The Xalinor Chronicles

The battle of Barrendor

Jake kept staring at the rare violet crystal in amazement. It looked like an expensive gemstone which could be sold for a fortune.

“What’s a Skill Shard?” he asked.

“It’s an extremely rare crystal which allows the user to unlock one additional skill without any combat experience requirements,” replied the old healer.

Jake realized that what he held in his palm was too valuable to be sold at a market. He thanked the little gnome for her precious gift and handed the crystal to Yolen. “I don’t want to use it now. Could you please keep it safe for me?”

Yolen couldn’t believe that a human would trust a gnome for the safekeeping of his valuables. The humans of Xalinor looked upon all gnomes as thieves and would never let them near any precious items. It was largely owing to the fact that gnome Sneakers had the ability to turn invisible. Though they had to resort to petty thievery now, it hadn’t always been the case. In the past, the Sneakers would often use their invisibility skill to avoid wild animals while gathering fruits and berries in the forest. After the Great War however, things had changed completely. Most people didn’t even trust the gnome Diggers these days.

“You really can’t be from this world, Jake Riley”, saying this, he took the Skill Shard from Jake and put it away, safely inside his satchel.

While returning to the gnome warren, Jake noticed Zill utter a special incantation which made the tunnel under the mountain visible to their eyes. He remembered Zill saying that only warlocks could use magic. This could only mean one thing; there were ways in which non-magic users could also use certain spells.

He turned towards Zill and enquired, “How can you use magic? I thought only warlocks could use spells.”

“It’s not my magic, Jake Riley. This magic spell has always been there,” answered Zill.

Yolen lifted his walking stick and pointed towards the cave’s entrance. “This is an illusion spell. When the Subjugation began, a warlock named, Grevlin Astrae imbued the walls of this cave with his magic to save us. The illusion can only be dispelled by chanting a special magical incantation. To the ordinary passerby, it looks just like any other mountain.”

“Why would a warlock help your people? Don’t they hate gnomes?” asked Jake, in a baffled tone.

“Grevlin wasn’t like the others. It gave him no joy to watch the gnomes suffer such hellish brutalities.” Yolen shuddered in fear as he vividly recollected their painful past. “After the Great War, gnomes and humans were hunted like dogs. They were forced into a life of eternal s*****y. The Sneakers chose to run away instead of wearing the shackles of humiliation. That’s when the warlocks decided to track down and s*******r every single Sneaker in Xalinor.” He walked up to Zill and gently wiped away the teardrops which had gathered at the corner of his large black eyes.

“So, that means Zill–“

“Yes, that means Zill is the last of his kind. Grevlin managed to rescue him but not before he had witnessed his friends being killed in front of his eyes.” He paused and took in a deep breath before continuing. “Zill is a really brave gnome. Perhaps, he is the bravest among us.”

Jake now understood why Zill had risked his life to steal the Level Book. He realized why the little gnome wanted to become stronger. As a child, Zill had gone through hell and the trauma had robbed him of his innocence. He had been forced to grow up much faster than kids his age. The young gnome Diggers still retained their childishness but Zill’s eyes were always ebbing with a sense of fear. He was more mature and responsible than kids of his age.

Jake bent down and hugged his little friend tightly. “I am here for you. No one can harm your people as long as I am alive. You can trust me,” he whispered in his ear.

“Thank you, Jake Riley. You are my best friend.” Zill replied, with tears streaming down his cheeks.

“Why do you keep calling me by my full name? You can just call me, ‘Jake’”

Zill’s eyes lit up in delight. He could barely believe what he was hearing. Finally, he spoke in a trembling voice, “Humans say that they are superior to us, so we gnomes should never call them by their first name. It is disrespectful for us to call them by a single name. Only...gnomes have a single name since we are inferior beings.”

Jake released Zill from his embrace and placed his hands on the gnome’s shoulders. He looked into his eyes and explained in a calm yet convincing tone, “Gnomes are not inferior to humans. In fact, I don’t think any human would have done what you did for me when I was attacked by blood hounds. You are my friend, Zill. And friends are always equals. From now on I want you to call me just ‘Jake’”.

Zill’s mother shed a tear and leaned on her husband’s shoulder. “Our son finally has a friend,” she smiled.

Jake made it clear to all that he would never let any harm come to them. This was now his own family and the gnomes in that little warren were his own people.

Hearing Jake’s words made the gnomes feel much secure. When they heard about the incident in the forest, the admiration they felt for him, increased manifold. In their eyes, he was a great savior who had been sent to protect them.

Yolen hobbled towards him and pulled on his arm. “I think it’s time for you to know the history of Xalinor. Follow me to the Sacred Circle.” He turned towards Zill and gestured for him to come closer. “Tonight, I will show you the Battle of Barrendor.”

The two of them eagerly followed the old gnome to the Sacred Circle. Yolen asked them to sit down in front of the bonfire as he took his seat on the other side of the flames. When both the friends were seated, Yolen plunged his right hand into an earthen bowl containing a strange black powder. His cracked old voice sounded from the other side as he uttered a number of strange incantations in a rhythmic manner.

“Look into the flames and witness the past unfold in front of your eyes!” exclaimed Yolen, blowing the black powder into the fire.

As Jake and Zill stared into the flames, myriads of strange images rose up before them like fragments of some long-forgotten dreams. The holy fire conjured up the scenes from a bygone era. In front of their eyes, lay a rocky plateau, barren and parched. The sky overhead was an unnatural blend of crimson which bled into the abyssal darkness. There was no moon to be seen, and only a solitary star glimmered like a lonely firefly.

Soon they could hear the thunderous sound of battle drums which made the ground tremble in fear. They felt as if they had been teleported to the battlefield themselves as the terrifying battle cries resounded through the chilly night air.

On one side of the battlefield, the warlocks held their ground. Three columns of Vanguards stood at the front. They protected the Elementalists in the center, who were drawing magic circles and preparing to cast destructive spells. The rear end was guarded by female warlocks known as Charmcasters.

Jake and Zill watched the entire battle unfold right before their eyes. As soon as the bugle was blown, the first row of Vanguards charged forward with their enchanted swords pulsating with energy. The other side of the battlefield seemed to be enveloped in fog. When the Vanguards had reached the periphery of the blanket of fog, the Charmcasters cast a purify spell which instantly dispersed the dense fog.

Instead of engaging the enemy, the Vanguards stood there in awe. What lay on the other side was beyond their comprehension. It was an army of towering machines. These robot-like creatures stood 12 feet tall and were made entirely out of Ziraelium, the hardest known substance on Xalinor. They had mechanical arms and limbs and a robotic head fitted with a glass visor. As soon as the Vanguards charged at the machines, the hulking robots raised their mechanical arms to reveal automatic machine guns hidden inside the panels on their forearms. The Vanguards were obliterated with gunfire even before their steel blades could make contact with the machines. Wave after wave of Vanguards perished like cattle as a thousand machine guns buzzed furiously. The Elementalists conjured up fireballs and tornados to stop the machines from advancing. Though a few thousand robots perished, it was only a fraction of their entire fighting force. The elite Vanguards laid down their lives to buy time for the Elementalists and Charmcasters. None of the hypnosis or confusion spells cast by the Charmcasters had any effect on the colossal robots. The warlocks were no match for these machines of mass destruction who painted the battlefield red with the blood of a million Vanguards. Even though the Elementalists kept attacking the machines with ice shards and fireballs, they kept marching ahead. Eventually, a couple of machines broke through their defenses and obliterated the Elementalists in front with a hail of bullets.

The entire Warlock army would have been annihilated that day if it weren’t for the Grand Warlock Marzenon who cast an expert level shielding spell which allowed the rest of the troops to retreat. He then summoned a rain of meteors to destroy the enemy’s frontline and halt their advance. His efforts however seemed to be too little and too late. The warlocks barely managed to escape with their lives while the colossal machines suffered only a minor setback. Marzenon had only managed to eliminate a small fraction of their army.

Jake and Zill were horrified by the sheer destructive power of these massive machines.

“The battlefield of Barrendor had turned into a mass graveyard for the warlocks on that fateful day. People say that even carrion birds didn’t dare to touch the corpses of those who fell during the battle.” Yolen’s voice woke them from their reverie as the images inside the flame slowly faded away.

Yolen stood up with an effort and exclaimed in a regretful tone, “Ever since the battle of Barrendor, the mechas rule over the land of Xalinor from the kingdom of Utoria. The warlocks had no choice but to ally themselves with these harbingers of death. Marzenon helped the mechas crush the gnomes and the humans and subjugate the elves. Now, the warlocks follow the commands of their mecha masters and e*****e humans and gnomes so that they can mine precious metals and build various structures and contraptions for these fowl monsters!” He looked Jake in the eye and exclaimed in a grim voice, “If you truly wish to free the gnomes and the humans from s*****y, then you must find a way to overthrow the mecha Overlord named Zeroth. There can be no peace or comfort as long as the mechas continue to rule over the continent. It is a daunting task, but you are no ordinary human. After all, Goddess Vaari has chosen you as her herald!”