Ambar

Made by jordanosphere


“You know, Ambar,” The dragon in question tipped his head backwards, allowing cool liquid to flow through his throat. He raised a sceptical eyebrow, looking sideways at his fellow defender Berry. “you’re an absolute menace.”
Ambar choked on his water and let out an indignant scoff.
“I’ll have you know,” he replied, “I’m the best mage this clan has ever seen!”
“Well, he’s not wrong.” Their third companion, Jarvan, smiled.
“See, this is why you’re my friend, Jarvan.” Ambar smirked, sending a dirty glare Berry’s way.
“Hey! That’s-that’s-” Berry spluttered. Just then, a familiar war cry split the air.
“Soldiers, at the ready.” Jarvan spoke, suddenly every inch the leader he was.
Berry readied his stance, just a bit in front of Ambar, as Jarvan copied him on the other side.
Ambar began to tap into his magic reserves and felt his wings flutter with sheer potency of the energy.
“Aid at the ready,” he spoke, voice low. Despite his joking personality, he wasn’t one to put his fellow warriors in danger because of amusement.
Another warrior, a visitor from one of their neighbouring villages, replied, “Rally at the ready.”
“Good. Cast in three, two, on-now!”
As Ambar and the other supporter hurriedly invigorated their teammates, the first beast emerged on the horizon, carrying the banner of a centaur clan. Ambar drew first blood, casting Envenom. A pool of neon green liquid spread across the field, downing those it touched.
In moments, the beasts that had led the charge had collapsed onto the grass, coughing up blood and bile. The poison was taking effect. As the invasion skidded to a halt, Jarvan and Berry leapt into the fray.
Ambar, despite believing in the strength of the protection spells he had cast on his teammates, couldn’t help but keep an eye on them in the form of a vigilant wisp of amber sorcery. A constant stream of healing emanated from his body, creating streams of enchantments towards his allies. As the battle raged on, Ambar noted that this battle was far longer than the ones they were used to. Much longer. The battle had started barely after their lunch break, and the sun was setting. He could tell his teammates could feel the difference too. He knew that he needed to keep his magic constant, but already, he was faltering. The other dragons had already retreated, and only him, Jarvan and Berry were left.
Jarvan leapfrogged over the head of a centaur, quickly twisting it and moving on to the next. With a sudden stumble, he tipped to the ground. Ambar instantly formed a protective shield over his companion and watched as the weary wildclaw lifted himself to his feet.
“Ambar, I’m alright now,” he called. He was favouring his left leg and clutching his upper torso tightly, so Ambar sent a pulse of healing magic through the shield before breaking it. Jarvan sprung forward, left leg much more stable and the gash on his chest nothing more than a scratch.
Ambar dropped to the ground, concentrating solely on the defence of his teammates. When Berry wavered, nearly dropping his pearl, a wall was there before he could think to ask for it; when Jarvan’s focus slipped, golden daggers were sure to cover him. Ambar knew he was overexerting himself; but he was the best mage in all of the Crystalspine Reaches. He could handle it.
When Jarvan put his claws straight through the last beast, Ambar couldn’t help but sigh with relief. It was over.
And then a Serthis sprung out from nowhere and latched itself onto Jarvan’s back. The warrior cried out in alarm, but the enemy had already been ripped off of him. The animal struggled in the grasp of an amber apparition. From across the field, Ambar closed his fist and the Serthis let out a weak cry, before succumbing to death.
As Jarvan looked around, he finally noticed that many of the Beastclan casualties were actually…”Serthis? Why would they come all the way out here? They’re not known for being in Arcane territory.”
“Something else is brewing,” Berry growled, “something much bigger than the battle we had today. Ambar-”
An answering groan came from the coatl’s general direction.
“Ambar? Hey- Berry, he’s overexerted,” Jarvan snarled.
Instantly, the mage’s comrades were at his side despite their own injuries.
“Idiot,” Berry hissed, “I knew you were protecting us too much for that long of a battle.”
Ambar managed a hum in response as he was hoisted upward.
“Hey, don’t patronize him,” Jarvan murmured, “he was trying to help. How would he know how long the battle would last?”
Days later, after congratulations from villagers and plenty of much-needed rest, the three had met again to discuss what each of them had seen that day. While they were still healing from their wounds, they had witnessed other battles and had begun to notice a disturbing pattern.
Ambar let out a huff as he faced his comrades. “The other day, it was the Serthis we were fighting, not just the centaurs. After that, the centaurs had Longnecks as mages. Yesterday, they had both harpies and Talonok as air support. We knew they had a union, but they wouldn’t usually go out of their way to help each other. Not like this. Not if it would harm themselves. This strangeness can only mean one thing.”
The trio each bore their own stone-cold expression. They had known the conclusion the day the Serthis had attacked, but it seemed different being said out loud. Ambar’s eyes met first Jarvan’s gaze, then Berry’s.
“They’re gathering. All of the Beastclans. Talona is on the move, and from the looks of it, we don’t have much longer.”

Lore written by tacotwix