//------------------------------//
// Chapter 10: Shaman 
// Story: Siege of the Crystal Empire 
// by Mystic Mind 
//------------------------------//

(10: Shaman)
For the third time that day, the furious winds which kept the snowstorm active around the Crystal Empire began to wane. Though it was slight—a drop in speed that only the most trained of Pegasi would have been able to spot—it was enough to make Kur'zun, the Elementalist Shaman of the Ice Trolls, to step out from the shelter of his cave and deal with it. As he channelled the power of earthly magic through his staff, hooking it to the necessary elements of the landscape, a stab of pain struck through his mind.
The glow on Kur'zun's staff faltered for a second, dimming, but not vanishing as he pushed himself to hold onto its power. Each day he refreshed his spell, the pain grew stronger, adding to the strain that such a large casting area took to maintain. Yet with persistence, Kur'zun forced the magic out from his body, speaking the words that kept the storm at its maximum intensity. Dropping to one knee, Kur'zun leant on his staff, breathing heavily in reaction to his decreasing manna levels.
“Ya war against the empire be takin' far longer than ya said it would,” Kur'zun groaned as Moonshadow trotted up behind him. “Looks ta me like ya underestimated the strength of these ponies.”
“To you, that may appear to be the truth,” Moonshadow said, keeping any emotion in his voice concealed. “But to me, feeling the magic of the empire through my creations, I can tell that while they are tougher then they look, this is still only a temporary setback. Don't forget that I can sense far more than your mortal eyes will provide you.”
“Yet ya still insist on keepin' yer army on the march, no matter the losses? How long can ya keep going like this?”
“Much more than the likes of that faux-princess Cadence.” For a moment, Kur'zun thought he heard Moonshadow give away the tiniest bit of anger towards the ruling alicorn. “I am far from spent yet, don't you worry.” To prove his point, Moonshadow sparked a flash of magic, removing all feelings of fatigue or exhaustion from Kur'zun in an instant.
“Every time I start doubtin' the power ya possess,” Kur'zun smirked, “ya just keep provin' me wrong. Though my question still stands. We already rolled out the siege engines we built from the captured materials, as ya commanded. What more can we do ta make our war a success?”
“Do you really have to ask? There is only one piece left to be placed on the board.”
“And who or what do that be?”
“You.”