The Slayer

by Darren Hultberg Jr

  The man let out a shrill cry as he doubled over in pain, nursing the fresh hole in his hand. In front of him, Rhylor had dropped to a knee as one the enemy rogues sized him up for a finishing blow. Without thinking, I scooped up the amphiblade and activated lunging strike, passing by the shadowmancer and leaping directly into the fray!

  My sword slammed into the rogue’s side, a blow strong enough to send him skidding across the dirt. Rhylor let out a grunt of appreciation, then sprung back to his feet, activating mongoose strike… a skill that afforded him insane speed. His axe bit into the second rogue’s chest, sending the man reeling. He then followed it up with a viper strike, a stinging blow that snapped his axe blade down into the man’s collarbone, leaving him afflicted with a debilitating poison.

  The lone guardian stood between us, standing firm with a large two-handed mace in his hand. He sported a full suit of plate mail and a health bar that had yet to lose a single point.

  Still, against the two of us, he didn’t stand a chance.

  Rhylor dashed in with his axe, swinging for the knees and forcing the guardian to block low with his mace. I ran parallel to the ranger, striking high with the amphiblade, bouncing the weapon off the man’s helm and leaving a sizable dent.

  The guardian tried to stave me away, but Rhylor bit at him again with his axe, smacking the blade against his midsection so hard that it showered the ground in sparks. Back and forth we went, attacking the man on both fronts, cutting him down with deadly precision as pieces of his armor began to fail.

  The guardian steeled himself and lifted his mace into the air, activating his vengeance stance. That bastard… he’s was going to take our punishment and try to return it, tenfold!

  “We have to finish him now!” Rhylor hissed, falling into a crouch at my side.

  We charged the man in unison, a mirror image of each other as we heaved our weapons into the air. Together we leapt, each letting out a primal roar as we swung our weapons at our armored foe.

  “Kinetic strike!” I growled.

  “Bite of the jaguar!” he roared.

  Together, our weapons crashed into the hapless guardian, releasing a wave of energy that smashed the man into the ground with such force that he came to rest in a shallow hole in the sand.

  I let out an exasperated breath and turned, only to see the shadowmancer channeling a spell once more. Damnit these men did not give up.

  Suddenly, a half-dozen shards of ice materialized in the air above, raining down on the shadowmancer and depleting the remainder of his HP. I glimpsed over to the wall where our mage still stood, his icy fingers forming into a fist as he gave me a re-assuring thumbs up. Having a mage on the team was quite handy indeed!

  “And that’s it, folks’”. The announcer squealed. “These brave competitors have fought through the darkness and are now heading to the finals… a grueling test of single elimination. Let’s give them a hand!” The crowd rose to their feet, roaring with excitement at the awesome display of violence we had just put on. A small corner of the stands had even begun an alternating chant of “Darkblade” and “Rhylor”. I did my best not to indulge in all the craziness, but to be honest, it was really quite flattering.

  “Thanks, Rhylor said, as he passed by, Vice now trotting at his side. “You saved my ass back there.”

  “I did what was necessary to win.” I replied, dismissively. The ranger nodded, then began to walk away. After a few steps though, he paused and turned back around.

  “Darkblade… what my men tried doing to your friend back in the forest… well, it was wrong, even if she did attack us first. They had this idea that this was just some game, that they could act out on their twisted desires without any repercussions…. But it’s not. It’s not and game, and we… well, we don’t allow that shit. Not anymore.”

  I nodded, eyeing the man speculatively as he reached down to stroke his blue-eyed wolf. “Guess what I’m trying to say, Darkblade, is that maybe you were the better man back then… and, uh… well, I guess I’d say were even.” The ranger rose and resumed his stroll towards the exit. I shook my head, standing there in disbelief. Was… was he trying to make amends? What in the world had Vic done to him.

  A few thoughts mulled around in my head before finally I spoke up. “Hey, Rhylor.” I called, bringing the ranger pause. He turned to meet my gaze once more, a curious look in his eye. “Good fight.” I said, summoning nevermore before raising the blade in salute.

  Rhylor retuned the gesture with a silent nod, then disappeared through the open gate.

  <><>

  An hour later I stood in the arena’s barracks, wiping away sweat from my hardened body. It was still hard to fathom that my body could actually sweat. It was like Rhylor had said though… this clearly was not a game.

  Remarkably, I’d taken very little in the way of damage that round, meaning another night on the town could be in order. Hilda was preparing to battle now, though her opponents were heavily overmatched in both level and skill… especially with Arden on her squad. There had been a fifth team set to progress to end of round 2 as well which would’ve complicated the brackets, but due to a few untimely deaths in their first bout, the team was decimated and forced to withdrawal. That meant once Hilda’s bout was over, the pairings for the final round would be announced. Damn, that had me nervous for some reason.

  I sat down on one of the hard-oak stools and began to pull one of my boots back on when the door to my barracks swung open. Brenton charged in, his face wearing an expression of grave concern. “Zander, you’ve got to get out there!” He gasped, nearly out of breath from his run.

  Brenton was always so calm and collected. This could not be good. “Wait, what’s going on?”

  “The match. It started early.” He gasped. “It’s…. It’s Arden. It appears he’s gone mad!”

  39

  “What do you mean, mad?!” I yelled to Brenton as we dashed towards the main gate of the arena. Luckily, the barracks were just a short distance from the massive battleground

  “The battle started out normal,” He stammered. “Arden took point like usual and had the others cover him while he began striking down the opposing team.”

  “And?” I said impatiently. We ran through the arena gate and began making our way up the stairs leading to the stands.

  “And one of his teammates did a poor job of covering him. They let a blow slip through that seemed to catch Arden off guard. He was knocked to the ground and… Well, that’s when things got crazy. He hopped back to his feet and started slaughtering the enemy team like a madman. Then, he turned on his own squad and began cutting them down as well. It was a damned massacre.”

  “What in the hell… Hilda… is she,”

  “She was holding her own when I came to get you. I… I didn’t know what to do. Arden left one of the enemy combatants alive, so they wouldn’t call the match. The crowd almost seemed into it...”

  Of course, they were. This was just one big spectacle after all… most of them didn’t know the people down their shedding their blood in the sand…

  Damnit, this was good at all. My heart pounded as I rounded a corner and made my way into the stands. They were still packed, though the crowd had grown quite silent. I gazed out onto the battlefield, afraid of what I might see… I had every right to be afraid.

  The arena floor looked like the sight of a damned massacre. The blood… god there was so much blood! Several combatants laid strewn about in the sand, unconscious and laying in pools of their own lifeblood. Anotther man…. Damnit all, another man lay lifeless on the arena floor, his head completely severed from his body.

  My stomach began to turn as I took in the gruesome sight. Seven bodies lay dead or dying. An eighth combatant, a woman from the enemy team sat huddled in the corner, covering her face as if she’d just witnessed an unspeakable horror.

  That just left two.

  Near the center of the arena, Arden chased Hilda in merciless pursuit, slashing away with twin blades, displ
aying a ferocity that was unmatched. The guardian did her best to parry the barrage of blows, using her aegis shield Corvus to weather as much of the onslaught as possible. Seeing that her body was already covered in a series of deep cuts, it wasn’t proving very effective.

  I dashed towards the bottom of the stands, getting as close to the battle as humanly possible. From there I could see the expression on Hilda’s face. She was terrified.

  “Stop the match!” I screamed, trying to get the announcer’s attention as she hovered over the carnage on her floating platform. “STOP THE DAMN MATCH!”

  The announcer turned her gaze over to me, then gave an apologetic shrug. Useless!

  Without thinking, I turned my head and stared up at the balcony where Vazryn looked on from his private quarters. He was standing near the balcony’s edge, hands crossed behind his back as he looked on, emotionless.

  “Lord Vazryn!” I yelled, trying to grab the man’s attention. “It’s over! Stop the match!” Vazryn continued to keep his gaze focus on the battlefield, ignoring my pleas for mercy. Hilda cried out in pain as one of Arden’s blades stung at her side. That bastard… I would not let him have her!

  “Oh no, folks!” The announcer cried. “It looks like our duelist has turned on his teammates and is butchering them one by one. This is just terrible! It appears that poor woman is going to die!”

  The crowd let out an audible gasp as I soared over the stone barricade, my boots slamming into the arena floor with a resounding thud. Arden paused his assault then turned, gazing at me in sheer astonishment. I rose from a crouch and began to approach the maddened duelist, obsidian blade forming in the palm of my hand. Despite the thousands of people in attendance that day, a complete and utter silence had befallen the arena. Hilda caught sight of me approaching, her expression a mix of shock and relief. She then collapsed into the sand, bloodied and broken. That woman was not going to die today.

  I would not allow it.

  I began to sprint as I grew closer to the duelist, nevermore held keenly at my side. Razyr and Kord each trailed behind me, ready to bond at my beck and call. Arden met the challenge with a grin on his face, hoisting a pair of silver rapiers into the air. How dare he smile at me like that, after his veiled threats, after trying to take Hilda from me. I’d kill him!

  My blade crashed into his once, twice, three times as I swung my weapon with reckless abandon. The duelist skillfully parried each attack, deflecting the strikes away from his vital spots.

  With calculated precision, the man deflected my attack high, then stabbed forward with his offhand blade. The sword barreled towards my chest, poised to stab through a crease in my field plate….

  The duelist gasped as I deflected the blow away, summoning Razyr as a broadsword into my open hand. I pressed my blades into his, meeting the man eye to eye at the center of the arena. It was then that I saw it. In his eyes, hidden beneath the arrogance and the bravado... It was an infection swirling inside of him like a tempest, begging to be set free… the madness.

  “This is just wonderful!” He said through clenched teeth, his voice almost manic. “Now I get to kill you too!” The duelist gave me a hard shove then executed a precise slash with his blades. An apparition of myself faded as I reappeared behind the duelist, driving nevermore downwards with a well-placed illusionary strike. Arden dropped to a knee, crossing his blades over his head to block my attack without looking. He then spun out of the block, slashing my stomach in the process.

  I grunted in pain, but the duelist did not relent, spinning at me with a series of quick strikes as he activated dancing blades.

  “Kord, to me!” I cried as my HP began to fall. The familiar dove into me as a ball of light, lending me his strength at precisely the right time.

  Arden completed his dance of death with a powerful thrust, but the blades slashed at nothing but air. Activating empowered leap, I jumped out of Arden’s range, leaping high above the arena floor before landing on the announcer’s floating platform.

  “Hey there.” She said, giving me a sly wink. I ignored her and crouched over the edge of the platform, meeting the gaze of my opponent below.

  “Very well.” Arden spat, still grinning like a damned fool. “If you prefer to bow out, then I’m sure I can find another suitable dance partner!” He turned, focusing his gaze back on Hilda who laid writhing in pain on the arena floor. He was going to kill her!

  “Don’t you dare!” I growled, steadying myself on the edge of the floating disc. Then, to the crowd’s apparent surprise, I plunged back to towards the ground below.

  I soared through the sky like a comet as Kord’s Aether crackled in the air around me. Arden came to a sudden pause as my armored body slammed into the ground, kicking up dust and sand as I landed crouched in a perfect battle stance.

  The duelist quickly shed his feelings and charged in once more, slashing with his blades at a furious pace, trying to break through my defenses with sheer overwhelming force. I partied high then blocked low, doing my damnedest to match the man’s uncanny speed.

  The duelist again attacked high, forcing me to lift my blades above my head, then pivoted and delivered a hard kick to my knee. I crashed to the ground and Immediately began to roll away, but Arden cut me off, planting a knee in my chest as he drove his rapiers towards my exposed face.

  I crossed my blades in front of my face then pressed outward, preventing the cold steel of Arden’s rapier from piercing my cheek. He let out an estranged laugh, then drove his knee even harder into my diaphragm.

  “Your mad!” I screamed, slowly working his blades away from my face with swords of my own.

  “Perhaps, I am!” He spat, grinning as we struggled for position. “And to think I presumed I was hiding it sooo well.”

  I arched my back, then tried to buck the duelist off me, but his balance held true. He let out another laugh. “What the hell’s a matter with you!” I growled. “Why would you kill the ones that trust you… your companions, your teammates!”

  “What does it matter?” Arden rebuked, his expression suddenly one of anger. “I’m already dead!” With that, the duelist disengaged from our struggle and made a quick spin on my chest before plunging one of his blades through my thigh! The weapon sliced the entire way through before stabbing into ground below, holding me firm as I writhed in pain.

  Pinning Blow

  “That should hold you.” He said rising back to his feet. “At least long enough to do this.” The duelist strolled over to Hilda, a single blade cradled in his pale hand. Methodically, the man grabbed her by the hair and hoisted her to her knees. The look on her face was one of pain and confusion… damnit the woman was barely lucid.

  “Arden, no! Please!” I begged, desperately trying to dislodge the sword from my leg.

  Arden paused then gave me a strange look, as if the madness had fully taken hold. “Trust me.” He said, his voice oddly calm. “This won’t really matter in the end…. We’re all dead anyways.” The duelist then turned and plunged his blade into the defenseless guardian’s stomach.

  40

  “Za… Zan…” Hilda muttered as a thin line of blood crested her lips and ran down her chin.

  “Oh, please.” Arden said, yanking the blade free of her midsection before shoving her face into the ground. “These heroics are making me sick!”

  A fiery rage boiled up from the pit of my stomach as tears began to form in the corners of my eyes. He’d discarded her like she was nothing…. Damn him! I would make him pay!

  Guardsmen began to circle the arena, but they didn’t move in. A small group of them had even made their way to Brenton’s seat to restrain him and the others, who were now making quite a scene. Why didn’t the guards just stop this madness?

  A sudden realization dawned on me as I sat there, struggling to free my leg from the blade. This… this had become some sort of spectacle. No, this little show wasn’t going to stop… nobody would be intervening. If I wanted this to end, then it was on me.

&nbs
p; Arden let out a crazed laugh as he began to stroll in my direction. In seconds I would be within range of his blade. I placed both of my hands on the hilt of the rapier piercing my leg and gave it a mighty pull… The weapon held firm. “Razyr!” I cried in desperation. “I need more strength!”

  Too late.

  Arden grabbed a handful of my hair and yanked my head back, exposing my soft neck. I winced, steeling myself for the end as the final slash came down….

  “SQUAWK!”

  Arden reeled as Ivanellios swooped in, slicing at the duelist’s arm with his razor-sharp talons. The bird attacked with fury, fueled by the sight of his fallen guardian.

  Arden took a step back and used Riposte as Ivan swooped in for another strike. His sword deflected the creature’s talons away, exposing the outstretched bird’s midsection. Arden followed through, stabbing his sword into the bird’s gut and ramming it straight through.

  Ivan fell to the ground with a thump, the soft glow in his eyes fading. Had he just slayed the familiar?! Was… was that even possible. Could sprites be killed?

  No time to think about it. I had to be wise with those precious seconds he afforded me… it was the only way to do the creature justice.

  “Razyr, now!” I yelled, reaching my hand out to the drake who’d changed back to his base form. For some reason he looked… hesitant. “Razyr,” I insisted. “I need your power!”

  “Zander… you… you already have Kord’s power flowing through you. It could rip you apart…”

  “Just do it, Razyr!”

  The drake nodded, then formed into a ball of light before leaping into my chest.

  ><><

  A surge of power entered my body as Razyr’s Aether flowed through my veins. It was a familiar feeling, one that I had become accustomed to each time we bonded. Then, without warning, came the pain.