Reborn: Book 2 (Chronicles of Ghost Company)

by Shawn Muller

  The flat, scaled head turned to look at me, and the four blood red eyes blinked rapidly before the beast stretched itself, shaking its six arms out. The top four arms had long, vicious claws on the ends of its hands while the lower set of arms ended in a curved bonelike sword. Four legs, ending in pincers, carried the ogres who stood squatter and shorter than the standard four armed ogres who were now leaping over my men to attack the skeletons. The spiked tail flicked back and forth as if it was alive, seeking anything to attack and kill.

  A bestial screech pierced the air as Veggie lifted its head skyward, mouth open to roar a challenge to the gods themselves. Leathery wings unfolded from the thick, muscular shoulders, fanning out to rid them of creases before flapping them wildly.

  A strong wind buffeted me at Veggie leapt high and far in the air, closely followed by the other three unveiled ogres. I stared on in genuine fear as they landed amidst the skeletons, causing chaos as they began their dreadful slaughter. Scores of skeletons were simply ripped apart, in an instant before the ogres leapt high and far again, the leather wings flapping wildly to propel them forward before they landed once more amongst the skeletons.

  By now, the Ghosts were being hard pressed on all sides by the Horde, so I ordered the ring to contract. Smartly, the soldiers stepped back, evenly spaced as a second defensive line formed again within the circle. The roar of the battle was deafening as weapons struck shields, struck weapons and thudded into bone or flesh. I called for another contraction, this time, the steps were hard pressed as the Horde forced us back through sheer weight of numbers.

  Another contraction and all too soon the defensive circle was almost entirely contracted. The ogres had disappeared from sight long ago, probably dragged down through the massed horde of skeletons. Ghosts were beginning to fall to the skeletons weapons. The holes begin plugged by the men behind them as the wounded and dead were dragged back into the middle of the circle.

  I was standing, shield locked next to Max when a huge shape reared in front of us. Skeletons were bashed aside, bones shattering and careening off wildly into other skeletons, shattering them as well. A bellow of pain as the ogre turned suddenly and ripped the head off a skeleton who had just hacked its tail off. The tail twitched around, striking any nearby skeletons down before it was stamped on and ground to a pulp by the Horde surrounding it.

  A gap was opening up around us, the heap of bones and weapons had slowed the skeletons down somewhat. The carnage the ogres had wrought had thinned the Endless Horde down. Now it was time for our avalanche.

  “Attack!” I shouted above the battle.

  Like the avalanche, we launched ourselves at the skeletons. Magical weapons cut and burned their way through the enemy ranks. My sword was chipped and nicked so much that it was almost like a metal club. I dropped it and claimed an unused one which belonged to a pile of bones, and on I fought. Max and I carved our way through the skeletons, dancing a deadly path of destruction as we made our way towards the cyclops rear area.

  Blades clanged off of my shield, across my back I felt the armour give way as a heavy axe blade smashed into me, bringing me to my knees. I knelt there, in the bloodied sand waiting for the killing blow. A heavy weight crashed into me causing me to sprawl onto the ground. A grunt and the weight was lifted off of me, and a gauntleted hand was thrust into my vision, offering to help me to my feet.

  Max stood before me smiling as I climbed out from under a large heap of bones. I nodded my thanks to him, and we turned back to the skeletons before us. Cries of dismay came from behind us as the ogres smashed into the undefended rear of the cyclops legions. The combined forces troll and orcs seized the moment and began to push hard against the cyclops facing them.

  The cyclops lines stood wavering as they were assaulted on two fronts now. Max and I slashed and smashed our way through the defenders as we slowly made our way towards the emperor. A large skeleton stood before me, its desiccated face leering at me, the mouth of teeth locked in a permanent grin as its shrivelled eyes stared at me.

  Tattered hair hung over its face as it stood with a large cutlass at the ready. It looked familiar. But before I could think any further it attacked with lightning speed. I barely parried a thrust before a boney fist struck my head, knocking my helm off. I managed to shove my shield in the way of a downward blow, deflecting the blow to my left.

  My sword bounced off bones which were as hard as stone, notching my sword and leaving a small scratch on the bones. I rolled right and leapt back as the skeleton followed my every move as if it knew where I would be. My shield was breaking apart from the blows, my left arm going numb from the shocks I was receiving from the blows.

  “Duck!” was shouted at me, a whisper above the loud din of the battle.

  I fell flat into the bloody sand as a bolt of pure energy seared my back. The skeleton flared brightly before disintegrating into its base atoms. I looked back to see Mia striding towards me, wrapped in power as she fired blasts of energy into the skeletons who were still standing. I climbed back to my feet and gave her a small salute by lifting my sword up. Her green/blue eyes flashed a wink before turning back towards the floundering cyclops.

  A heap of skeletal bones shivered, and a gravely wounded ogre crawled out from underneath, trailing stumps as its legs were chopped off at the knee. Screams of pain and fear were getting louder, the ogres led by Veggie were ripping the cyclops to pieces. Bits of legs and arms were flung far and wide, heads crushed by single blows before an ogre was overwhelmed by sheer weight of numbers.

  The other three were in a frenzy to reach their fallen comrade, grabbing cyclops and killing them with such ferocity. Throats were being ripped out, blood pouring down opened mouths as the ogres entered into a feeding frenzy. Suddenly, Veggie staggered back as he realised what he was doing. A mournful screech ripped from his chest as he slammed into the other ogres, forcibly stopping their feeding frenzy. A wicked fight broke out as Veggie wrestled one ogre, rolling over bodies and killing both cyclops and trolls as they fought to the death.

  A roar from behind me caused me to tear my eyes away from the gory scene. A dragon was fast approaching us, and it was still a fair distance from me. I dropped my useless sword and grabbed another blood soaked sword and broke into a run towards the emperor. Max joined me in my mad dash towards the cyclops command area, using our shields to bash a path open.

  Before us stood the last barrier, the bodyguards of the cyclops emperor. I didn’t slow down, running straight into the lead guard. My shield cracked in half as the chest of the guard caved in from the force of hitting him. I discarded the shield and lashed out at an unprotected leg, hamstringing another before rolling right and stabbing another in the groin. Max finished off the last few guards and stood grinning at me before a spear burst from his chest. Frothy blood ran down his smooth shaved chin. He looked into my eyes before mouthing four words.

  “I told you so.”

  A bestial roar shook the air from behind the pale-faced, wide-eyed cyclops who still held the spear. Two hands gripped the cyclops head on either side while another pair of hands gripped each arm. A single jerk and the arms were ripped from the body, the head squashed flat between the palms of the powerful ogre hands.

  A flying eyeball splattered onto my chest, joining the rest of the blood and gore which was spread over me. I rushed over to the sprawled figure of Max. I threw the bloodied sword down as I slid to my knees before him. I gently pulled the spear from his body, blood welling out of the gaping hole as I rolled him over. His sightless eyes stared at nothing, the blood on his chin already drying. I brushed my fingertips over his eyes to close the lids, my anguish boiling over into blind fury. I undid the straps of Max’s shield, strapping it onto my left arm.

  Immediately I could feel the powerful magic seeping into my arm, and into my body. I threw my sword overhand at an advancing skeleton, knocking it backwards into the reach of the same ogre who avenged Max. The skeleton didn’t last a minute as I carefully picked up Max
’s sword. The poisons dripped off the sword, eager to corrupt that which it touches.

  The ogre beside me shifted into a standard ogre form, and then only did I realise that it was Veggie. He was missing a lower arm, part of his tail and most of the left side of his face. Broken ribs punched through the thick skin on his chest, and he was bleeding from dozens of cuts which crisscrossed his body.

  Behind him, I could make out a major breakthrough of the trolls. The cyclops armies had broken and were in the process of routing. The fleeing soldiers were throwing down their weapons as they turned and ran back towards the mountain pass where they had come. All along the frontline, King Marcus men were chasing them, cutting down scores from behind in bloody vengeance.

  It took me a moment to see this before I turned back towards the emperor who still stood on a raised platform. His lone eye was wide with fear as I marched on with murderous intent. Head down, shield raised, I was jolted to a halt as that lone dragon landed between myself and my hated enemy.

  The dragon drew its head back, drawing in a deep breath. Whipping the head forward, the heat of a thousand suns burned down on me. I crouched behind the tower shield, trying to keep my body behind it as the dragon’s flames melted the very sand I was standing on.

  As sudden as the flames started, it ended leaving me crouched behind a blackened shield surrounded by cooling glass. The dragon launched itself skywards as it carried the cyclops emperor away to safety. I stood and watched the dragon become a distant spec, while around me the cyclopses who were not quick enough to flee, surrendered. The fight was out of them. The battle was over. But the war was not for as long as the emperor lived.

  ***

  It took three days for the dead to be buried. Huge burial mounds were constructed for the dead of both armies. Cyclops captives were used to dig the holes while King Marcus soldiers dressed the dead and conveyed them to the graves before the cyclops covered them. Prayers to the various gods and ancestors were chanted, mutter or cried out. Two days of mourning was permitted before the combined forces of the king and his allies marched after the fleeing cyclops army.

  The cyclops captives, almost a thousand in total, were herded along, spread amongst the marching armies. They proved very docile and co-operative once captured, almost relieved that the war was over for them.

  The Ghosts were left in solitude once the armies left for the Great Divide Mountain. We were counting our losses again. Three ogres died during the battle. One was executed by Veggie when the bloodlust overcame it, and it attacked our men. The other two were overwhelmed by the skeletons and simply hacked into small pieces. The surviving ogres were in a bad way. Most were missing a few limbs, in Veggies case, a tale as well amongst the other wounds.

  But as we rested, the miraculous regenerative abilities of the ogres healed them as we watched. Limbs slowly grew back, cuts closed and broken bones shifted back into place. As for the rest of us, we were down twenty-five dead, fifty wounded of which fifteen were still touch and go. The rest were in a state of shock as to the brutality of the battle.

  I ordered a few days extra rest for us. More to give my wounded more time to heal, and our healers time to rest between their healing efforts. I wanted us as ready as could be for our final push. The king didn’t know it yet, but the Ghosts were done fighting battles like this one. We were going to strike straight at the heart this time. We were going to hunt the emperor down and kill him, ending this madness once and for all.

  I sat by a weak fire on the fourth night after the battle. All fifteen seriously wounded men had died that day. Morale was low, and soon we would begin our final push to Mountdom. I was cradling the last bit of coffee which I had saved, savoring the warmth of the cup as I held it in my hands, the bitter smell of the strong, black coffee easing my tension.

  I heard soft footsteps behind me and thought they were Mia’s. She had been dead tired after the battle, the magical duel between her and the undead left her drained, as well as added the stress of trying to heal the wounded, I was very surprised she had not cracked yet.

  “Still sitting, feeling sorry for yourself I see,” a familiar voice said.

  I jumped to my feet, dropping the last cup of coffee as I leapt at Max, embracing him in a massive bear hug.

  “Max! You’re alive!” I shouted, tears of pure joy running down my face.

  “Of course, I am alive, and so are the rest of the Ghosts. You didn’t think that you were the only one who would be brought back by Cotus Myhym did you?” He asked me with a cheeky smile.

  “I never really thought of that. So all of our men are back?” I asked Max in disbelief.

  “Yep. All who were injured were taken by Cotus and healed before being sent back here. And those who are still injured will be fully healed by sunrise. Except the ogres, they will heal themselves, and the ogre which was killed by Veggie is still dead. It seems that Cotus agreed with Veggie, once the bloody feeding frenzy enters their system, they are hooked and will not stop killing and drinking blood,” Max related to me what Cotus Myhym had told him.

  “After all of this, the Ghosts are still at full strength. Well, well, well, its time then, to really end this,” I said looking at Max with a crazy smile.

  “Yep. Now, Cotus asked me to give you something you lost, and I do believe that you still have my equipment, so I would like it back thank you very much.”

  I stood looking at Max for a few moments before answering him back.

  “Fair enough. I’ll give your sword and shield back as soon as you put some clothes on.”

  “Deal,” he said sticking his hand out for me to shake.

  The morning sun was warm on my back as I looked over the camp. The Ghosts were moving around, busy breaking it down, preparing to move out after the cyclops army. Behind me, the last of the griffins landed, ready to airlift us to the next target.

  I wore my magical swords again, a gift from Cotus Myhym, who recovered them from my last place of death. He gave them to Max when he died to return to me so that I may continue with my training. Eventually, the soldiers were packed and had assembled before me. I jumped onto a tree stump and stood there, looking each member in the eye before I spoke.

  “Ghosts! We have been through some trying times. A few of us have died and returned. We are the lucky ones, and soon, that luck will change, and nobody will be returning. You all know that we are in the midst of some damn training program, supposedly getting us ready for some or other threat that’s bigger than the cyclops. Well, if that is the case, then it is time for us to teach the cyclops not to fuck around with us!” The roar of approval deafened me.

  “We will not be following the king and all his men. Instead, we strike straight for the heart of this madness. We strike straight for Mountdom!” Another deafening roar drowned me out.

  “You know the drill by now. Load up and let's fly boys!”

  Wild whoops echoed across the camp as the men rushed to load their equipment into the cages which would be carried by the griffins before they all mounted their griffins and leapt skywards. I smiled at Mia and Max who joined me at the tree stump.

  “So, what’s the plan, Bob?” Max asked.

  “We fly to the Western Mountains, infiltrate the palace and cut off the head. The rest of the cyclops will then surrender as the king rolls them up,” I said confidently.

  “You sure?”

  “No. But it is worth a try. Besides, I did promise that cyclops he would be next,” I grinned back while Max shrugged his shoulders at Mia, who stared at me mouth wide open.

  I led them to the griffins where I mounted Rammstein and led the Ghosts westwards with the rising sun on our backs.

  ***

  It took us a few days’ worth of flying to reach our destination. First, we flew over the Elven Forests before we turned north to fly over the Hahnium Jungle, following the Great River branch towards the Western Mountains.

  Here we had to take it slow. Regular patrols of both dragon and cyclops forced us to move only
at night and then only in small groups to a secluded valley which was a few kilometers from the valley where Mountdom stood. The griffins were offloaded and sent back towards the Hahnium Jungle where they would be safe and out of sight of any dragon patrols while we hid under a few trees and rock ledges during the day to avoid any patrols.

  Dusk came quickly in the valley, long shadows just forming before the entire valley was plunged into darkness as the sun dipped over the mountains. I gathered my commanders around and quickly hashed out a few plans before sending them to their squads. I sent my scouts out to find a path through the mountain to the valley of Mountdom from where we could observe the city.

  It was well past midnight when word came back that an old hunters trail was found which leads straight to the southern walls. I quickly followed the messenger in the moonlit gloom back down the trail to where the scouts were hiding. We traveled slowly, but quietly as we wound our way around boulders and through gaps amongst the rocks. Ahead I could see the unnatural glow from the city lights. Signally we were close now. The scout motioned up a slope which I scrambled up, followed by the scout.

  Heads looked down at me before a strong arm reached out and helped me up the last meter. I quickly ducked behind a rocky outcrop and scurried over to Tachojay. Glancing in my direction, he simply nodded as I sat next to him, looking over the city from our vantage point.

  The city was well defended by a high stone wall. It was not as high as Doorengaan, but the surrounding mountains would make it difficult for an attacking army to encircle it. Sturdy towers held onangers which had clear firing lines up and down the valley while ballistae protected the flanks facing the mountain side. The city sprawled up the opposite side of the mountain, with an elegant looking palace perched high above the city. It was there where the cyclops emperor and Princess Wendyaline would be hiding.