The Death of Genghis Khan

The scent of rain filled the air. The ground was still wet and muddy. It wasn’t hard to walk through if you knew what you were doing, but luckily for General Dethross and his troops, their pursuers were heavy footed and clumsy.
“We’ll cut through the canyon,” the General’s voice proclaimed to his troops. Despite the situation, he didn’t seem worried in his tone of voice. This didn’t surprise his troops. This wouldn’t surprise anyone that knew the General. Whenever he spoke, you can guarantee that he had already planned it all out ten minutes before anyone else had realized what was going on.
The General didn’t have many troops with him at this time. It was a scouting party, not even a whole company, but a party of Morningstar Brigade scouts was still worth more than most soldiers.. He hadn’t expected for a General to be at the camp, but he had obviously received incorrect information from one of his advance scouts. He made a note to remember that. No sense of worrying about it now. He learns from his mistakes, seldom as they are, but they must survive the day for the lesson to be learned.
As they turned into the canyon, there was only the briefest moment of hesitation from the troops, but only for a second. This looked like a death trap at first glance. Hundreds of meters across and nearly a straight drop down. Going into this canyon with their pursuers could be their doom, under any normal circumstance. This wasn’t a normal circumstance though. This was an order from General Dethross and when the General gave you an order you didn’t understand, you followed it, because one thing was clear. The General knew something you didn’t know.
As they dropped down into the canyon, they made a straight line for the other side. It was only when they were half way across that their pursuers made themselves visible after chasing them for so long. While he dozens of priests with him, none were as frightening as their general. In life, he had been known as Genghis Khan, a warlord from Asura. He was once human, but not anymore. Whatever Ra had done to him had left him monstrous, with a brutish humanoid torso and the lower body of a hooved beast. He fired an arrow that landed at the soldier’s feet.
“Run as you might, no one escapes the Great Khan. I have slain armies. I have burned cities. I have trampled the world under foot and hoof. You are nothing. If you surrender now, I shall make your deaths less painful, but continue to run and you will see why I am nightmare made flesh.”
But the General’s troops did not surrender. They didn’t even hesitate, for their belief in Dethross was stronger than their fear of death. They had seen him think his way out of worse than this before and they were certain he would do it again. So they began their retreat, not of fear, but with determination that it would somehow lead to their victory.
The rain began again, both of water and arrows. Dethross’ troops ran with the arrows hitting just at their footsteps, but they remained unharmed as they pinged off their orange, purple and golden shields. It was then that the first of Dethross’ three truths took hold. He had a small company, barely a dozen men. They could stand on a cliff face with no worry. However, Genghis himself was as heavy as ten men and had dozens more with him. As the rains began to swell, the cliff gave way and they began to tumble down. The sound was deafening, but they all knew that it would not be the end of the Khan nor the death of the priests, so they continued. The General continued his retreat, giving short concise orders. Just as their pursuers were beginning to stand again, they were climbing up a rock face on the other end of the canyon. It was wet, slippery, and patchmeal of stones, but they managed the climb. Their pursuers yelling louder than the thunder all around them. Before their enemies could even reach half way across the canyon, they were already at the top. However, the top didn’t let out into a plain or mountains. It only led to a shallow cave. They had no escape, no way out but the way they came, but they did not panic. Instead, they only had faith. Because the General knew something they didn’t know.
As they stood there, they shored up their defenses, but there was only so much that could be done. It wasn’t long before the Khan made his way toward them and began to climb the stones up to their cave. But this was the second of the Dethross’ truths. The rainy season made these works too heavy for someone the Khan’s size and their numbers wouldn’t allow them to climb any numbers great enough to defeat them. It appeared to be a stalemate.
The Khan, frustrated, screamed in his anger “You little men, you think you have won, but you have merely delayed the inevitable. I can send for more men, more agile men. I can wait you out. I have supplies, food water. You have nothing. You are trapped like rats.”
But the General merely smiled, something he rarely does, “But you are wrong Khan. It is the opposite. We are the safe ones and you are simply where I want you.”
The beast screamed, “What is this nonsense? I have claimed a world as my own. I now serve the greatest leader in existence. His will be done by my hand. You are nothing. You know nothing.”
“But alas,” General Dethross spoke to his would be foe, “There is something I know that you don’t know.” It was then that the third of the Dethross’ three truths began to come to fruition. With the beat of wings and the cry of the hungry. This canyon was no ordinary canyon. This area no ordinary region. Dethross and his troops were safe in this cave, away from the canyon, all because of what Dethross’ knew.
It was Shahr'kweh'k.
Even as the Khan’s forces were numerous, they were no match for the hundreds if not thousands of isarii that were flying into the canyon. The isarii were picking up priests with their mighty jaws and carrying them off, bite them in half, swallowing them whole, and more. The lack of screams only magnified the roars of the flying sharks. The Khan himself ran from the mighty beasts and even struck several down, but as the numbers overwhelmed him, his screams mirrored the thunder until only shreds of him remained.
And so the General had yet another victory. He would not gloat, he would simply continue on with his mission.
“The rain will continue for an hour or so. Everyone rest, we have more work to be done,” and so his troops laid their heads to rest and fill their bellies, while Dethross reflected on the situation, the only light in the cave being his pipe.