awkward moments passed with hardly a sound. One of the on lookers behind them coughed and James decided he needed to steer the conversation to safe ground.
"I understand that you want my help in repopulating and I'd love to help you with that. The issue is that I promised King Herod to undergo a test to prove my potency. They even through me a huge party and all that." James said, trying to choose his words wisely.
"We are well aware of his so called test. We however do not need a test. We can feel the aura of power emanating from your balls. (But it totally sounded like bowls) You are indeed very potent James, and you could easily solve our population problems if you so wished." Faera said, eyeing his crotch with a bit of desire.
James was totally fine when beautiful women eyes his jewels. In fact he encouraged it to some extent. But when a middle aged woman was eyeing his junk he got a bit uncomfortable.
"Uh, thanks for your vote of confidence for my, uh, baby maker. But I have a feeling the King isn't gonna like me disappearing." James admitted, while nervously rubbing the back of his head.
Emilia fought back a chuckle while Faera seemed to narrow her eyes at that last statement.
"We are prepared to fight for you and have a plan set for such an occasion." Faera nonchalantly said turning back to her meal.
James stammered for a few seconds wondering what to say to that.
"Uh, what, I…you know you're outnumbered right? If they came for me they wouldn't stop until they got me back." James finally spouted out like a machine gun.
Faera didn't like that one bit. Her face became filled with anger and disappointment.
"We are well equipped and trained to take on such a threat. They will not take you back." Faera argued, emphasizing the word back with a loud click.
Emilia had held her tongue the entire conversation as she didn't want to talk over her chieftain. But, finally she felt it was time to chime in with her thoughts. She made a cough sound and turned to speech to James.
"I know you may have friends in their kingdom and we will give you a chance to speak with them and tell them to go back. If they do then they may leave peacefully."
James felt a little hot under the collar and started to realize he may be held hostage here. He stood up and dusted off his pants. Then he took a small bow to both Faera and Emilia.
"Look, it's been nice to speak with you both, but I can't abandon my friends, okay? If you still need my help repopulating then you can come to me when I'm King and we can sort this out." James calmly expressed making sure to keep his temper in check.
Faera stood up and faced James head on, her stern demeanor taking on an air of confrontation.
"We cannot wait for you to become dis King. We have waited for years for our race to repopulate and we will not wait another day. Every day we live another of our kind is killed by these monsters or by raiders from a far off kingdom. No more! We have waited long enough. Emilia?!!" Faera argued with a fervent and passionate voice.
James began to back away from the group and was silently cornered by other elves behind him.
"Yes chieftain?" Emilia answered her with a bit of hesitation to her voice.
"Confine Mr. Keller to his quarters and prepare our warriors for battle!" Faera commanded.
James made a run for it, dodging a tall amazon of a woman and then another as he ran across the wooden bridge.
"After him! Don't let him escape!" Faera ordered, pointing at him.
James jumped up and started sprinting along one of the wooden bridges towards the exit of the village. As he ran, people started to chase him, calling out to him and demanding that he stop. He ignored their call and kept running, the wooden bridge swaying with each of his strides.
The elves were right behind him and were catching up fast. James kept sprinting and running for his life toward what he hoped was the exit from the Elven village. He kept glancing back over his shoulder to see the elves chasing him, gaining on him with each second. The bridge he was running on swayed dangerously with each of his steps, his heart pounding in his chest as he ran.
He turned a corner and started towards a descending staircase when he felt something sharp prick the back of his neck. The next thing he knew his vision was quickly fading and he stumbled to the ground.
The last thing he remembered was Emilia wrapping her arms around him telling him it was going to be okay.
The main force from Karneth finally reached the outskirts of Ninir Forest. General Sasha Heldeer held up a closed fist and the rest of the soldiers slowed down and stopped behind her. She turned her horse to face them and shouted her command.
"We've reached the edge of Ninir Forest. The village inside is that of the Bakarti. They will have eyes in the trees, and will try to ambush you. Be mindful of your steps for they have laid traps for our horses. Our number one priority is the safe extraction of James, once that is achieved you are ordered to retreat back to the castle. Is that understood?"
Every soldier and archer shouted in unison. "Yes, Mam!"
The force divided into five teams of several dozens horses. They spread out and began their journey into the forest.
Sasha was on edge, remembering the tales of the famous Barkati elves. The finest archers to ever live in the world of Erodus. Now, all that remained are the women who once took care of the children. Though not as legendary as their men, the women of their race are nothing to sneeze at. Still deadly accurate and fast thinking they can be a formidable force.
Movement caught one of the soldiers off guard as they walked by a group of three trees. Sasha saw it topside and gestured above.
"Arrows up there! Take them out!" General Sasha Heldeer yelled at the soldiers under her command, pointing at the tree branches in the distance.
There, a few Bakarti elves had their bows aimed at them.
"Yes, general!" A soldier replied, raising her bow and shooting at the elves, which caused one of them to fall to their death, and another to become pinned to a tree. The rest of the soldiers were now on alert, trying to locate their targets in the trees.
Meanwhile, James Keller had been locked in a house in the elven tree village, desperate to warn Sasha and Yori.
"No! Let me out!" shouted James Keller, trying to break out of the door of the house he was trapped in, but it was no use. The Bakarti were keeping him hostage and he couldn't escape. As General Sasha Heldeer's forces battled the elves outside, Emilia visited him as she tried to console him.
"James stop! You'll hurt yourself." Emilia urged him.
"Then let me out Emilia!" James barked, his voice filled with rage.
Emilia was bit terrified of this new side of James. No longer the slender and feeble looking man from before. Now he seemed to command a hidden strength that could take on almost anything.
"If I let you out now you'll caught in the cross fire. I have to keep you hear until it's over." Emilia reasoned, pressing herself against the window of the door.
"By then Sasha and Yori could be dead. So many lives lost over me. I didn't want this, I wanted peace. Your arrogant chieftain cannot see the bigger picture!" James argued, his vein beginning to show in his neck.
"Faera is looking out for her people. They are all that is left of our race. Without you we will all die lonely deaths. Our entire race will vanish off the face of Erodus. Is that what you want James?" Emilia countered, trying to reach him.
James slammed his fist into the wall and leaned into it.
"No, I don't want that. I said I could help with that. Instead your chieftain wants me to help your village and your village alone." James answered, his mind racing with frantic thoughts.
Emilia could not deny that James was willing and that there was some truth to his statement. However, she did not know how to solve this problem. How does she convince her stubborn chieftain to stand down against such a force bent on taking him back?
Before she could come up with a solution she saw movement down below the platform. Archers were taking aim at her.
"Take her out!" General Sasha Heldeer yelled, and the archers in her forces shot at Emilia.
Emilia dodged the first arrows, but the archers were persistent and continued to shoot at her.
Meanwhile, James was still struggling in the house, trying to break the door and escape. He slammed his foot into the door over and over again with all his strength. With each hit the door slowly weakened until it finally exploded off the hinges and fell over the platform. The door slammed into the ground near one of the archers and she managed to dodge it by the skin of her teeth.
"What was that?" the archer asked as she peered up above.
"JAMES!" Sasha shouted as she saw him on the platform.
"SASHAAA! James shouted back, giving her the biggest smile he could.
Faera and several guards appeared in his peripheral vision and he turned to run away.
"Get him!" Faera commanded.
The guards moved with incredible speed, leaping across platforms with ease. Emilia followed behind him and raced to catch up.
"Wait James, wait!" She shouted to him.
He didn't listen as his legs continued to bound down the staircase two at a time. He landed on one of the middle platforms and spun around to descend the next staircase. A guard leapt off the stairs, flipped over in the air and landed right in front of him.
"Oh shit!" James exclaimed while almost losing his footing.
The guard pointed her arrow head type spearhead at him and forced him back away from the descending staircase.
Emilia had to make a tough call, help him get away from the guard and forfeit her connection to her people or let him be capture or worse by the guard and forfeit her feelings for him. She struggled to make a decision, tears welling up inside her.
The guard swung her spear at James' feet and he jumped over it. Then the guard swung it back the other way and knocked him off of his feet. She aimed the spear at his throat.
"Stay down and don't move!" The guard commanded.
James held his hands up to guard his face as she aimed her spear at him.
" I'm not moving, I'm not moving." James repeated, hoping to calm her down.
A sudden shout of Sasha as she fought against one of the Bakarti made him turn his head. The guard thought we was trying to escape and moved her spear back to strike.
Emilia leapt into the air and wrapped her arms around the guard's neck and pulled her down onto the wooden platform. Now knocked out her spear drops out of her hand and clangs to the floor.
"Emilia?" James asked, a bit shocked by this change of events.
"Run James, Run!" Emilia shouted.
James didn't waste another second and got to his feet. He bounded down the stairs and headed for the ground. Emilia took the spear and followed right behind him.
James and Emilia reached the ground and began to run before they were stopped by Sasha on horseback. Sasha saw Emilia and turned her horse around so she could run down Emilia. Her emotions running high she couldn't think of anything else other than saving her James.
"Stop! Stop it right now. All of you!" James shouted and held up his hands to stop them.
Sasha stops her horse and Emilia stops in her tracks. Both them looking fierce and determined. Several Bakarti guards and Bakarti archers appeared from the trees and platforms aiming their weapons at the three of them.
The situation only escalated as soldiers and archers from Karneth appeared en mass and aimed their weapons at the Bakarti.
There was a stalemate as they all looked at each other, waiting for the other to make a move. The very air felt electric and thick with tension as the two opposing forces readied themselves to attack.
"This is senseless death, it must stop. I want to put an end to the death and bring life to this world. It begins here! Right here! You are both facing extinction!" James argued, desperate to reach them before it's too late.
"Why are you fighting each other when monsters are knocking at your doors? Devouring all in their path, indiscriminately bringing death to every living thing. We need to band together or we all will fall!" James added, turning to face each of them equally.
The two forces seemed to be loosening their grip for a moment. James thought that perhaps the blood shed was over. Then a voice rang out from above filled with rage and hatred.
"For too long you have taken our lands and killed our race. For too long you have looked down on us as savages. Now we shall rise up with a new power, a new strength and will drive you out of our home!"
James held his head down in defeat as he knew the battle would begin again a new. He had mere moments to choose a side before it was too late. He took a single step towards Sasha when the ground began to shake.
It was a terrible earthquake that brought every soldier to their knees. Several weaker houses cracked and came crashing down onto the ground killing several of each force. Blood curdling screams erupted from up above and it sent chills down James' spine. It was a scream of utter terror, like living in the worst nightmare of your life.
The sky transformed from midday to midnight as some dark magic turned the world into darkness. Then, a deafening roar so loud it could make any living thing deaf for life erupted from deeper in the forest. Anyone who didn't cover their ears had blood pouring from their ears and down their neck. James could feel his head and chest throbbing from the vibration. It was as if a sixty pound shell had exploded ten feet away from him.
The roar died down and James' ears were ringing loudly in his head. His vision split multiple times as he tried to get back his footing.
By the time he could hear again the Bakarti were already firing volleys of arrows and throwing their spears at something huge.
Then from within the tall branches of the tree several long black and purple tentacles appeared from behind the leaves and impaled themselves into the Bakarti warriors. The warriors were yanked with such force that blood smeared across the leaves as well as the wooden platform. A smaller tree toppled as something huge slammed into it. The force of the tree hitting the ground made James fall to his knees again.
An intense feeling of dread welled up in him and every fiber of his being told him not to look up. But his curiosity won and he looked up to see something straight out of his worst nightmares.
A collosal monster so tall its head appeared above even the highest platform of the village came into view. It's long black body was covered in jagged spikes and cracks in its shell from previous battles.
It had over a hundred large pale legs that supported its massive size.
Its head had no eyes but a mouth filled with row after row of the sharpest teeth to ever exist. It's sole purpose was to shred its prey to tiny pieces.
Alongside its wide mouth were several long black and purple tentacles covered in blood from its new kills. These tentacles all ended in jagged sword like points that were made to pierce and hold a prey until it was placed inside its mouth.
As the behemoth moved it left a large path of steaming yellow ooze that seemed to boil. That's when he noticed small red stains floating in the viscous fluids. The elves were melted by this acidic ooze. Pieces of limbs and flesh were floating in the ooze closer to the main body as it rapidly disintegrated.
The horror of the scene made James retch into a nearby bush. His mind was lost and unable to function in such other worldly terror.
Sasha and Yori picked him up and set him on Sasha's horse. They kicked their horses raw and slapped the reins until the horse sprinted like it's life depended on it. The break neck speed almost claimed James as he started to slide off to the side. Yori pushed him back on and then separated just in time to miss one of the tentacles.
A battle cry came from Chieftain Faera as she and her elite warriors tried to cut off the tentacles. They managed to sever one of them only for two more to replace that one. One by one the elite warriors were snatched by the tentacles and placed into the monsters hungry mouth. Bones shattered and skin shred into tiny pieces in mere seconds as the rows of teeth tore them apart. Blood poured from the corners of its mouth and showered onto the terrified warriors below.
James looked up to see a lone horse running away without its owner. It's eyes wide with terror and trembling from mortal fear.
What could they do against a monster like that? Would he even survive to see another day? These questions echoed in his mind as the horse continued through the forest.
*** Hey everyone! Sorry I had to end it there on a cliff hanger but I need to stop and take a break for the day. I've been writing for five hours straight. I will see you all tomorrow for the conclusion of this terrifying battle. Take care! ***
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone