All That Is Evil Is Not Dark/Chapter 10

Jano stood at the edge of the clearing, looking at the advancing undead army. Several of the Brilhado were with them, but as of yet they remained neutral, only watching. Jano had no illusions: this blockade obstructed their true goal in Deren, and so they would push through.

Sure enough, after a few hours of the undead being repelled by the School of Thought's mages, one of the Brilhado advanced and faced Jano directly.

"Surrender, human. You cannot be victorious," the Brilhado commanded.

"You can only surrender what’s your own, Brilhado," Jano said, doing his best to mimic the evident contempt Darin displayed in such circumstances. "This place belongs to Draynor: go ask him nicely and maybe he will surrender to you."

"You believe insolence will cause us to waver or act in anger. How amusing. Such tactics may work on humans, but you cannot taunt me into defeat; you buy only fatality." With this, the Brilhado stuck a small group of soldiers dead with a blast of light.

"Surrender."

"You have my answer, Brilhado." Jano tried to fake bravado but inside he cringed; he was declaring the death of individuals one by one. Not to say that he believed they would not kill anyway. The feeling was increased by five more deaths. Jano realized with a sinking feeling that he either consigned the whole of his force to death or surrendered.

A bolt of blackness slammed into the Brilhado out of nowhere. Jano saw a mage from the school preparing another. The Brilhado turned in fury and cast a large ball of light directly at the man. For a moment he seemed to resist the force, but then his shield collapsed and he burst into white-hot flames. Other mages turned toward him, but Jano saw it was a lost cause as the other Brilhado rapidly crossed the distance.

'So it is lost then,' Jano thought. 'I cannot do anything.'

Suddenly the place turned black as night.

"C'ta defo Lin degi!"

'Begone demons?' Jano thought absently, not following what was happening.

There was a high-pitched screeching, and when the darkness passed, what Jano saw filled him with wonder.

A large body of Drakel cast spells at the enemy, driving them back. They acted in direct concert.

"Return to your city, humans!" the Drakel commanded. "We claim this encampment and the surrounding habitat in the name of the Drakel. Any who remain in an hour die."

Jano was at loss; the Drakel has saved him but they were seizing Draynor's land.

"Do not be foolish, human," the Drakel added. "Even should you defeat us, you cannot survive killing us and facing the Brilhado as well. Leave."

Jano stood dumbfounded and then, having no better answer, gave the order to withdraw.