The Slayer

by Darren Hultberg Jr

  “Zander!” I heard someone shout my name through the bustling crowd. I mean, I had to be the only Zander in the area, right. “Zander!” The voice came through again. I traced the noise across the sea of festival goers until finally I spotted her.

  Standing there on the opposite end of the street was Hilda, her combat gear replaced by a short black dress that accentuated her fine features. Her hair rested on her shoulders curled into tight blonde ringlets, and a leather bag hung loosely from her shoulder. Damn was she ever beautiful.

  A tall bearded man began to ogle her as I approached, grinning as he paid her some sly compliment that I was too far away to here. Suddenly, Ivan swooped down and plopped onto the woman’s shoulder, letting out a fearsome squawk that sent the man stumbling away in alarm.

  Good bird.

  “You look stunning.” I remarked, finally making my way over to her. A wide smile stretched across her face as she gave my new outfit a quick inspection. “Thanks. It looks like you don’t clean up so bad yourself.”

  “And, we match!” Razyr chimed in, nearly toppling off my shoulder in excitement. Yes, Razyr…. Yes, we did.

  “So, want to take a walk?” Hilda asked as her gaze drifted soaking up the sprawling festival.

  “Of course.” I replied. Then absent-mindedly I reached out and took her hand in mine. She gave me a soft squeeze and in seconds we set out.

  It was nice to see players enjoying themselves without the burden of battle weighing them down. It seemed that most had fully embraced the air of joy that the festival brought to the city, indulging in the many foods and fineries that it offered.

  Hilda and I strolled down one of Airrigar’s outlying street corridors, sharing a kabob of a strange, puffy meat called shrumpo as a few overly excited shop owners beckoned us to sample their wares. Hilda giggled as the man tried to persuade her into buying some impish demon horn… Aetheria’s most potent aphrodisiac.

  “Speaking of demon horns…” I said as we continued down the street, “Is Helena still angry?” The warlock had been more than a little upset once she realized that one of my team members was in fact Rhylor. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do about that, other than what was necessary to win the tournament. Still, I felt badly for her for some reason.

  “She’ll get over it.” Hilda said, giving my hand a tight squeeze. She’s not angry with you. She’s just… well, angry.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, that sounds about right.” There was only more sequence of team battles before the single combat round started, anyways. Surely, she’d have coped with it by then.

  As we strolled, a short, rotund fellow with a balding head and an over-abundance of jewelry leapt in our path. He grinned, wiggling his ringed fingers in our direction. “Well, well, well… if it isn’t a pair of lovebirds enjoying a night out on the town?” His voice was deep, but it had a slyness to it as though he was letting us in on some big secret.

  “Sure are.” Hilda replied, giving me a sidelong glance as she spoke. I grinned like a buffoon as the redness in my cheeks began to grow. Razyr snickered.

  “Perhaps…” the man said, addressing me, “you would like to treat the young lady to some of the finer things I have to offer.” He rolled up the sleeves of his bright red shirt to reveal an assortment of jeweled bracelets strapped to his forearm. He leaned in close, giving the bracelets a shake followed by an exaggerated wink.

  I took a step back, bumping into one of the other players strolling through the corridor. “Um… uh, those are quite nice.” I said. Damnit, I’d never bought something for a girl before… I didn’t even know how this was supposed to work!

  “Oh, I love this one, Zan!” Hilda said, pointing to a silver chain decorated with small pieces of amethyst.

  “We’ll take it!” I said, eager to please her. “Um… how much?”

  “The man grinned. “Why for you, only 4 gold pieces. After all, it will look much better on the wrist of this lovely lady.”

  I nodded, then reached down to the belt pouch where my money had was….

  It was gone. Damnit all, my money was gone! I peered down at my belt where the small pouch had been tied… now, all that was attached to my belt was a small piece of cut cord. I’d been robbed.

  My mind raced as I tried to remember the last time I’d seen the pouch. It had to have been just a few minutes ago…. Wait, someone had just bumped into me in the corridor not a moment ago! My eyes darted down the street. Near the far end of the road a man walked hurriedly through the crowd, his face mostly concealed in a hood of brown. As he reached the end of the street his head turned as if he was checking to see if anyone followed. Our eyes met as the slightest of grins stretched across his face, then he took off running.

  “Thief!” I yelled, drawing the gaze of a handful of rogues enjoying the festival. Then, I took off in pursuit.

  ><><

  I dashed through the curved streets of Airrigar, forcing my way through crowds of people as I pursued that damned thief. Hilda followed closely behind, doing her best to keep her dress from flying into the air as we sprinted.

  I’d dropped my field plate off earlier to be repaired and polished. If I didn’t have the money to pay for those services, then I wouldn’t be getting my armor back for the tournament.

  I needed that coin back.

  The thief was nimble, darting in and out of crowds of players as he made his way farther towards the outskirts of town. Luckily, I was also quite dexterous, keeping the man just within my sight as I ran.

  Suddenly, the thief made a sharp turn, diving over a food cart and disappearing down a back alley. I followed, albeit a bit clumsier, knocking over the red-bearded dwarf that manned the food cart before charging into the alley as well.

  The thief darted to the end of the alley, coming to a stop against a tall stone barrier. He turned, giving me a quick glance before scaling the wall and disappearing onto the rooftops.

  “Damnit!” Hilda cursed, believing that we had lost the man… though that wasn’t quite true.

  “Grab on!” I said, pointing to my back. She gave me a strange look, then with reluctance hopped onto my back.

  “Zan… what are you planning?” she asked with hesitation as I crouched in front of the wall.

  I took a deep breath, placing one hand on the ground to steady myself. “I’m not sure.”

  I sprang into action, sprinting towards the wall as I activated dark gravity. My hands and feet began to swirl with dark energy as I leapt against the stone barrier, and remarkably stuck!

  Dark Gravity

  The slayer uses dark magic to defy the laws of gravity. For 1 minute, he will gain the ability to walk on walls without the fear of gravity bearing down on him.

  “Sometimes, getting the kill is all about putting yourself in the right position.”

  I scaled the stone barricade, climbing the wall like a masked man with spider powers. Hilda clung to me for dear life, nearly squeezing the life out of me with her arms and legs.

  She leapt off as we reached the rooftop, though we nearly toppled over as large gust of wind blew through.

  “There he is!” Hilda yelled, pointing to the thief who was now a few roofs over. The man was carefully balancing himself atop a long wooden plank he’d used to bridge a large gap between the roofs. Ivan, who was circling the air above us, took off towards the thief, swooping in with his talons, distracting the man and slowing his escape.

  Hilda and I dashed across the rooftops and scurried across the makeshift bridge until finally we reached the thief. The man had pulled out a long, steel dagger and began waving it in Ivan’s direction, keeping the familiar at bay.

  “Hand it over!” I ordered, forging nevermore from shadow and pointing the blade at my stolen coin pouch.

  “I doubt it.” The thief replied, shooting me a devilish grin. As if on cue, several pairs of hands began to appear around the outer edge of the roof as nearly a dozen men pulled themselves up onto the platform. Each of them wore a brown hooded cloak
and sported patched sleeve displaying a pair of coins split by a dagger…. The symbol of the Airrigar Thieves Guild.

  Behind us, the clank of wood against stone echoed as one of the men knocked the wood bridge into the street below. We were trapped.

  “Sorry we have to kill ya, mate.” The thief said nonchalantly. “It’s all business, ya know.”

  The men brandished their blades as they began circling Hilda and me. They weren’t of particularly high level, but there was no way I was surviving a fight against this many, and in an overcoat no less.

  Hilda fell into stalwart stance as she summoned Ivan as a blade. She was putting up a strong front, but damnit I knew she had to be scared too. Suddenly, something wriggled in her bag, forcing its way out of her brown leather sack. By the gods…. Was… was that the frog again?

  The creature’s sunken eyes met my own as it leapt from the bag. Something was…. happening. A connection was beginning to form.

  The amphibious creature transformed into a green ball of light as it soared towards my chest. I could feel it responding to my fear, to my desperation. The beast was responding to my heightened emotions, just as Razyr had when I faced off against the drake.

  The light entered my chest as the creature’s thoughts melded with my own. They were different from Razyr’s more intricate musings. No, this creature’s thoughts were primal.

  I felt a sudden boost of energy as the creature’s Aether flooded my body. I felt strong, nimble, empowered. My limbs stretched as my eyes took on a shade of green. I fell into a crouch, a more natural posture for my new form. The thieves paused, eyeing me with caution…. And rightfully so.

  I’d just bonded my second familiar.

  “Grab on!” I yelled to Hilda for the second time that night. She obliged, leaning over my crouched form as the thieves closed in. One of them lunged in with a dagger as her arms wrapped around my neck. The thief plunged the dagger towards my chest. The blade cut through the air… but hit nothing.

  I flung myself into the sky while Hilda hung on for dear life.

  Familiar Skill

  Empowered leap

  Take on the aspect of the frog, leaping into the air with power and precision.

  She let out a joyous laugh as we soared above the roof, leaving our attackers looking dumbfounded. I wasn’t done yet though.

  We landed on one of the adjacent rooftops with a direct line of sight to the thief who had stolen my coin. I leaned forward and opened mouth… suddenly, my tongue stretched, becoming bulbous and shooting across the rooftop towards the thief.

  Familiar Skill

  Frog Tongue

  Take on the aspect of the frog, using your tongue like a whip to lash opponents and items.

  My tongue moved like a whip, lashing my coin pouch from the thief’s grasp before recoiling back to me.

  “For the record, that’s disgusting.” Hilda whispered as I recoiled my tongue and re-attached the pouch back to my belt. Then, she turned to the thieves. “See ya later, boys.” She yelled. With a second empowered leap¸ I hopped back down to the streets below with Hilda attached to my back laughing in joy the entire way.

  We made a sound landing in an alley quite a distance from the group of thieves. Judging by the looks on their faces, it was unlikely they would be pursuing us anyways. A green ball of light flittered out of my chest as the frog familiar resumed his base form.

  Kord

  Nature Familiar (Bonded)

  “Welcome aboard.” I said to the creature. It gave me a slight nod, then let out a prolonged croak. I turned to Razyr, eyeing my first familiar curiously. “Why didn’t you tell me this thing was a sprite?”

  Razyr shrugged. “I did not know…. Nature familiars are… finnicky.”

  Fair enough. I only hoped that there would be enough room in my head for the both of them.

  My gaze averted from the pair of familiars as Hilda wrapped her arms around me, tackling me onto the alley’s stone floor. “That was exhilarating!” She said, referring to our little flight above the rooftops. Suddenly, her mood softened as her eyes met mine. “Thank you, for everything.”

  “You don’t need to thank me.” I joked. “I didn’t even get you that bracelet.”

  “I don’t need it.” She replied. “I already got everything I wanted tonight.” She had this look about her as she gazed into my eyes, a look that made my skin feel hot like fire. Her face was so close to mine… it… it felt like my heart was beating out of my chest. So many thoughts were running through my head… I forced them away, forced it all away… and pressed my lips to hers.

  Everything else seemed to melt away as a wonderful feeling coursed through my veins, a feeling greater than any familiar bond. In that cold, stone alley I embraced the guardian, the one who’d been by my side through all of this madness… And for a moment, everything was right in the world.

  38

  Year of Rebirth 00023

  The arena floor nearly shook as the crowd roared in excitement. The final series of team bouts had begun, and we were up first. Any normal man would have been nervous, but me… well, after the night I had I felt unstoppable.

  “Get their flank, Darkblade!” Rhylor ordered as he fired a volley of arrows into our approaching foes. “Spearman, you and the spellsword charge them head on! Keep them contained! Mage, when I give the signal… light them up!”

  The others leapt into action almost immediately. I sighed then began searching for the right target to shadowshift to. The last thing I wanted to do was listen to Rhylor, but damnit did he know how to lead a group of men.

  The dragoon charged in alongside the spellsword, attacking from either side and containing the opposing group to a tight circle. Rhylor fired off a quick series of arrows into the group’s center, landing a few solid shots in the process.

  I watched intently, looking for the perfect opportunity to strike… there!

  I threw my slayers mark on the group’s warrior as he backpedaled away from the fight.

  “Let’s go, boys!” I urged to my familiars before falling into a crouch. Both Razyr and Kord transformed into balls of light and began to swirl around my body. Razyr entered my chest, forming a full battlebond while Kord transformed into a sinewy emerald gladius… the amphiblade.

  I phased behind the unsuspecting warrior, delivering a swift kick to the back of his knee. The man stumbled to a kneeling position as I drove the amphiblade down into the vulnerable spot on his neck. His cries of pain were quickly cut short as I brought nevermore around to rest on his throat, the blade glowing blue as I readied a mage blade strike.

  “Yield.” I whispered into the man’s ear, pressing the sword into his soft flesh. His health bar was still rather full, but being in the compromising position he was, I could easily cut him down with a well-placed strike that was sure to land a critical.

  It was a risky play to be certain, one that could end up being quite costly if the warrior tried to lash out, but judging by the man’s earlier performance, I’d gathered that he wasn’t one to take risks. After a second of deliberation, he waved his hands in surrender, calling for the angelic sprites to escort him off the battlefield.

  “Would you look at that folks!” The announcer said, floating high above the battle. “It looks like Darkblade has put his opponent in a proverbial checkmate, forcing him to retreat from battle. That’s sure to give his team a huge advantage!” The crowd booed as the warrior was carried off, disappearing into one of the arena’s holding chambers. Perhaps it was his best move if he wanted to fight another day, but at that moment all the crowd saw was a coward.

  I rose to my feet and began to approach the rest of the enemy team as they engaged with Rhylor and the others. The remaining enemy combatants quickly realized they were outnumbered and began to disengage from battle. Surrounded, they huddled together even tighter as their shadowmancer raised his hands into the air and uttered a single word… “blackout.”

  A globe of shadow grew from the man’s hands, stretching
to encompass the majority of the arena floor. I quickly dropped back and lifted my blades in a defensive posture, unsure of what was to come next.

  “Keep your guard up!” Rhylor shouted through the darkness. “And make your way towards my voice! They’re just as blind as we are!”

  I began to move cautiously through the black abyss when I cry of pain echoed across the battlefield. Someone had just been taken down.

  Another cry pierced the air, followed by a hard thump of a body crashing to the ground. What in the world was going on.

  I turned and ran away from the shadows, away from the screams. Swinging a sword in blind was no way to win a battle. After a few tense seconds, the spell began to fade, and the shadows withdrew back into their wielder’s grasp. What I saw next was less than encouraging.

  Both Grissan and the spellsword were lying in the sand, incapacitated and clutching at grievous wounds. The mage of our team had fled as just I had (though he went the opposite way), and now clung to the far wall of the arena, a bit too far away to provide any immediate aid. That just left Rhylor, surrounded by our four remaining opponents. Each member of the opposing team was sporting a strange pair of goggles that covered their eyes in a black lens…. Tools they had used to allow them to see in shadow. Damnit, we may have underestimated these bastards.

  The three remaining melee members of the opposing group, a guardian and a pair of rogues, lashed out at Rhylor with their weapons, battering his limbs and torso as his HP steadily declined. The shadowmancer stood just a few feet away from them, hastily channeling a second spell. They were trying to systemically eliminate us one by one.

  Not if I could help it.

  I dropped by blades and pulled out Eagleshot, taking aim at the shadowmancer’s back. The man raised his hands, dark energy dancing on his fingertips as he neared the end of his spell. I released the bowstring, sending an arrow of light flying through the air that pierced the spellcaster’s palm!