`Friends of yours?' asks Irea.
`Sort of.' I tell her.
`We helped you out, now it's your turn.' says Welker in a thundering voice.
`Alright, listen to me.' I tell him. `Something is very wrong with Arghard. I don't know what and I don't know why.'
`What the Hell are you talking about?'
`Well first of all, I got ambushed by dozens of ghosts not long ago. Dozens! Do you understand what that means?'
`Why don't you spit it out? Our Master is a magic user, but we are not.'
`The ghosts that came at me where the members of Mel's ghost army. Those guys died here less than a day ago. Their presence is inexplicable! Dead souls are bound to the Afterlife. They can't just return. The bonds that tie them to the Afterlife must be broken first. They can only be brought back by powerful black magic. Bringing back so many and so swiftly is just not possible. No-one has that kind of power! No-one!'
`So? What does that mean?'
`I don't know, and it gets worse. Planar travel and teleportation are impossible. This twilight that fell on the land just won't cease, and the sparkles...'
Wait a second...
`The sparkles?' he asks.
`The sparkles spawned demons...' I tell him, slowly. Wait a second. What if the sparkles have nothing to do with any of this? What if the sparkles are an aftereffect, something collateral?
I look up, and glance at the sparkles within range. Then I remember that Irea said, that one of them started pulsating as she stared at it, and only then did the demons appear...
`Oh fuck, I think I know what those things are...'
`Well, what are they?' asks Welker, but I ignore him. The sparkles are irrelevant. The sparkles are just... inconvenient. But the rest...
`The sparkles are irrelevant!' I tell him. `All that matters, is... everything else.'
`That sure makes a lot sense.' says Latta mockingly in his typical high pitched voice. `What the Hell are you talking about?!'
`You know... that twilight is awfully familiar...' I tell him, slowly. Suddenly it strikes me... The twilight, my failure to teleport or open Portals, and the ghosts... The fucking ghosts... It all adds up, it's all the same thing! But if that's right, then...
Then I am totally fucked!
*
As the reality of what's happening begins to sink in, I turn to the golems.
`Listen to me! Time is running out! We must find Danny Boy! Fast!'
`That's just what we want!' says Welker. `Where is he?'
`I don't know. He could be anywhere! But he can't be too far from here. He had to be here just briefly after the explosion. He could only walk, so he can't be too far, but he could have gone in any direction.'
`How do we find him?'
`I may have a way, but I must go back to Coldrock first. Latta! Which way is the nearest settlement?'
Latta turns into his stone eagle shape, flies up, makes a few large circles, and then lands and returns to golem shape.
`That way!' he says, pointing in some direction. `To the east!'
`How do you know which way's east?' I ask, surprised.
`Because I'm smart!' he replies, pointing to his forehead. Conceited little stonefaced marbletoothed fossildicked cretin...
`Well, thanks! Trenz, can you take us there? Swiftly? In that spiked wheel shape of yours?'
`It can be arranged.' he says after a significant amount of silence. I'm not sure I like his answer.
`In one piece, Trenz?'
`That, I'm afraid, will prove difficult. Likely impossible.'
Well fuck you!
`Alright, screw that. Welker! You're the tallest, you have the longest legs, you should be able to run the fastest. We'll climb on your shoulder and you...'
`No!' says Welker dismissively. `I will do no such thing! What am I? A carriage? I was made for war, to defend the Master's Keep and defeat his enemies! Not to transport mortals...'
`I'll do it.' says Trenz shortly. `You and Latta can go look for the Master in the mean time. I will join you when I'm done.'
`Good idea!' says Latta. `Let's go south, he must have gone that way.'
`Why south?' asks Welker demandingly. `I think he went west!'
`South!'
`West!'
`South!'
`West!'
Oh boy... Why must these two idiots bicker so much all the time?
`Shut up!' I tell them. `Why don't you each go in a different direction? You can cover more ground that way anyhow!'
They look at me harshly, like they didn't appreciate that I interrupted them. But then they nod.
`Fine. I'll go west, and this idiot can go south.' says Welker.
`You're the idiot!' replies Latta. `You'll find nothing to the west!'
As the two of them head off to the south and west, Trenz turns to me.
`What do you want in that town?' he asks.
`Raw materials for a difficult spell, so to speak. With it, I will have the means to hopefully find Danny Boy.'
`Let's go!' he says, and he kneels and places his palms on the ground. We stand on his palms, and he lifts us high above, placing us on his shoulder.
`Hang on!' he says, and he turns towards the town and starts to run.
Oh boy... This is gonna be one rough journey.
The only good demon ass...
Somewhere in Draconia, present day (8 hours after Twilightfall)
Finally we arrive near the town of Aldut. Daniel stops and observes the area briefly. It looks like some of the houses in the town are indeed burning, but the majority of the town seems undamaged so far. Loud sounds of combat can be heard among the houses however. That means the townsfolk have not yet met the fate of those who lived in the previous settlement.
Daniel opens his lips and comments on the situation. His reaction betrays his anger, although it is not quite what I expected to hear...
`Will you look at that...' says Daniel. `There's a regular war going on over there... and they didn't wait for me!'
With an angry look in his eyes, he draws his massive sword, and runs towards the town. I follow him, carefully. As we reach the streets of the town, he slows down and slowly stops. He lowers his sword, and... he smiles. I can't imagine how he can smile at what he sees...
Pools of blood and dozens of dismembered corpses litter the streets much like in the previous settlement. But this time there are plenty of living figures as well. There are at least three dozen humans here wearing light armor and armed with various weapons fighting against a number of strange creatures. Tall humanoid beasts, but unlike anything I've ever seen. Their arms and legs are covered in fur, their hands and feet ending in vicious claws. Their torso is covered in scales, one would almost think they are wearing armor. Their heads... They have three eyes. Two eyes like what most humanoid creatures have, and a third one in the middle of the forehead. There are two small horns protruding from the top of their foreheads, and two more from the bottom of their chin. They have vicious fangs which are dripping with saliva and blood. Every now end then, they scream aloud in a high pitched voice as they fight the humans. In the back, I can see frightened people, and some houses burning. The creatures are trying to destroy everything here. The local militia, if that's what the lightly armored men are, can't seem to be able to stand up against the beasts...
`Now there's something you don't see in Draconia every day.' says Daniel, staring at the creatures. `Well, not on the surface, anyway, hahahaha!'
`What are those things?'
`Demons.' he says, sweeping some dust off his shoulder. `Nothing we can't handle.'
Demons... Then it wasn't Zack after all... It is Gatestown all over again. But what are these beasts doing here...? Where did they come from?
`Are you ready?' he asks, smiling at me.
`What?'
`I said, are you ready?'
`Yes.' I tell him, nodding to his strange question.
`Oh, please...' he says, frowning. `You can say that with a little more style ne
xt time!'
He raises his sword and walks towards the demons.
`Hey!' he screams, as he gets within fifteen feet of the demons. `I'm looking for some demon innards to sheathe my sword in! Who's first?'
The demons cease to fight the humans and turn towards him. They stare at him in silence, doing nothing. They must be measuring him, wondering whether he's insane or just stupid. Honestly, I'm pondering over the same thing... How can he take these creatures so lightly?!
`Don't make me ask twice...' he says, and he swings his sword in the air above his head. In response, the demons yell aloud and charge towards him.
`About time!' he screams, and grabs his sword with both hands.
One of the demons leaps towards him, but he swings the sword and cuts off the attacking demon's left arm. The demon screams aloud, and takes several steps backwards. It looks at the wound in disbelief with a face contorted by pain, while Daniel advances on the creature.
That sword... It must be the one Zack told me about. The sword that was made out of some exotic material. The sword that supposedly causes untold pain.
Daniel raises the massive weapon and hacks towards the one-armed demon. It quickly jumps out of the way, but Daniel quickly changes the direction of his swing and the sword cuts the demon in the chest. The creature screams, and swiftly begins to retreat. Daniel moves in to chase him, but four other demons cut him off and attack him.
`Out of my way!' he screams, and he raises the sword. He's insane... I'd better help him before he gets himself killed. I run towards him and grab one of the demons and pull it away from him. The creature turns towards me and screams angrily into my face. In response, I punch it in the face with the bottom of my right palm. As the demon staggers, I jump up and plant a kick in its face, then I crouch and deliver a sweeping kick to its legs. The demon falls, and I jump on it. I sink my teeth into its neck and bite as deep as I can, ripping its throat open. I pull my head back and watch as the demon begins to choke on its own blood.
I stand up and leave the creature there to die. I turn towards Daniel and the demons surrounding him. But...
He is standing there alone. There are three demon corpses around him. One of them is missing its head, another one is missing an arm and has a large bleeding wound on its belly, and the last one's torso has been cut in two. In the time I spent fighting this demon Daniel killed the other three already?!
That sword is truly powerful, and Daniel must indeed be as good a swordsman as Zack claimed...
He looks around and then his eyes brighten as he spots something.
`I'm coming for you!' he exclaims, as he runs off. In the distance I can see a demon, retreating slowly. It's the one Daniel was fighting first. He runs swiftly after it with his sword raised high above. As he catches up to the demon, he swings the sword towards its neck, and a moment later his sword lops the demon's head off, and the creature falls to the ground. Daniel slowly stops and turns around. He glances to the beheaded demon on the ground.
`The only good demon ass... is a kicked demon ass!' he exclaims, and then he violently kicks the demon's severed head far away. Then he looks around once more. Several more demons are already advancing on him. These creatures know no fear, only hatred. They will not back down. But it doesn't seem like Daniel cares. He seems to be enjoying this.
What a lunatic...
I look around, seeking the rest of the demons. There is one fairly close, and another one further away, engaged with the villagers. I move towards the closer one, but suddenly I hear a gurgling sound from behind me. I turn around and freeze in my steps. The demon I left for dead is standing once more! I ripped its throat open but it's still moving...
It growls at me, but the gurgling sound it produces does not sound the least bit threatening. I don't hesitate. I run towards it, jump up, and kick it in the face, knocking it down to the ground. It stands up relatively quickly for a creature of its size. I leap up and plant a spinning kick in the demon's gut. My kick knocks it back, and I run after it and jump on it, pushing it to the ground. I grab the creature's neck, and try to twist it, but the demon pushes me away, and slowly stands up. It strikes towards me with its claws, but it misses. I kick it in the knee, and as it falls on its knees, I grab its shoulders, jump up, and plant my right knee in its face.
It groans in pain, and while it tries to recover I jump up and land right behind it. I wrap my hands around its neck, and I slash across its throat with my vicious claws, widening the wound I had caused earlier. Finally, I grab the head, and twist on it forcefully. The creature's neck snaps, and finally it drops dead. But the moment it falls, another demon comes running towards me. It strikes towards me and I have no time to evade. Its paws strike me in the chest, and I fall to the ground.
I feel no pain, it seems my armor protected me. I jump up, and rush towards the demon. I grab it and push it to the ground. It is desperately trying to get up. As I wrestle with the demon on the ground, I look up and glance towards Daniel.
There are three more demon corpses around him, disemboweled and mutilated. He's killed another three demons in the time since passed...
But there are two others that are trying to kill him. He swings his sword towards one of them, but the creature manages to evade the strike. It tries to rip into him with its claws, but the claws slip aside on his armor. Daniel then strikes again, and this time the demon fails to evade. The sword cleanly cuts its left forearm off, and the demon begins to scream. It stumbles backwards, while the other one advances on Daniel.
He raises his right foot and kicks it in the stomach. It is knocked back by Daniel's kick, and he attacks the beast with his massive sword. His strike misses, and the demon jumps towards him and grabs his sword wielding arm, trying to force the sword from his hand. Daniel raises his left hand and pokes the demon in all three eyes with three of his fingers. The demon groans, and Daniel forcefully headbutts it in the nose. Then, the demon releases his sword wielding arm. Daniel swings the sword and, with a marvelously swift movement of his weapon, he thrusts the demon in the stomach, and then he twists the sword. The demon cries out in agony, and then Daniel tries to pull the sword out. It appears to be stuck in the creature, perhaps in the bones.
`Get off my sword!' screams Daniel in anger, and then he kicks the demon in the side of the stomach with his right foot. Still, the sword is stuck in the creature. A look of anger occupies Daniel's face, and then he forcefully begins pulling on the sword. As a result, blood begins to spray from the gut wound of the demon. A few moments later, Daniel finally manages to pull the sword free of the creature.
`Yeah, that's more like it!' he says, and then he thrusts the sword towards the demon's chest, targeting the heart. A moment later, the demon cries out in pain, and then falls. Daniel pulls the sword back, and then looks around. He spots the injured demon with the severed forearm, and he chases after it.
In the meantime, my own opponent is trying its best to kill me. I have been distracted by Daniel for too long, I should kill this creature, fast...
I release it and jump backwards, to create some distance between us. The demon rushes towards me and tries to knock me down, but I jump up and as I land behind it I kick it in the back of the head. It stumbles forward, and falls on its knees. Swiftly I deliver a running kick to the back of its head, and then grab its head by the ears and plant my right knee in the back of its skull three times. After the last one, I hear its skull cracking. I release the demon and it falls limp to the ground. It's still alive, but it's apparently disoriented. Quickly I move in for the kill. I grab the fallen demon's head and forcefully twist it.
As I arise, I hear Daniel's voice from behind me.
`Damn! Not again...'
I look in his direction and I see that he is standing opposite a lone demon, his sword stuck in the creature's gut. He is trying to pull it out, but to no avail. I glance around. I don't see any more demons standing. There had to be around a dozen demons, and I killed only two. He killed all the rest, just like
that?!
`Let go, you son of a bitch!' he screams, and pulls on the sword again. But the sword just won't come out. The demon however doesn't seem to be taking any effort to fight back. It's almost dead, it's barely standing.
`That does it!' screams Daniel, and he twists the sword, and then grabs the hilt with both hands. The blade of the sword is aligned vertically now. Daniel gives an angry look to the demon and then he forcefully pulls on the sword, downwards. The sword cuts through everything in its path, and finally it comes out of the demon right at the crotch. As the sword leaves the demon's body, the creature falls. Daniel exclaims victoriously.
`You asked for it...' he says, and then he kicks into the fallen demon for good measure. The demon doesn't move. It seems to be dead.
Daniel looks around. There are no more demons left alive. The villagers approach him slowly, cautiously. Suddenly, one of them cries out.
`Look! It is Lord Keehmor! He has come to save us from the monsters!'
So, they recognized him.
Daniel sheathes his sword and smiles. The people begin cheering him, calling his name.
`Hail Lord Keehmor! Hail Lord Keehmor!'
He just smiles at them warmly. I can only wonder what must be going through his mind...
Raw materials
Somewhere in Draconia, present day (9 hours after Twilightfall)
Trenz slowly stops as we approach the town. He places us down on the ground.
`Thanks for the ride, big guy!' I tell him.
`You're welcome! I hope you succeed!' he replies.
`Me too. If I don't, I hope you will! Remember, if you find him, tell him to return to the crater. That way, I will surely find him. I must talk to him!'
He nods, and then turns back to the crater. He shapeshifts into his spiked wheel shape, and rushes off into the distance.
`Such strange creatures...' says Irea. `What are they? You called them golems, but I've never even heard of such golems...'
`They are golems. A special kind of golems, actually. Alter golems. They are shapeshifters. Danny Boy's proud creations. These three are sentient.'
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