by Jeff Sabean
“I will kill this one myself,” he stated, the shadow elf’s cage opening.
“No,” Di’eslo stated firmly. “I challenge King Rattanda. He has not fought today, and I challenge him.”
A gasp rippled around the arena from above, and from his side he could hear Heishi mutter, “I hope you know what you’re doing, brother.”
King Rattanda stood, and all the gasps and murmuring ceased immediately.
“Your fight has already been decided, and by the laws of our people it cannot be changed,” the king began, his voice echoing in the silence.
“Even by a ‘god-king’?” the elf taunted, never taking his eyes from the king.
“Even by a god,” the king replied with a snarl. “But THIS I can do. You!” he shouted, pointing to Heishi, whose cage door opened immediately, “You will join your shadow elf in the arena, and I will join my trusted advisor. Who you choose to attack is up to you,” he finished, looking again at Di’eslo as he stepped into the arena, to the roar of the crowd.
Chapter 16 – To the Death
Heishi and Di’eslo advanced slowly into the center of the arena, talking quietly as they walked.
“Do you have a plan or are you making this up as you go?” Heishi asked, never taking his eyes from their opponents.
“Yes,” was the only reply he received.
“Oh, that’s comforting. You actually want the king, or are you gonna drop mister stick?”
“Rattanda is mine, feel free to kill his minion,” Di’eslo answered, his crimson eyes glowing dangerously as they remained locked on to the king.
“And then?”
“And then I find and release my brother, and you decide whether or not to let your witch live.”
They had reached the center of the arena, and were now just out of reach of their opponents.
Heishi squared up with Kaine, having to look up to make eye contact with the lion-man. The king’s bodyguard was made of solid muscle, and he swung the heavy obsidian staff with ease. The look on his face was one of indifference, and it was clear that he did not care one way or the other if the human lived: this was just another day’s work.
Di’eslo stood in front of the king, staring up at the man, the hate evident in his eyes as he gave the shadow elf a haughty look. The elf didn’t back down an inch, his eyes glowing brightly as the shadows curled around his skin, blurring the sunlight shining on him.
“You are not worthy to challenge me, worm,” Rattanda spat at the elf. “But if you wish to die by my hand, I will allow it.”
Before finishing his sentence, the king lunged forward with his right leg, stepping into a deep stance and stabbing out straight with his massive sword. Where Di’eslo had been out of range a split second ago, the blade now slid past his chest as he rotated his right shoulder to the rear, the attack barely missing.
The shadow elf stepped back and to his left, spinning toward the king and bringing his flail across in a wide arc. He didn’t expect the move to work, but was hoping the king would be too proud to step backward to avoid the blow.
His gamble paid off, and the arrogant king caught the full swing of the flail in his right shoulder as he refused to retreat from the smaller fighter. The weight of the flail pushed Rattanda off-balance, causing him to step to his left as Kaine began his attack, the two getting tangled for a moment.
Heishi took advantage of the momentary confusion to pour on a burst of speed, sliding his katana from its saya as he ran toward Kaine. He aimed his first attack for the larger man’s face, hoping to draw blood and add more confusion, but the veteran gladiator was able to regain his footing quickly and blocked the strike with his staff, redirecting Heishi past him and stepping away from his king.
Initial strikes completed, the four combatants slowed a bit, feeling out their opponents while moving away from each other to avoid more entanglements.
Di’eslo let the king take the offensive, driving him back and to his left, where pillars were placed around the edge of the arena to support the stands where spectators screamed for his death. Each time the massive sword came in, he blocked with his shield and struck back with a half-hearted swing of his flail to keep the king coming.
Suddenly, the elf backed into one of the pillars, his rear momentum halted, and a look of terror crossed his face as his crimson eyes widened. With a roar of triumph, the king brought his blade above his head in a powerful two-handed downward chop meant to split the small elf in half. As the blade descended, Di’eslo abruptly disappeared, stepping into the shadow of the pillar.
The massive sword struck the pillar in a shower of sparks as the startled king snapped his head to the side, looking for his opponent. Without warning, the shadow elf stepped out of the shadows on the other side of the pillar, swinging his flail and catching the surprised king in the left side. A satisfying crunch could be heard across the arena as at least one rib snapped on impact, and the nimble elf stepped to the side and ducked as the enraged monarch whipped his blade around in response to the attack.
A gasp rose from the stands as the spectators realized their god-king could be injured.
Light blasted the arena from every angle, momentarily distracting everyone besides the king, and removing every shadow from the arena.
“You will not use that trick a second time, you scum!” Rattanda screamed as he swung wildly at his smaller opponent, although he was now clearly favoring his right side.
◆◆◆
Still in the center of the arena, Heishi and Kaine were carefully trading blows, both warriors attempting to get a feel for his opponent. Kaine had the advantage, having seen Heishi fight the day prior, but the human knew nothing about the beast he faced.
The staff came straight for Heishi’s chest in a jab, and not for the first time, but the speed left the smaller human no time to do anything but step backward, attempting to deflect the staff with the side of his blade. The end of the staff was just barely turned to the side as a blast of ice shot from the tip, missing Heishi’s body but catching the blade of his katana. The sword immediately froze, a block of ice appearing around the length of the blade, which added extra weight and caused him to drop his guard a bit.
Kaine followed through by swinging the rear of the staff toward the human’s head, a blur of deep blackness as it came around. If Heishi had not been practicing moving between the air molecules that he felt, thus greatly improving his speed, his head would have been crushed by the blow. Luckily, he lifted his blade with blinding speed and parried the strike. When the staff made contact with the katana, the ice on the blade was obliterated, sending ice chips flying every direction as the human ducked to his right and dove out of range.
The lion-man took a step back, clearly shocked that his opponent was still alive, then snarled as he went on the offensive yet again.
When his sword was frozen, Heishi had felt it in his hands as well, the cold burning his palms. He knew he was in trouble if he didn’t keep the mountain of muscle away from him long enough to regain feeling in his hands, but the beast was back on him after only a moment of confusion.
The strikes continued, the human avoiding them if possible and slapping them away with the sides of his katana when they came to close. He was watching the expert handling of the staff and developing a plan when suddenly light blasted him from every direction. Temporarily blinded, he dropped flat to his back just in time to avoid a second blast of ice, which slipped harmlessly over his head.
“You will not use that trick a second time, you scum!” he heard the king scream, which made him feel better to know that Di’eslo was at least still alive, and that he had probably hurt the so-called god-king in order to merit such a response.
His eyesight returned and broke through his contemplation just in time to see Kaine’s foot come crashing down toward his groin, and he rolled to his right just in time to avoid the blow. He wasn’t fast enough, however, and the stomp caught his left hip as he rolled, sending waves of pain through his body.
/> As he ended up on his back again, he held his katana with his left hand, thrusting with it to make Kaine take a step back as he slipped one of his throwing knives from its sheath on his left wrist. Kicking with his heels as hard as he could, he rolled backward to regain his footing, launching the throwing knife at his opponent as he came up in a crouch.
Kaine saw the flash of the blade at the last second and brought the tip of his staff around to deflect the projectile, but he wasn’t fast enough. Rather than hitting the gladiator in the throat as Heishi had intended, it buried itself in the beast’s left shoulder all the way to its hilt.
With a scream of pain, Kaine stepped back and swung his staff around with his left hand to keep the human back as he jerked the knife from his shoulder with his right, then stared dumbly at it for a moment. As Heishi moved to attack again, the lion-man stepped forward with his right foot and threw the knife back at the human, aiming for his gut as it would be harder to dodge at this range.
The blade disappeared in mid-air, reappearing in its sheath on Heishi’s arm. The human continued his attack, dropping low and aiming his strike at Kaine’s now exposed right knee. Pure luck saved the knee, as an explosion and a flash of purple light from behind knocked both combatants from their feet.
◆◆◆
The light stunned Di’eslo momentarily, but he was able to bring his shield up just in time to block the next swing of Rattanda’s massive sword. The blow sent him sliding to the side, but he was able to stay on his feet and countered with a quick swing of his flail to stop the king’s momentum.
Circling each other, they traded blows, neither able to land a substantive hit against the other. Di’eslo began to get frustrated, as each time he swung Rattanda would either block with his bone arm, which stopped the strike as solidly as a shield, or would step aside and the swing would miss entirely.
After yet another strike was blocked by the bone arm, he felt the handle of his flail pulsing as he deflected the counterstrike by the king’s sword. Taking a half-step backward, he looked down and mentally slapped himself for not paying attention to the building energy in the spikes of his flail. The purple spikes were pulsing with internal power now, the light getting brighter with each strike, but the light in the arena coming from every angle at once had drowned out the purple hue of the flail.
With a grin, he dodged another swing of his opponent’s sword and launched a web from his shield, the purple energy wrapping around the king at his knees and tying up his movement. As the web ensnared Rattanda, the elf rolled to his right, bringing his flail around with all the strength he had left. The king raised his bone arm to stop the blow, and even with his legs tangled his superior strength and reach would have been enough to stop the elf: but that was when the energy from the flail was released.
The power was set free of the weapon in a massive explosion, with a flash of purple light drowning out the white light around the fighters. When the violet light faded, so did the white, and Di’eslo saw the king had been launched a dozen paces back by the explosion and had landed on his back. His bone arm remained on the ground in front of the elf, still gripping his sword.
Chapter 17 – All Hail the King
Silence dropped like a curtain over the arena as the king thrashed around on the ground, finally able to use his one arm to drag himself to a kneeling position. He looked around the arena, and seeing all eyes fixed on him, a feral growl slipped from his lips.
In the center of the arena, Kaine had recovered first from the explosion and was standing over Heishi, staff prepared to send a freezing blast that would kill his opponent when he heard the growl from Rattanda. Never taking the staff from his opponent, the lion-man glanced to where his king was kneeling in the dirt, clearly beaten by the shadow elf. He stepped back one pace, and stared hard at the human.
“Do not move,” he growled, the shock registering on Heishi’s face when he realized he might live through this.
“Don’t toy with me, Master Kaine. If you are going to kill me, do it quickly,” he answered, glancing to where his sword had landed after being ripped from his grasp by the explosion of energy.
“I am loyal to the crown, not to a man,” the beast explained, glancing back and forth between Rattanda and Heishi. “If the elf wins in fair combat, he becomes the new king, and my loyalty will rest with him. I assume your friend would not appreciate if I kill you, so we will see who is triumphant before I decide your fate.
“Make no mistake, human, you are beaten. If you move, I WILL kill you, and suffer the wrath of Di’eslo if I must.” He paused, his eyes narrowing as Heishi moved his arm a bit closer to his fallen blade. “DO. NOT. MOVE. I will not say it again, next time you die.”
Nodding his understanding, Heishi turned his head slowly to the side so he could witness how it would end.
Di’eslo took a step toward the fallen king and stopped, his eyes never leaving the kneeling king.
“You are beaten, and your subjects see you kneeling before me, ‘god’-king. I have no desire to kill you, I simply wish my brother returned to me unharmed. Allow this, and I shall walk away and leave you to pick up the pieces of your reputation. Do not return him, and I will finish you where you kneel. Now choose,” the shadow elf stated calmly, his crimson orbs never flinching as he stared at the king.
Without moving a muscle, the king returned his gaze, and suddenly another cage appeared in the wall of the arena beside the rest of the team. Inside this cage, Fion could be seen slumped against the bars. He was still breathing, although his gear had all been stripped away from him.
“Where are his possessions?” Di’eslo asked after a quick assessment that his brother was indeed still alive.
The king waved his hand, and a pile of gear appeared in the sand outside Fion’s cage, his gaze never leaving Di’eslo as he did so.
Nodding, the elf turned and walked across the area to where his brother had appeared, then stopped as he realized the cage remained closed. As he turned back to the kneeling king, he saw a wicked grin spread across his face as he lifted his left hand up to the sky. The hand began to glow with a pale green-blue light, and his eyes shone with the same color.
All around the arena, the sand shifted, knocking Di’eslo and Kaine from their feet. Resembling the ocean during a storm, the sand rolled like waves, and in every direction skeletal arms reached up from below, clawing to release themselves from the sand. The team watched in horror as hundreds of skeletons drew themselves up from the ground, lifting battered weapons and shields with their undead hands, the empty eye sockets of their skulls glowing with pale green-blue light to match the eyes of their king.
“What have you done?” Kaine bellowed as he stared at his king. “You were fairly beaten in single combat, and now you cheat to win? Deception has no place here! Your reign is over as surely as your honor has fled you!”
With that, the lion-man waved his hand toward the cages, which opened immediately, allowing the companions to rush onto the arena floor, engaging enemies as they did. The skeletons were cut down easily, creating a clear space outside the cages where the companions could launch a coordinated offense.
Di’eslo looked to his brother, who was desperately clawing at the ground as he attempted to escape his cell. He lifted his shield and focused on his brother’s broken body, and a sudden blast of healing energy reached out like a river, surrounding Fion as his broken bones and torn flesh were knitted back together. His eyes finally clear and focused, Fion stood and walked to the pile of his gear, then glanced at his brother and nodded his appreciation before quickly dressing.
Di’eslo ran through the throng of skeletons, his flail swatting them aside and shield pushing them down until he reached his brother’s side where he could protect him as he dressed.
“I knew you’d find me,” was all Fion said, and the brothers both nodded in agreement, nothing else needing to be said.
As the pile dwindled, the last pieces of gear to be strapped on were his twin swords, which he
then slipped from their sheaths as he stepped over to his companions, who were now ready to launch their counterattack.
While that was taking place, Kaine and Heishi stood back-to-back in the sea of skeletons, their attacks coordinated to defend against the horde. The obsidian staff would swing high, and Heishi would drop low, the green electricity of his katana sparking wildly as he attacked the mob of enemies closing in on all sides. Typically, a sword would have been a poor choice of weapon against skeletons as a blade would simply chip the bone, but the energy coursing through the katana slid through the skeleton bones as easily as a hot knife through butter. Freezing blasts shot at seemingly random intervals from Kaine’s staff, encasing skeletons in ice split seconds before the heavy obsidian staff would swing across and shatter the frozen bones. But for every enemy destroyed, two would take its place, and although most of their attacks were deflected, there were still some that slipped through and the blood flowed freely from the two combatants.
“We need to reach the group or we’re going to die here,” grunted Heishi as the tip of a spear slipped past his defense and pierced his chest, nicking a rib before he slashed through the shaft of the spear and followed through by decapitating the spear wielder.
“Easier said than done, human,” came the reply with a roar of pain as a skeleton buried its axe in Kaine’s shoulder.
Stalking back to the side of the arena by his box seat, Rattanda screamed, “TRAITOR!” at Kaine, and the wave of skeletons intensified as they pressed the attack on the king’s former bodyguard.
The rest of the group were having an easier time, as the wrath of the king was focused on the two in the center of the arena. They lined up in a wedge formation, putting Di’eslo in the center of the wedge where the cleric would be protected, and began working their way to Heishi. Although most of the undead were focused on Kaine, there were still waves of them pressing the rest of the group, making progress slow.