Story Recap:
Tristan, a young man from a remote village of the Torstian holdings in the Dragon Peak mountains, lived a peaceful life until the appearance of a lost queen and a mighty man. Ren and Zammar preceded an attack by the alien Und'kal that would go on to destroy his home. The survivors from his village sought refugee, and headed for the Indus' city of Kathman. Tristan however decided to join Zammar and Ren in their task to warn and prepare more people for the alien invasion.
On his journeys, he met an intellectual class Und'kal named Aythyl. Aythyl performed the strange ability of "mind sharing," allowing Tristan to live the lives of various Und'kal. He lost himself in their violent consciousness, resulting in an attack on his Und friend. Nonetheless, Aythyl trusted Tristan and presented to him a mysterious stone that allowed the two to communicate through thought.
With Zammar and Ren, Tristan reached The Blacklands’ city of Candahar, where the natives were preparing for a large Und'kal attack. Making a promise to his beloved queen, Tristan committed to joining the fight. As the alien horde marched upon the city, he was warned by Aythyl of a new type of Und'kal that now approached, one that may very well determine the tide of battle.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tristan turned again and again as he ran aimlessly, trying desperately to make some sense of the violent discord that surrounded him on all sides. His hearing was continually assaulted by the shouting and screaming of men and Und'kal, overlaying the driving drum beat from behind, and throwing him into a tumultuous vortex of confusion. Dark, bare bodies pushed against him continuously, tempting to crush him underfoot in the stampede, their poisoned weapons slamming against him threateningly. He could hardly keep up.
It was the pure, undiluted form of chaos.
"Move!" A man yelled, shoving him aside as he sprinted by. Tristan faltered in surprise; his left foot caught on something, causing him to stumble forward helplessly.
"Sorry!" He cried after the figure that had long disappeared into the crowd. The mob of human bodies was finally starting to thin out, allowing him to see the ground and landscape as opposed to an endless mass of people. On the other hand, the charge had thrown up clouds of dust that reduced visibility significantly, obstructing his view of the Und'kal army. Tristan turned around to see what had tripped him - an unrecognizable human body with limbs sprung out at unnatural angles. The torso had been completely trampled into a red mush filled with chunks of organ. He stared at the mutilated corpse for a long time, even as more people rushed by, many of them contributing to the damage. That was a person, Tristan thought mournfully. A person with a life, friends, dreams, hopes...maybe he even had children.
"Above!" A strong yell from somewhere to his right. Tristan turned around and looked up just in time to see a large group of Und'kal warriors leaping high in to the air, above the front lines. They brandished their talons wickedly, growling and salivating through the jump. Spears stabbed up from below, cutting through the weak points in their natural armour, or bouncing off the plated parts and snapping dramatically. Kal bodies fell out of the air, a few already dead before hitting the ground, crushing those underneath that didn't move in time. The rest landed nimbly, many already injured, to be charged upon by the masses of people.
One touched down right in front of Tristan. Its arm swing was instantaneous, the talon shimmering in the dusty morning sun as it blurred through the movement. Tristan hardly had time to duck his head. He backed away quickly as the giant creature gave him a vicious grin. The Kal began to bend its legs, salivating wickedly in the process. The tall, upright torso dipped straight down in between the four limbs. Anticipating the jump, Tristan struggled awkwardly to the side, tripping and rolling hard across the ground. He covered his face instinctively when he came to a stop, waiting to be shredded apart.
Tristan, a young man from a remote village of the Torstian holdings in the Dragon Peak mountains, lived a peaceful life until the appearance of a lost queen and a mighty man. Ren and Zammar preceded an attack by the alien Und'kal that would go on to destroy his home. The survivors from his village sought refugee, and headed for the Indus' city of Kathman. Tristan however decided to join Zammar and Ren in their task to warn and prepare more people for the alien invasion.
On his journeys, he met an intellectual class Und'kal named Aythyl. Aythyl performed the strange ability of "mind sharing," allowing Tristan to live the lives of various Und'kal. He lost himself in their violent consciousness, resulting in an attack on his Und friend. Nonetheless, Aythyl trusted Tristan and presented to him a mysterious stone that allowed the two to communicate through thought.
With Zammar and Ren, Tristan reached The Blacklands’ city of Candahar, where the natives were preparing for a large Und'kal attack. Making a promise to his beloved queen, Tristan committed to joining the fight. As the alien horde marched upon the city, he was warned by Aythyl of a new type of Und'kal that now approached, one that may very well determine the tide of battle.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tristan turned again and again as he ran aimlessly, trying desperately to make some sense of the violent discord that surrounded him on all sides. His hearing was continually assaulted by the shouting and screaming of men and Und'kal, overlaying the driving drum beat from behind, and throwing him into a tumultuous vortex of confusion. Dark, bare bodies pushed against him continuously, tempting to crush him underfoot in the stampede, their poisoned weapons slamming against him threateningly. He could hardly keep up.
It was the pure, undiluted form of chaos.
"Move!" A man yelled, shoving him aside as he sprinted by. Tristan faltered in surprise; his left foot caught on something, causing him to stumble forward helplessly.
"Sorry!" He cried after the figure that had long disappeared into the crowd. The mob of human bodies was finally starting to thin out, allowing him to see the ground and landscape as opposed to an endless mass of people. On the other hand, the charge had thrown up clouds of dust that reduced visibility significantly, obstructing his view of the Und'kal army. Tristan turned around to see what had tripped him - an unrecognizable human body with limbs sprung out at unnatural angles. The torso had been completely trampled into a red mush filled with chunks of organ. He stared at the mutilated corpse for a long time, even as more people rushed by, many of them contributing to the damage. That was a person, Tristan thought mournfully. A person with a life, friends, dreams, hopes...maybe he even had children.
"Above!" A strong yell from somewhere to his right. Tristan turned around and looked up just in time to see a large group of Und'kal warriors leaping high in to the air, above the front lines. They brandished their talons wickedly, growling and salivating through the jump. Spears stabbed up from below, cutting through the weak points in their natural armour, or bouncing off the plated parts and snapping dramatically. Kal bodies fell out of the air, a few already dead before hitting the ground, crushing those underneath that didn't move in time. The rest landed nimbly, many already injured, to be charged upon by the masses of people.
One touched down right in front of Tristan. Its arm swing was instantaneous, the talon shimmering in the dusty morning sun as it blurred through the movement. Tristan hardly had time to duck his head. He backed away quickly as the giant creature gave him a vicious grin. The Kal began to bend its legs, salivating wickedly in the process. The tall, upright torso dipped straight down in between the four limbs. Anticipating the jump, Tristan struggled awkwardly to the side, tripping and rolling hard across the ground. He covered his face instinctively when he came to a stop, waiting to be shredded apart.
