“Morogan eat lobster for dinner!” he bellowed. Then his eyes turned black. He stood and walked calmly over to the giant crustacean. The two stared at each other for many moments before the lobster shrieked at Morogan. “Submit!” he bellowed as azure energy began to cascade off him in waves.
Above us, from the fight with Captain Orin, Sai, and Thasgrin, I heard someone yell, “No! How is that even possible?”
The lobster turned from Morogan and plodded up the stairs, its dangling eyes glowing bright azure flames. Morogan had dominated the beast. I watched as it grabbed the necromancer and ripped him in half and ate the two pieces.
Then, without warning, all of the undead simply collapsed. The crimson glow of their eyes faded away. “Well, that’s interesting,” I said as I approached my party and Captain Orin. “If you take out the necromancer controlling them, they drop like flies.”
Thasgrin shook his head. “Only because our necromancer wasn’a strong enough to imprint his control over them. Lucky for us.”
“So, uh, what do we do with the big lobster?” asked Garstil.
“Morogan, how long can you hold it?” I asked.
“Not long,” he said, face strained. “Lobster strong. Wants rest.”
Sai looked toward the beach. “Those over there are still fighting. I think there is another necromancer on the island controlling the other group. Why not send the lobster to help?”
Morogan nodded. The lobster walked to the edge of the boat and jumped to the sand below. Undead fell beneath its pincers and mandibles as it tore through their ranks, severing limbs and heads at random. “Not long,” said Morogan. “Find necromancer fast.”
We all jumped from the boat, leaving Morogan on the deck while we joined the fray.
We found the necromancer fighting a few sailors near the food storage building. A torch lay on the ground not too far from where they fought. Likely, he was trying to burn the supply building to keep us from resupplying the Swordfish.
Sai whistled to Morogan and the lobster tore its way toward us. The sailors saw the incoming threat and disengaged from the fight. The necromancer, thinking he’d scared them off, reached for the torch. The lobster grabbed him and kept running toward the edge of the cliffside.
Morogan let out a scream, and azure energy enveloped the lobster and necromancer. And then the lobster exploded. The chitin from its body obliterated the necromancer and left a good-sized crater in the rocky cliffs. He’d essentially turned the lobster into a massive claymore.
Impressed, I looked back toward Morogan and realized he'd collapsed. “Thasgrin,” I called as I ran up to him. “Morogan needs help. I healed him earlier, but he collapsed after dominating the lobster.”
“I'll take care of it,” he said as he turned and ran toward Morogan.
“So where do you suppose they came from? Were they here the whole time?” I asked.
“Nay, their weapons and armor are much too rusted. They’ve been under the water for several days,” said Orin. “Likely, they had been waiting till night for us to make landfall. They were expecting us.
“What about the necromancers?” asked Sai.
Captain Orin pointed to the longboat on the beach. “Likely, they came in that. Maybe dropped his minions off the back of their boat and had them wait below the surface.”
Sai and Thasgrin ran off to check on the longboat.
“How long do you think it’ll take us to catch up to them?” I asked.
Captain Orin stroked his mustache while he considered my question. “With favorable winds, perhaps a day? Maybe two if we are unlucky…”
Sai returned. "He only had supplies enough for two days or so if he rationed them. It is likely they had planned on taking this island regardless of us being here."
"Figures," I said. "Thasgrin?"
"He went off to heal some of the sailors and the villagers. He will join us shortly," said Sai.
"All right, let's give them a hand with the bodies," I said.
We spent the rest of the night and well into twilight piling up corpses into burn piles. Putrid purple smoke filled the morning sky as the sun rose. With everything back under control, we all made for the boat to get some much-needed rest.
"Bed feel good," said Morogan with a sigh.
"I thought you hated the stupid Human boat," I said, chuckling.
Thasgrin laughed. "After a fight like that, a stone floor feels mighty comfortable. These cot bunks are downright heavenly."
We all murmured our agreement and drifted off to sleep as the boat rocked to and fro in the choppy morning sea as it pulled away from the island.
“To be honest, I thought I'd be seasick,” I said to Captain Orin. “Even on small boats, I was always motion sick as a kid.”
The captain laughed. “Well, you're grown up and acquired some mighty fine sealegs. The way you handle yourself on deck could be envied by any green-eared sailor. That's something to be proud of...” Orin smiled and left me alone, leaning against the railing overlooking the vast ocean.
We spent the majority of the day helping with ship duties such as swabbing the decks and preparing food for the sailors. A nice northwesterly wind hurried us upon our way, and we made very good time up the coastline.
By nightfall, we would be at Arbington, ready to kick some necromancer ass. The guys and I spent our spare time cleaning and prepping our gear, as well as practicing anything that wouldn't damage or disrupt the ship.
We approached Arbington at night with no running lights. It was dangerous to do so; however, we needed the element of surprise on our side. Even with the dark, we could see burning houses in the village outside of Arbington before we'd even made the docks.
“We're too late,” said Garstil. “They beat us here and have already razed most of the village. I wonder how the city proper is faring?”
Captain Orin, who had been looking through a viewing glass, frowned. “It looks bad, I'm afraid to say. I can't find many people still fighting. There's a few here and there, mere handfuls compared to what I should be seeing.”
“We should help those we can on the way into the city,” I said. “We'll send anyone able to move to the boat.”
“We need signal,” said Morogan. “If trouble, boat can be ready.”
Captain Orin nodded. “That would be a wise idea indeed. It takes time to prepare for departure. We'll have the ship ready to leave at a moment’s notice. What kind of signal do you have in mind?”
“I don't know,” I said. “Look for fireballs in the sky. I should be able to manage that. If not, Garstil can toss some lightning or something.”
The captain agreed, and we jumped from the boat while it was still moving. I actually managed the landing, but Sai showed me up, silently rolling to his feet with ease.
“Let's go,” I said.
We came across a burning cottage. Outside in the small fenced yard stood an elderly lady, ravaged by time. Her clothes were ragged and in her shaking hands were a shortsword and a dome shield with glowing Norse runes etched into the metal. Undead lay nearby, some with slashed throats and others headless. Her slain family also was nearby, covered in claw and tooth marks.
Necromancers laughed at her feeble attacks. “What do you expect to accomplish here, shrew?” The farm burned and animals cried as they were set alight by the spreading flames in their paddocks.
“Odin grant me vengeance. Odin grant me justice,” she cried as one of the necromancers slapped away her sword and punched her in the gut, dropping her to her knees. Rolling thunder and lightning suddenly roared overhead as a freak storm began to form. The air grew heavy as she stood her ground one last time.
“Valkyria!” she screamed with her last breath, thrusting her sword into the lightning-filled sky, and then she collapsed.
The winds began to pick up, tossing debris in all directions in a chaotic fashion. The temperature dropped suddenly, ice forming instantly on every surface.
A blizzard had begun to form all around us, slowing
the necromancers and putting out the fires. We didn't feel the cold. What we did feel, however, was rage. Hatred. The call of the hunt. Of battles legendary and glory to the fighters. Valhalla awaited us. I looked down at my status indicators.
Sway of the All-Father: You are all suddenly possessed by battle-hardened spirits under the sway of the All-Father, and you have only one driving urge: kill the necromancers.
Immune to slow
Immune to cold
All cooldowns inactive
All stats + 250%
I triggered Burning Rage. My size doubled. Looking around, I noticed that it had also affected my entire party. That was new. Thasgrin activated his Steel Form. My skin hardened, and I could feel a cool blanket of strength settle over me.
I could get used to this. Sai used Focused Instincts, and I triggered Temporal Shift. The necromancers had begun casting their blood magic, transforming into hideous deformed beasts.
We surged forward, cutting the first one down with lightning-fast strikes. With both time dilation skills, the world ran in slow motion while we were further sped up. It was surreal. The second necromancer finished his transformation and was able to tap into some sort of speed enhancement, as he came at us in normal time.
Morogan blocked its massive hands with his shield and smashed it in the mouth with his mace. The beast screamed in agony. I Dashed to the side and sliced deep gashes across its back, opening wounds to the frigid air. Brown ichor poured out onto the fresh snow, defiling it.
The beast roared in defiance and let off some sort of shockwave, sending us flying. It jumped on top of me, clawing and snapping with its hideous snout. I could smell death and decay on its breath, turning my stomach.
Steel resolve filled me, and blue lightning from Morogan’s Steel Fortitude arced from my arms, and my HP surged to three hundred percent. Morogan mounted the beast and began delivering deathblow after deathblow to the back of its head. It collapsed on top of me, and I was drenched in nasty ichor.
I looked over in time to see Thasgrin’s massive hammer flatten the head of his opponent. More nightmare juice sprayed me. For thirty seconds or so, we were gods of destruction.
With the dying breaths of the three necromancers, a giant of a man appeared before us. He was at least twice as tall as I and had massively broad shoulders. He wore chain and plate armor and had a graying beard down to his belt. I knew enough of Norse mythology to know this to be Odin himself.
He leaned down, smiling, and took the elderly lady’s hands, helping her to her feet. “Here, let me help you,” he said, voice as warm as honey. She smiled, thanked him, and stood with his assistance.
He turned to Thasgrin, smiling contentedly. “Thasgrin Daetrinson, of Daetrin Thorinson, it warms my heart to see that you are finally heeding the call of your bloodline.” He turned to me. “Abalonious, thank you for standing by the side of this wayward son. You have proven your worth time and time again. We shall meet again quite soon, I am sure.” He took the lady’s hands in his own, and they both faded away.
“Where did they go?” I asked Thasgrin.
“Escortin’ her personally to Valhalla,” he said.
“So,” I said, changing the subject. “Thorinson? As in son of Thorin? As in Thor? God of Thunder Thor?”
“Aye, th’ very same…”
“So, Odin’s your great-grandfather then? That makes you royalty. Whoa. Prince Thasgrin.”
He shrugged. “Like I said when we met, never cared for that side of me bloodline. They wanted me to step up and be king. Me. King. Can ye imagine?”
“Yeah, actually, I can.”
“Thasgrin make great king!” exclaimed Morogan. Garstil and Sai both agreed as well.
Thasgrin smiled. “C’mon lads, we have undead to kill.”
Sai and Garstil both shouted, “All hail King Thasgrin!” They saluted.
Thasgrin saluted back. With his middle finger. Of all the Human gestures he’d seen while hanging around with Garstil, Sai, and I, it would figure that he’d picked up that one.
As we explored deeper into the seemingly abandoned city, we began to feel tension and unease in the air.
“Cliché as it may be to state the obvious, it is too quiet,” said Sai. “Not even rodents stir. It is just like the fort; we are already too late.”
“Jus’ keep yer eyes peeled for anythin’ suspicious,” said Thasgrin.
“Morogan see something suspicious,” he said.
“What?” several of us asked.
“Empty city,” said Morogan, smiling. Garstil punched him in the shoulder, and they both laughed.
A massive purple rune circle flared to life below our feet as we crossed an intersection. Followed by several buildings blowing out, vomiting waves of undead.
“Shit,” said Morogan as we drew our weapons. Undead closed in on all sides. There was nowhere to run. We were royally screwed.
Thasgrin frowned. “I was hopin’ to never have to do this again. Curse ye, Odin. Always meddlin’ with my destiny.” He pulled off his robes, tossing them to the ground. A golden glow engulfed him, and massive plates of armor began to form all over his body.
The wave of undead closing in around us hesitated and then stopped as they shielded their eyes. A few even took a cautious step backward.
I looked back at Thasgrin and gasped. He was decked out in a full set of ornate golden plate mail armor. Runes inscribed on every seam had their own white glow to them. A massive hammer, easily three feet wide, appeared in his hands, sheathed in golden lightning. The undead horde took several steps back.
Thasgrin lifted his hammer as high as he could and brought it down on the ground with a yell. Blinding golden light exploded out from him, forcing us to shield our eyes. When I was able to see again, the only things left standing in a quarter-mile circle were us. Buildings and undead had all turned to ash.
And more zombies piled in. “Thasgrin, how many more times can you do that?”
His shoulders slumped. “Afraid I’m a bit out of practice. That was it for the time bein’. I suggest we run.”
Everyone agreed. We ran for the wall closest to the docks. My bracer beeped. “Abalonious, we are rapidly approaching threshold for a biological outbreak. I cannot mask my sensor readings from the observation satellites for much longer. It will not be long before they initiate the containment protocol.
“Do what you can, SADA. Buy us as much time as possible,” I huffed as we ran.
“You must reach minimum safe distance as soon as possible,” said SADA.
“I know!” I yelled, almost tripping on a stone. As we ran, a beam of light pierced the clouds and guided down a projectile. It slammed into the ground, threatening our balance. I looked over and saw that it had started blinking.
“Not long now,” said SADA. We increased our pace.
We ran as fast as we could, slashing undead out of our path. In a way, it somewhat reminded me of Noslen’s flashback as he and Ghorza joined their friends at the front lines. Only this time, I knew exactly what would be raining from the sky in mere moments.
As soon as we cleared the outer buildings, I fired a plasma blast into the air like a flare to warn the captain. I was hoping he’d get the message.
Undead were right on our heels, and even with Garstil’s constant chain lightning, they were gaining.
“Can’t—” wheezed Garstil. “Out of mana. Can’t breathe.” We ran on. I fired several more plasma flares. We rounded the outer wall, and I could make out the ship through the gloom and light fog. A crew of men stood above deck, weapons drawn. The gangplank had already been pulled, but the men were ready to receive us. The ship was already moving away from the dock as we ran full speed for the end of it.
We jumped as a group, and all but Thasgrin made it. He’d managed to grab the edge of a net that hung to the side of the ship, and the crew pulled him up just as undead began jumping from the dock. Most landed in the water and sunk to the bottom; however, a few had also managed to gain hold of the
net. The crew easily beheaded them as they climbed.
Captain Orin laughed heartily. “You lads were running from that little mess? I thought you were stronger than that…”
“It’s not them we were running from. We need to move. Now. Undead overrun the entire city. There are thousands of them,” I said.
“Thousands you say? Then that means—” He looked at my bracer, and I swear a light bulb lit behind his eyes. “Shove off! Move, ya dogs. Get us as far away as possible.” Crew members panicked and ran to and fro, manning oars. In a few minutes, we’d cleared our mooring and were out to sea.
Detonations from afar caught our attention as three individual streams of massive blue projectiles arced into the sky like fireworks. They all converged on Arbington.
“As I live and breathe,” said Orin, removing his hat and covering his heart. “I never thought I’d live to see the day another city was wiped from existence.”
“Aye,” said Thasgrin. A solitary tear rolled down his cheek. “Make sure you remember this moment, Aba. This is what the containment protocol is.”
I nodded. “I won’t ever forget this. I owe it to them. I failed them.”
26
Great Balls of Fire
Whistling could be heard as the projectiles streaked overhead and plummeted into the city. For thirty seconds, it was daytime. It was like the documentaries of the nuclear tests they did during World War II.
The immense power was overwhelming. I watched the entire city turn to ash. Then the shockwave hit us and rocked the boat. I grabbed onto the side railing to keep my balance.
Once the rocking boat settled, Thasgrin put his hand on my shoulder. “Nay, this wasn’a yer fault. The acts of evil cowards are no more yer fault than it is mine. Ye can’t blame yerself.”
We watched the glowing remnants of the city shrink as we pulled out into the open sea. I nodded, but I didn’t feel any better. Ten thousand people had just turned to ash. It didn’t seem to matter that they were already dead. “I’m heading below deck. Maybe try to sleep,” I said.
Legend of the Sword Bearer: Tempest Chronicles Book 1 Page 26