William of Archonia: Redemption

by Jarod Meyer

  A bat crashed into William’s new shield, exploding into a cloud of light and body parts. His blade cut the air, felling another beast, but the horde looked to have no end. He put up his shield, and transformed Gungnir into a spiked ball flail again, which he spun before him, cutting the air and beast alike with equal regard.

  Using the spiked ball flair, William navigated his way towards the ground. Fewer demons blocked his path, thanks to the Archonian counter attack drawing most of the demon’s attention. No one seemed to notice him approaching the portal from above. It was massive, and black, wreathed in clouds of brilliant blue. It looked eerily similar to Gabe’s portal he used during his ascent to Archonia.

  It’s just a projection, William thought to himself.

  It could be destroyed, but that would prove useless unless he could find the conjurer. They would simply open another. William scanned the area, before spotting his target. The dark creatures pouring out of the portal gave the man a wide berth.

  Meredox wasn’t wearing his normal regalia. His armor had changed. It was now black, trimmed in gold, adorned with twisted looking spikes. A long cape flowed from his back, and he wore no helm, his dark hair and features terrifying, as if the life and color had been drained from him. Meredox stood with his hands high, energy pouring out of them to keep the massive portal open.

  He was facing away, so he couldn’t see William An enormous slithering creature with huge scales, and a horned head rolled out past the traitorous man.

  A wyrm, William thought, connecting the beast to its name.

  He dropped down behind Meredox, hitting the ground without opposition. He caught leverage in the stone and leapt forth, kicking Meredox in the back, sending him flying towards the portal. William gathered his energy, gave a mighty battle cry, and sent a massive energy blast at the black light of the portal. The beam struck the portal momentarily bubbling like glass, before shattering into a million pieces. The wyrm, having only made it halfway through, was cut in two, a horrifying screech splitting the air before it flopped lifeless to the ground.

  William smiled with satisfaction, but it was short lived as massive demons howled and rushed. He stood his ground, but these were no ordinary spawn. They were hybrids. Half-Archonian, half-demon, they were very strong. Such a creature had not been completely mutilated or reincorporated into a new form in Dichonia. They were able to be strong like an Archonian and looked for the most part human.

  Equipped with Vulcanus’ shield, and Gungnir, the blade of an Archon, William burst forward, coming inside of the first demon’s wild swing, and sinking his blade all the way to the hilt into its stomach. He tossed the creature off and spun to parry another attack, but was met with a large starburst mace to the chest. His armor cracked, and he flew back skidding awkwardly along the ground.

  Another hammer strike came towards him while he was still prone on the ground, but he held up his shield, and as the hammer struck it threw the weapon high into the air, and blinded the demon attacking. William swung his blade, cutting the creature’s legs out from under it, and then exploded from the ground as several more weapons struck the ground.

  William twisted in the air, and loosed a flurry of energy balls towards the ground engulfing the group of demons in fiery energy, but something struck him hard, sending him flying back to the ground. Pain shot through his back as he hit, kicking up a massive plume of dust. He looked around quickly, trying to find an incoming attack, but there was a space between him, and the encroaching lines of demons. He painfully rose to his knees, and waited. It appeared they were waiting for something.

  “Another tainted soul,” he heard a familiar voice say.

  William got to his feet, and turned, coming face to face with Meredox. He had changed considerably. His normally curly, shimmering hair was wild, and his face much paler than usual, the veins showing dark from under his skint. He actually looked like a warrior now, his body heavily armored by rigid, spiked-plates.

  “You will pay for this, traitor!” William shouted.

  Meredox looked at him, a quizzical almost bored look on his face.

  “It looks as though you’re the traitor,” he replied, indicating the burn upon William’s face.

  “Your lies will be brought to light,” William said through gritted teeth.

  “I assure you, Archonian, that I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Meredox said, dismissing William’s accusation with a wave. “But you can see that there is no way that you will be getting out of this alive.” Meredox gestured to the hordes around him, the creatures snapping and barking at the chance to rip William to pieces.

  “Unless…why not join us?” he asked, smiling, and standing with open arms.

  William was taken aback for a moment. But his resolve was stronger now than it had ever been.

  “You’ll have to kill me,” he said defiantly.

  “Well that is unfortunate,” the fallen Archonian said. “You know in the underworld we Archonians live as gods amongst the damned and decrepit!”

  William wouldn’t waste another moment listening to the deceiver’s words. He charged suddenly, decisively arching his sword above his head, and bringing it down hard. His strike stopped mid-swing, his shoulders straining against the recoil as Meredox caught the blade. The ghostly, dark-haired adjudicator stood clutching the sword, barley exerting any effort.

  William swung his shield arm around, catching Meredox in the side. It hit his armor with a single, anticlimactic ding, but Meredox didn’t even move. He looked down at the shield, and grabbed it, twisting William’s arm and wrenching it free from his grasp, before sending it spinning off into the distance. The shield hit a demon, crushing it. Meredox snapped forward, sinking a fist into William’s face, the cold, metal of his gauntlet rupturing his skin.

  William lost all sense of direction as he felt himself skip violently across the ground, each bump jarring him viciously.

  “Oh god,” William sputtered in agony. His eye was already swelling shut, and his mouth and nose were bleeding. He moaned gurgling on blood. He was face down in the dirt and struggled to his hands and knees where he hacked blood out onto the compacted soil below. Through his un-swelled eye he saw some of his teeth in the spit. He shook his head back and forth in determination and began to slowly get up, rasping a painful breath as Meredox applauded.

  “Oh, young one, you do put on a good show,” he almost sang.

  William’s anger bubbled to the surface, and he growled, sending a flurry of energy beams flying. Explosions consumed Meredox in a bright, fiery ball of light William staggered back, smiling hopefully, but disappointment swept over him as the fire subsided and Meredox emerged unscathed, an aura of black energy subsiding around him.

  “Pitiful,” Meredox hissed, and disappeared in a blur.

  William spun on the spot. He felt Meredox behind too late, and turned, just as a ball of energy flashed towards him. The blast was scorching hot, and William screamed, his armor taking the brunt of the force. He landed in a smoking heap, the armor on one side of his body blackened and ruined. He barely managed to stand this time the line of demons watching the fight clawing and whipping at the air, trying to tear loose a chunk of his flesh.

  William gripped his burnt arm to his body, silently wishing he had a sling to immobilize it. He needed to buy his friends as much time as he could, so they could gain the edge, and survive. There would be no getting out of this for him. Although he knew that going in.

  He glanced back to the mighty golden shield that his friends fought behind.

  He coughed up more of his own blood, and thought briefly of Angelica. I wish I could see your face one more time, he thought to himself. He collapsed to his knees, and looked back at Meredox, who stood above him, waiting for something.

  William smiled, a tooth falling out of his mouth. He could lay down and die, fail quietly and move on, but that just wasn’t William’s style. He had one last chance to be a smart ass.

  “Is that all you’ve go
t, you greasy backstabbing piece of…” William started to say, but a crushing flurry of fists rained down, pounding him into the ground.

  William became numb to the pain. He’d felt this before. It almost felt like falling asleep. Dying, he’d discovered, was actually quite easy. Living was the hard part.

  Would there be another life after this one? he wondered, drifting off into darkness.

  William’s heart shuddered in his chest, failing him, as his muscles relaxed. His vision tunneled, narrowing down around him, a distant flicker of silver the last thing he saw.

  Chapter Twenty One

  Vindication

  A familiar, desperate voice rang out, far off in the distance.

  “William!”

  “He will be fine, young Guardian,” another voice chimed in.

  “How do you know?” the first voice, definitely a woman, responded.

  “Some of the wounds are not healing like normal,” Katrina shouted. Yes, it was Katrina. He recognized her voice.

  “Because he knows I am as stubborn as he is,” William said, groggily, his eyes fluttering open.

  Katrina, Brock, and Juarez stood over him. William felt a warm touch as Juarez pushed his healing powers into him once again. The Spaniard apparently had been working hard to restore his mangled body, and with just a quick glance, William realized that a lot of work still lay ahead of him.

  “William!” Katrina cried, wrapping her arms around him.

  “Katrina, please settle down, I need to finish,” Juarez said, impatiently trying to brush her aside.

  “What happened?” William asked, sputtering blood. “Where am I?”

  “You took one hell of a beating little brother we thought we lost you, but Juarez here would not give up he said he felt you still nearby.” Brock said, with a reserved chuckle.

  “It felt like someone dropping a mountain on top of me. I honestly didn’t expect to open my eyes ever again.” William mumbled, pushing up painfully onto his elbows and looking around. He saw familiar carvings, and murals.

  I must be back in the castle, he reasoned, and turned back to Brock.

  “What about the battle. If I’m alive we must have won.”

  “Yes, young Guardian, we were victorious,” Achilles said, appearing between Brock and Katrina.

  William considered the commander, who stood tall and strong, flanked by his guards. Another man stepped up next to him, and William’s blood ran cold. Standing on the other side of Achilles was Meredox.

  “Bastard!” William shouted, and lunged for the man, who was once again clad in his Archonian clothing. Katrina and Brock came forward and caught him, helping him back down onto the bed.

  “Little brother, calm down. He is on our side,” Brock said, holding William, half-crazed, down.

  “That son of a bitch opened the portal! He is the one…”

  “…that saved your life,” Achilles finished his sentence for him. Then he stepped forward and put a hand on William’s chest. The commander’s fierce, piercing gaze calmed him.

  “He opened the portal, lord Achilles, you must believe me!” he reiterated, his tone soft but direct.

  “Achilles, it is time they learned the truth,” Meredox said, loudly cutting into the conversation.

  Achilles nodded and turned, stepping to the side so that William could see him. William struggled against Brock and Katrina, but they refused to loosen their grip.

  “William, let me be the first to apologize,” Meredox said slowly. “You were right all along about the threat to Archonia.”

  “There, he admits it,” William growled through gritted teeth.

  Meredox held up his hands. “Please, let me finish. Long ago I was assigned with the task of bringing a group of fallen Archonians to justice. I took a group of the finest soldiers into the depths of hell, wading through the filth and flame to hunt them all down. And yet, when it came to the last one, I faltered,” he said.

  There was a long pause, where Meredox seemed to struggle with the next part.

  “I couldn’t kill him, not even as he ripped my fellow Archonians to pieces. You did not fight me at Mount Olympus, but my Brother,” Meredox said, his head hanging low.

  William was dumbstruck.

  “A twin brother,” William said, the truth dawning on him finally.

  “Yes, young Guardian, to my everlasting shame,” Meredox replied, pulling down a portion of his toga, to expose a black ring burned into his flesh. It was identical to the one on William’s chest, marking him as a liar.

  A dull roar filled the room as people muttered amongst each other.

  “I marked myself when I returned home from my journey, only after I lied to the Synod. I told them that my task was completed. That he was dead,” the Adjudicator said.

  William relaxed his aching body now. The surprise and anger subsiding as he listened to the story.

  “I have hidden this secret for fifteen hundred years. It was not until recently that I received correspondence from my brother, Luxor, who told me he was coming. I had to keep it a secret, so I convened with my closest friends and allies and informed them of my brother, my lie, and his letter. We believed we could end this threat alone, without hassle to the people, or risking anyone else’s life. Simple, and quiet…the way dirty secrets should remain. But William, I’m glad that you were there,” Meredox said, his brown eyes meeting William’s.

  William didn’t say anything. He didn’t know how to respond.

  “You were right, William. You don’t deserve this,” the disgraced Adjudicator said, closing the gap between them and placing a hand on his face. A dull, burning pain seeped into his skin from the touch, but it quickly subsided.

  “This man is no traitor,” Meredox said aloud.

  William felt his face where he had been branded and the skin was fresh and new. Meredox moved to touch his chest, and William recoiled

  “Leave them,” he said, and Meredox looked at him in confusion. “I was a liar and a thief. I need that as a reminder.”

  Meredox nodded.

  “Please forgive me, William,” Meredox said, searching his eyes.

  “We have all made mistakes,” William responded sincerely.

  William held out his hand, which Meredox grasped in his own. The gesture was simple, and heartfelt. It wouldn’t wash away all the lies and hatred between them, but it was a good start.

  “Thank you, William of Archonia,” Meredox said, reverentially. “Without you, my home would have been lost.”

  William nodded.

  “What happened in the battle? How did we win?” William asked, looking at Achilles.

  “You won the day little brother!” Brock bellowed. “Your shield wall worked. After the portal was closed we were able to manage the numbers, and drove them back.”

  “How am I alive?” William asked, turning back to Meredox.

  “I gave my brother a welcome home present,” Meredox said, smugly. “Achilles and his Myrmidons helped me punch through, and when he realized that the battle had turned, Luxor ran scared through another portal. The coward didn’t even bother waiting for his fellow soldiers. With their reinforcements cut off, the enemy was no match for the combined forces of Archonia.”

  The crowd around his bed applauded, and smiled, but all of them jumped at the chance to shake William’s hand. He’d never been treated like a hero before, and he found it all a bit overwhelming.

  “Against an unknown enemy, and impossible odds, you rallied our forces, and in the end, led Archonia to victory. Amazing what a simple act of courage can accomplish,” Achilles offered, and then turned and began to walk away. “Your prowess grows, William of Archonia. I will have need of you in the future,” he said loudly, before disappearing from the room.

  The rest of the onlookers left as well, leaving William with Brock, Katrina, and Juarez. His friends helped him out of bed, down the stairs, and out into the flowing fields of Archonia. The sun was dipping low in the sky, casting the long grasses in a radiant
, strawberry hue.

  They looked at each other and sighed.

  “Are you feeling better?” Katrina asked.

  “I think so…Juarez works wonders. I’m just a little stiff.”

  “Good,” Katrina said slugging him in the arm.

  “Ow what was that for?”

  “That was for leaving me to go on that suicide mission.”

  “Kat I really didn’t think I was going to make it out of that. I wasn’t lying to you.”

  “I know, I’m just upset at myself most. Friends protect one another, they don’t sacrifice alone, William. I was ready to give my life alongside you, to save Archonia,” Katrina said, her eyes glassy with the promise of tears.

  “I’m sorry, Katrina. I didn’t want you to throw away your life,” William said, sincerely.

  “Yes, you saved us all, amigo,” Juarez said. “But next time, you’re bringing us along!”

  William put a hand on his shoulder, and smiled.

  “Deal!”

  William held up his other arm to Katrina, who still scowled. Finally, after a few moments, she threw her arms around them both, and pulled them into a hug.

  * * *

  During the next few days Helios held large funeral services. Many soldiers fell during battle, passing on to the next life. The city glowed with pyres as the bodies were burned like, honoring the old-world traditions of Earth. William attended as many as he could.

  One of the evenings he was asked to light a pyre for a warrior of particular renown. This lone warrior had been one of the first on the scene of the attack. He was a part of Brock’s regiment, and when William saw him his heart sank. It was Alacron, the man who had taught him the ways of the blade.

  His heart ached as he watched his friends light another fire later that night. Samuel and Juarez lit the pyre under Ulifrig. The Guardian had only just forged his armor, and was already gone.

  For the first time in his life, William prayed. He asked that his fallen friends find the next world, and peace. He didn’t know who he was praying to. But he hoped they got the message.