@kaitlyn_b_legaspi

Kaitlyn watched from a shadowed corner of the room, as three soldiers fought over a rusted axe. Her brown eyes were impassive as two shouted about who needed it most and the third launched into a rant about how they weren’t going to survive anyway. To most people, the soldiers’ panic seemed reasonable. The northern outpost of the kingdom was vastly underfunded, and there was an entire army of vicious goblin warriors headed straight for them through the mountain pass. However, Kaitlyn saw no reason for concern. Her whole reason for being there, after all, was to eliminate that threat for the kingdom. She brushed her straight black hair over her shoulder and walked quietly across the room to join the trio of bickering soldiers. “Fighting amongst yourselves isn’t going to help anything.” Her voice was quiet, but it was laced with an unmistakable air of command.

The three men looked up, their eyes widening when they saw the sorceress. All of the soldiers at the outpost were wary of the powerful woman from the far southern reaches of the kingdom, especially with all the stories of the magic she wielded. One of the soldiers swallowed thickly and spoke up. “D’you have a plan, m’lady? We’re just simple men, an’ we can’t fend off a whole goblin army.”

“You won’t have to,” Kaitlyn replied simply. “All you have to do is stay here and do your job. Not fight among yourselves, not run away in fear. Stand firm and fight.” She hid her irritation at their inclination to just give up, keeping her voice level and calm. “Besides, you won’t have that many to deal with once I’m done with them. I’m going into the pass. Stay here, and don’t let any that get past me enter the kingdom.”
A short while later, she crouched on the edge of the cliff on one side of the mountain pass. She could feel the hum deep in the rock that she pressed her hand to. Most people would have missed it, but Kaitlyn knew all about the Hidden Song. It wasn’t by mistake that she was the most powerful sorceress in the kingdom. Just as the first ranks of the goblin army rounded a turn of the mountain pass, she began to sing, her voice low and melodic.
“Sweep and sway,
tumble and roll.
Block the way
and make a hole.”

Of course, her songs didn’t have to rhyme (or even have any words, for that matter), but she thought it was far more fun to manipulate the elements like that. And, as everyone knows, it’s always a good idea to have fun while destroying goblin armies. As the last note of the song slipped out of her mouth, the walls of the pass trembled and massive boulders detached themselves to tumble down. The army was thrown into a panic as they scrambled to avoid the boulders, too distracted to notice the gaping hole in the center of the pass until it was too late. Kaitlyn continued on down the pass to prepare for the next attack they would face.
When the goblins finally made it past the boulders and pit, she was waiting with another song. Her voice dipped and rose fluidly as she sang:
“Rise and roil,
come break free!
Flow and boil,
cleanse this pass for me!”
This time, as her song ended, the sound of breaking rock and rushing water echoed in the pass. Geysers of boiling water erupted from various spots in the walls of the pass, bombarding the goblin army with powerful jets of scalding water. Once again, Kaitlyn left to wait for them a little farther down the pass. The bedraggled goblins came into view a short while later. Kaitlyn began another song, her voice higher and slightly breathy.
“Winds high and strong
come out to play.
Right this wrong,
and wipe these goblins away.”
The dust from the ground rose and swirled, immediately setting the goblins on edge. The wind whistled through the narrow pass, picking up more dust and escalating until there were three separate funnels racing towards the army. Kaitlyn moved to her final post, confident that the high winds would do significant damage to the goblins. Their forces had dwindled considerably by this point, and she knew her final song would be a devastating blow. This time, her voice rang out with unmistakable strength and power, and the goblins could hear it echoing around them.
“Burn and blaze,
ignite your flame!
Your power I raise-
power no one can tame.”

Immediately, the ground of the pass ignited, creating an impenetrable wall. The fire burned a bright yellow, the tips flickering white. Kaitlyn leaned back against a nearby rock, still humming softly under her breath. After a few minutes, the fire flickered out, and she watched as a handful of stragglers ran from the pass. Now that was a force the garrison would have no trouble handling.