Laugh of Destruction (Book 3 of the Death Incarnate Saga)

by Jr H. Lee Morgan

  There came a bloodcurdling scream in the distance which had every Utala on their feet. Being nearest the open door of the tavern, Cage and Daku shot out first to look to the south. From the wooden floor the two caught sight of the town staring in the same direction. It was silent for a moment only as Cage took everything in. Off in the distance there came a battle cry along with the sound of metal striking metal. From their slightly higher vantage point they saw a large group of men charging in the mid afternoon sun with swords and ready crossbows.

  Almost as one, all of the home guard unsheathed their swords in a metallic ringing sound before charging through the frightened crowd. Other men with swords drew them and shouted for the women and children to flee. Over the cacophony of screaming there came one clear shout “BANDITS!!!”

  By the numbers of men surging this way it wasn’t just an attack, it was an extermination. One of the side thoughts Cage had was, Is the Laqura Empire here already? How did so many men reach this place without me sensing a Jump? But at his forethoughts he gazed at all these unsuspecting people and all the Utala waiting for him to decide what they would do since they scrambled to where they knew he’d be. They didn’t say a word and that meant their serious expressions wanted to take action since it wasn’t Kote attacking them. His decision came within a heartbeat. “Warriors! To me! Hunters! Get the children inside and bar the exits! Half of the hunters! Ride north and kill any bandits waiting to cut off the women and children. Leave none alive unless you determine they have worth, but cut off their hands so they can’t stab you in the back!”

  Then Cage jumped off the walkway and ran south, followed by all the Utala warriors and gathering the ones running to the tavern along the way. Daggers were drawn, arrows fitted and lances lowered. Daku then sensed as Cage did, but said “Be careful humans! There is magic here!” Great blue eyes settled on black. Without unspoken word but with knowing connection Daku extended his forty foot wingspan and took to the air as Cage leapt and gathered his black board beneath to fly and not need to fight the crowds. From their position they could clearly see bandits bulling their way, cutting down any in their path. Some Utala were already there, fighting alongside the home guard and men at arms who brought a blade and used it to fight for their families. But arrows were useless against the hungry looking bandits as simple magic prevented the projectiles from striking the target. From their height over the crowd Cage guessed there to be close to three hundred leather armored men carrying weapons with cruel intent.

  Without even pausing to think a grin spread over Cage’s features as the bandits paused in their attack when they spotted them flying straight at the lot of them. Trying a wide range spell Megdline taught when confronting a militia of non-mage people with simple magical wards, Cage threw his arms forward and a black mist rolled off his hands and expanded to target the bandits using magic. It was an advanced application to the shield breaking spell he’d used several times, but instead of breaking the enemy barriers, the mist attached to the spheres, locking the magic together to constantly activate the enemy magic so as to not only drain the source of the warded object, but set to blind the men from seeing out.

  Most tumbled and fell when the simple wards were attacked and gave Cage just enough time to work a secondary spell which would invert their barriers on every crossbowman he’d seen. The cost of the two spreading spells were tremendous on his physical mana as he had to maintain the black mist and the inversion while flying.

  A commanding voice in the enemy force said “Drop the crystals!”

  In the time the bandits registered the command from the Bandit Lord the Utala and home guard reinforcements began hacking away at the blinded bandits who were easy to target because they were covered in a personal sphere of blackness. Thirty were felled before the bandits were quick enough to drop their magical objects and leave its protection and fight like men.

  But without the crystals, Utala archers targeted the weak areas of their target’s sparse armor.

  The battle joined and Cage watched Daku drop to the ground and spread his wings across the street to deflect arrows and bolts off his hard body from the bandits who shed themselves of the useless barriers. Some lucky arrows pierced Daku’s furry neck, but most bounced off his hard wing feathers. As the last of the fighters passed him, he grew till he completely blocked any further access for the bandits to use Kote’s main road, his great wings stood flat as a white wall while his bulk took up nearly half the road itself. The griffin blocked all arrows from hitting the fleeing humans and held position, making it clear he wouldn’t move till they were all dead.

  Fear gripped the bandits for they weren’t ready for this, nor did they see any way to survive except run as not only was their path blocked by a great beast, but how fierce the copper skinned people were at effortlessly killing any in their way.

  Most ran screaming for their lives only to be cut down by arrows in their back which presented perfect targets.

  Before Cage dropped into the fray with a laugh he saw Meeka slicing through the throat of one man before turning and landing a well placed kick to the man’s sternum, her dress hindering her little. An arrow fired at her during the kick, but the wards upon the crystal bound to her bracelet deflected it harmlessly. The flailing man tripped two others which Cillian took the opportunity to crush the throat of one under his heel before jumping over and skillfully driving his dagger to the hilt through the man’s eye. Brooke was a whirlwind of death in her dress as her tomahawks deftly lopped off unguarded hands, split helmets, almost decapitating some in her dance. Ren’s sword was like a work of art and few could block even one swing before he ended them with a hidden dagger in the other hand. Utala and townsmen were a truly lethal combination. Utala now killed with less wasted movement from all the training under their chief’s tutelage and pride swelled with the chief.

  On the ground, Cage spun heads around, grabbed blades barehanded to wrench arms and stab men with their own weapon. His robe was in stealth mode and it stuck to his body, offering movement as if he wore nothing at all. One swung for his head, but Cage blocked it with an elbow before spinning around, wrapping an arm under the man’s chin and moved forward, wrenching the head with little resistance as it spun completely around and he dropped dead. Cage fought while laughing and killing in a single-minded direction, towards the clear leader trying to keep his men together. An arrow harmlessly bounded off one of Cage’s wards and turned off by command. There were no mages present, just warded crystals. The alcohol earlier didn’t even slow him down, for which he was grateful. If he were off in any way there would be great trouble ahead. Then he snapped a man’s knee and used the body as a shield as two swordsman hacked for him, but instead killed one of their own. Zatal had quickly caught up, using a lance to stab one of the two and used his knife to slice the second man’s exposed throat.

  The Bandit Lord saw his men dropping like wheat to a scythe. He found it pointless to wrangle his men to fight back. He didn’t plan on a mage or that creature being here or how his men stood no chance against the fierceness the copper skinned people fought with, and worse yet, he thought, Women are fighting! And they did more, they killed his men without hesitation. Then he knew there was no chance for victory as people on horses began riding over the white beast’s body like a bridge which had barred their path. Dozens of horsemen used the creature in a way he wouldn’t have dreamed and charged at his men who had been dwindled already to half.

  He called “RETREAT!!! RETREAT!!!” as loud as he could.

  Then the Bandit Lord felt true, mortal fear when a pair of black eyes met his. A wild, feral grin like some stalking cat gave a cold chill he hadn’t felt since he became leader of the deadliest group of bandits in all of Vlara, but it all meant nothing as soon as he saw this tall man striking like a snake and killing every man who came too close without breaking eye contact or pausing to blink. The next thing the Bandit Lord heard was true silence as hard men learned to back away from the man in green and coated
with blood of his enemies. No longer could he hear the cries of battle, pain or a death rattle in such an overwhelming presence fully unleashed. Nothing had wounded the tall mage or slowed him down. Few reached the Bandit Lord’s height but the mage walking ever closer easily matched it and looked directly at him without cowering. The Bandit Lord’s world of silence ended when he heard the mage state “You fucked up big time, Pal.”

  With the rush of sound returning from those confident words the Bandit Lord felt the weight of his great battleaxe hungering to be used. Its reach was easily five feet with the axe’s blade width of two and a half of solid iron. Anger suffused him as his promise of women and riches were ultimately foiled by this mage. All he had to do was kill the approaching man and be able to flee and get revenge on the men who hired them. Muscles bulged as he looked through the eyelets of his helmet while he pulled the axe back and with a roar, swung for his head.

  With the swing, Cage sensed magic gathering around the impressive weapon and instinct honed over countless fights is all that saved him. Wards bound to the diamonds flared to life and met the giant axe’s foreign magic, but his wards folded instantly while the axe didn’t slow. With his left hand, Cage didn’t show surprise to the unexpected failure while punching upwards from his hip, connected with the metal shaft of the double bladed battleaxe, forcing it upwards with enough impact that the trajectory altered adequately to pass over his head safely.

  Dumbfounded to have been so casually thwarted, the Bandit Lord swung again and Cage’s repaired wards were again bypassed, but the angle in the next attack was awkward, having little power behind it and Cage’s right hand deftly grabbed the sharp edge and halted the strike.

  Movement canceled between them and the ringleader stared in surprise.

  In the next moment Cage created his black sword from his fingers and cut off the man’s arm at the shoulder while his right hand pulled the axe away since there was a leather loop binding it to the huge man’s hand. It was much heavier than it looked, a good hundred pounds of solid weapon. As leader of the attack, Cage decided to keep the grotesque man alive, but not as he was. With his sword of pure magic, Cage didn’t stop at just severing the arm. The lead bandit fell to the ground as a stump as he no longer had either arms or legs and his helm rolled away. A quick thought and smell of burnt flesh cauterized the wounds, eliciting savage cries from the man.

  Seeing the Bandit Lord fall so easily, most turned tail and fled.

  Kote’s men cheered but the Utala looked to their chief and those running for their lives. “Go hunt these stupid men down!” And then the Utala cheered, chasing down every fleeing bandit. Even mercilessly killing the ones surrendering as he gave clear indication there would be few prisoners.

  Cillian and Ren ran to him in the next second, coated in blood, little being their own. The mayor asked “Why did you order the men surrendering to die?”

  “Just saving you the paperwork, for you would have them hung soon anyway. Besides, you best go help my people since they do not know the land, but it won’t stop them from ending the lives of all these bandits. Hurry before my tribe has all the fun.” Cage replied quickly while un-tethering the lifeless hand from the axe and laying the massive weapon across his broad shoulders.

  Ren quickly said “If not for your tribe, we would likely all be dead.” That being enough, the captain of the home guard called for all the men to hunt down these bandits and show no mercy. The sword wielding men not of the guard also charged after the swarm of Utala warriors killing the fleeing men every moment.

  “Cillian,” The man turned to Cage while clutching his blood dripping knife and a sword he managed to take from an enemy. “Hurry and gather the wounded. I might be able to save some of them.”

  Daku’s giant form rose when he heard his partner’s orders and felt attacks on him end and behind him stood a wall of archers numbering a dozen who protected him from being rushed till the mounted Utala could charge over his back. He then looked to the fleeing, unjust humans and growled so deeply it resonated in every nearby breast before he charged off like a bolt of lightning after those who came to do harm. People moved when they heard his shrill roar and tremors caused by a heavy body. Fleeing bandits were flattened beneath his paws, at least those who couldn’t outrun him before reaching the woods.

  Cillian and Cage called for every remaining person to search for wounded.

  Brooke and Meeka were soaked in blood, sweat and gore as they rushed to Cage before helping the growing number of men and women search the bodies for wounded. Cage was yelled for the most critical patients before tending to those who would live for much longer. Magic flowed from him as he quickly tended to the wounded, reattached limbs, staunched mortal and even grave wounds. He lost count as he ran from place to place when someone else had been found alive. He was so focused he didn’t even notice the sex of the person, whether they were young or old or even if they were of his tribe or not. The only thing he did remember was telling the children of his tribe to gather all the crystals while having Sean and Rena watch over the battleaxe and have the leader of the bandits, he permanently grounded, watched over.

  Only when he healed a man with an arrow through his gut, did he hear “That was the last one, Cage.” and turned his head to see Cillian right beside him and helped him stand. He drew more from his gems and sensed there was plenty if there was a second attack, but little more.

  Around him stood all of Kote staring at him. “Did I miss something?”

  Cillian patted him on the back tiredly. “It’s been a good hour since the attack and we lost only four of our people, but Elder Metak says your people are well accounted for. All but five bandits, including the gang leader are alive. Good thing you sent hunters north, your people saved all of ours from falling into a trap. Your quick assessment saved many more lives. Daku though needs your help as a few arrows can’t be dislodged. He has really thick skin, more than I suspected. The arrows that pierced cannot be removed without breaking off inside. Can you make it?”

  “Where?” but Cage found the giant Familiar curled in a ball as some children tried soothing him. Cage knew his partner held out so he could save as many lives as possible. Then he ran for his friend and people parted. Children moved aside and Cage stroked the soft fur. “I’ll get them out.” Daku simply looked before shifting his head to show his bloody white fur with two dozen arrows sticking from his neck and shoulder. Cage firmly grabbed the arrows and ripped them out quickly, bits of flesh coming along with the barbs. The pieces that broke off required Cage to borrow a knife to cut him open and remove the foreign objects. So far only healing magic and sticking worked, but any other form of magic was useless, even to pull out the arrow heads and splinters. It had to be removed by hand. The griffin grunted as he was healed immediately after each painful arrow was removed from tender flesh. It took a few minutes to free his Familiar of the barbed projectiles. “Anywhere else?”

  “No.” And Daku finally began to shrink down to the size of a large cat, something he couldn’t do with arrows sticking out without risking more damage to his body. “Did we get them all?”

  “Yes,” Metak and nearly every Utala approached. “There are none left in the forest, of that we are sure.” Cillian and others came closer. “Cillian Brother, I’m sorry our people were all unharmed while you lost some of your tribe. What a sad end to such a good week.”

  “It’s not over yet.” Cage declared loud enough to gain attention. “I’ll not let them bastards ruin such a week of fun and sharing. We are still going to continue with what we’ve been working on these past few nights…”

  Brooke said “Cage, you cannot be serious. We cannot do it.”

  “We will.” He wasn’t going to relent and his people could see he meant it. “Pile the bastards before dark and I’ll bury them so we don’t have to see the corpses. To any family member who lost someone today, come forth and I’ll bury your loved one wherever you would want them to rest… To my people, go clean up and get re
ady. If you have blood on your clothes I’ll remove the stain.” He met the mayor’s uncertain gaze. “Cillian, make sure everyone has a seat around the platform. We cannot let their interference ruin all our hard work between our peoples. You know I’m right in this. Should we end the celebration as it is, our people will only remember the attack, not the joy and competition we worked so hard for. Will you let those bastards ruin all the good we’ve done?”

  “No, I certainly will not.” The mayor finally understood where he was coming from. Tragedy lingered longer than joy.

  “Nor will the home guard.” Ren stated, needing to speak since it was clear the people hesitated and whispered. “If not for the Utala or you Cage and Daku, our town would have been overrun with brigands. Many more would have died and our women and children would be held captive, raped or worse. Your people have earned much respect in my opinion.”

  “As have yours.” Elder Shania stepped closer to the disheveled man. “We fought well together and our warriors would have taken much longer to track down those dishonorably stupid men.”

  “Speaking of…” Cage wondered. “How many were there and just how did they sneak up on us so easily before the shouts started in town?”

  Ren answered and watched Cage sit down from exhaustion all the while Daku crawled up in his lap. “Including the five prisoners, three hundred and eleven. As to how they got here, riders found three boats moored in a hidden area by the lake. Those left to guard were swiftly dealt with. The bandits likely came from Zalt, but I cannot confirm that yet. I will find out soon enough though.”

  “Better let me handle it. I can make it so they cannot lie to save their lives.” Cage requested and got a curt nod from the swordsman. “Do you mind bringing me some food? I need to recover.”