Beyond the Hell Cliffs

by Case C. Capehart

  “Heresy! Bring me this fool’s head!” Higerth screamed, signaling his men to attack.

  Raegith and Goji quickly fell back into the barracks as the wave of angry Rathgar followed them in through the doors. What they found in the courtyard of their barracks was nothing short of a death trap.

  Goji had managed to gather most of Kensei’s secret pupils and they were eager to exact their revenge on the guards who had violated their village for so long. Thirteen Lokai men in black clothing with hoods unleashed a volley of bladed, metal stars into the first men through the door. Not all of them died immediately, but their stumbling forms tripped and slowed those behind them as they all squeezed through the double doors. The men were instantly bottlenecked in the exposed entrance.

  Most of them did not have time to notice the small, blue-skinned girl with the dancing green hair standing in the middle of the courtyard as they stumbled over their injured allies. None of them had time to signal retreat before Beretta opened her palms before her and sent a wave of emerald flame cascading into the bulging group of Rathgar.

  Men diving to the side of the fire found themselves face to face with the Helcats, wearing borrowed armor and weapons. Helkree, holding a pair of hand axes, cackled with bloodlust and glee as she buried one of them in the face of a screaming guard. Magda joined Indie on the right side of the door, holding an iron shield in her steady arms. She shrugged off blows from the charging men, keeping them from flanking the Infernal as she burned their comrades to ash. Indie threw her hulking form behind Magda’s shield and together they pushed the flailing guards back into the flames.

  The first rush lasted only moments before those who managed to escape ran fleeing back from the barrack doors. Some did not stop once they reached the formation, casting aside their weapons and retreating into the village.

  From the roof of the building, Raegith laughed at the stunned guards below. “What happened to your seasoned warriors forged in the fake battles of the north?”

  “I will burn this entire village to the ground, then!” Higerth said. “You can all sit inside there and watch as I destroy this village one building at a time!”

  “Burn this village and you’ll have nowhere to go, Higerth,” Kensei said, approaching the formation. Behind him, nearly every Lokai in the village followed, all holding farming tools, sticks, even kitchen knives.

  “You’re not that stupid, old man,” Higerth growled. “You think your farmers and merchants can defeat my men?”

  “I think that we’re all in agreement that being killed by your men is preferable to living with them. Rathgar men do not cook or hunt or farm, do they? Rathgar men cannot do anything but war. How long after we’re all dead will you survive with none of our skills?”

  “Looks like intimidation is no longer an option, Captain!” Raegith yelled. “You’ve still got one option left, though. My offer is still on the table.”

  “You’re a fool,” Higerth said. “You want a duel, I’ll accept. In fact, I’ll match your weapon of choice and humiliate you even further.”

  “Excellent! Lose the armor, then. My weapon of choice is flesh and bone.”

  “You are insane!” Higerth laughed.

  “You keep saying that like it’s a weakness. I’m waiting.”

  Higerth passed his axe off to a guard while others helped him remove the bulky plate armor. As the captain stripped down to the cloth pants and tunic beneath, Goji approached Raegith.

  “Higerth is the most brutal guard I have ever seen. You are walking to your death, Grass-hair.”

  Kimura turned to Goji. “Fuck that guy! Grass-hair is champion of the Pit.”

  Raegith and his allies filed out of the barracks and helped form a square around Raegith and Higerth. Raegith stripped off his shirt and strode out into the square to face off against Higerth in open combat. The Captain was not as muscular as Torga but was nearly as big. He was also in good shape and took a fighter’s stance.

  The two circled each other. Higerth took small, heavy steps and Raegith stayed on his toes, bouncing lightly with each step.

  “You stupid shit! Are you a fighter or a dance…” Higerth laughed.

  Raegith cut him off with a lunge. Higerth stopped in his tracks and braced for the attack, but it did not come. Raegith side-stepped as soon as his lunge landed and flanked him, throwing a rear cross into the big man’s unprotected ribs. Higerth merely grunted and turned, swinging his big arm.

  Raegith was out of his range in an instant, clearing the swing and driving in with a powerful sidekick to the stomach meant to buckle the man. The kick landed squarely, but it did not even move Higerth.

  The Captain laughed and slapped his solid midsection, shaking his head with a smile. “That tickled.”

  Raegith snapped another kick up to his face and that moved him. It was not as powerful as the sidekick, but it caught the Captain off guard. Raegith charged in, throwing a flurry of quick punches at his face, but the Captain recovered quickly and pushed Raegith off.

  Then Raegith was on the defensive as the Captain threw well-aimed punches. He was more skilled than Raegith had thought. One of the blows caught Raegith and staggered him. Higerth followed up, driving into him and putting him to the ground. Raegith rolled with him, latching on to his arm as they toppled.

  Raegith got a leg up over the top of Higerth and he pulled the big man’s arm up along his body. He arched upwards, putting pressure on his arm and hyperextending it. Higerth roared, but Raegith kicked him in the face with his heel and wrenched on his arm some more. Higerth tried to curl his arm back inward, but as strong as his biceps were, he was fighting against Raegith’s entire body. Raegith dug his forehead into the dirt for more leverage and thrust his hips against the Rathgar’s elbow.

  His other foot slipped against the dirt and Higerth managed to roll the other way, taking the pressure off of his arm and pulling Raegith into him. He rolled on top of the prince and rained blows down on him. Raegith covered his face, but took several hits to the sides of his head. His vision blurred and he recognized the feeling of losing consciousness. As Higerth pulled back for a harder punch, Raegith reached up and grabbed the back of his head. His elbow knew exactly where to go even though Raegith could not focus on his target and he caught Higerth in the eye.

  Raegith did not let the man rise up. He snaked his arm around his neck and locked his grip with his other hand. He leaned back hard, wrapping his legs around Higerth’s midsection and putting his forearm right in the man’s throat. Higerth panicked and tried to pull his head out of the lock, but Raegith held him. The Captain threw punches into Raegith’s side, refusing to give up, but Raegith would not loosen his grip even as the blood came up in his mouth.

  Finally the punches stopped and Higerth’s body slackened. Raegith rolled over on top of the man, blood dripping from his face and between his teeth. The Captain tried to get air back into his lungs and weakly pushed at him. Raegith brushed his waving arms to the side, popped his chin up and punched Higerth fiercely in the throat, collapsing his windpipe.

  The Captain gurgled and shook underneath Raegith as he sat there and watched him die.

  “This is an honorable death, Captain. It’s more than you deserve for turning on your own, but I am merciful.”

  Raegith rose once the Captain’s body stilled and turned to the other guards who were unsheathing their weapons and inching forward. The Helcats came forward to meet them and the whole square almost burst into battle.

  “Is this what Rathgar honor is worth?” Raegith screamed at the group of guards. They halted for a moment. “Your Captain died to save the rest of you. Take another step and that sacrifice is forfeit.”

  “On my command!” one Guard said, raising his axe.

  “No!” The voice came from further back in the formation.

  The men parted as a Rathgar in old, weathered armor stepped forth. He unbuckled his helmet and pulled it off, revealing light blue hair in spikey waves. He was older than the rest of the men and
had thin stubble on his rugged face, but his teal eyes were still sharp.

  “Get back in formation, Coda. I won’t put up with your antics today.” the second-in-command growled.

  “Fuck off, Roukas,” the old Rathgar said to the other. “I do not lose my honor when the Empire loses its ruler. I follow only the strong and worthy.”

  “Coda, get back in formation… now!” Roukas yelled, but the old Rathgar did not change course.

  Roukas lifted his axe and charged at Coda’s back. Helkree stepped in and hooked the man’s weapon with the undercurve of her axe blade. With her other axe, she sliced into the exposed area under his arm with a slash, kicked his knee out and chopped the man in the throat like it was a tree trunk. It was over in an eye blink and she kicked the dying Rathgar over into the dirt.

  “Next,” she said with a grin.

  “Lay down your weapons, boys!” Coda yelled. He turned to Raegith but made no threatening movements. “Stranger, give them a moment! They’re not used to this!”

  A few men on the front line dropped their axes and spears. Then others joined them. In seconds almost every guard had dropped his weapon, leaving only a few still unsure or openly rebelling. Raegith called the Helcats forward and ordered the guards back. The weapons were collected quickly, picked off the ground or stripped from undecided guards. A crowd had gathered and the unarmed Rathgar were growing restless and worried. The villagers were ready to avenge their pride at that point.

  Then Kensei came forward. “What is happening here?”

  “Master, Grass-hair has just defeated the entire guard,” Goji said, astonished. “He has freed Shimada Village!”

  “I see that, Goji,” Kensei said, guardedly. “Now what will happen? My people seek vengeance, for a lifetime of hardship under these men, Grass-hair. Will you allow us this opportunity? We deserve it more than you.”

  “I gave my word to the Captain,” Raegith replied.

  “The Captain is dead and his men are defenseless!”

  “And you would all lose your honor as Lokai for them?”

  Raegith stalked to where Kensei stood. Goji started forward, coming between Raegith and his master.

  “Easy, Grass-hair.” His hand was sliding towards one of his hidden blades, but Raegith ignored him.

  “I am retaking your village from the Rathgar, delivering your people from servitude and the tortures they would eventually inflict upon you all. I saved countless lives of your people with this fatal wager. I think I have earned the right to keep my honor intact.”

  “I see,” Kensei said. “So you send them away, to die in the dark or return from the Citadel with greater numbers.”

  “They won’t be returning,” Raegith said.

  Under the guard of the Helcats and the entire village of Shimada, the remaining guards were marched to the prison where they detained, tortured and murdered the women who came to Shimada to form the first Imperial Female Brigade. They were led into the yard of the prison and lined up as the spared prison guard still struggled in his shackles. Once the Old Guard was all in a place to witness, Raegith had the guard unshackled and brought forward to the middle of the yard. Raegith stood before them all.

  “I’m not going to ask who all participated in this. No, that knowledge will just piss me off too much. For your own sake, I’m going to let you keep that shit a secret. Instead, you’re all going to stand here and watch as this man takes on all of your sins.”

  Raegith motioned for Helkree and Indie. The two women grabbed the guard and stripped the rest of the clothes from him. Once he was naked, they made him kneel before Raegith. The frightened Rathgar pawed at his leg, begging him to choose someone else.

  “What’s your name?” Raegith asked.

  “Nergui… from the Citadel,” he blubbered.

  “Nergui is asking if I will switch him out for one of you,” Raegith announced. “Would any of you like to volunteer to take his place?”

  “Stranger, I would ask that you spare him,” Coda said, stepping forward. “I will take a beating for him. Twenty lashes of the cane from any prisoner you pick.”

  “Shut the fuck up!” Raegith said, pointing at him. “You earned some respect for what you did back at the barracks, but unless you’re willing to exchange fates with this one, you need to fall back in line and keep silent.”

  Coda looked at the terrified guard and back to Raegith. There was a moment of hesitation, but the older Rathgar sighed and took a step backwards to take his place among the men.

  Raegith addressed the guards again. “Before she was murdered by the men from the north, the Empress listened to my advice and ordered that a brigade of females be formed to determine their worth in combat. Over fifty women were sent to Shimada Village on those Imperial orders. Fifty brave women abandoned their families, professions and a peaceful future, all to come learn how to better die for their empire.

  “This was my idea that you corrupted. These women died, at your hands, before they were ever given a chance to show this land what they were made of and their souls cry to me for a reckoning.”

  Raegith looked down at the guard sobbing at his feet. “This will have to suffice.”

  Raegith turned away from the guard, pulling out of his grip forcefully and walked to the nine survivors of the prison. Several of them were red-eyed and Naoko openly wept. Magda just stood stone faced, her jaw clenched with fury.

  “You nine are all that’s left,” Raegith said. He pointed back to Nergui. “He doesn’t leave that spot alive, do you understand? No weapons.”

  Magda stepped forward without a second thought. Nergui screamed and scrambled away, but the scarred Rathgar woman caught him by the leg and dragged him back to the spot he was at. She quickly flipped him over and with a strong stomp, snapped his knee in half.

  Nergui screamed and some of the guards turned their heads in disgust. Raegith motioned and the Helcats waded out into the group, grabbing heads and twisting them back to the front. Helkree clawed a man’s eyelids open and held them in place.

  Naoko was next, dashing forward and falling on the wailing guard. He pushed her frail form away easily, but the Lokai behind her was harder to dislodge as she pulled his hair out of his scalp. The others were quick to join in and Nergui was overwhelmed. They were like pack animals, tearing and biting and breaking. A few of the guards puked and the smell caused a chain reaction among the group. Kensei and the villagers turned away and put distance between them and the prison. Helkree moaned and started rubbing up against the guard she held, causing him all kinds of distress.

  Finally the women had vented all of their rage and there was nothing left of Nergui except for red mush. The nine survivors looked like beasts from a nightmare as they stood panting over the remains of the guard. Raegith had Beretta and Kimura lead them away and Raegith returned to the spot to address the men.

  “I’m keeping a dozen of you here,” Raegith said. “Coda can pick out who he thinks are unlikely to be killed by the villagers to dig graves for these women and clean this mess up. The rest of you are marching out of here with the vision of Nergui’s last moments carved into your minds. Keep it there, in case you ever get the urge to return. It’s not worth it. You go back to the Citadel or an Outpost or off into the fucking darkness and you forget that this place even exists, because coming back isn’t worth the pain I’ll give you.”

  Coda stayed put as the others filed out of the prison. He helped Raegith pick out a dozen men to stay behind and the others were escorted out of the village by Kensei and his Naga. Once the prison was cleared of guards, Coda turned to Raegith.

  “What you said at the barracks, about the wars in the north…”

  “It wasn’t just baiting,” Raegith answered. “I was telling the truth.”

  “I think I’ve known that already. Higerth and the others said I was just disillusioned and kept me at this low rank, but I think I always knew. The officers always took the loot from the villages and left right before the soldiers appeared
. It was too… convenient.”

  “Your instincts were right. I’m sorry you had to find out this way.”

  “I’m sorry you had to find me among this lot. There are some of us who are not like this. We cannot choose our assignments.”

  “You can choose to stand aside while your comrades rape and kill,” Raegith said, coldly.

  “Yes… that is true, as well,” Coda replied, lowering his head. “We’re all doomed anyways, if all of the men from the north are as vengeful as you.”

  “The men from the north have never seen anything like me. Get your men to work, Coda. The faster you get these warrior angels buried, the faster you can get the hell away from this place.”

  “That was fucking amazing!” Helkree said, coming up to him. “I almost got off.”

  “Do you not see what happened here, Hel?” Raegith asked. “I did all of this. I sent these women here and I couldn’t save any of them.”

  “What are you talking about? You saved like nine of them,” Helkree said. “You’re just not used to the Greimere, yet. This shit happens every day, Raegith. You’ve gotta get over it.”

  “I can’t just get used to it, Hel!” Raegith exclaimed. “I’ve had enough of your justification of everything that happens here. I’m not satisfied with that excuse.”

  “Whether you’re satisfied or not, the Greimere doesn’t give a shit, Raegith. You kicked ass here today. You saved nine girls who might not have seen another morning… except that Magda bitch. She looks hard as a Gimlet’s skull. You freed a whole fucking village with just a dozen pairs of tits. What more do you think you can do?”

  “I can save them all, Hel.” Raegith gripped her by the shoulders and stared hard into her eyes. “With more power, I can save the rest of them… the whole damn empire.”

  Chapter 38

  It was cold in the east. The wind bit at Raegith’s face and seeped through his armor as he stood on the hill. Even worse than the bitter wind was the feeling of weakness that it brought. That’s why he was there; to beat that weakness into submission. Comfort was his enemy. He kept himself cold; kept his belly half-empty and his lungs heaving. Every morning began with exercises lasting until muscle failure, before anything else was accomplished. It was all to one end. He would grow stronger.