Chronicles Chapter Four: Might and Magic

By Dominique Smith

The trials of our hero are only beginning as he leaves from the mountain city of the dwarves, Mondarihm, in search of his siblings. Their journey takes them to the thick and humid swamps of Mangrove Basin, the city of magic and education.Stride the steps to the top of the Mage's Tower and meet the leader's of the Mage's Council as they toss our ragtag group of mercenaries into yet another wild series of events that brings them one step closer to their ultimate goal.

In his own dark corners of the swamp, lost amongst the excess chaos about him...and orc will find deeper meaning to life and honor as his legacy is crushed and his paths cross ways with our pointy-eared hero.

Don't miss out on the next chapter of the Chronicles series: Might and Magic!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dominique Smith
• Release date: Nov 20, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370089314

Dominique Smith

Writer of the Chronicles series, and the mind that created the character of Tujex. Share my imagination with me, and enjoy the story,

Book preview

Chronicles

Chapter 4:

Might & Magic

By Dominique Smith

Copyright © 2017 by Dominique Smith

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof

may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever

without the express written permission of the publisher

except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Table of Contents

C: 4 A: 1 The Marshlands

C: 4 A: 2 Magnus Leo’Nadia

C: 4 A: 3 Mangrove Basin

C: 4 A: 4 Brotherly Love

C: 4 A: 5 Borschak Skyrender

C: 4 A: 6 The Swamp Witch

C: 4 A: 7 Honor

C: 4 A: 8 Extended Vacation

Chapter: 4 Act: 1

The Marshland

The sky had gotten dark so suddenly. The clouds that now blocked out the moon had moved in without warning, casting an eerie shadow over the swamps near Mangrove Basin. A rather large settlement of Orcs rested cozily amongst the thick grass and twisted trees, the few who had taken this night’s guard shift watching a shifty silhouette maneuvering about the marshlands. They snorted and grunted amongst themselves, sharing their equal distrust of the figure in their own crude ways. They hadn’t the means to communicate what about this shrouded shadow flustered them, but its presence was enough to cause unrest amongst all that laid their beady eyes upon it. They’d all become nervous and uneasy, so it wasn’t long before their aggressive tendencies got the better of them and they began to move in on the figure. Who there!? shouted on axe-wielding Orc, taking the lead of the band who had decided to make the approach. The shady figure shifted about where it stood, peering through the darkness of its robes in their direction. Not a single word fell from its lips, though there was a distant thundering that could be heard as well as a slight pick-up in the breeze that blew about the area.

The orcs paid the sudden weather change no mind as they continued to move in on the shadow, their bodies growing tense as they closed in. The axe-wielding leader called out once more, asking the same question and receiving the very same silence in return. Intruders killed…, he said through his snarls as he bared his fangs. The jittery figure lifted its arms into the air, causing its oversized sleeves to fall and reveal a pair of gnarled, trembling hands. Hoo-mon, a second Orc growled, pounding the butt of his spear into the ground. The others watched on, weapons at the ready as they moved into formation. The one leading the band had moved within striking distance, though he refrained from cleaving the figure in half upon seeing the fragility of their flesh up close. Scrawny…, weak. The Orc groaned, nudging the figure with his axe and laughing as it toppled over to the ground, hood falling from its head. Hoo-mon woomon? another Orc asked awkwardly, taking in the features of the wrinkled face that had been revealed.

The gray-haired, white eyed woman stared up at the Orcs with a toothless grin. Her hands were still trembling fiercely, though now the Orcs were almost certain it was because of the age displayed in her figure. The leader lowered his axe, glancing over his shoulder at his brethren to see how they were responding to this situation. They all seemed a tad bit confused, figuring the woman was far too old to be of any use to them physically, and on the same merit couldn’t do anything to be of danger to them. In this instant, she was nothing more than another swamp witch who happened to stray too far away from her hut during one of their harvesting rounds. This was nothing the greenskins hadn’t come in contact with before, though they still made certain to keep a few severed heads around as warning that trespassing was, and still is, always very punishable by death. While the other Orcs didn’t seem to think this lady was worth the strength it’d take to lift an axe against her, their leader was leaning more so on the side that she was in the last of her days anyway. If they didn’t finish her this evening, the pestilence would surely take her breath before the rising sun.

Trespasser die…, their leader said through a clenched jaw, lifting his weighted axe high above his head. The toothless woman continued to grin absently up towards him, her hands still shaking as the thunder grew ever louder and the wind blew ever stronger. A bolt of lightning would crack across the sky, striking the ground and sending chunks of the muddy surface flying everywhere. The Orc would flinch from the explosion, lifting his free hand to shield his face. He’d barely have time to realize what had happened before a second bolt fell from the sky and struck the head of his axe, sending a numbing shock throughout his body and causing him to collapse in a sizzling heap on the ground. The other Orcs about him looked in awe, as furious as they were confused by what they had seen. They shouted in anger and howled in rage, pounding their chests and lifting their weapons as they charged the robed woman.

She’d cackle, her thin gray hair blowing wildly about with the ever increasing wind. Such power! More power! she called out towards the heavens, her body still trembling violently as the distinct hum of magical energy became present in the area. The spear-wielding Orc from before charged first, thrusting his weapon forward and tearing through the woman’s robes, though his attack missed her narrow body in its entirety. She shouted for more power yet again, grabbing the spear shaft and cackling as the weapon and the Orc were rapidly encased in ice. He barely had a chance to scream before he was consumed and another bolt of lightning dropped from the sky and shattered the ice block, sending shards of the creature airborne. The remaining guards watched in horror, howling into the night sky to alert those back in camp. It wasn’t long before the flames of war had illuminated the marshlands, and the shouts and war cries of the infantry began to echo throughout the night.

The witch began tearing through the thick-bodied monsters as if they were wet paper. The power and ferocity of her spells were something their primitive armor and weapons stood no chance against. Flames erupted from the ground about her, charring their flesh almost instantly with its heat. The storm clouds above housed lightning bolts that destroyed their wooden construct homes, and set whatever remained of them ablaze. The ever present wind only fanned the fires and helped them spread, despite the moisture of the swamp. Shards of ice flew from her fingertips, tearing through their armors and helmets like shrapnel. Whoever made it close enough for her to touch was encased in the cold just as quickly, and dispatched in whatever cruel manner she deemed suitable. The entire series of events was nothing short of a massacre, and the Hordemaster stood at the highest point of his encampment watching it all happen before him. This repugnant view left a very sour taste in his mouth as he snatched the twin great axes from his back, and lifted them into the air to signify to his men that this had become war.

A sea of green washed down upon the witch, though none were at all prepared for what she had in store. Her grasp of the elements was something beyond phenomenal, and she didn’t seem to be putting herself under any strain as flung spell after spell. Her toothless grin matched the nothing in her eyes as she plowed through dozens of them before their Hordemaster made his way onto the battlefield. The remaining Orcs seemed to create a path for him as he charged forth, howling into the night sky with his axes clenched firmly in each hand. The witch turned to watch his approach, cackling maniacally as she twisted her fingers to bring forth more hellfire from the earth. The