Forgotten Conqueror

by Za1d3

  “Understood, Mr. Kliness.”

  With the stack of books, he started skimming the pages to search for significant body of information pertaining to his subject. The majority of the books only mentioned the corvine as a subspecies of the Viper family, and no real information about how they breed, hunt, or live. A few of them had speculations about such things, but speculations were not what he was after.

  After three hours of reading through the various books looking into the subject matter, nothing noteworthy was found. The best information he had about the corvine viper was pretty much what he has seen for himself.

  Having left the library earlier than expected, Kaidus headed towards the plaza to catch whatever was left of the demonstration.

  Passing a vender that sold skewered meat, he remembered that his breakfast had been at least six hours ago, and got himself a snack as he walked towards the plaza.

  Arriving at the plaza, the place was filled with onlookers from all sides. Even the buildings bordering the plaza were full of people curious to see the abilities of Ferrent’s knights. Squeezing his way to the front like a child, he managed to claw his way into view of the spectacle. Two knights were about to duel, both using the standard short sword and shield. Then the voice of the reference went off signaling the start of the duel.

  One of the knight moves in with a diagonal slash, the other effortlessly brings his shield forward at an angle, and deflects the sword with ease. Using the opening, he countered with a slash from a low angle going upwards towards the other’s sword arm. Instead of hitting metal signifying a loss of the arm, the swift slice cut through the air. The first knight had already twisted his body and slammed his shield into the shoulder of the second knight throwing him off balance. With a quick low sweep, the first one easily took the second off his feet ending the duel. Everything had occurred within seconds of the starting signal.

  The first knight helped the second up off the ground and they both walked back to a tent, the sound of thunderous applause behind them.

  ‘if that second knight had not aimed for the arm, but instead gone for a horizontal slash, the first one would have been forced to defend in that situation after having his sword deflected, then it might have been a better contest of skills. But in the end, that speed on the turn, utilizing that small opening when he had staggered his opponent with the shield slam, and the precise and swift low sweep at the weakest point destroying the other’s center of gravity; the other knight probably never had a chance in the first place.’ Kaidus had already analyzed the fight and was thinking about different outcomes if such actions had been taken in that situation.

  A couple more duels came and went, two mages came out to showcase a display of magic that awed the audience, and a newly knighted young man demonstrated his forms that earned him his knighthood.

  “And saving the best for last, a final presentation! BEHOLD!” the announcer called out.

  A gigantic cage covered by a large sheet of black cloth was rolled into the plaza, seven knights and a mage came along and surround the cage. Kaidus could feel an ominous aura emitted from whatever was in the cage.

  With an incantation from the mage, the black sheet shot up into the air, then vanished, revealing a scaly monstrosity almost filling up the cage it was in. A set of yellow eyes could be seen staring out at the onlookers from within the gray mass. Wings with razor sharp tips were thrashing against the steel bars of the cage, a long spiked tail had extended outside of the cage; whipping about. It was a Kalligor.

  The audience went into an uproar over the sight of the Kalligor. The danger it poses, all but forgotten.

  The majority of people knew that Kalligors are a vicious member of the Drakall family and are even known to possess some magic. They hunted all manners of creatures, including people. To have subdued one and captured it alive was quite the achievement.

  “*KRUAACCCCK*!!” the Kalligor screeched from within the cage, causing people to cover their ears.

  The seven knights immediate held up their swords invoking a sword spell and poised ready for combat, while the mage started an incantation to fortify the cage.

  Laughter and cheers started pouring from the audience.

  Kaidus could see that this was a display of the power of the knights; an exhibition displaying their mighty strength to garner the trust of the populace. A dead Drakall was one thing, and they had seen a few over the years, but a live one within their control; that was proof of their strength to dominate.

  *Kraaaaaack!!* A cry from a distance.

  The audience perked up and scanned around.

  “KraaakK!!!!” the cry was getting closer by the seconds.

  The expressions of the audience started changing from that of cheering and jeering to confusion and panic.

  “KKRRAAACCCCK!!!” the Kalligor in the cage cried out again

  *KRUACKK!!!* This time, the other scream was even closer than before.

  “OVER THERE!!!” a voice called out.

  People started looking around, first from the voice’s immediate vicinity, then slowly everyone saw it. A black silhouette up in the sky, ever closer with each passing moment.

  “Everyone! Into the buildings closest to you, NOW! Knights! Assume formation! Those on the outside! Assist civilians to shelter!” an older knight commanded with a booming voice.

  Panic ensued. In their haste to find shelter, people collided into one another causing each other to trip and fall adding to the chaos.

  “KOOUURRRAAACCKK!!!”

  Before everyone had evacuated, a thundering roar erupted from above the plaza.

  It had arrived.

  Chapter 10 – Savior

  “KAAARRCCKK!!” the airborne Kalligor thundered once more before taking a dive straight towards the plaza.

  The scramble for cover had caused many people to become injured, and many were still out in the open.

  *CRASH!* It landed on top of the cage containing the other Kalligor. Two yellow eyes leered at the surrounding knights menacingly while its tail swooped at those behind it.

  “Do not let it break that cage! Knights surround it! Mages try and keep it from flying!” the old knight commanded.

  Seeing more knights closing in on the cage to surround it, the Kalligor quickly raised its body, and pumped its chest.

  “SHIELDS!” one of the knights called out. Within seconds, a wall of shields was erected surrounding the Kalligor and cage.

  A stream of yellow flame blasted out of the Kalligor’s mouth and collided with a part of the wall; melting the surface of the shields and forcing that part of the wall to break.

  From the back, mages formed together and chanted an immobilization incantation, evoking it as soon as the breath attack ceased. The beast suddenly froze, indicating the spell had been successful. Having sealed its movements, other mages start invoking their own magic against the creature.

  The initial seven knights broke off from the ranks of the shield wall and jumped straight for the immobilized Kalligor.

  “KaaaAACKK!!” The caged Kalligor screeched.

  “NO! GET BACK!” one of the mages yelled out.

  *Swoosh* the sound of blade cutting through air could be heard.

  In an instant, two of the seven knights had been cut to pieces, while the other five had been repelled and blown backwards. The immobilized Drakall was no longer sitting atop the cage frozen, but was now on the ground in a crouched position ready to strike.

  Many of those who had failed to get into a building were seeing this spectacle and were frozen with fear, while others were screaming for their lives.

  “HORAN WITH ME! MAGES BIND IT AGAIN!” the old knight called out, walking up to the circle of knights surrounding the Kalligor.

  The wall opened up to usher the knight and his adjutant inside.

  “Stand back! If this goes bad, evacuate everyone and wait until the reinforcement from the Mystiks guild arrives!” he commanded as he walked in to face the Kalligor.

  Two
knights stood face to face with the creature that had just cut through two other armored knights. The first and older knight drew a two handed greatsword of azurite blue with a serrated edge and a glowing red gemstone embed into the pommel. The second drew a thin longsword almost as long as the knight himself, the blade was so thin that it almost looked invisible.

  As if knowing that these two are dangerous, the Kalligor lowered his stance and gazed at them with its two yellow eyes. Without any warning, the Kalligor charged.

  An iron claw swings horizontally towards the older knight; with deft hands and inhuman reflex, the knight brings up his greatsword to block the swipe. Using the accelerating momentum of the Kalligor to plant a kick into its face at the same time with his greaves. On the old knight’s right side, the long sword knight had moved into position beside the Kalligor and unleashed a flurry of quick slashes into the drakall’s left side, before quickly retreating back to avoid the incoming tail. The Kalligor then curled itself up, and spun its wings around like a tornado to defend itself.

  In range of the spin attack, the old knight jammed his greatsword into the ground and used it as a shield while his colleague swiftly retreated out of the attack’s perimeter.

  “MAGES!” the old knight called out.

  “– that we may vanish it! CONSTRICTION!” the incantation had finished, and black chains of smokes erupted from the palms of the mages flying towards the spinning Kalligor.

  The chains started intertwining around the kalligor, restricting its movements, and stopping the spinning.

  The old knight got up from his crouched position behind the greatsword and yanked the sword out. Rushing towards the bound kalligor, he aimed for the creature’s head with an overhead slash. Like a guillotine, the greatsword came down upon the Kalligor’s head but missed; the creature was starting to break the binding and the attack carved into its shoulder instead.

  Using the opening when the kalligor had been bound, the other knight had also jumped into action. He had swiftly dashed to the side of the kalligor, and while it was focused on the older knight, slashed the kalligor’s left wing.

  “KKUAAAHHH!!!” the Kalligor hissed at the two knights, shooting flames out in front of him.

  Using its uninjured wing, the kalligor staggered the old knight with a blast of wind and propelling itself back on top of the cage.

  Knowing that the kalligor won’t be flying anywhere, the younger knight bolted towards the cage to get within range.

  “KURRACK!!” the caged kalligor roared.

  His close proximity to the cage, the roar momentarily paralyzed him giving the other kalligor an opportunity to strike. A swift tail blow from atop the cage came through and smacked him right in the chest, throwing him backwards into the shield wall.

  “KUARKARCCKK!!!” the caged Kalligor cried out again.

  Suddenly the kalligor atop the cage shifted into an odd posture. His eyes unfocused and weaving around the plaza looking at the few gawping onlookers.

  “HURRY UP AND EVACUATE NOW!” the old knight shouted out at the top of his lungs.

  Those who had deemed it safe to stay within the area and watch the fight were suddenly hit with a sense of dread again.

  Spying a gawker in the open to the north side of the plaza, the Kalligor leaped into action: Jumping off the cage, it pounced onto the ground and with a flap of its uninjured wing, propelled itself over the wall of knights and headed straight for the unprotected man.

  A few of the knights saw the action and two of them managed to grabbed hold of the beast’s leg as it leaped over them. Crashing on the ground, one was trampled by the beast, while the other managed to let go in time and only incurred minor injuries. True to his title as a knight, he quickly got up and positioned himself between the civilian and the Kalligor; barely managing to deflect a killing blow from the kalligor’s tail away from the civilian.

  “Get out of here NOW! Be-” he shouted at the spectator. Before he could finish, he was blown away into the side of a building; armor and all.

  Unluckily for the foolish man, the kalligor brought its wing back and was about to slice him in half.

  The old knight was dashing through the plaza and was right behind the Kalligor. He had moved the moment the beast had changed focus and jumped down from the cage. He saw the motion of the beast coiling itself ready to cut the man; focusing mana into his legs to facilitate and increase his agility, the old knight flew at the kalligor.

  It was all a feint, the real target had been him all along.

  The coiled up Kalligor sprang at him with all of the stored up energy, blade-like wings swung at him. The force of the impact caught him in the air, and blew him across the plaza through a vendor’s stall and into the wall of a building. Even with the split second of defense with his sword, the force of the blow had shattered his greatsword, blown away his helmet, and even cracked his reinforced steel chest plate. Bones broken, out of breath, and armed with a broken sword, he barely managed to get up as the jaws of death scrambled towards him.

  His knights yelling and screaming; but too far away, the old knight stood up for one last stand. Suddenly a young boy caught his eyes. The boy had probably been hiding behind the stalls watching the fight, expecting to see knights like those from his children stories. The old knight attempted to walk forward yelling at the boy to run away, but instead of running away, the boy ran towards him as the Kalligor stormed ever closer.

  ‘To protect those who cannot protect themselves.’ One of the sacred oaths resounded in his head.

  Without a second thought about his life, he mustered all his strength and grabbed the boy; twisting his body around to protect the child as the shrill sound of razor sharp wings came upon him.

  Holding the child to his chest, as if an illusion glimpsed only in the brink of death; the child’s black hair flashed bright silver for a second causing him to close his eyes.

  The sudden uproar of his knights scrambling and calling for him had gone dead silent, and most mysterious of all, he yet retained his life. Scared at what may have occurred, he slowly turned around to find a mass of blood splatters covering the plaza grounds, and the few stalls around him.

  He saw the faces of his knights, all were frozen, struck with unknown terror and bewilderment.

  The boy struggled within his grasped, and he slowly released the child.

  “Are you alright?” The old knight asked.

  “Yes, thank you very much.” the boy answered politely, eyes locked onto his. The boy then walked over to the stall he had been hiding behind and pulled out what looked like a bound parcel before starting to walk away.

  “Boy! What is it you just took from that stall!?” he yelled out after the boy.

  “My books, Sir.” The child replied as he continued out of the plaza.

  Watching the young boy walk away nonchalantly, the old knight finally noticed; Blood was dripping from his armor.

  ———-

  Inside the large tent in the plaza.

  His bloody armor had been taken off, and he was now sitting on a chair. Physicians had prodded and diagnosed his injuries and mended what they could with magic. He was currently sitting alone in a room of the tent waiting.

  A younger knight walked into the room.

  “Any sign of him?” the old knight anxiously asked.

  “No sir. Most of the knights that saw him are currently out looking right now. No one has seen him ever since he left the plaza… if you don’t mind me asking sir, why are we searching for him?”

  “What do you mean why are we searching for him? I’ve already told you, he saved my life.”

  “Sir, you say that, but how is that possible?” the knight asked his superior, uncertain about the claims.

  “I don’t know how it was possible Horan! All I know is that I saw something happen, and then closed my eyes awaiting death. Before I knew it, the Kalligor was dead.”

  “But you also said he was merely a boy, and from what you can tell, not even 10 years
of age yet. You want the knights to believe that some unknown boy killed the kalligor in an instant, while you – a master Raezil spellknight, me a – Rujal spellknight, and 40 of the kingdoms best trained knights could barely contain it?” the knight asked, his argument logical.

  “Tell to me Horan, what exactly did you see?” He questioned his adjutant.

  “Have you not read the report Sir?”

  “DAM THE REPORT HORAN! I want to hear what you saw!” the old knight snapped back.

  “Sir, I saw you grab the child and use your body as a shield, there was a burst of light around you as if you were about to start shining. Then suddenly, the kalligor that was upon you burst into pieces. The boy then got something from the stalls, and walked away.” Horan replied recalling what he saw.

  “Exactly. A burst of light, the kalligor in pieces, and the boy walking away. That is exactly why we are searching for him Horan, besides the fact that he saved my life.” The old knight replied, calm and collected.

  “Are you sure it was not you who killed it unconsciously in your last struggle to protect the child, Sir?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous Horan. Even as a Raezil, I could not accomplish what you all just saw. There are only four Raezils I know of who can kill a man by causing pressure to build up inside the body ending in a similar display of what we saw, but those usually leave body parts intact except for the point of exit, and requires a lengthy incantation. That magic earlier looked like it had ripped the kalligor apart bit by bit and threw it around the plaza, in an instant.”

  “It is hard to believe, a child… capable of that?” Horan was still uncertain.

  “I don’t need you to believe me Horan, you saw it yourself, what I need is to find that child. Tell me, how many Malgins and Malizurs can you think of that can accomplish such a feat?”

  “14 known Malgins and 3 Malizurs that we are aware of, Sir.” A swift and precise answer.

  “And were any of them here in this plaza today?” the old knight asked irritated.

  “No sir.” The knight replied. “… Are you proposing, the child awoke to his powers in that instant?”