by Robe
He pushed himself up to see the spear of the raider headed straight for him, but before the blade could reach him, Zanesh dove from the roof and knocked the raider off of its horse. The two crashed to the ground and began wrestling over control of the spear. Zanesh forced the black raider into a submissive position, but it was only a moment before the horse was rearing up at her, trying to save its rider.
Zanesh had to tumble away, and the black knight reached up to grab one of the stirrups before the horse bolted, dragging the raider behind it.
Joan stood just outside the Long House doors as Dalk, Reon and Thraun dashed away to aid the citizens fighting back against the black raider threat. She caught a glimpse of Veese through the battle and saw him draw his sword to engage the mounted opposition. She ran to reach him, looking back to see that Kandon had left the Long House with his crossbow and was following her.
“Veese!” she yelled to him over the cries and screams of battle, but he did not hear her and advanced away. He was completely focused as he navigated the turmoil around him, like one certain task was pressed hard into his mind.
“What do we do?” Kandon asked her, stopping and swiveling his gaze to ensure no raiders caught them off guard. “Plenty of these people could use our help.”
“We follow him. I don’t know what he’s doing, but he’s going to need help,” Joan decided. “The Martins are capable of fighting this threat without us.”
Kandon nodded and gestured for her to lead. It was complete chaos around them. Weapons were regularly swung too close for comfort, whether they belonged to friend or foe. More than once, Kandon pulled Joan aside while a mounted raider passed them, taking a swipe at their heads as it went. Veese was almost completely out of sight, and Joan only managed to keep track of him by quick glimpses from gaps in the combat.
“He certainly knows how to get lost in a crowd,” Kandon grunted, struggling to keep up with Joan as she nearly sprinted past raiders and Martins locked in action.
A particular black knight caught sight of the two purposefully pushing through the battlefield and turned its horse to charge them. As the raider thundered in their direction, Joan sidestepped the horse and blasted the mounted attacker with a forceful stream of water, throwing it clean off its beast.
As if unhindered, Joan kept running, her teammate sputtering behind her. “Keep up, Kandon!” she cried.
Kandon gasped, “I don’t know… what happened to you before I met you… but something is seriously wrong for you to be able to move so fast… and not be tired.”
“You’ll only wear yourself out more if you don’t stop wasting your breath!” Joan yelled behind her, and Kandon closed his mouth and concentrated on keeping up with his female companion.
By some miracle, Veese was still in Joan’s sight, and just a few moments later, he stopped, having found what he was searching for. Joan and Kandon broke into the clearing behind him and were hardly surprised to see Balanch. Clamped in his hand was the powerful, glowing, grey blade Argain had given him. He was easily overtaking a Martin, and Veese advanced upon him as Balanch kicked his opponent to the ground and slathered him with a glob of slimy tar.
Joan followed Veese, and Kandon crouched to aim his crossbow. Veese reached the villain much sooner, striking out with his elegant sword. Although taken off-guard, Balanch managed to evade Veese’s blade with his superhuman reflexes.
“Ah,” Balanch said, turning to face the heroes. “Veese, is it? Oh, and you’ve brought a friend this time.”
“Back down, Balanch,” Joan shouted. “You don’t have any reason to hurt these people!”
“Oh, but I do,” Balanch retorted, watching Veese as he flanked the villain. “My master has bid it.”
“Your master was beaten the last time we fought,” Joan said. “He is less powerful than you think.”
“Ha ha!” Balanch barked. “If you think my master is so easily defeated, then perhaps you should witness my full strength.”
As quickly as Balanch finished speaking, he whipped around and aimed his sword at Veese who had circled behind him. From the tip of his blade spurted a mighty jet of tar, picking Veese off his feet and slamming him into the shattering glass of a nearby window.
Hastily, Joan extended both of her hands, and from each came a burst of water. Balanch turned back and easily deflected her attack with another blast of muck, which overtook Joan’s water and made her leap aside to avoid the counter.
Seeing Joan had escaped his first attempt, Balanch raised his hand to further barrage her, but a bolt skimmed his palm, making him recoil. Not far behind Joan, Kandon was hastily loading another bolt into his crossbow, with a third ready in his mouth. He fired at Balanch again, and the villain lept to the side.
Veese ran back into the fight as Balanch recovered, and he made eye contact with his opponent. Lifting his sword with both hands, Balanch slammed his weapon into the ground, releasing a black wave of sludge in a ripple around him. Veese easily lifted himself away from the attack with a gust of wind, but, realizing that the attack would spread to Joan and Kandon too, he extended his hand and let out a grunt of exertion as he manipulated the air around his two allies, sweeping them up off the ground as well.
Joan and Kandon were quite surprised to be airborne so suddenly, and once the dark murk of Balanch’s attack had passed, they fell back to the ground. Veese dropped also, panting from such a spontaneous use of his energy.
Steadying himself, Balanch shot a blast of grime at Kandon, successfully ripping the crossbow from his hands, and then he sent another glob at Joan. Behind him, Veese charged, striking at the villain with wind-reinforced speed. Balanch matched him blow-for-blow, but Veese never gave him the chance to counter. Flurry after flurry of quick and precise attacks made Balanch back away from Veese as he blocked each strike with careful positioning of his sword. It was clear by his face that Balanch was overwhelmed and immensely frustrated.
Balanch was backed up against the side of a house before he finally managed to vehemently sweep his sword through Veese’s whirlwind of attacks. Veese was sprayed with tar once again, blinding him and forcing him to back away quickly. The villain pursued, sending another burst of muck at Veese, but Kandon appeared at the villain’s side and rammed him with his shoulder.
Before Balanch could retaliate, Joan was spraying him with a stream of water, not strong enough to knock him from his feet, but plenty forceful for unsteadying him and preventing him from fighting back. He began to shout in anger and threw his hand downward. A small explosion erupted at his feet, and a veil of smoke surrounded him.
Although they could not see him, his taunting voice lurked to their ears through the haze, “Just wait, heroes. One day my master will give me permission to slaughter you all, and slaughter you I shall.” His threat faded, and when Veese blew the fog away with a gust, Balanch was gone.
The battle raged around Auric as he pulled a Martin woman to her feet shortly after warding off her assailant. With a quick nod, she thanked him and was off to aid the others fighting to survive. Auric had been searching for Hazzul when shouts from the nearby Martins alerted him to the approaching threat of the black raiders. Fearing for the safety of his friends, he had begun maneuvering through the chaos springing up around him, trying to reach the Long House.
A mounted raider dashed past him, purposefully charging toward someone who was trying to remain undetected. It didn’t take Auric long to identify the person as Hazzul, and he ran to catch up with the black raider.
“Watch out!” Auric cried, causing Hazzul to look up just soon enough to see the raider charging him and move out of the way. The raider circled around and dashed back toward Hazzul, forcing the man to run as the brigand brandished its sword.
Auric threw himself between Hazzul and the raider, deflecting the attack with his own blade and allowing Hazzul time to regain his balance.
“Run,” Auric said, and Hazzul took cover as the raider turned.
The being sat idle atop its horse
and almost seemed to be staring Auric down. Auric stared back into its empty helmet, waiting for it to make a move. He didn’t have to wait long, the raider’s horse suddenly charging at him again. Its eyes bulged wildly and its black mane whipped behind its head.
With so much speed and gaining, Auric knew he would not be able to repel the next attack of the raider. He switched his sword to his left hand and braced himself. As the horse reached him, he ducked low enough so that the raider’s blade only clipped his tunic and then pushed himself from the ground and twisted. Both hands found the hilt of his blade in the split second he was airborne, and he swung hard. It connected, penetrating the plating just above the moving armor’s waist.
The raider let out a hiss and fell forward on its steed. Too injured to continue the fight, the mounted knight grabbed at its wound as its horse took it away from the battle. Auric watched, ensuring it was in full retreat before turning his attention away.
Hazzul was lingering in the shadows under a nearby building, and Auric beckoned for him to follow. The two navigated the furious battle that raged around them, but it was difficult for Auric to limit himself to seeing to Hazzul’s safety. He wanted to help the people around him, but as they were more skilled fighters than he, Auric felt his duty to escort Hazzul to the Long House was the greatest priority.
It was not long before Auric spotted the characteristic fireballs of Reon, each one giving the black raiders another reason to flee as the pyromancer hurled blaze after blaze at the attackers. He had gathered quite a bit of attention, and every nearby raider seemed to want a piece of him. However, as each one reached Reon, its attack would be deflected by a sudden barrier raised promptly by Thraun.
Auric almost laughed as a raider thrusted its spear determinedly at the pair, only to have its weapon and horse collide clumsily against Thraun’s shield. With a quick look to make sure Hazzul was still close behind him, Auric led the way to Reon and Thraun’s position, and upon reaching them, he was greeted welcomingly.
“Here to join our moving-armor torching team, Auric?” Reon asked. “Good to see you! And you, Hazzul,” he said as he noticed the man behind Auric.
“We need to get to the Long House,” Auric said.
“Keep following this street,” Thraun said. “The others are farther ahead.”
“We’ll cover you,” Reon said, and after making a direct hit on an advancing raider, he cried, “Go!”
Auric dashed away from the protection of his allies, Hazzul at his heels. The raiders all dashed at them at once, but Reon took down two of them before they could reach the pair. Auric pulled Hazzul away from another approaching rider just before its blow fell, and the pair had to split to allow a fourth attacker to pass between them.
“We can’t keep this up!” Hazzul spat.
“Stay with me,” Auric said, and as the attackers lost interest, the two slowed. “I recognize these buildings. We’re not far off.”
Ahead of them, another black raider was stopped, standing and blocking their path. This one seemed larger and more heavily armed, with trimmed armor and a sweeping red cape. In one hand, it gripped a spear, the other a shield, and its helmet sported two vicious tusks protruding forward from either side. It waited idly, menacingly, and Auric halted abruptly, causing Hazzul to bump into him.
Slowly, the horse stepped forward, the rider’s spear pointed lazily to the side as it advanced. Instinctively, Auric stepped backward, keeping the distance between the mounted raider and the two men.
“This one is different,” Hazzul said quietly. “I can feel it.”
Auric held his sword outward, threatening the being as its horse clopped toward them. The raider slowed, and then all of a sudden, it dashed, poising its spear to kill.
“Move!” Auric commanded, and Hazzul fled as the raider neared them. Auric braced himself for the smashing of the raider’s spear into his own weapon, but he easily deflected a fleeting blow from the attacker as it brushed past him. The raider’s true intentions revealed, Auric pushed forward from his position and raced to catch up with Hazzul as the mounted raider chased him down. Hazzul was slippery enough to avoid the first blow from the rider, but he was quickly overtaken by the next swing.
Auric reached the two, but the black raider’s horse inexplicably sidestepped him, and he stumbled sideways. Hazzul dashed around the horse, trying to reach Auric, but the raider refused to allow the two to join and smashed its spear down between them. Separated and vulnerable, Auric knew he had to act before the black raider’s next strike. Forcing himself to take an action he deeply detested, Auric plunged his sword into the horse of the knight.
It was like nothing Auric had ever seen before. The tear in the horse’s hide did not bleed, but a swirling gust of black mist escaped from the wound. The horse cried out, and its shrieks in no way resembled an equine’s. The creature fell to its knees, its eyes glowing brightly from their sockets. Within moments, the beast was consumed by the swirling blackness, and then the lights of its eyes went out, and it was gone.
As the mist faded, the knight remained, and discarding its spear and shield, it drew a bastard sword which gleamed an otherworldly black. It appeared even larger as it stood before Auric and Hazzul, towering over them as its cape swept behind it, blood red.
Hazzul managed to get behind Auric, but before Auric could tell Hazzul to back away further, the raider was upon them, swinging its blade in a fast and aggressive style. Auric was forced backwards with little option, and he could barely deflect the swift strikes of the raider as it grew nearer and nearer to the hero. Each time his sword came into contact with the raider’s, the sheer velocity of the swing sent vibrations shuddering down Auric’s weapon which left him struggling to keep a grip on his own tool.
Auric was too overwhelmed to strike aggressively, and before he knew it, the raider had him within grappling range. As Auric tried to deflect a final blow, the black knight reached out and grabbed his hand where he gripped the hilt of his sword. The crushing strength of the raider almost made Auric drop his tool, but he held onto it, only to see the knight turn sideways and kick into his stomach.
Completely blinded by pain and having the air knocked out of him, Auric doubled over at the mercy of his opponent. Auric tried to move, but he fell sideways in agony. Almost helpless, he determinedly pushed himself up, hoping to anything that he could regain his strength before a lethal blow cut him down.
The blow never came, though, and when he regained his senses, he opened his eyes to see Hazzul trying to defend himself from the knight with a short blade he had drawn. Auric got to his feet and took one step before falling back down, the pain in his gut too much to overcome. Uselessly, he watched as the raider overtook Hazzul in the same way he had defeated Auric. Hazzul held out longer than Auric had, but it was only a matter of time before the raider was too close to defend against. With a fast sweep upwards, the knight’s sword slashed through Hazzul, and the man fell silently, blood quickly staining his clothing.
Content, the raider flourished its sword, cleaning it of Hazzul’s blood, and then the weapon was sheathed. Caring none for the fate of Auric, the knight walked away through the turmoil, its red cape mocking them as it strolled casually past the dead and dying.
Auric pulled himself toward Hazzul, and the battle around them slowed before coming to a stop altogether. With the retreat of the decorated raider, the others soon followed, leaving the Martins to tend to their allies.
“Stay with me,” Auric said as he reached Hazzul. “Stay with me. You’re going to be alright.”
The wounded man quivered as Auric parted the cloth where the sword had torn through, and he squeezed his eyes shut in pain. It was one long wound, not terribly deep, but plenty effective to kill a man if unattended to.
“We’ve got this under control,” Auric said, half reassuring himself. “Stay conscious. You’ll be just fine.” He tore his own cloak off and tied it around the deepest part of Hazzul’s wound, trying to stop the bleeding.
&n
bsp; With enormous effort, Auric scooped Hazzul up and lifted him into the air. He stepped forward, and the nausea from the trauma he had suffered almost brought them both down.
“C-can’t feel,” Hazzul sputtered in Auric’s arms. “Can’t feel it.”
“Shhh,” Auric hushed him. “Quiet. You’re going to pull through.” He looked up to see the Long House just before them and, swallowing down his pain, carried Hazzul to safety.
23
“Where is Ysseri? I must speak with Ysseri!” Zanesh shouted as she stormed into the Long House, Dalk trailing behind her.
“I am here, Zanesh,” Ysseri spoke, standing beside Auric and Ziem as they waited for Healer Whencetos to finish examining Hazzul.
“Ysseri,” Zanesh said, her face flush. “We have to rally the people. We have to strike back at these raiders or they will only return to attack again.”
“No, Zanesh,” Ysseri replied. “I don’t believe that is the best course of action.”
“What?” Zanesh gasped. “These raiders are relentless. They kill without a thought. The only way to protect our people is to chase them back to wherever on the New World they came from and destroy them!”
“I agree that we must retaliate,” Ysseri said, “but now is not the time. I have walked the streets, I have seen the people. This conflict is wearing on them, and to lead them blindly to battle in the shape they are in would only cause more of them to die.”
Zanesh grit her teeth and her cheeks reddened further.
“Be patient, Zanesh,” Ysseri said. “We have sent for aid from Winteden to the south. For now, our people must rest, and we must secure Oluld.”
With a face that did not attempt to hide her disagreement, Zanesh turned and stomped out of the Long House doors.