The knights exchanged uneasy glances.
"Baron," one of them ventured cautiously, "are you sure that's wise? The power of that scroll—"
"—is exactly what we need," Geisler interrupted, his tone brooking no argunt. "This is no ordinary enemy. If we hesitate, we're as good as dead."
He turned his attention back to the peak of the mountain, where the monstrous figure of Volk could just be glimpsed through the clouds of dust and falling debris.
"Enjoy your high ground while you can, creature," the Baron murmured. "Because I'm about to bring it crashing down."
With a flourish, he held the scroll out in front of him and began to chant the incantation inscribed upon it.
The air around him seed to ripple, the temperature dropping sharply as a strange energy filled the valley.
The knights watched in stunned silence as the ground beneath their feet began to tremble.
"What's happening?!" one of them whispered, his voice barely audible over the rising hum of magic.
The Baron's chant grew louder, the runes on the scroll glowing brighter with each passing second.
"Brace yourselves!" he commanded, his voice cutting through the growing cacophony. "The mountain is about to awaken!"
…
At the top of the mountain, Volk had just heaved another boulder down the slope with a resounding grunt, sending it careening toward the panicked cavalry below. The echo of its impact brought a wicked grin to his face.
"Another one bites the dust!" he roared, slamming his massive hands together. The gauntlet on his arm humd faintly, resonating with his excitent. "Co on, puny humans! Is that all you've got?"
But then, sothing strange began to happen. The earth beneath his feet gave the faintest shudder, so subtle at first that he barely noticed it. Volk paused mid-motion, his sharp eyes narrowing as he glanced down at the rocky terrain.
"Hmm?" he muttered, scratching the side of his tusked jaw. "What's this?"
The tremor returned, stronger this ti. Small pebbles and bits of dirt around him began to shift, sliding ever so slightly down the incline. Volk frowned, standing to his full height and planting his feet firmly.
Another quake. And this ti, it wasn't just a shudder—it was a deep, guttural vibration that seed to pulse through the mountain itself. Loose rocks tumbled down the slope, creating a cascade that grew in size and volu with every second.
"What in the na of the Horde?" Volk growled, his voice a low rumble. He glanced over his shoulder at the horizon, half-expecting so colossal beast to erge from the distance. But there was nothing—just the endless stretch of sky and the distant peaks of other mountains.
The ground bucked beneath him again, more violently this ti. Volk staggered slightly, his massive fra adjusting instinctively to the shifting terrain. He crouched low, spreading his arms for balance.
"Okay, this is new," he muttered, his eyes darting around. "Did I hit sothing I wasn't supposed to? So kind of underground monster, maybe?"
The tremors grew in intensity, shaking the very foundations of the mountain. Deep cracks began to spiderweb across the surface of the rocks, splitting the ground around Volk into jagged fissures. Dust and debris filled the air, creating a thick, choking cloud that obscured his vision.
Volk coughed, waving a hand in front of his face. "What the hell is this?" he bellowed, his voice echoing through the chaos. "So kind of magic trick?"
Another violent quake nearly sent him to his knees, and Volk let out a low growl of frustration. He slamd a massive fist into the ground, steadying himself.
"Enough of this nonsense!" he roared, his voice booming like thunder. "If you're trying to scare , you're wasting your ti!"
The tremors intensified further, now accompanied by an eerie, low-pitched hum that seed to emanate from deep within the mountain. Volk's sharp ears perked up, and his expression darkened.
"Ah," he said, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "So that's what this is."
He stood up straight, brushing the dust off his shoulders as though the mountain itself wasn't in the midst of tearing itself apart.
"They think they can scare ?" he muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. "These puny humans with their fancy tricks? What a joke."
The mountain bucked again, and a massive boulder dislodged from a nearby cliff, crashing down re feet from where Volk stood. The impact sent a shower of sharp rocks flying in every direction, but Volk didn't even flinch.
Instead, he threw his head back and let out a booming laugh that echoed across the peaks.
"Is that all you've got?!" he roared, his voice dripping with mockery. "A few shakes and a little dust? You're going to have to try harder than that!"
He stomped his foot down, the ground beneath him cracking even further.
"I'm not so fragile little human who'll cower at the first sign of trouble!" Volk shouted, slamming his fists together. "I am an OOOORC!"
The gauntlet on his arm flared to life, its green tallic glow cutting through the dust-filled air. Volk raised his arm high, clenching his fist as the energy within the gauntlet surged.
"You think you can break with your pathetic tricks?!" he bellowed, his voice filled with both fury and glee. "This mountain is my throne! And you're just worms crawling at its base!"
Another tremor rippled through the ground, but Volk stood firm, his feet planted like the roots of an ancient tree. He took a deep breath, his chest heaving as he looked out over the chaos with a glint of savage delight in his eyes.
"Co on, then!" he roared, his voice shaking the very air. "Let's see what else you've got! I'm not going anywhere!"
…
Below the trembling mountain, Baron Geisler stood among his knights, his face a mask of cold fury.
Dust and debris rained down from above as the rumbling quakes slowly began to subside.
His grip on the reins of his horse tightened, the leather creaking under the pressure of his gloved fingers.
His jaw was set, his expression unreadable, but his eyes burned with barely restrained anger.
The knights around him were less composed.
So coughed through the settling dust, their faces pale with fear and exhaustion.
Others looked nervously toward the looming peak, their hands gripping weapons that suddenly felt inadequate.
"Is… is it over?" one of the younger knights stamred, his voice trembling.
Another knight, an older veteran with a scar running down his cheek, spat onto the ground. "Over? That thing isn't done with us yet."
Baron Geisler remained silent, his eyes fixed on the mountain.
The faint sounds of boulders crashing and Volk's distant laughter still echoed down to them, a mocking reminder of their failure.
One of the knights mustered the courage to approach the Baron, bowing his head slightly as he spoke. "My lord, the low-level scroll… it didn't work. The creature—"
Geisler's gaze snapped to the knight, his icy glare cutting him off mid-sentence.
The knight imdiately fell silent, taking a step back as the weight of the Baron's disappointnt bore down on him.
"Of course, it didn't work," Geisler said, his voice low and venomous. He dismounted his horse with deliberate precision, his boots crunching against the rocky ground as he landed.
"I was a fool to think such a paltry thing could faze that beast."
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