by Eden Redd
Kara and Nara peered over the edge, unleashing lightning bolt after lightning bolt from their open mouths. Heads moving like a gun turret, they continued their relentless assault on the invading troll army.
“We have to get down to the streets and stop them at the hole!” Jayson shouted to his friends and anyone who would hear him.
“I’m with you!” Lance shouted back.
“Till the end!” Sonja shouted above the roar of war.
The white knight was first, grabbing a rope from behind him and jumping. Falling, the rope caught and the knight swung, his blade slicing through any troll head unlucky to be in his way. Light bursts filled the streets as knights followed down the stairs to the streets below. Concubines unleashed devastating attacks but the flood of trolls and enemy knights did not slow. Lance reached the end of his swing and let himself fall to the street ten feet below him. Trolls advanced with swords and clubs raised. The knight moved with grace, slipping past the downward swinging weapons and slashing across exposed bellies. Greenish light explosions filled the area but the fight continued.
Sonja saw Lance fighting and leapt off the edge like a blue angel. Ghost blade slashing, spectral swords stabbed into the crowd, taking out a handful of trolls before her booted foot smashed a troll’s head. The brute looked up before the blue knight flipped off, blade slicing under her. The troll fell to the ground just as Sonja landed, shattering into light.
Jayson, Dalya and the elf twins leapt off the side, falling into the maelstrom of battle. When they landed, backs turned to each other and they began slashing and cutting outward. Fellow knights joined the fray, shouting, cutting and slashing. Concubines added to the battle as both sides clashed at the destroyed wall. Metal and death stormed around the knights as they fought like caged tigers. Jayson never felt so alive then right here, right now. A battle madness took hold as he fought. There was no anxiety or awkwardness, only the primal need to survive and smite your enemies.
A knight in a black cloak flipped above many heads and landed before the elf twins. Blade and smile flashing, Lina pushed Fay aside as a blade sank into her belly. Jayson turned to see Lina fall to her knees, hands clutching at the sword in her. The cloaked knight pulled her blade back and sliced downward, cleaving the elf’s head into two before bursting into light.
Jayson’s eyes met Feverdream’s as she took a stance. Fay sent a burst of healing energy toward her lord as he stalked forward to the cloaked knight. A seething rage poured into his heart as he raised his blades.
“When this is all over, look me up and you can hate fuck me all you want,” Feverdream grinned.
Jayson charged. The two knights clashed as the battle raged on. Feverdream spun and kept moving as Jayson moved with controlled rage. Blades sang their metal song as each knight tried to strike a winning blow, on and on their symphony played, neither one getting past the other.
“The trolls are going to take down the dragons! You’re on the wrong side!” Feverdream shouted with a whimsical smile.
Jayson was silent as he pressed his attack. Feverdream’s smile soon faded as the knight spun out. Blades crashed against hers as she braced herself. Flipping backwards, she landed and turned only for Jayson to be nearly on top of her. Blood boiling, the knight became a comet amid fighting stars. Both swords raining down, Feverdream backpedaled until her foot slipped. Jayson’s fire sword slashed at her thigh. Feverdream cried out and took another step. Jayson’s ice blade stabbed through her leather armor and into her belly. The enemy knight grunted as she brought her blade close and upward. Jayson moved his head but the blade touched his neck. A few hit points drained but a status effect appeared in his vision.
A poison status blinked as the player felt his movements become less coordinated. Feverdream advanced, blades at the ready as blood dripped from her wounds.
“Call me,” Feverdream said as she raised her blade for the killing blow. Jayson lurched forward and drove his blade upward, hoping his dexterity stat was faster than hers. The cloaked knight brought her blade down but a small hand reached up and grabbed it mid-swing. Fay stared at the enemy knight with unrestrained malice, blood pouring from her hand and healing magic repairing it at the same time. Jayson drove his blade into Feverdream’s throat, exiting from the other side.
“Well done,” Feverdream gurgled before she slumped to the ground and shattered into shards of light.
Fay moved to her lord, hands healing the poison away. Jayson felt his connection to his body returning and braced himself for returning to the fight.
Lance cut down troll after troll. When another troll burst into light, something struck him from behind. The white knight went forward, hit points draining. Looking back, his eyes drank in Revar’s oversized form as he stalked closer. The massive knight brought his blade down hard just as Lance spun away. Bits of stone exploded upward.
“You owe me one. Lay down and die and it will be considered even. The trolls are going to win so let’s end this!” Revar smirked as he advanced.
“I will not lie down and die, traitor!” Lance shouted as he advanced on the large knight.
Lance’s rapier clashed against Revar’s oversized blade. In the normal world, the knight’s thin sword would have broken easily but here, it was strong enough to block any incoming attack. The white knight continued to bend and spin his body while Revar took mighty swings left and right. Lance kept his body small, making him difficult to hit with each massive swing. The battle blended into a dance, each step measured and every attack testing their limit. When their swords clashed, the big knight moved in and with a meaty hand, took hold of the white knight, lifted him up and threw him.
Lance was powerless as he was wretched into the air. Unable to control his flight, he crashed into a wall, head bouncing off hard stone. The knight fell to his feet and turned. Digital blood dripped from his forehead and he quickly wiped it away. Revar closed in, cornering the white knight so he had no place left to run. Lance braced himself, ready to fight to the bitter end when Revar’s eyes widened. Grunting, the large knight looked down to see a spectral blade impaled in his mid-section before it faded away.
Sonja rushed through the battle to Lance, eyes filled with determination. Revar smiled as he twisted his body and sent his large blade spinning. The blue knight skidded to a halt as the enemy knight’s blade spun toward her. Instinct took over as she quickly fell to the ground. The spinning blade cut through trolls and knights on both sides before spinning upward and returning. Revar lifted his hand and caught the blade just as Lance moved in. Rapier penetrating the giant knight, Revar let out a laugh. Lance looked up in disbelief.
“I have a lot of hit points,” The knight grinned and brought his blade down hard.
“No!” came a voice from Lance’s right.
A guard jumped through the air, his own sword out. Revar’s blade came down, striking the guards blade, deflecting the attack but sending the guard’s sword out of his hands. Revar heaved his blade up again. Lance glanced as fear filled the guard’s eyes, skin turning blue.
“Thirty-two-point slash attack!” Lance shouted.
The rapier in the white knight’s hand turned into a blur. Revar’s eyes grew to the size of saucers as the blade stabbed into him over and over again. Arm still up with his sword, he was stunned as Lance drove the point over and over again. Stamina and Dexterity draining, the white knight finished his thirty second strike and stepped back. Revar fell to his knees and gazed at the white knight, a second later he crumpled into shards of greenish light.
“Lorn, what are you doing here? I told you to leave!” Lance shouted as his heart skipped a beat.
Glamour dropping, the troll grinned at the white knight, “I did leave and now I’m back, to fight at your side.”
“You can’t fight, you’re a lover,” Lance couldn’t keep the excitement from his eyes.
“Love will show me how to fight!” The troll grinned and reached down for his sword.
***
The p
oison status blinked away. Jayson looked to Fay as the elf smiled back. The knight turned back to the battle when something big towered over him. Looking up to the blue muscled chest of the troll staring down at him, Jayson took a step back.
Rujin stood before the knight, oversized blade in his hand and a leer on his lips. “We meet again little human.”
Jayson took another step back as the troll hefted his blade and took a step forward. The player was at about half his hit points and his stats were slowly regenerating. The T shaped troll moved with ease as he eyed the knight. Jayson checked his stamina and he had enough for one more spin attack. Squaring his jaw, he launched himself at the troll. Blades out, he activated his technique. Body turning into blurring top, blades flashed with hot and cold fury. The troll lifted his large blade and blocked the incoming attack. Jayson’s blades hit the sword and energy surged back. Blades went flying into the air as Jayson spun backwards, crashing onto the floor.
Rujin stepped forward with darkness in his eyes. A cat woman leapt onto the troll, claws flashing and cutting exposed flesh. The troll’s hand wrapped around her waist and threw her aside like a rag doll. Fay moved in front of the Jayson, a protective aura surrounding her form and eyes centered on the troll. Rujin used the flat end of his blade and brought it hard across. The elf went crashing into the chaotic crowd.
Jayson crawled backwards as the troll stepped closer, looking for either of his swords.
“Death will linger long enough to claim the Rose Seer. You failed, knight,” Rujin lifted his sword and drove it down.
Jayson gazed up as the blade punctured his body and imbedded into the stone underneath him. Hit points fell to zero. A haze fell over the player’s senses as Rujin stood over him. The troll bent his knees, hand reaching for Jayson’s belt. Darkness crawled from the corners of his vision. The last thing Jayson saw was Rujin’s hand inches from his belt before darkness blocked out the world.
Sixteen
The black abyss yawned in all directions. Jayson hovered, eyes lost to the inky darkness, images of his death playing out before him. Thoughts spiraled as he imagined Oksuna. He pictured the loving troll being taken away by Rujin, her cries for him causing his heart to twist in his chest.
Blinking, a faint light glowed before him. Floating, the player watched as numbers appeared, turning into a digital countdown. Nine minutes and thirty seconds glowed white as he hovered in the void. Ten minutes was a long time to wait before returning to battle. The player sighed as the numbers counted down, mind racing with what he was going to do when he got back.
Another aura appeared next to the ticking time. It took a roughly human shape as it grew brighter and brighter. Features filling in the glowing gaps, the winged form of Sil appeared, a sad smile on her lips.
“You shall resurrect at the Ludus kingdom square when the timer reaches zero,” The angel said softly.
“Sil, can you tell me what is happening? Can you tell me if Sonja and Lance are okay? Can you tell me if the trolls have Oksuna?” Jayson shouted with panic in his eyes.
The angel nodded, “I can tell you what is happening to a degree. Sonja is fighting a troll named Rujin. Lance is fighting his way to her to assist. Sonja defended you before Rujin could take your belt. He had only brief moments before he could take it from your dying body, but failed. Oksuna is safe at home.”
“Kara and Nara?”
The angel’s eyes darkened, “Defeated and killed by troll arrows and harpy attacks.”
“Dalya?”
“She continues to fight but she is at 34% of her hit points. Fay is healing her as she fights.”
Another shadow fell over the angel’s eyes, “Fay has just fallen in battle, killed by a troll sword.”
Jayson’s heart clenched in his chest, “How goes the battle?”
“Kingdom forces are being pushed back. King Lord Belmont continues to fight against Ulkur. The kingdom of Serk has now fallen to Troll attacks.”
The angel lowered her head, “The kingdom of Ludus has now fallen. You will resurrect at the King’s statue in Bellor.”
Panic swelled. Two of the four kingdoms had fallen to the enemy. Despite their best efforts, they were losing the fight. Looking to the numbers counting down only added to his frustration. Jayson wanted nothing more than to get back into battled but the clock displayed six minutes left. Watching it countdown second after second only added to the player’s impotence of the situation. Even when he resurrects, he will be weak as a kitten, needing time to get back to full. His attribute stats will start at 1 and slowly grow. The player cursed himself for getting killed, dreadful thoughts sinking in that his friends were going to join him soon.
“Sil, is there any way I can get back into the fight sooner?”
“No, my lord,” the angel said with little emotion.
Time marched on as the player floated, staring at the numbers and seeing them fall, one second at a time. The player tried to calm his heart and clear his mind. Thoughts slowed and time seemed to speed up. Closing his eyes, the player kept his thoughts simple but effective. He knew in his heart he had to get to Sonja and Lance. He had to get them out of the fight. The king is mad, the troll army, overwhelming. If they fought to the bitter end, it may not be enough to save the kingdoms at the crossroads. Thoughts shifted to their quest. A dragon asked him to find the threat to the west. They had to complete it or all of this would have been for nothing. The chances of Rujin or any of the enemy trolls taking Oksuna was too great. As much as it drove a spike of self-loathing, the player knew what he had to do when the time came.
Opening his eyes, Jayson stared at the countdown as it reached the last ten seconds. Gearing up his mind, he stared blankly as the white numbers reached zero. The abyss glowed from pure darkness to a light purple. A white flash cascaded over the player’s eyes causing them to close. When he opened them, the sky was filled with plums of black smoke and the symphony of battles played on toward the south.
Jayson tried to sit up but limbs were heavy and unresponsive. Turning his head, he was side by side with other fallen knights. Some were getting up while other’s lay, eyes shell shocked. The knight tried again and again but he could not sit up. He couldn’t even move his hand to his side pouch to pull a potion out.
“Form a phalanx and we charge back into the fight. King Lord Belmont is losing and we need to rally to his side!” A knight shouted at a gathering of his fellow knights. Weapon’s drawn; they formed up and stormed toward the battle.
Jayson could only lift his head and look on as knights moved with soldiers, heading back into battle. Checking his stats, it would take a few minutes for him to be at full strength. He hoped his friends held out long enough for him to help.
“For the Queen,” someone said in a low voice to Jayson’s left.
The knight turned his head as a woman knelt down over a fallen knight. She smoothed one hand over the knight’s head while her other hand clutched a wicked dagger close to her cloak. At first Jayson wasn’t sure what he heard or even what he was seeing. The sting of the moment blasted his nerves as the woman took the dagger and drove it into the knight’s heart. The player knight let out a gurgled moan before slumping as they lay.
The woman looked to the weak knight lying next to Jayson. Standing up, she moved over and kneeled over her. The female knight tried to speak but her protests came out in whimpers. The woman looked down, skin glittering in the light.
“For the Queen,” The woman said again and stabbed the weak knight, a wet crunch filling the air.
Jayson lay paralyzed as horror crept into his eyes. The need to survive caused his mind and heart to flare. He had to get back into the fight but a Fae was taking full advantage of the chaos, a sick revenge for the death of their queen.
Jayson struggled to get up, his body barely sitting up. The fae stood up and eyed him. She stepped over and kneeled before him, dagger slick with red life. Jayson stared at her, eyes pleading for her to not take his life.
“Please�
��..don’t…” the knight managed before his voice failed him.
“For the Queen,” the fae gazed back with faraway eyes.
Jayson tried to yell so someone would notice what was happening, what was going to happen. The fae smiled as the dagger moved. A hammer rose up behind the grief stricken fae and came across hard. The blow struck the woman on the side of her head, sending her sideways onto the cobbled stone street. Lunatina stood over her, lifting her Warhammer and bringing it down. Jayson winced as the fallen fae’s head made a wet crunching sound before shattering into shards of light.
The purple and black jester put the hammer over her shoulder and eyed the fallen knight, “I’m here to make sure you keep your promise.”
Jayson nodded. The jester let go of her hammer and it faded from sight. Kneeling down, she fished a vial from a side pouch, uncorked it and spilled amber liquid onto Jayson’s lips. The knight opened his mouth and drank deep. Vitality filled him. Limbs returned to normal and hit points rose to their maximum. The knight quickly stood up as the jester grinned.
“Thank you,” Jayson smiled.
“You’re welcome Sir Reed,” Lunatina curtsied.
“I can’t leave just yet; my friends need me.”
The jester’s smile disappeared, “The battle is lost. Trolls are already on the bridges and will be here soon. We have to run. You promised you would take me with you!”
Jayson nodded, shadows covering his eyes. “I know but I have to save them first. They would do the same for me.”