Beastborne

by James T Callum

  Passing by Mira he patted her on the shoulder and said, “Keep the wall secured. I’ll take care of this thing.” When she shot him a confused look, he called back, “I’m supposed to be the hero of this story, remember?”

  He had heard her complaints, every single one of them while he was under. He owed Mira a great debt. She had wasted a considerable amount of her newly gained strength to bring him back from that strange darkness.

  Too bad she couldn’t bring back his Kol’thil powers as well.

  A smirk crossed Mira’s face and she allowed gravity to pull her back down. As she descended, a golden stream of fire erupted from her polearm, roasting the frantic monsters breaching the wall.

  Hal dismissed her and the monsters below from his thoughts and beat his wings harder. The creature across the way did the same and they met in mid-air, [Emissary] clashing against a black curved sword.

  They struggled each for a moment before Hal pulled back and used Goblin Rush. A shadowy sword struck out at the cloaked assailant, and to Hal’s utter horror, he saw the same spell mirrored.

  The two phantasmal Goblin Rushes battled against one another. Shocked by what he just saw, and the realization of what he was facing, his opponent let loose another spell.

  A black shadowy flame rushed out and hit Hal square in the chest. It felt like being hit by a semi-truck. He went flying away, his wings fluttering like useless bits of paper as he began to fall toward the ridge.

  Black fire burned across his chest, but he snuffed it out easily by limning his body with eldritch energy from Deep Magic. It had been an automatic response, one he wasn’t even aware he could do until that moment.

  Wings unfurling, Hal twisted about and tried to right himself. Flapping his wings as hard as he could, heedless of the SP drain, Hal managed to get enough lift to avoid smashing face-first into the sheer side of the eastern ridge.

  Hal landed awkwardly atop the worked parapet Noth had created. There was a trio of koblins there… with Beedle of all things. They looked at Hal in shock as they loaded up colorful eggs in bright satchels tied to the side of Beedle.

  “Go!” Hal said, seeing his opponent making a beeline for him. If he couldn’t Dominate or use his Sigils anymore, at least he could draw that thing away from the frontlines.

  The koblins saluted and kicked the sides of Beedle like he was a common horse. Beedle unfurled his gossamer wings, buzzing them about in the air, and took off with the three koblins on his back.

  Hal turned his attention back to the streaking black blur of his adversary. He lobbed a Bomb Toss his way, more to distract him than thinking it would actually hit its mark.

  Unsurprisingly, another Bomb Toss launched out from the folds of the creature’s cloak. The two spells collided mid-air, once again negating each other.

  With a curse, Hal realized he had just given away an advantage. In hoping to distract the thing from the easy target of the koblins that were now quickly flying toward the wall below, he had used Bomb Toss knowing - somehow - that it would use the same spell.

  But he hadn’t thought far enough ahead to what would happen when both spells collided. The smoke they threw up drifted through the air, obscuring the other’s form.

  Hal strained to peer through the murk.

  Readying Convergence, Hal pumped everything he could into his Agility. He would have to be quick whenever that creature appeared again.

  “Behind!” Besal shouted in his mind.

  It only registered after Hal began to twist and drop low to avoid the slicing black sword how much he trusted Besal’s warnings. If he ever decided to go against him, it would only take one wrong warning for Hal to make a fatal mistake.

  “We thrive together, or we die together,” Besal stated simply. Hal was in complete agreement.

  With a speed that belied his frame, Hal swiped [Emissary] up into the creature’s extended sword, batting it aside with sudden strength as he shifted Convergence from AGI to STR at the last moment.

  Hal dove forward with [Emissary], his opponent was wide open. Thrusting with all his might, Hal meant to run the man through.

  Half an inch into that oily cloak of his, Hal’s sword hit something harder than steel. Harder than mythril. A wolfish grin appeared beneath the hood and Hal disengaged with lightning quickness thanks to Convergence, but it still wasn’t fast enough.

  His opponent’s free hand shot out and a ball of crackling black lightning thrust out into Hal’s middle.

  Pain and agony blinded Hal as he was nearly thrown off the parapet.

  His back hit the crenellations hard, a full quarter of his HP dropped in that instant. Black lightning leaped and jumped all over his form, he struggled to shake off its paralyzing effects. He felt Thirty-seven’s strength flow through him, but for once Stalwart Soul wasn’t enough to resist the effect.

  The creature came forward, a fierce wind whipped the cowl of his cloak back to reveal a familiar face. And one of Hal’s worst fears.

  The [Kinslayer-36 | Lv.??] casts Dark Spark.

  You take 170 points of damage.

  Additional Effect: Paralysis.

  Paralyzed, Hal could only look at his would-be killer, unable to act or move his painfully clenching muscles. The Kinslayer came forward, his black blade raised. He regarded Hal with a curious expression.

  His face had once been like Hal’s but it was now scarred and aged, though still recognizable. The man’s brown eyes had a red gleam to them that fumed a violent stream of ruby-red energy reminiscent of the Beast.

  “I thought you would be a more difficult renegade to put down,” the Kinslayer said in a gravelly voice. “The way they speak of you… as if you were another Thirty-seven!” He barked a sharp, acidic laugh and shook his head. “You are nothing like him. You are weak.

  “I needn’t have bothered coming here, this pitiful cesspool would have done our job for us. But… I am here after all.” With a careless shrug, his black blade fell and Hal could do nothing but watch his doom.

  167

  Afflicted with paralysis, Hal was powerless to do anything to stop his imminent death.

  But Besal was not so constrained.

  A shadowy black hand reached out of Hal’s chest. In its hand was a roughly hewn bone blade. The Kinslayer’s blade rang out like a gonging bell against the bone weapon as the two met inches before that black blade would have ended Hal’s life.

  Besal’s blade cracked, and his hand began to falter as the Kinslayer pressed the attack.

  As Hal’s paralysis began to wear off, he quickly summoned forth rattling ethereal chains to loop around the chest and arm of the Kinslayer, dragging him backward.

  Besal retreated back into Hal, and he could tell that single attack had cost him greatly. Besal was still recovering from their last Communion. Hal struggled to his feet, using the breathing space afforded by Enchainment to cast another spell.

  Manatorpor went out, covering much of the parapet in its magical essence. It hadn’t been enough against the Voidbolger, and he doubted it would be enough against this latest foe. But Hal would need every advantage he could get.

  The air shimmered and the Kinslayer’s struggling movements came a little slower. Not much, but enough that Hal could discern the difference. Hal cast Feather Barrier on himself, a shimmering shield of crystalline feathers rushed around him as the effect settled on his shoulders.

  Within moments, the Kinslayer broke out of his bonds and lunged at Hal. Even with Convergence flooding his limbs with a burst of supernatural speed and strength, he barely avoided the cutting edge of that black blade.

  Hal reached out one hand as if to whip the Kinslayer with a chain, only to remember too late that he had lost it in the fight with the Voidbolger. Quickly recovering, Hal cast Divebomb instead with his free hand.

  The dark shadowy form of a diving bird with a 6-foot wingspan crashed into the Kinslayer and staggered him. Hal was surprised the man didn’t mirror his spell. Taking advantage of the momentary weakness, Hal lung
ed forward with [Emissary] into the man’s exposed side.

  And once again, the blade barely sank half an inch before it met ultimate resistance. Hal didn’t retract his blade, however, and continued the press. The blade began to sink again as if he was pushing [Emissary] through a thick gel.

  Recovering, the Kinslayer swept out with his free hand, crackling black energy visible even in the deep folds of his sleeve. Hal disengaged, leaping back with the aid of Convergence.

  There was something about the cloak. As Hal barely managed to pick off the reach of that black blade, he thought back to the way the Kinslayer moved.

  With a flowing black robe, he only used a single blade held in one hand. His other hand was clearly there to take advantage of any errors his opponent might make, and he constantly showed an opening in his wide, sweeping attacks.

  Each attack allowed the Kinslayer to hit harder than usual, but it left him wide-open. Or so one would think. His cloak was nearly impenetrable, but not invulnerable.

  Hal leaned back, receiving a slight nick across his cheek as the Kinslayer compensated for the dodge and leaned in at the last moment. Even slowed, the Kinslayer was finding his rhythm, taking Hal’s measure, and adapting to suit.

  He was less experienced, had less knowledge, and was overall weaker than his opponent. His only advantage was his Sigils, and those were stripped away. Besal was weakened. His [Chain of Binding] was gone.

  Why did I think I could do this? he caught himself thinking.

  “Because you saw your friends in danger. And, fool that you are, you charged in before you took a measure of the situation before you,” Besal said, but softened his voice and added, “But that is what makes you… you. You are reckless when your friends are in danger, it lends you strength. Use that.”

  Backing away, Hal continued to dodge and parry the Kinslayer’s attacks as best he could. A few cuts got in, but his enhanced armor helped to soften the blows. Even still, Hal’s armor was stained red after a brief exchange.

  The Kinslayer was hardly winded.

  Reversing his tactic of staying away as he tried to find a weakness in his opponent, Hal rushed in with a burst of Convergence-laden Agility. The Kinslayer’s red-fuming eyes widened at that fractionally.

  Hal summoned an eldritch infused goblin bomb to his hand and lowered his leading shoulder. He lobbed his Bomb Toss between the Kinslayer’s legs rather than at him. The Kinslayer began casting his own Bomb Toss but the sudden direction of Hal’s spell caused a moment of confusion.

  The spell went off, exploding with angry red eldritch energy, and throwing the Kinslayer forward with sudden brutal force that disrupted his spellcasting. Hal set his feet and took [Emissary] in both hands.

  The Kinslayer should have been skewered on his blade, but instead, the same thing happened as before. The tip of [Emissary] went in fractionally, but then suddenly met unimaginable resistance.

  Hal realized at that moment, that it wasn’t because of some armor he had on beneath. Up so close, Hal could see the cloak tighten around the blade as if it were gripping it.

  He extricated himself as fast as possible, realizing he was too close to the Kinslayer for his own good. A slash of the black blade caught him from hip to shoulder, opening up a deep wound that would have spelled his end if not for his shadow-tempered armor.

  The black blade screeched across the half plate on his chest. While the hardier plate prevented the worst of it, the cruel blade still bit deeply above and below the armor, taking off a tenth of his HP in a single strike.

  Well below half his HP, Hal staggered back. Tapping Assimilation, using Besal’s reserves, Hal recovered his HP back to 80% before the Kinslayer rushed at him again.

  He didn’t miss much, as soon as the bleeding had stopped the man appeared to understand what Hal was doing.

  Tiring, Hal tried to use Goring Blade to cut through the cloak or at least damage its strange properties somehow. The Kinslayer picked off each strike with obvious disdain.

  “You would use such a low Level Weaponskill on me?” he mocked. “How you ever escaped Murkmire is beyond me. My brothers must be getting soft.”

  Hal twisted and slashed out with [Emissary], using his mana to activate its increased damage. The Kinslayer caught the glowing crystalline edge with his own slim black sword and held it as Hal pressed with all the strength Convergence could give him.

  “Why do you even care?” Hal asked through bloodied, gritted teeth. “I don’t want anything to do with Rinbast!”

  Using both hands to steady his blade and slowly push against Hal’s inferior strength, the Kinslayer’s hateful gaze bore into Hal’s very soul. “Because you escaped! What right of freedom do you have!” With a burst of strength, the Kinslayer forced Hal away.

  He stumbled and fell to one knee, sliding across the smoothly worked stone.

  The Kinslayer pulled up one voluminous sleeve and showed Hal a heavily modified Kol’thil. It was branded with the number 36 and the flesh around it was angry and raised as if it had just recently happened.

  But most striking of all to Hal was the Kol’thil itself. It was the same design as Hal’s, but it wasn’t gold. It was dark like iron.

  “It never heals!” the Kinslayer shouted at him. “His control is absolute, his will is law! What right do you have to such freedom? You escaped! I cannot suffer you to live. Your very freedom mocks my existence.

  “I sense a fraction of my brother’s essence in you, but it will not be enough to save you. I have weighed and measured you, boy. You are nothing. A babe lost in the woods. You have nothing more to show me.”

  The Kinslayer leveled his free hand toward Hal.

  Struggling to rise, Hal watched as a spiral of black water gathered around the Kinslayer’s hand like a rotating drill.

  The air buzzed as it spun. Hal had to reach deep within himself to conjure a shell of Bone Armor to surround his body and protect him from the attack.

  He was just in time. No sooner had the bone formed around him than the Kinslayer lunged forward.

  Hal fell back to one knee but used it to brace himself against the pressing black water drill. He was buying himself seconds at a great cost to his MP. The Kinslayer laughed at his pitiful attempt to buy a few more moments of life.

  “Besal, you still there?” Hal asked.

  “I’ve got nowhere else to be, might as well die beside you,” Besal said.

  “You’re a completely separate entity from me, aren’t you? I mean, even before our last Communion, you were able to be separate from me.”

  “It taxed me profoundly, the weakness yet lingers.”

  “But you have been recovering, haven’t you?” Hal said, as he began to shift his mana away from Bone Armor and into another spell. One he hadn’t used in an age.

  “You already know I feed on Strain, why do you bother asking?”

  “Because I have a terrible idea.”

  Hal released Bone Armor, letting the defensive shell break at the same moment he cast Warding on Besal.

  168

  Hal’s Bone Armor shell broke apart, the black-water drill reaching in as the bone crumbled. No matter how fast Hal might have been with Convergence, there was no way he could have avoided the coming strike.

  It was a good thing his plan relied entirely on getting hit.

  The Kinslayer’s drill lunged for Hal’s heart. His armor, once more proving its worth, didn’t afford his would-be killer a direct hit. Reaching up with his free hand, Hal grasped the Kinslayer’s forearm knowing full well he wouldn’t have the strength to stop him.

  A shimmering barrier of light flickered and whisked away just as the spiraling black water pierced Hal’s half plate armor and reached deep into his shoulder. White-hot agony laced through Hal’s mind, blunting his thoughts.

  What stood out most of all to Hal was the Kinslayer’s look of abject pain and anguish, of sorrow. He hadn’t expected that. It almost gave him pause.

  Almost.

  The [Kinslayer-36
| Lv.??] uses Sinker Drill.

  You take 502 points of damage (-50% Warding).

  A layer of Warding is removed.

  That should have killed him. It only occurred to him at that moment how close he came to death. His HP was redlining, with barely 40 HP to his name he was at the edge of death.

  Good, he thought sluggishly, it’ll sell the lie.

  Hal was a little surprised the trick worked. Besal was technically another entity. A person entirely his own, or at least enough that the spell seemed to think so.

  He couldn’t cast Warding on himself, that just wasn’t the Oathforger way apparently. However, he could cast it on another person. And Besal was within Hal, which meant casting it on him technically warded Hal as well.

  The spell could have failed spectacularly and only protected Besal somehow. But that was a risk he was willing to take. He couldn’t fight the Kinslayer alone, he was too powerful. Too in command of strength that Hal couldn’t come close to matching.

  But with Besal at his side… they might stand a chance. And something about the Kinslayer’s cloak was bothering him. He felt like he was right on the edge of understanding it before the last attack.

  The Kinslayer dropped his sword to the side and stared into Hal’s glassy eyes. Unfocusing them wasn’t a difficult task, considering the raging torrent of pain that blasted through him. The numbness of shock soon followed, and right on cue the cold embrace of near-death.

  “What right do you have to live!” the Kinslayer yelled, though his voice sounded so very far away. “What makes you so special? You escaped, and once you did he let you go!”

  Hal’s grip on the Kinslayer’s arm was weakening. It was now or never.

  Activating Soul Drain, Hal tightened his grip on the Kinslayer’s forearm. With his hand deep in Hal’s profusely bleeding wound, the Kinslayer thought he had already won.