The Attack of Ganhai Mountain by Jason Richard (fox in socks read aloud txt) 📕

much next to the others' arsenal.
At least two of the other magicians didn't look like that. There was this eagle man who was part of the order of the sun. He had brown wings in his back and brown feathers on his head instead of hair, but otherwise he had the same colored robes as everyone. He also had a magic bow that never missed its intended target. He smiled at Leevan, came up, patted him on the back and said, "I'm sure you'll do fine."
"So I'm as nervous on the outside as I am on the inside huh?" Leevan replied. "Not quite reassuring Vonor."
Vonor chuckled and walked on. Then Leevan turned his eyes to another magician who didn't look at him smugly. She was called Kemra, and always smiled at him sweetly. It didn't mean much as she smiled sweetly at everybody, but it was a nice change from the smug looks. At that moment she did smile at him, and he gave a weak smile back, and then returned to what he was doing.
"Alright!" cried general Hevman as the camp finished packing. "We're going up now. Remember, there are probably some magical defenses up ahead, so always be on your guard. Just keep a clear head, and keep your wits about you." He looked straight at Leevan, who was nervous but nodded bravely. The general then said, "Move out."
Maelin took his place next to the general, giving Leevan another smug look. Of course Maelin would sit next to him. He could see magic spells, and would be warning him about magical traps and the like. He didn't have to be so…so…ugh!
Leevan was still getting that arrogance from the others, even the soldiers...no...they were looking with disdain at someone else. He followed one soldier's eyes and found a cyclops soldier.
It shouldn't have been unexpected. There were eagle men in this army too, armed and ready to fight Hurvun. It's not like this was a human only affair. However, even some of the eagle men were giving this cyclops hard looks, and Leevan knew why. Hurvun, the sorcerer they were after, the one who declared war on the world if it didn't bow to him, was a cyclops, and of course many of those people supported him.
This one was dressed in typical cyclops battle gear. This meant he was covered head to toe in metal, a perfect suit of armor with almost no weak point. The cyclopses were good with metal. This suit seemed to have only one weakness, a portal that let his eye see the world. With poor eyesight, cyclopses couldn't afford to use a visor, so they had to leave their eye exposed. A weakness on an otherwise invincible warrior.
He was definitely imposing, but his eye met Leevan's, and Leevan saw sadness, and loneliness. Not many cyclopses had gone against Hurvun, assuredly. He might have looked powerful in that special armor, but in that eye Leevan saw himself.
Alone, while others looked upon him smugly.
As Leevan began marching up the mountain with the others, He couldn't help but wonder what their role in this would be when all was said and done.
Everyone marched up. The magicians in their colored robes, Leevan in his brown robes, the soldiers with their leather armor, square shields, spears, and helmets with headdresses on them; they all made it a good ways up the mountain when
"Stop!" cried Maelin. "There's a trap up ahead! And it's magical!"

Chapter Four
Traps and Danger.

Their ascent of the mountain was treacherous. Maelin saw the first trap. With his enchanted eyes the ground looked transparent. This trap covered up a bottomless pit, making it seem like there was ground to walk on, but if one stepped on this ground he would fall through, and fall forever. It was easy enough to get around.
Other traps weren't so easy.
Maelin stood looking a one of these traps, "I can see these plants under the soft ground here. They'll probably emerge and attack us if we cross."
"We'll have to go around," said general Hevman.
"No," said Maelin. "This trap extends too far. We don't have time. We'll have to go through."
The general sighed, irritated. "Right. Get your swords out!"
The army obeyed and followed him up the hill. Leevan saw people ahead of him get wrapped in plants that shot out of the ground, and only a few of them were able to cut themselves loose. Then a few people next to him got grabbed and he became really nervous. One magician got caught and tried to set the plants on fire, but after speaking the magic words the plants pulled him down faster.
"Don't use fire!" a few of the soldiers yelled.
All around Leevan people were being caught, and then leevan himself was pulled down by the leg, sinking into the ground. He thought fast. Fire wouldn't help. No. Hurvun must have thought of that. What else could kill a plant? But then Hurvun must have thought of that too. Maybe if he could just get the plant to let him go...but how? Maybe...if there was something the plant would rather have
Water. Not fire. Water!
He pulled out his canteen, spoke a spell to convince the plant it wanted water more than him, and the plant stopped. He was halfway in the ground, and then he poured water on the plant, and rose up again. He was covered in dirt, but he was safe.
"Water!" he cried. "Use water!"
He explained the spell, and by using the water in their canteens they were able to escape, and one else got pulled under. When they were safely past that trap, general Hevman patted Leevan on the back and said, "Good job son. Good job." Leevan felt quite pleased with himself, but then he looked at the eagle men flying above, completely out of harm's way.
Leevan sighed.
At first, Leevan thought the eagle men were the luckiest as they could fly over all the traps, however that didn't last long. Once the company got high enough they ran into a fog. The eagle couldn't see anything, but everyone below could still see them. It would leave them open to attack, and was probably enchanted with eagle men in mind, so Vonor and the other winged men had to walk with the others, which wasn't a pleasant prospect.
They ran into a few other traps that Maelin helped them avoid. Fire shooting from the ground. Rocks that would fly towards their heads, more bottomless pits that were hidden, and there was one sort of glade with soft green grass that had an alluring quality. You just wanted to go there and take a nap. Maelin saw it for what it as, but some of the soldiers made it there and fell asleep. They couldn't be woken up, and had to be left behind.
At last they made it to the top, and could see Hurvun's palace up the slope in the distance It was very forbidding. It looked as if it had been carved out of the mountain. It was still jagged and distorted like a mountain, as if they had tunneled out rooms, windows, and a drawbridge without bothering to carve the outside. It looked like a rock with holes in it, but it was more impressive than that sounds.
They made camp out of sight, preparing to attack in the morning. As Leevan was unrolling his tend, Maelin bumped him, deliberately. Leevan fell over and looked at him painfully.
"Nice going Leevan," said Maelin. "We're out of water thanks to you."
He went on, and Leevan did realize his canteen was empty. Even so, they apparently couldn't thank him for saving their lives from those plants. No. They had to go right to what was bad. Wasn't thirst better than death? He started working again. Usually he at least got some compliment when he got them out of trouble, even if the smugness came back seconds later. This was different, and now Leevan felt rather bitter.
The Attack of Ganhai Mountain: Part Five
So the single person in this camp I relate to has only one eye. Weird.

Chapter Five
An Unexpected Friend.

Apparently Hurvun didn't care much about how his home appeared to guests. A giant rock with windows and a drawbridge wasn't exactly the height of architecture. Then again, the red glow coming from those windows was rather ominous. Leevan went back behind the rock structure that everyone else was hidden behind.
He looked towards the camp where the other magicians were sitting. They gave him some accusing looks. Apparently they were still mad about the water incident. Leevan still thought thirst was better than death, but he wasn't going to push it. He saw Kemra with a divining rod, which was a piece of metal shaped like a Y. The long end went in the ground, one short end had a knob, and the other end would shoot out water, if there was any for the rod to summon. So far, Kemra wasn't having any luck. She saw him and smiled, though not as sweetly as she usually smiled at everyone.
At least she wasn't mad. That made one person.
He brought out his sword. He knew he wasn't going to learn some magic of his own within a night, so he figured he would practice something he was actually good at. He swung a few times, making sure he had his stance right, and that he was throwing his weight into the blow properly. He practiced a few parries, keeping in mind that in a real fight he would direct an opponent's strike away.
"You're doing well," said an unfamiliar voice.
Leevan turned and saw the cyclops in full battle armor leaning against the rock wall. Leevan took a better look at him. His armor covered him completely, and it really did seem so intricately woven that it had no weakness, except for the open eye of course.
"Thank you," said Leevan. "Any advice?" He figured he should ask since they would be fighting some cyclops.
"For Slefah," the one eyed man said. "Thrust when their mouth is open to strike. They attack with smell, not with sight, and when their mouth is open they can't see your sword. For ogres move as soon as they lift their clubs, not when they bring them down. They're not smart enough to change the direction of their blow anyway."
"And cyclops? I have to ask."
"I know," he said uncomfortably. "If you can blind us, it won't be hard to strike our eye."
"Thank you," said Leevan.
"No problem. I'm making sure everyone knows how to fight their best."
The cyclops was about to walk away when Leevan asked, "Why do the rest of your people fight with Hurvun?"
The cyclops froze. He removed his helmet and then turned back. His eye rested between where a human's eyes would. Other than that he looked pretty human. he replied, "If you were to ask one of them, they would say that the rest of the world was trying to steal their secrets in metal craft."
"That's not true."
"I know that, but Hurvun cited various time that other nation asked