A Warrior's Penance

by Davis Ashura

  “Devesh's blessings go with you,” Satha said as Rector prepared to leave.

  *Nobeasts are at the gates,* Shon said. *They're all over the streets. Li-Choke says the Demon Wind recognized him and called out for Her creatures to kill him and all those with him.* Thunder, likely from the Queen's lightning, and a gale-force howl served to emphasize Shon's final point.

  Jessira sighed. “Rector,” she called out to him. “Shon says that the Chimeras control the streets beyond the gate. He also says the Queen is close by. You won't make it back to your family. You should stay with us.”

  Rector's visage fell into an expression of regret.

  “I'm sorry,” Jessira said softly.

  Rector waved aside her words. His eyes were clenched shut, either in regret or sorrow or both. A moment later he had control of his emotions, and he straightened up and took a deep breath.

  “We would be grateful if you fought alongside us,” Dar'El offered. “As it is said: in a Trial, all warriors are brothers.”

  “I would be honored,” Rector said as he clasped forearms with Dar'El.

  *The Demon Wind hovers nearby,* Aia said. Her voice had been pitched to be heard by Jessira as well as Rukh.

  “I can't stay here inside while Aia fights alone out there,” Rukh announced, gesturing to the outside grounds. “She'll die trying to protect me. I won't have it.”

  Jessira felt the same way about Shon, and so did Jaresh about Thrum.

  “Inside or out, in the end, none of it will matter,” Dar'El said with a shake of his head.

  “I can't go outside,” Satha said. She gestured to the wheeled chair. “I'll only get in the way.”

  “Then I'll stay with you,” Dar'El declared.

  “No,” Satha said. “Go outside. Be with our sons. Protect them. Protect me.”

  Dar'El hesitated.

  “Go,” Satha urged. “You will always have my love no matter what happens next.”

  Dar'El kissed her. “And you will always have mine.”

  There were many times when Rector wished his sense of honor and duty didn't overcome his good sense. Why in all the unholy hells had he come to the Shektan House Seat? He should have been at the home of his parents, surrounded by those he loved and who, in turn, loved him. Instead, as he'd so often done, he'd chosen the path of supposed righteousness. It was a cold comfort to know his honor was maintained. What good was maintaining dharma if he never again saw those he cared for most, or if they died without him ever able to tell them how much he loved them one last time?

  He did his best to ignore his frustration as he waited outside the Shektan House Seat with the others—all but Satha, of course, who remained behind in the study. Crippled as she was, there was nothing she could do to aid them.

  Rector glanced at the burned shrubs and ground. The skies above, while sunny in the morning, had turned stormy in the early afternoon. Or maybe it was just the mix of soot and smoke that dimmed the sun. Whatever the reason, Ashoka's demise could be seen in the fires raging throughout the city and heard in the cries of her people as they died by flame or sword. The bitter smell of ash filled the air, and thunder rumbled continuously.

  All the desecration was focused on a purple cloud hovering nearby. It moved against the winds. The Sorrow Bringer. Never in Rector's life had he hoped or expected to see the demon who had plagued Humanity for so many centuries. He prayed fervently that Devesh would soon see Her dead.

  “Should we form a Quad?” Jaresh asked.

  “Not with me,” Jessira vowed. “I want to be aware and alive when the end comes. I want to face whatever happens next with all my faculties intact.”

  Rector found himself in agreement.

  “I feel the same way,” Dar'El announced a beat later.

  Sign shook her head to Jaresh's question.

  Jaresh shrugged.

  “How should we position ourselves?” Rector asked.

  Surprisingly, it was Rukh rather than Dar'El who answered. He pointed to the Baels and Tigons. “They'll protect our flanks while we hold the center along with the Kesarins.”

  After he spoke, the calico-colored cat—Aia—rubbed her head against Rukh's. The tawny-coated Kesarin—the one called Shon—did the same to Jessira, while Jaresh rubbed the chin of the russet one—Thrum.

  “We don't know if the Chims will actually enter the grounds,” Sign said.

  “Thrum says they just did,” Jaresh replied.

  Rector didn't need the Kesarin's input to tell him so. Already he could hear a rising tide of barks, growls, and hisses closing fast on their position.

  “Get ready,” Rukh said.

  “When they come, let me try to talk to them first,” said the Bael who led the Chimeras. Li-Choke was his name. “I may be able to convince them that you are Mother's servants. They may pass us by.”

  Rector privately doubted any such miracle would save them, but maybe for once, luck would be on their side. A moment later, he snorted in derision. When had luck ever been with them? Never. And never it would always be.

  Rector loosened his sword and conducted Jivatma. It swirled in his mind, a mirrored, shimmering pool. His senses heightened. He twitched, ready to race into the eye-blurring motion for which his Caste was known.

  “Don't waste your Jivatma on a Blend,” Rukh advised. “With all the emotions we're feeling, the Chims will be able to see right through them.”

  Just then, the Chimeras poured around the corner of the house. All kinds of them; Ur-Fels, Braids, Tigons, Balants, and Baels. There were several hundred: a wide grouping of armor, swords, and hatred. Rector set aside all fear when he saw them. Their howls of rage didn't touch him. He stepped forward, ready and willing.

  Li-Choke's basso roar lifted above the tumult. “Leave these Humans be,” he shouted. His chained whip caught fire. He cracked it. “Mother has placed them under Her protection.”

  His words were contradicted a moment later when there screeched a vast cry from the storm-wracked sky. It was the Sorrow Bringer. “Kill them all!” She commanded. “Kill every Human you find!” Her voice boomed to all the corners of Ashoka. It was likely a general order to all Her warriors, and the Chims howled in response to Her command. They spurred forward.

  Rector took an instant to center himself, to let go of all his regrets and emotions. When he was ready, he filled his hands with Fireballs. He threw them, as swiftly as he could, as many as he could before the Chims reached them. Rukh and the others did the same.

  Shouts of triumph turned to cries of dismay and pain as Chims caught fire. Dozens of them died, but even more pressed on. There was no further room for Fireballs, and Rector drew his sword and Shielded.

  He parried a thrust. His return cut took off a Tigon's arm. Blood spurted, blinding the Ur-Fel next to the cat. A horizontal slash beheaded the dog-like Chim. A hissing Braid stepped forward. Three of them. Rector dodged a wide swing from one, slipped a thrust from another, and parried a slash. He followed the motion down to the Braid's wrists and cut off both of the snake-like Chim's hands. Rector stepped behind the creature, using the beast as another shield. He kicked it onto the blade of one of its fellows. A thrust and slash and the other two were down.

  A hammer blow from behind lifted him off his feet and hurled him to the ground. Rector rolled over with a groan. His Shield had held, but a Balant stood above him. The baboon-like Chim's club was ready to smash him to a pulp, but before the creature could do so, Rukh's Kesarin ripped open the creature's ankles. In the time it took for the Balant to topple, Rector regained his feet. A quick slice across the throat, and the Chim was finished.

  Rector scowled and spit blood. He'd bitten his tongue. Fragging Chims.

  He roared, and four Tigons took up his challenge. Rector smiled grimly. The fools were bunched up. A Fireball consumed them. Rector shouted defiance again. This time it was five Ur-Fels who answered his call. Rector moved into motion, sliding past slashes and slices. His response always found a home, hacking off legs, arms, and hea
ds.

  More Chims came at him, more than he could defend against. He took blows on his Shield. It bent beneath the strikes but didn't break. Distance was needed. Rector leapt straight up, fifteen feet in the air, even clearing the heads of the Balants. However, when he landed, the fragging Chims were still waiting for him. Rector moved as swiftly as he could, slashing, punching, and kicking. Chims fell all around him, but more came. Always more came.

  Rector's Shield buckled. A cut opened on his leg. Another on his arm. On his chest. Still he fought on, remaining in the fray. He firmed his Shield, but his Well was emptying. His Jivatma was growing thin. Rector slowed and took more blows. A club to the chest from a Balant crunched into his ribs. Rector felt a number of them break. One went straight into a lung.

  He flew through the air and crashed to the ground, unable to breathe. Rector never felt the swords that stabbed into him, over and over again. His mind was elsewhere. A singing light beckoned. It promised to wash away all his repentances, sorrows, and sins. It promised to make pure his Jivatma. It promised to take him home.

  Rector breathed his last as a singing light took him.

  The Chims would arrive at any moment, and Jaresh worried for his nanna. With only one good arm, and that one his off one, he would have trouble defending himself.

  *I will protect him,* Thrum promised.

  Jaresh rubbed the Kesarin's sturdy shoulder in gratitude. *Thank you,* he said. *Just make sure you stay alive. We won't survive them for very long. I want you to run as soon as you know we can't hold them off.*

  *I could carry you. Sign also. We could flee before they reach us.*

  *And go where? The Queen can see through a Blend. No matter where we try to hide, She would find us. She'd kill us and anyone She finds aiding us,* Jaresh answered. *Besides, for now, the Queen cares nothing about the Kesarins. That will change in an instant if She ever discovers one of you helping a Human. Your kind might face extermination, just like Humanity.*

  Thrum settled down with an unhappy growl.

  Sign glanced his way, an unspoken question in her eyes, and he relayed the conversation he'd had with the Kesarin.

  *The Nobeasts have entered the grounds,* Thrum said.

  Jaresh passed on the Kesarin's announcement to everyone else and drew Jivatma. His thoughts, previously filled with turmoil, cleared with Lucency. Fear couldn't touch him. His senses heightened. He grew heady with the power that came from his Kumma Talents. He was ready.

  Moments later, the Chimeras were there. They surged forward, spurred on by the vile voice of the Queen. She instructed Her Chims to kill everyone they found, and the battle was joined.

  Jaresh and Sign fired Fireballs that screamed through the air and detonated into the Chimeras. Many of Suwraith's creatures died, but even more pushed on. Soon, swords were needed, and Jaresh breathed a prayer before drawing his weapon. At his side, Sign was ready to go, too.

  The first Chims reached them. As usual, they were Tigons. They raced forward, but in their unthinking rage, some of them cast aside their weapons before leaping into the fray.

  Jaresh faced off against one of the cat-like Chimeras. The Tigon roared challenge and swung wildly. Jaresh dropped below the slash aimed at his head. His return blow disemboweled the creature. Another Tigon stepped forward. This one died of a thrust to the heart. Jaresh kneecapped a third Tigon and cleaved an arm. He left the creature to bleed out.

  Meanwhile, Sign defended against a large nest of Ur-Fels, and Jaresh moved to protect her. They fought back-to-back, punching, kicking, and cutting. Both were soon covered in unspeakable gore. All around them was chaos.

  One of the dog-like Chims snapped at Jaresh's ankles. A kick to the snout threw that one back. Another tried to take a chunk from his calf. Jaresh was able to bring his sword around and slash the creature across the shoulders, nearly decapitating him. Jaresh parried an overhand blow from another Ur-Fel, and his parry ripped across the beast's chest. The Chim fell back with a barking wail. Another took the creature's place and launched a sword strike that Jaresh could neither evade nor block. It tolled against his Shield. Jaresh almost fell to a knee when the blow landed. He steadied himself and countered. The Ur-Fel parried. Jaresh feinted at the beast's head and delivered a thrust to the midsection. The Ur-Fel fell away with a hoarse cry, but here came another. A sword bit through his Shield, and Jaresh took a cut to his stomach. It was shallow, and he paid it no attention. He feinted low and came up high, stabbing the Ur-Fel in the eye and then through the armpit and into the heart.

  There came the briefest of pauses when Jaresh realized that the nest was annihilated. He had enough time to realize that he was covered in blood, but then the interlude was over. A pair of Balants reared above them.

  Jaresh silently cursed. This would be difficult.

  Suddenly, one of the beasts thudded to the ground. Thrum had hamstrung the creature, and Sign quickly finished him off. The other one gawked in surprise. It was the opening Jaresh needed. He drew Jivatma and leaped into the air. The Balant had enough time to hoot in alarmed surprise before Jaresh slid three feet of matte-black spidergrass sword through the Chim's throat. The Balant gave a burbling cry and managed to smack Jaresh to the ground before dying.

  Jaresh slammed hard and blacked out for a moment. He came back to awareness and shook his head, trying to restore his senses. Slowly, unsteadily, he levered his way back to his feet and swayed.

  Before him, a Bael loomed large. His whip glowed, and his trident was ready, but he seemed reluctant to fight. “Forgive me,” he said before thrusting out with his trident. It was a half-hearted strike, but, in his current state, it was also one that Jaresh was barely able to avoid.

  Sign was there, though. She arrowed forward, her sword leveled and straight. She took the Bael in the heart, and the horned creature stiffened before slumping over.

  Sign ripped her sword clear and never noticed the two Braids slither into place behind her.

  Even through his Lucency, Jaresh knew fear. He cried out a warning, and thankfully, Sign heard. She reacted quickly but not quickly enough. Though she partially blocked one Braid's strike, it still took her in the shoulder. She grunted in pain. Sign parried another slash aimed at her head and beat back one of the Braids even as she took a deep cut to her calf. Her leg almost buckled, but she held firm. She slid past a thrust, and her answering slash took the Chim in the flank. The creature hissed in pain before falling.

  Jaresh, his balance restored, killed the other Braid, hammering his sword through the creature's back and out through its chest.

  With the Chim's death, Sign hunched over at the waist and groaned. She had no time to rest, though. Another nest of Ur-Fels came at them, along with a claw of Tigons who shouldered aside their smaller brethren and beat their chests in triumph.

  Jaresh scowled. The fragging Chims were certain they had found an easy victory. They'd pay for their misjudgment. Jaresh grinned at the Tigons, baring his teeth as he gestured them forward.

  They accepted his wordless invitation.

  Jaresh ducked a hard swing. He flowed forward, rolling to his feet and sliced upward. A Tigon was bisected from crotch-to-shoulder. Jaresh parried a strike before ducking and rolling once again. When he rose up, he faced an unarmed Tigon. He took this one's arm at the elbow. The creature keened in pain and spun about, entangling two others of its kind. Jaresh used the distraction to kill both of the encumbered Tigons: a thrust to the chest and a near-decapitating blow to the neck.

  Sign had taken another Tigon unawares through the back, and Jaresh moved back to her side. Together, they faced the horde of Chimeras.

  *Behind you,* Aia warned.

  Rukh spun about. Sneaking up on him had been a trap of Braids and nest of Ur-Fels. *I can handle them,* Rukh said. *Just cover my back.*

  *Always,* Aia said.

  Rukh drew from his Well. He quickened his movements, kept his Shield in place, but left it only strong enough to deflect the weakest of blows. It was all he'd need.
Rukh rushed the Braids and Ur-Fels, but just before coming in contact with them, he leapt up and fired a Fireball straight into their midst. At least five were instantly incinerated. Rukh landed in the center of the Chim's confused, pain-filled cries.

  Two quick slashes resulted in a dead Braid and a dead Ur-Fel. Rukh parried a blow, ducked a swing, and kicked in an Ur-Fel's chest, knocking it into its fellows.

  He easily swayed away from a Braid's downward strike. A flick of the wrist and a slight lean forward brought his sword angling across the Chim's throat. Another flick of his wrist splattered blood into the eyes of an onrushing Ur-Fel. He grabbed that one by the throat and threw it against two Braids. They all fell to the ground, but before they could recover, Rukh was there. A slash, a downward slice, and a thrust, and they were done.

  From the twelve who had come against him, only two Ur-Fels remained. Rukh slid between them and waited what seemed an interminable instant. The Chims barked anger and furiously stabbed at him. But in their frenzy to see him dead, their swords became entangled. Rukh slid aside. He kicked one Ur-Fel onto the other one's sword and decapitated the final one.

  Rukh looked about for another foe. He had plenty of fight left.

  Aia roared out as a Tigon stabbed at her flank. She spun about. Her claws, already dripping blood, ripped through the Tigon's throat. She kicked back, tearing trenches into the thigh of a Balant. The beast bellowed but didn't fall.

  Rukh leapt into the air. He kicked the Balant in the ear, distracting the creature. As the Chim turned to face him, Aia bit the dull creature through his neck.

  There was moment of quiet around Rukh and Aia, and he took the brief break to glance around. Jessira and Shon fought together. The wall of corpses about them demonstrated their efficient skill. Thrum defended Nanna, but they were besieged on all sides. Li-Choke and his Chimeras were barely holding their own. And Jaresh and Sign faced a formidable force of Tigons.

  *Nobeasts taste like gazelle,* Aia noted as she savaged an Ur-Fel.