"Because I stand here to reinforce that promise. Because I am ready to knock you off your high horse should it be necessary," Ornux replied, letting the raw, powerful shadow magic pulsate around him.
In a sudden burst of power, he hurled a wave of dark energy at Azrakel. The soulbinder, surprised by the mage's determination, was unable to dodge it; it hit him and his horse with such force that both were thrown to the ground.
Azrakel pulled himself to his feet, his gaze now serious as he looked at Ornux.
"You dare to attack me? You have courage, shadow mage. Perhaps ... this alliance is beneficial."
"Courage is necessary to shape the new order, Azrakel. The dead that Wetherid will leave behind will be at your service. Together we can ensure that this battle will be the last," Ornux replied, calming the darkness around him once more.
"Very well, Ornux. I will accept your offer. But remember, the price of betrayal would be your downfall," he said threateningly.
"I don't expect anything else," Ornux replied.
Thus, in the darkness of Zatranos, a new alliance was forged, an alliance between shadow and death. Under the leadership of Erwight of Entorbis, this union would lead Fallgar into a new era; an era built on the souls of the fallen.
At the same moment, an army of undead crawled out of the ground in the city below. Azrakel mounted his horse again, spurred it on and jumped with it down the chasm hundreds of steps deep, where he landed in front of the skeletons and half-rotten bodies of the Knights of Zatranos. Under his leadership, the army marched out of the city towards the north.
The gust of wind suddenly whirled Vrenli through the air so powerfully that he almost threw up. He began to thrash in panic. But shortly afterwards it calmed again and carried him further north, where he flew over a fog-covered moor, the musty stench penetrating deep into his nose. At first the thick mist enveloped him so he could not see anything, but as the wind let him glide closer to the ground, he saw the shadows of tall figures whose eyes gleamed red in the darkness.
The fog lifted and he saw many mud and wooden huts covered in leaves and twigs, standing on the few patches of solid ground. He was carried to Marnog Jar, the city of the mist elves, at the eastern end of Mist Moor. Dozens of spider and lizard riders armed with bows and arrows had gathered in the center of the city in front of the large, mighty wooden sculpture of a spider. Among them stood Ornux, the emissary of Erwight of Entorbis, and Prince Sylvain. It was a moment that, beyond the fate of a hidden city, threatened to affect the fragile balance of the entire world, where alliances were fleeting and enmities deep-rooted.
Vrenli listened, hidden in the mist, as Ornux spoke to Prince Sylvain:
"Prince Sylvain, the world is at the beginning of a change. Erwight of Entorbis has sent me to show you a possibility. A possibility that could change the fate of the mist elves forever," Ornux began, as the silence in the mist carried his words like an echo.