The Crimson Claymore

by Craig A. Price Jr.

  Reaching down to his sash, he felt at the wrong side absently for his weapon and found a scabbard of his large throwing knife. Surprise filled him as he felt that the weapon was back in place. The last he remembered, it was still embedded in a human in the haunted village. He had never gone to pull it out, and yet there it was back in place, and it wasn’t until then that he began to believe its enchantment. Withdrawing it from his sash, he galloped forward.

  “Charge!” he yelled into the twilight air.

  Hair fluttered about his neck where it draped through his crimson-and-gold helm that he secured atop his head. Blood boiled through his veins with the electric feeling of heading into battle. His stallion was in the front for only a short time as the rest of the cavalry caught up and rushed ahead of him for protection. As he neared the force, he heaved the long throwing knife at a daerion where it penetrated through the veins in its neck and collapsed to the ground.

  The dark army was caught completely unaware as the cavalry blasted through them, knocking down ranks of creatures to never return to their feet. Searon only kept a few ranks back as he sliced at the creatures as well as he could with the long claymore in his hands. Most humans would not be able to wield such a large weapon while mounted, but his strength and agility was exceptional for a man. Many of the others held lances and pikes as they charged the ranks, with short swords attached to scabbards at their hips for extra protection when they needed it.

  All around him, creatures fell as they tried to form rank to the surprising attack, but many of their defensive warriors were on the far side and closest to Sudegam as they were supposed to be the first ranks to strike the city. Instead, most of their crossbow soldiers were in the back and crumbled under ranks of cavalry and men as they rushed in. The advantage seemed theirs as they pressed in, losing few men and striking down the creatures three to one.

  Searon paid little consideration to the battle tactics, as he knew that his captains would be working things out with everyone. He wished that Andron were with him now, and the thought of his old friend brought a wrath to Searon that he hadn’t known since the slaughter of his family. One after another, the creatures fell before him, pounded into the ground; any that attempted to get up were smashed by the men with maces and hammers behind him.

  Etherond trotted up next to him with his brown stallion and fought alongside the cunning general, fueling off Searon’s intense drive, and the two of them formed an impenetrable V that zigzagged as they rushed forward. The broadsword nearly mirrored Searon’s own attacks, and besides, the sword itself looked very similar in design with a crimson-and-gold hilt slightly smaller and a blade as thick except for its length being considerably easier to handle from horseback. Not everyone could use a broadsword with such skill and maneuverability to strike in such a way to make each curve of the blade effective, but Etherond had years of practice. His ability to catch attacks by twisting his weapon so either an axe or machete would snag between the curves, more than making up for his lesser swordsmanship skill than Searon.

  Together, they galloped forward, breaching a path toward both the wizard and the mage on the east to place a defense in front of them. Orange energy spiraled out of the wizard's zylek into flame that encircled all the surrounding creatures. Another blast left his zylek in a zigzag pattern that forked from the main stream to slam like lightning into the bodies of a dozen more creatures. Thunder blasted with an echo as the orange electricity pulsed through the draeyks and daerions alike. Each new creature that stepped too close to the others became entwined in the magic as well and fell to the ground by their comrades, convulsing.

  “You look a little fried!" Karceoles shouted. "There isn't quite anything like fried lizard,” he chuckled as he used his zylek as a staff to smack creatures as he sped past atop his horse.

  "Reckless fool,” Sh'on muttered with rolled eyes atop his own mare.

  The wizard didn't seem to care what his cousin, the mage, thought as he continued to blast forth flames, lightning, and spheres of orange light to any creature around him. There seemed to be excitement in his eyes as they glowed brighter than a child on their birthday. A sinister grin formed upon his face as he released energy that he spent so much time trying to contain. The only time he truly looked happy was when he was in the midst of battle.

  Searon and Etherond positioned themselves to contain the flow of enemies on the front side, which caused the wizard to change his direction of spells to his right. Now that he was no longer alone with Searon's charge close at hand, he reined in his spells, and they became less chaotic and more focused. He seemed to focus on a greater area of the enemy with his new attacks, calling forth magical rainfalls of fire that fell amid the ranks of draeyks and daerions. Many of his newer attacks were as simple as knocking opponents down to let the surrounding warriors finish them off. It seemed he did know how to play it smart and use little energy when the task called for it, yet it seemed that whenever the battle started, he contained the need to impress.

  Sh'on fought on Searon's left side, casting a dazzling series of simple flows of green magic. He maneuvered his hands in patterns, causing them to glow with a green hue as he directed his spells toward the draeyks and daerions. Most of his magic was used to knock creatures forward or back in order for the surrounding human warriors to strike their foes down with ease. His enemies would highlight in emerald as his magic touched them before they were cast aside to fall upon a piercing or blunt weapon.

  In the midst of the opposing army, he created a crater in the center, causing them to concave into a V, making a gap that became easily accessible for the charging cavalry. There seemed to be no need in using powerful magic for the mage, as the wizard seemed so fond of using, when there were hundreds of warriors galloping forward to strike down the foes that he tossed to the ground with magic. It was a strategy that he already discussed with them in detail before the attack, one that Karceoles fought hard against but ultimately accepted.

  Sh'on seemed to notice the fire rain that the wizard created and appeared to get an idea of his own. He strained as he focused his energy into a sphere that glowed with more passion than anything previously seen, and after a few enchanted words he shot the globe of magic into the clouds. At first, nobody could tell what he did, but when a brilliant white cloud turned green and fell over the middle ranks of the creatures they could see the thick ice rain that stormed down. Everything that descended appeared as green snow, but when it fell upon the rough skin of the daerions, or the scales of the draeyks, it seemed to freeze them ever so slightly so that their movements grew sluggish.

  The mage's productive spell was short lived, however, when a laughing Karceoles blazed an orange flame from the tip of his zylek that spiraled forth, catching hundreds of the creatures and setting them afire, but at the same time many humans were affected that screamed into the wind as they burned from head to toe. The spell proved as effective is it was foolish.

  Searon observed as Sh'on watched the wizard and nearly let a lone daerion rush toward his blind side. "Shronan!" he screamed, hoping the mage would notice.

  The mage raised his hand in the nick of time for his magic to surround and freeze the blue-skinned creature in place, its scimitar only inches from his face and its horns twitching ever so slightly as it huffed through its mangled snout. A green glow surrounded the daerion as Sh'on lifted his arms out and continued sprinting forward. The creature rose above his head, and he dashed under it. His hands regained their proper hue, and the beast plummeted to the ground behind him in a thud.

  Searon fell well back, behind both the wizard and mage that cleared the ranks ahead on both sides. He was amazed by their power and didn't want to get too close to their spells, and so both he and Etherond fought alongside each other in the center ranks behind a force of their own men. Their tactics and element of surprise had them at an advantage, but he knew it would not last for long against the vast numbers of draeyks and daerions.

  The warlock was stuck behind the v
ast amount of creatures in what appeared the back of the battlefield. He pressed forward, trying his best to maneuver through the ranks of his army in order to better attack the force that caught him by surprise. Some of his allies did not move quickly enough for his liking, and he knocked them aside, sometimes using his magic to kill a few until they parted for him. Too many were clustered together, which put him at a disadvantage.

  Searon continued to fight well, attacking two or three draeyks at a time with a daerion between. The reptiles seemed to outnumber the blue creatures three to one but were an easier foe to overcome. Welts began to form all about his body where attacks struck him, and although his heavy armor protected him from anything fatal, and Sh'on's protective magic stopped a few when his plate mail sparkled green, many blows still got through. There were too many creatures to defend against, and Searon couldn't stop them all.

  After striking down at least a dozen draeyks, a daerion leaped out at him and caught him unaware. Without having the time to think, he pulled out his throwing knife and hurled it at the creature's soft spot between its jaw and curved horn on its neck. After a fierce roar, it came crashing down, colliding with Stripes and causing Searon to tumble onto the ground. Once he rolled and came back up to his feet, he noticed he was surrounded by draeyks with a handful of injured humans on the ground around him from the collision. He held his claymore high and awaited an attack, the ferocity of his blade glowing a brighter crimson than ever seen before, a feat that gave him confidence in his abilities. Two dashed at him that he quickly outmaneuvered and struck down only for the gap to be replaced by three. He took a step back and looked around for an exit.

  When Searon looked about, he noticed Etherond charging toward him with a battle cry and a force of five cavalry. They reached him in the nick of time as he defended himself against the growing number of creatures. Etherond led the charge, holding his flamberge tight as he struck down the surrounding creatures with such precision that they had little chance of defending themselves.

  Once Etherond was by Searon's side, the two of them fought off a new charge of daerions that rushed at them, creating a blur of deep blue to match the ocean. The captain's skills against such a foe was impressive, as the two of them fought the creatures one by one and after only a little resilience they overcame the force. For most men, it would have taken several to strike down only one of the blue-skinned creatures.

  A force of humans charged past them to fight the oncoming ranks, leaving only Searon and Etherond alone in a field of dead reptiles, blue-skinned creatures, and more humans than they wanted to count. Etherond took off his golden helm and smiled as he held out his hand, which Searon gratefully accepted and mounted the horse behind the captain.

  "How do we fare this battle?" Searon asked.

  "We lose many; at first it looked as if we could win, but now that their ranks are set in place I doubt we will survive the hour. Where are those bloody kheshlars?"

  "Do not fear; they will come. Starlyn would not fail us."

  "I know you trust her, but if she doesn't return soon with a force, we will be obliterated,” Etherond said.

  "I know."

  "Your stallion is injured. I sent him back to be cared for. Do you wish another horse?"

  "No, I will continue from the ground. Take me to the wizard and mage."

  "As you wish, my lord.” Etherond galloped off through the ranks of dead men toward the battle.

  Searon could see the progress as they neared the battle, and he watched carefully at how their number dwindled. Everybody fought well, but there were just too many of the creatures to be successful. Their archers were doing an excellent job plummeting arrows into the ranks of daerions and draeyks, but so were the draeyk crossbowmen who felled enough humans to rival. Even with the archers standing on a slope, firing down into the ranks with a few bushes and trunks to camouflage them, they were soon outflanked. Swordsmen stood at the bottom of the slope to protect them, and they returned the favor by helping shoot down their enemies, yet still the draeyks broke through their defenses to the archers, causing them to face close opponents.

  On the other side, the warlock, Zergiel, finally broke through to the front lines and got off his black horse, raising his zylek high into the air and slamming it to the ground, causing black swirling magic to shatter from the soil and toss humans like toys throughout the crowd of battle. He began to target humans with magical abilities that Noraes had sent with them, and one by one he showed them that the power of their magic was insignificant compared to his own. Many magical barriers that were on a few of the more cunning warriors collapsed when the men died who created the protection spells. Without the protection of the spells, they began to fall, creating even more openings for the savage creatures to break through. Nobody seemed able to cause a scratch to the warlock, and many of the warriors didn't dare try; those that did became mutilated with dark magic.

  Both Sh'on and Karceoles were on the opposite side of the battlefield and more than doubled their efforts by working together as they headed toward Zergiel. Despite their skill, both got cut up as there were simply too many draeyks and daerions for them to fight. Searon noticed what the two were trying to do and urged Etherond forward to reach the mage and wizard, rallying humans as they passed to join them.

  With a force of at least fifty cunning warriors behind Searon and Etherond, they were able to carve a path through the thick pool of creatures. When Searon finally reached the mage and wizard, his companions separated out into a triangle of protection around them. Their position wouldn't hold long, but it would be long enough for what Searon wished to accomplish.

  "Follow us,” Searon told them and rushed out with his claymore without further explanation.

  Neither of them doubted him and kept up on his heels, Sh'on withdrawing a short sword from a scabbard at his side, highlighted in green and hidden between his robes without anybody knowing he had it. Karceoles continued to limp with use of his zylek for a cane against the forest slopes.

  As Searon tore a path in the front, he didn't bother making any killing strikes, instead focusing his attention on swinging his claymore with such a fury that he blasted through their defenses, clashing into armor or legs tripping up his foes, making it easier on the warriors behind to finish them. Together, they tore a path without Karceoles or Sh'on having to use much magic except for a few blasts of air to help clear the way. Their progress inspired all of the surrounding humans to fight even harder, creating a push on the dark army to match the start of the battle.

  Within minutes, Searon neared Zergiel, headstrong and brave, in all readiness to conquer the battlefield, and he pushed on in hopes to take on the dark wizard himself. Before he could reach the warlock, the warrior noticed the alteration of his zylek that now pointed to him and switched his claymore to his left hand as he felt for the throwing knife at his sash. As Zergiel called magic, Searon launched the small weapon through the air, creating a high-pitched whistle that throbbed his ears. When knife and black lightning bolt collided, time seemed to freeze, and seconds felt like hours until finally an explosion shattered in a white light that knocked everybody in the surrounding area off of their feet.

  Dust fluttered about everywhere, falling from the heavens and covering all the warriors, creatures and humans alike, in such a thick soot that everybody appeared to be of the same gray color, with only protruding snouts of lizards or horns of rams defining the races. Violet sparkles drifted to the ground in a powder that made many sneeze as they inhaled it. Even the warlock was knocked from his feet, and Searon seized the opportunity to approach the weakened man.

  His claymore sprang forth, glowing crimson with shaking intensity as he reached Zergiel, who still lay across the ground, yet it wasn't fast enough as the warlock rolled out of the way of the strike. As Searon struck a second time, Zergiel was able to pull out his long sword for a block that created echoing sparks, which dazzled to the ground about them. The warrior kept his attack too heavy for the warlock to
get to his feet and caused him to drop his zylek in order to defend himself against Searon's raging attacks.

  Etherond and the rest of the accompanying warriors kept their distance from the mage but formed a circle of defense around them as they sparred, with Karceoles's and Sh'on's help. Most were out of reach of Searon's vision as he fought, but he felt safe with the protection surrounding him.

  After a long few minutes of keeping the offensive against the warlock, he inflicted a few scrapes to draw blood. Many of the strikes were deflected whether they were overhead or slashed from the side, but Searon was able to slice both forearms. Zergiel, desperate, dashed and crawled out of the way, grabbing a fighting draeyk and tossing it toward him. His claymore sank right through the creature's stomach, soaking the crimson glow in black ooze. Zergiel rushed over to his zylek, and shot a quick blast of black flare toward Searon that struck him in the shoulder and tossed him back into a draeyk.

  Karceoles and Sh'on quickly stepped forward as Etherond helped Searon to his feet. Colors of green, orange, and black magic flashed everywhere from ice, fire, and lightning. There seemed to always be a point where one of them was blasted off their feet from magic. Zergiel appeared to be losing the battle even though he appeared more powerful. Both the wizard and mage were faster to strike, and with two of them they overwhelmed him. They closed in on Zergiel and didn't allow an exit.

  The warlock kept his spells ready as he stumbled forward, drenched in blood, and beaded in sweat that dripped down his pale face. He was wearing down, and it was showing, but he did his best to show an exterior of strength. Even though he appeared to be losing his battle, the draeyks and daerions all around him were tossing humans like a pack of wolves closing around a farm of sheep.

  With great concentration, he seemed to catch a blast of green ice from the mage that he directed back toward him, followed by a fireball of black from his own zylek. The deadly duo of magic tossed Sh'on hundreds of feet back into the crowd of humans soaked in water. Karceoles stepped forward with a sigh to duel the warlock. They knew they could not defeat the dark army, yet their goal wasn't to win but to postpone the inevitable until the kheshlarn army could arrive. If they would arrive in time.