Underhand Negotiations

Archie and Rothel left the large conference room where the Emperor of Andron resided during the day. The Emperor was a very old man dressed in an extremely expensive, slate gray three piece. His hair was nearly white and his face was stern and strict. A cybernetic looking headpiece was fixed to his ear and eye. Yix noticed the Emperor was slightly upset at the turnout of the negotiation, but Archie looked quite pleased with himself and more relaxed than he had in the past few days. The two shook hands, grudgingly, and nodded to each other. Rothel moved next to Yix and whispered into his ear. "I'll explain what happened when we are outside of the city."

The old emperor spoke to Archie with a harsh and commanding voice, "Well Archibald, the information you gave us was quite valuable. My people will ensure now that this plague shall no longer hurt the Rat People, so long as this is no ruse."

Archie bows respectively to answer, "My Lord, I have accurately given you the time and place of this devastating Drakin attacks. They did not cover their tracks to well and the blunder they made in exposing their plans will cost them dearly, friend." The Emperor only stared at Archie as if to say, you had better hope so. "Very well, Archibald. My guards will escort you out. We are done here."
The three Rat people are lead out of the enormous capital of Andron by several men in large cyborg suits. Once outside, they quickly and silently scamper to the sewers. Archie gives some short instructions to Rothel and Yix to head back to the city of Silvergold secretly to aid the humans when their forces arrive. He informs them that the Rat People that were staying with the Drakin have already left to the assigned location. After that, Archie smiles, turns a corner and is gone.

Rothel and Yix begin their long journey back to the north. Rothel tells him along the way, "We exchanged the whereabouts of the Drakin to the Emperor and informed about the attacks they are planning. We will meet with human militia outside of the city and attack in ambush just as the Kain and his troops try to enter the catacombs." Yix was nervous. He remembered just how fearsome the intimidating Kain had seemed. Rothel assured him, "Don't worry, if the humans do their part Kain will be dead and our kind will no longer suffer this disease in the sewers."
***

Rothel and Yix meet with the other Rat people and human armies near Silvergold to explain the Drakin's plan. For a few days they calculate logistics and wait for that night to occur. Even Archie arrives to ensure the battle goes smoothly. The Rat People sentries inform them one night of the Drakin's movement and the amry sets out to intercept and flank them before they even reach Silvergold. Rothel, Yix, Archie and the other Rat people stay to the rear of the war parties, braced for combat and ready to flee at a moment's notice.

As the drakin grew closer and closer to the place where the rat people's treachery would take affect Kain felt a sense of dread come over him as his army of drakin men walked forward to what they thought was going to be a rousing victory. Kain sighed and looked to drakio "Drakio, if this was a mistake, will you continue to follow your general?"

Drakio simply nodded and said "My lord, i will follow you to the end, we are warriors, brothers in arms and in the blood of battle."

Kain nodded at him and said "A man once told me the stars would be different once the war began..." he looked up and sighed "He was right...but enough of this melodramatic chatter, we are about to take the city of Silvergold for the dominion! Praise be to our ancestors and glory to the Dominion!!" Kain's entire army roared out in reply as their pace quickened, they were ready for a battle they were sure to win...but unprepared for a battle that had been rigged against them from the start.

The armies easily located the the Drakin forces roaring loudly and rushing to Silvergold. They were a powerful and a confident race that feared little. Rothel looked down through the snow covered trees at the various forms of the Drakin, ternock and thric ternock alike. They charged forward and blindly followed the instructions that Rothel had given them without hesitation. Kain had put his complete trust in him and had done exactly as Rothel had asked. Archie shuffled next to him as he looked onward. Archie gestured to him in a hand language, You led them well, they do not suspect a thing. Rothel nodded and grinned as he signed back to his King. Their precious honor that they hold so dear will be their downfall...

The armies, on either side of the Drakin closed in fast at the flanks, smaller groups would circle around to what was now the front of the Drakin force to prevent them from advancing further. What was now their rear would be left open for the time being. A cornered animal is a dangerous foe. Only when their forces are sufficiently weakened they move in for the kill.

The initial charge came in on genetically improved war horses. The muscles of the great beasts rippled under the unnaturally thick hide with both natural and cybernetic power. Infantry were armored head to toe in heavy metallic suits that buffered against elements and damage. Men at the back were equipped with state-of-the-art laser technology. This was Andron's elite force, a force built specifically for deadly combat. They met the optimistic Drakin suddenly with their force, hacking, slashing ad firing with all the anger of hundreds of years of hatred. The people of Silvergold watched with their breath held. Every sword stroke and every gun fired carried the malice of the human Empire.

As the ambushed rushed into attack them and they were cornered and forced into the fight, the drakin without hesitation or fear, turned and fought their enemies. The largest ternock their rushed the horses headlong, one of them Rothel would recognize as one of kain guards toppled a horse, breaking its neck with his bare claws. Kain roared out his hatred and anger "BURN THEM ALL TO DUST! LET THESE APES KNOW THE RAGE AND FIRE OF DRAGONS!" His men charged forward into the ambush with no fear, just righteous fury and hatred, giving all they have to the fight. Though they are greatly outnumbered and taken by surprise no enemy would know if their moral was broken in the least. Fire balls and shards of elemental power flew from the drakin ranks as their elemental artillery tried to rain hell back down on the humans, but kain knew this was a fight he could not win.

Kain roared out to his men, as he ripped the thoat of a human soldier clean out of his neck, "All the lights in this sky are stars, and all the stars represent the souls and power of the people in this world! Our ancestors look proudly on us, do your's do the same humans and rats!" he said rats with more hate than the word human carried, and that alone would chill rothel to the bone.

Rothel stood back in the trees, hiding. He fired every now an then a high energy cross bow that he pilfered from a soldier who died from a fireball. Despite the fury of the Drakin, the humans had taken very little losses. It was clear that the sheer number of people would overwhelm the Drakin, but they certainly were not going down easily. Powerful roars and bellow of rage sounded on the battlefield amidst the explosions of bombs and fireballs alike. Even among the screams and sounds of battle, Rothel could hear the battle cries of Kain quite clearly. The words were not as important to Rothel as the power and emotion of his voice. For a moment, Rothel was paralyzed with fear, he was able to control himself and dive deeper into the concealment of the trees.

The humans fought on bravely, almost unfazed by the rage of the Drakin. They have seen battles just like these many times before and, although these Drakin were extremely powerful, the odds were in their favor. The mounted riders shot bolts of energy and explosives from their weapons and hacked away with powerful swords and axes. They then retreated slightly only to charge once more in order to make full use of their mounted advantage. Numbers dwindled fast. The groups split off to cover all sides of the Drakin Army.

Archie had not been fighting but merely observing the progress. He was satisfied that the Drakin would fall now so he left the human commander in charge and told him of the Drakin camp just a bit farther north. Archie, Yix and Rothel go to leave the battle now to avoid injury. Before Rothel steps away he notices Kain ripping heads and limbs. Chills rode up his spine once again and he works up the nerve to shout, as much as he is able to, down to his new adversary, "Terribly sorry for the inconvenience, Kain, but this is just business. You must learn to open your eyes a bit more! It's a shame you won't live to learn from this mistake! I regret nothing!" Rothel adds in Draconic, "Farewell, hofibavi ir!"

Kain heard rothel and looked straight at him his eyes burning with hate "I will not die today! I know your face and i know your name! You will feel my wrath and vengeance one day you dishonorable waste of life! You bottom feeding pond scum! A race long bereft of honor or loyalty! The Dominion will know your betrayal! You Nak will never be safe! I will see to it your race is driven to the brink before we let you be! But you rothel, your head is MINE!" he roared as he yelled to his troops "RETREAT! THEIR TREACHERY HAS BEATEN US! RETREAAT!"

Amongst the retreating drakin the rat's can hear various slurs and curses being laid on the rat people, the last thing rothel would see before dissapearing into the night is Kain's golden scales, covered in blood staring in his direction, he says a simple phrase, the biggest insult to a warrior drakin and most people would know this. "Die peacefully as you sleep, no blade should be tainted by your putrid blood."

Archie did not approve of giving away their position so and would have reprimanded Rothel. Yet Kain's words seemed to have been plenty punishment. Rothel spoke no more for the rest of the night as the three Rat People left the scene. His face was paler than usual and a lump was formed in his throat. Still, he had to believe that Kain would fall in battle. For his own sanity, he had to believe.

They expected the retreat. They had closed most of the Drakin off from escape so it was easy to finish off the fleeing enemies. The human armies followed the Drakin for a long time after to pick them off throughout the night. Eventually they went back to destroy the camp settlement entirely. Nearly all of the Drakin had been killed. With little food or equipment left, the few lucky ones would be hard pressed to survive. Humans patted each other on the back to congratulate everyone. They had protected their home from a devastating attack. At the fort of Luboric, the guards were still stationed and any follow up attack there would have been equally crushed.