I am the steel no enemy can shatter.
Blood trickles down his sides as sharp pain radiates through him, courtesy of the dragon he had somehow (miraculously) slain. The numbness is creeping back in, threatening to drag him back to that dark abyss on whose brink he had so recently teetered. But then Grumblesnakes is there, murmuring softly to him as he tenderly strokes his cheek. His smile as he gazes at him with fond eyes is so kind, and for a moment, Shan feels he would do anything for him. But then the pain intrudes and reality settles. The small man (his captor, he must remind himself constantly, though it seems to be doing little good) is talking to him, sweet words that have little meaning in this haze of pain and blood. A few heartbeats later however, the agony is gone and he finds himself once again whole.
Magic. So much magic. He had once sworn he hated it, but now… now it seems almost a good thing.
With one last tender touch to his face, Grumblesnakes rises and bids him follow. For a moment, Shan resists, wondering what other hellish things this little creature might have in store for him. But, as with all their previous interactions, it seems resistance is futile. And so, he follows, as docile as a lamb despite the confusion that reigns supreme inside his mind.
He leads him into what Shan can only describe as a fortress, a place meant for defense. At first he doesn’t quite realize what they are walking through, but when understanding sinks in, he is somewhat baffled. What could this little man need a fortress for? What dangers out there seek him?
He never does receive his answers though. Instead he becomes a guardian, a battle horse trained for one thing: protection. He soon finds himself forgetting about the halter more often than not, forgetting that Grumblesnakes is the enemy, forgetting that he should not so willingly offer aid to his captor. Even when the fondness begins to creep into his heart, the desire to protect this man against all threat, he forgets all too easily that it should not be there.
In fact, he finds that he is rather enjoying himself here. He had known since his youth that he is meant for war. The prospect of battle runs hot through his veins, and the planning of defense challenges his mind in ways he finds invigorating. Grumblesnakes keeps him at his side almost constantly, companion and accomplice in a war Shan knows almost nothing about.
But he would fight. That is what he had been born for. And he would protect Grumblesnakes.
For once, it feels as though he has found his purpose in life. As they set out to create a fortress so formidable its very presence would deter invasion, Shan finds an odd, almost comforting sort of happiness in the work.
The bones are already there, a good solid foundation that they could build upon. Shan has to admire the handiwork. It seems Grumblesnakes knows what he is doing. But it is not enough. Not nearly enough. Shan finds (to his amazement) he has abilities beyond those he had already utilized in the coliseum, abilities that aid him in building the defenses of the fortress. Grumblesnakes does the majority of the spellcasting, of course, but Shan helps in what small ways he can.
And so, they build things. Great and terrible things designed to catch magical and mortal foe alike. It takes them weeks – weeks during which Shan spends his nights in Grumblesnakes’ chamber to offer protection and days traveling the keep with his dear friend planting traps and spells. Their first line of defense, beyond the early warning system Grumblesnakes had installed of course, is a massive, invisible force field. It would not halt their magical foe for long, but it would give them enough time to get their other defenses up and running. Still, Grumblesnakes had planted a few nasty surprises in that force field at Shan’s suggestion. Attempting to force entry would trigger first a shower of arrows. Not normal arrows, of course, but magical ones. Ones that, once they had tasted flesh, would seek its target until well and truly sated upon that target’s blood. They had also planted a number pits full of deadly spikes, ones that would open up upon breach of the magical wall. Grumblesnakes had fiddled a bit with gravity over those pits too, ensuring that any poor, unsuspecting soul standing or flying over them would become quite heavy. Much too heavy to avoid falling upon those spears.
That, of course, is only their first line of defense. Though any enemy brave enough to trespass past that point is either incredibly powerful, or incredibly foolish. Unfortunately Shan has a sneaking suspicion that the vast majority of those enemies would be the former.
He would not let that deter him however. He is powerful now too.
Still, better safe than sorry.
Next, they install a moat around the fortress, though true to everything else in this god forsaken place, it is not an ordinary moat. Instead of water, the canal is filled with acid, a thick, viscous substance that clings stubbornly to skin and hair and clothes, refusing to be removed by any normal means. That is, if you even have the time to try to remove it before it eats through flesh and bone. To top it off, the acid emits a sour vapor, one that feels as though claws are raking skin and gouging eyes should you try to pass through it.
To be safe, Shan makes sure that remains well covered until it is needed. He has no desire to accidentally stroll through that mist.
Should they make it past the moat, their enemies will find only a hellish maze. Shan had rather enjoyed planning out their little labyrinth with his dear Grumblesnakes. They had spent hours in the little man’s chamber one night, pouring over a tiny replica of what they wished it to look like before implementing each piece of the intricate puzzle. Grumblesnakes had crafted the corridors of the fortress into a rather convoluted mess, with only one way through. To boot, they then plant a plethora of brilliantly diabolical surprises interspersed throughout the hodgepodge of meandering halls.
To his surprise, Shan rather delights in carefully planting all these beautiful little traps. In one place, the floor will swallow any creature fool enough to step upon it, encasing them for eternity in stone. In another, they will become trapped as the walls slowly close in upon them. In yet another, they will find themselves quickly sliced to ribbons by numerous razor sharp blades that drop to swing unexpectedly from the ceiling. In still another place, lances would burst from floor and ceiling to impale the unwary when passed over by unsuspecting enemies. They had even crafted a spell that would turn any trespassers into rabbits, mostly because they had found it stupidly hilarious. Of course, those rabbits would get rapidly eaten by the wolves that would then be released. One can never be too careful.
Should anyone make it past these defenses, they would find themselves face to face with Shan and Grumblesnakes. Then and only then would the true battle ensue. Of course, they would first have to make it through the wards upon the doors of the large, central chamber they had chosen as their battleground. As with everything else, these are no ordinary wards. Any who touch that ward when activated would instantly burst into flame. Should the flames not be deterrent enough, the force field, when broken, would emit a note so piercing it would render the trespasser instantly deaf. It also comes with the distinct possibility of making one bleed from their eyes, ears, and nose. Thoughtfully, Grumblesnakes has provided Shan with protection against this particular menace, for which Shan is quite grateful.
Grumblesnakes of course would never leave himself without a way out. In truth, were Shan in his right mind, he might have been very suspicious of the rather small trap door the little man had installed in the designated battle chamber. As it is, with that halter still strapped about his face, he can only applaud his cleverness in thinking of every eventuality.
For all their planning and preparation, it does little good in actually preparing Shan for what is to come. Despite weeks of building and engineering, when that first warning alarm sounds, the scarred stallion is far from ready. But he is a warrior, and he will always do what he must. So, as the alarms shriek out their warning, as the sky turns ominously dark with a powerful fury, Shan turns to Grumblesnakes, steeling himself for the battle to come.
Features lit by an uncommon grimness, Shannisoran prepares for war.
Shannisoran