Dawning Skye

610 Decimation(Part Two)

***WARNING: LANGUAGE, VIOLENCE, MASS DEATH, AND DISTURBING CONTENT***

Norvis felt like the greatest in the world as he rode his ‘Decimator’, and began to level Warrick Forest. He had always wanted to build a machine purely made for destruction, but the previous king never allowed him to. Saying that when humans made weapons of mass destruction, they tended to find reasons to use them, and that went against the principles of his rule.

Because of this, King Magnus rejected almost all designs that Norvis had submitted. He had also been banished to a remote section of the R&D department, where his resentment grew. That is, until Marco had found him, and made him one of his guards.

The now-current king allowed Norvis to create whatever he could dream up, which usually turned out to be something related to killing. Norvis excitedly shifted the gear shaft to make his monstrosity go faster as he cut and maimed his way towards the center of the Fae Sanctuary. His smile growing every time he heard the familiar screeching noises of Fae getting caught up in his warpath.

“Good thing I coated this puppy before heading out! All those nasty Fae bits would rust out me baby’s undercarriage!”

Doctor Stein, who was sitting next to Norvis in the passenger seat, huffed testily; “You deserve it! So many works of art: Lost! Because of you! I’ve seen at least eight different Fae that I have never before seen, and you’ve killed them! Such precious masterpieces! Gone before their gift was shared!”

Norvis scrunched his face at the doctor like he’d smelt something foul; “The fuck is Wrong with you?! People’s insides aren’t art! My baby is art- the Ultimate Art! See the vibrant reds and greens she’s painting with?! She’s perfect!”

Doctor Stein scoffed; “That would make your machine an Artist, not a Work of Art! You idiot!”

Annoyance and embarrassment were plastered all over Norvis’ face; “Well-it-she-my art creates art of it’s own! THAT makes it the ultimate masterpiece!”

.....

Switching to a smirk, Norvis added; “Your lumps of cold, gross art can’t do that, can they?”

An evil grin stretched across his face as he nodded ahead of them; “We’ll see Who’s Creations make more beautiful art..”

The doctor had worded himself to make it sound like his undead would be triumphant, but Norvis just ignored him. His creation had already leveled the Fae section of Warrick Forest, and he would continue to cut down the trees from Moonshire, to the capital. All on his king’s orders.

The wood would be needed, but there was a more specific reason that Marco wanted the forest removed. The Highlanders used the cover of the forest to move from one end of the kingdom to the other without being noticed. It stretched from the far north all the way to the southern end of Alcon, but was broken apart in sections due to farming and towns.

The part that stretched across the north was basically one large section of tightly grown trees. Marco knew that if the forest wasn’t there, then the Highlanders’ movements could be tracked fairly easily. On top of that, he would be able to see his brother coming from a mile away..

Norvis bickered with Stein as their creations wreaked havoc on the Fae and their homes alike. The fires spread like dragon’s breath, and trapped many Fae inside their tree homes. The rope bridges burned up in moments, cutting off any attempts to flee before their home was cut down.

Fae that were running around looking for loved ones or a way out were either burned and crushed, or killed by the animated corpses walking along with the machine. Many had caught fire, and were spreading it to the bushes and shrubs as they mindlessly searched for victims. Most of the Fae that had been outside of the central sanctuary were killed, and the few remaining were being chased by the gruesome monsters.

They tore and twisted their prey apart with blank expressions, then moved on to find their next victim. They didn’t tire, didn’t hunger or feel pain, and they didn’t stop: it was the perfect army. And they were only loyal to the King of Alcon.

Not even Doctor Stein controlled them any longer. Their very existence was all up to Marco to decide upon, and do with as he pleased.. ‘The same could be said about everything in this kingdom. It’s all here for our king’s taking..’

As the thought crossed his mind, Norvis slowed his monstrosity of a machine to let the bulk of the dead go around him intact. Stein was already pitching a fit over ‘not being able to get on with his tests’, and Norvis was at his limit for his antics. It annoyed him that he’d have to wait to complete his own tests, but he had gathered enough data to preoccupy himself for the time being.

When Norvis retreated into his numbers, Doctor Stein emerged from the Decimator, and watched his creations clash with the Fae. Their warriors were strong, but the sheer number of dead soldiers coming at them seemed to be too much to handle. Their lines kept breaking as the doctor watched the bulk of the Fae run into the forest.

He could’ve sworn he’d seen a human mixed in with them, but there were so many new types of Fae that he’d seen that he couldn’t be sure. Stein grinned as he tried to contain his glee while watching the bloodshed unfold. The screams and cries for help were like a sonata to him, and he couldn’t stop himself from swaying to the rhythm.

The Fae flew, ran, and dug their way out, but hundreds had already been killed. Stein was slightly annoyed that his creations mangled their victims, which meant he couldn’t use their corpses to make more soldiers. But his king had already mentioned that they didn’t really need more, so the Regulars could go as crazy as their instincts led them to be.

“Hey Norvis! I think we should keep moving now! If those Fae get away, then our King will be angry,” Doctor Stein yelled over the chaos.

Norvis snapped up from his papers with a disgruntled expression; “Where they gonna go?! There’s nowhere left but the Highlands!”

Stein’s face went hard; “Are you an idiot?! Moonstone Castle is but a few miles away! If they get there, we’ll have to burn the bloody castle down to get to them!”

A dark smile overtook Norvis’ contemplative expression; “Maybe we Should get them to run there..”

Understanding where his partner was going, an equally dark smile stretched across the doctor’s face; “Aye! Maybe we should..”

************

Celestia had gotten a little over half of the Fae population through the portal when she felt her magic beginning to reach it’s limit. There were still hundreds of Fae left to evacuate, so she didn’t say anything. It was only when Maevis noticed sweat beading up on her face that she realized that something was wrong.

“How are you fairing, my Queen? You don’t look too good,” Maevis commented with worry in her tone.

Celestia barked a sharp laugh; “Thank you for your concern, Mae, but I’m fine. I can handle this.”

“Is that why you’re sweating in ten degree weather? Be honest: how long can you last?”

Mae’s tone brokered no arguments, but Celestia tried to push it; “I can do this Mae. I won’t let any of them die-”

“This is No time for optimistic Opinions,” Maevis stated with a harsh tone; “Lives are on the line, my Queen. Be Honest.”

Celestia glanced at the portal, then her people before looking back to Mae; “I can last maybe twenty more minutes, but not any longer than that.”

The expression on her face was one of defeat, which Maevis had no idea how to respond to in the moment. She wanted to comfort her friend and Queen, and reassure her that she’d done all that she could. But time was of the essence, and hard choices needed to be made..

With a stern demeanor, Maevis fluttered above the crowds, and told them the truth. Before they could panic to the point of irrationality, Mae called to her Fae brethren for help..

“I understand how frightened you all are, but do not lose hope! We are continually doing all we can to save as many as we can! But as we are now at war with Marco MacArthur, we have to make priorities! I request that everyone allow all children with a single guardian, elders, and the injured through the portal first! After that, everyone else!”

As discontentment began to rise, Maevis added; “We are Not abandoning anyone! But we are taking precautions to ensure that the most vulnerable are evacuated first! I know that everyone wants to be safe, so Please! Help Us Save You!”

The desperation in Maevis’ voice was more than enough to silence, and convince the gathered Fae to listen. Mae was considered one of the wisest and strongest amongst all Fae, as well as Nicolas. Them being the ones to ask for cooperation was the key to the line finally moving along steadily, and Celestia thanked fate for placing them at her side at the right time.

The evacuation went smoothly for the next several minutes, mainly thanks to Aero and the guardians. Maevis and Nicolas silently lamented not being able to help fight, but it wouldn’t have made much of a difference if they had. They barely had any magic left, and the sheer amount of dead alone guaranteed the fall of Warrick Forest; not to mention Norvis’ creation.

The massive machine had just started to move again when Celestia’s powers started to wane. It was heading directly for the tree palace as the dead swarmed the guardians. One moment, they were keeping the dead at bay, then the next; they were rushing the escaping Fae.

All hell broke loose as the Fae began to panic. They began to push towards the portal, which overwhelmed Celestia within moments. The portal’s size began to shrink, making the larger Fae begin to scream and plead to be saved.

The dead soldiers began to pull and rip apart the crowds, killing numerous Fae in the most brutal ways. The heavy smell of blood and bile filled the air as several smaller Fae were crushed by their own panicking neighbors. Right as the chaos peaked, the Decimator reached the palace.

Celestia tried her best to keep the portal open, but it was shrinking quickly. Maevis and Nicholas talked for a moment about what they thought they should do, but a couple of the soldiers shoved their way through the crowds, beelining it for the Fae Queen. Desperate, Maevis summoned the last of her magic..

She put up a massive rock wall between the gathered Fae, and the bulk of the undead army. As soon as she felt that it was high enough, Maevis passed out, and began to fall to the ground. Nicolas swooped down and grabbed her before she hit, but she’d already damaged herself by depleting all of her magic.

As worry creased his brow, an unbearably loud noise rang out from behind him..

Nicolas looked up to see the tree palace, which had stood for hundreds of years; falling over. He whipped his head to the other side to see Celestia nearly in the same state as Maevis. The portal’s hole was bare big enough to fit them through, and the tree was heading towards them.

He wished that time would stop so he had a moment to think, but Nicolas already knew what had to be done...

Before anyone could react: Nicolas threw Maevis through the portal, then grabbed Celestia, and threw her in while yelling; “Forgive me, Your Majesty! I will protect the King!”

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