She snapped back to herself an instant later as a winged figure descended upon Graldin, wearing green armour. Milena’s face turned white as she recognized the new foe, a minor god, and none other than Zariko. He wore a bright green scale armour, wielded dual spears and rode a black creature that looked like a hedgehog. The minor god looked ridiculous, but his power was not to be underestimated, as you couldn’t go up that high unless you were strong, really strong.
"You will not kill any more of our troops, you monster!" Zariko yelled, as one of his spears pointed at Graldin’s head. "It's rather hard to gather them in such numbers. I would prefer it if you would just die and leave them be, general." Zariko laughed and made some insane gestures with his weapons. The hedgehog disappeared a moment later into nothingness, leaving Zariko standing a few metres away from Graldin.
"You call those things troops? They are tools of destruction, not soldiers!" the general responded, looking the minor God straight in the eyes.
"That's one way to see them," Zariko replied nonchalantly. His face was a picture of mockery. "Another is, well you are right. They are merely used to destroy things. But then again, they are fighting for Bardos, so it's a just cause," Zariko mocked.
The general’s face went blank. The stare that he gave Zariko said more than a thousand words, who flinched in turn, feeling the power radiating from his opponent.
A stab, followed by a kick in Zariko’s direction left the god’s side open as the move caught him off guard. He had counted on the other man’s courtesy of letting him strike first as it was the just thing to do. After all, he was a minor god, what was this mortal in comparison? A nothing to him.
The general was no fool though, so he would not be misled by false pride and honor. All that mattered was to kill the enemy as efficiently as possible, nothing else. And maybe staying alive in the process.
The kick connected and sent Zariko flying. Graldin launched himself towards the minor God, his halberd going straight for his opponent’s chest. At the last moment, Zariko struck the halberd aside the opposite direction, deflecting the blow with ease. Using his second spear, Zariko stabbed in turn.
Using his arm guard, Graldin parried the stab aside. The spear tore through his armour, almost punching a large hole in it. The divine weapon was infused with holy magic which could pierce almost anything. Deadly in the right hands.
[Thunder Fall] whispered Zariko. A massive bolt of lightning slammed into Graldin and stunned him in place. He used [Skewer] to build up a chain in quick succession. With all of his power and speed behind the attack, Zariko stabbed at the general, who was motionless.
Milena noticed the stun and cast a cleansing spell in that instant to remove the negative status effect. The spear hit Graldin dead on, piercing his armour and drawing first blood, forcing him to his knees.
"[Heal], [Heal], [Heal]!" Milena cried out as she used her healing spell multiple times before it finally worked, if only partially. She closed the wound, but any inner damage was still there as the attack had been imbued with holy magic.
"I don’t know about you, general, but I prefer no one interferes with my battles. Have her withdraw or she will be my first mark. Oh, and the holy damage sure stings, huh?" Zariko mocked.
[Berserker] Graldin growled. His head shot backwards, releasing a black goo from his chest plate, covering him from head to toe within mere moments. It shaped and twisted around his whole body, adjusting itself to his current armour.
The halberd merged to his arm, becoming a true extension of himself. A living armour was created, and it made the wearer lose their mind with every minute spent within it. However, he had no choice against a minor God as strong as Zariko.
"What are you? A demon?" Zariko asked, witnessing the transformation first hand. His pitch-black armour adorned with red slabs of a strange and living substance was both frightening and awe-inspiring. His halberd turned blood red, both the shaft and blade.
Milena cast another restorative spell to help Graldin when Zariko spotted her. He shook his head slowly, a wide grin on his face, and pointed a spear at her chest.
"Please do not interfere—" Zariko’s words died in his throat as Graldin’s halberd took one of his arms and embedded itself in his body. Graldin pulled and twisted trying to loosen the blade, but it was almost halfway stuck through Zariko’s torso. He looked down and grabbed at it with his stump, but couldn’t take hold of the blade as there was nothing to take it with.
Graldin’s aura glowed brighter after renewed healing, turning a flashing yellow. Zariko’s other hand pulled at the blade meanwhile, keeping his opponent close within spear strike range. He let go of the halberd and summoned his one remaining spear and thrust it towards Graldin’s throat, cracking his neck guard in an inhuman act of speed and strength. The spear went partially through, drawing blood as the metal punctured skin. Instinctively, the general kicked the minor God away to gain some distance as he pressed at his throat.
[Restoration]
[Life]
Milena shouted, trying to cast healing spells on Graldin. To her surprise, it wasn’t working. Zariko looked at her and then at his opponent again, exhaling deep.
"I do not know how it has come to this, human, but I don’t have another choice it seems. I'm very sorry to do it, but you leave me no other choice as I'm very well aware of my impending doom. Thank you for this battle, no matter how short it turned out to be." Zariko’s tone was calm, and he seemed to be honest about it, but whatever he had on his mind wasn’t good.
Graldin didn’t bother responding as he knew no other outcome would be acceptable, except for the defeat of this minor god. He readied himself for another attack.
[Heavenly Judgment]
"I call upon thee in my hour of need. Strike down this infidel with all of this world’s justice!" Zariko laughed as the surrounding air condensed and darkened. The hair on Graldin’s back stood up as electricity coursed all around them. The sound of explosions almost ruptured their ears, distracting them from the real attack. Out of nowhere, a massive white ray of light shot down upon Milena.
Time stopped as Graldin turned toward her, fear in his eyes. Kicking himself off Zariko, the berserker launched himself toward the priestess, knocking her out of the way at the last possible instant. Time looked like it had stood still for an instant as their eyes met, but then time resumed, as the ray hit him dead on. He used his hands and halberd to shield himself from the devastating attack, but failed as it slammed him into the ground with a massive, devastating holy force. The damage to his armour was great, with chunks and chips strewn all around. He remained lying on the ground, stunned and damaged.
The general looked down at his arms and legs, the armour scorched and blown away. With an effort, he turned his head to the side in search of Milena who was lying a dozen metres to his right. His shoving her had done quite some damage to her as he had no real control over it, so she might as well have been beaten badly for with which force he had pushed her with.
Milena coughed three times, each time throwing up some blood from her mouth. Her eyes searched around and found Graldin’s for a moment before she noticed the same build up of Heavenly Judgment. "Oh no, he is using it a second time!" she cried out.
As he looked up into the sky, a renewed light cone was speeding down upon him. He smiled and embraced death, looking to his side again. Milena’s face was pure horror as she had no idea why he wasn’t defending himself.
Graldin hoped that the time he had given his king and friends was enough to activate the defensive measures and flee from this place. If he had, then the mission was fulfilled. The one regret was killing the priestess, as there was no way Zariko would leave her alive after interfering. He looked up again. "I embrace you, death. Come for me!"
"Oh no, you won’t!" Milena screamed, her hands raised up into the air, blood flowing from her ears, nose and mouth. She channeled what magic power there was to call upon and pointed her hands towards Graldin. A dome appeared around him, angl
ing itself towards Zariko.
The divine killer spell hit the shield, cracking it in places and let through some divine power, but most of it slammed straight back into Zariko. How stupid of me to underestimate those weaklings, were his last thoughts as the ray disintegrated his armour, boiled his blood and evaporated his skin, meat and bones. By the time the spell had diminished, nothing remained of the minor god except for one of his spears. Graldin walked over and took the spear, swinging it with his left hand. It felt light but powerful, as if it had the power to pierce the heavens.
"Yes, Zariko. I'll remember your name after all. The spear's name will be yours as one of the few minor gods' worthy of praise," Graldin whispered while staring at the weapon. A sudden dread washed over him as the armour’s hold over him evaporated. He turned his head toward Milena and bit his lip. The priestess lay in a puddle of blood, not moving.
"Milena!" he yelled out, sprinting the dozen metres that separated the two. It seemed like an eternity, those few seconds between where he stood and she lay on the ground. His heart threatening to break out, he took her in his arms and cradled her. Shallow breathing gave him renewed hope. "You are still alive!" he exclaimed. Her eyes regained focus for a brief moment. She gave him a weak smile, blood still trickling down the corner of her mouth.
"I can’t see anything. What is wrong with my eyes, general?" she coughed, spitting out more blood.
"I don’t know, Milena. Your eyes seem just fine. Please, hold on. I'll get you to our healers." She lost consciousness for a few seconds. Graldin slapped her lightly across the cheek, bringing her back momentarily.
Laughter echoed out from above them, coming from a deep and strong voice. Graldin looked up and went pale instantly. Bardos in person floated a few metres above them, radiating a white halo as if he was a saint and not a monster. The general gritted his teeth, staring the god down with hatred-filled eyes, which made Bardos laugh even more.
"You can not save her soul, mortal. She sacrificed it to save you and is good as dead unless you do something for me in return." He knew better than to trust Bardos, but it was true that she saved him using her own life force.
Time stopped as Bardos dropped to his feet and walked over to Graldin, who looked around him only to see both armies standing still, projectile weapons floating mid-air, fire balls and thunder strikes halting halfway to their targets. Soldiers stopped in motion, swords and axes mere inches away from each other's heads and bodies.
Bardos changed his appearance with a snap of his fingers. Bright, shimmering plate armour hugged his body while he held a massive sword in his right hand and a big shield in his left. A helmet covered his head while some kind of metal greaves protected his legs and feet. There was no resemblance to any of the shapes he had been appearing in for the last couple of years. It was almost as if the god was afraid of him.
"What do you want from me?" Graldin asked, more subdued. He didn’t see any way out of this situation, so he might as well hear the offer.
"I want the Armour of Malice that's in your possession. Give me the armour and I'll bind her soul to yours. You can live out the rest of what time you have together somewhere far off. I might just even send you off to a better place if you ask kindly."
* * * * *
Everything stopped and unfocused as Kaden and Laney cried out as they were pushed back into their bodies. What seemed a pain-filled eternity later, the sensation ended as their eyes flashed open, finding themselves in a forest.
Chapter 6
Kaden and Laney appeared on a desolate, cobbled road in the middle of a dense forest. A feeling of dread and fear of the unknown crawled up their spine as the darkness prevented them from seeing anything at all. Gathering themselves, they looked each other over and burst out in laughter.
They wore leather clothing that fit tightly around their bodies and looked like studded armour. It was a vast improvement over fighting the Goblins while being naked, though not by much as the leather was thin and of poor quality.
"We look ridiculous," Laney commented, moving her hands along the seams. "It feels strange, though it's a lot better than being naked." She sighed and lay on the grass, looking up at the dark night sky, as if nothing was wrong with the whole situation.
"I would prefer this any day over fighting naked with my junk flying all over the place," Kaden replied, sitting next to her. He knew how she felt about being stuck in this new world with him, or at least he thought he did.
"True story," Laney chuckled, her face taking on the aspect of an angel, the same person who took up his thoughts while he was still alive. Something within him wrenched at his guts, making him feel a pain that was worse than any wound. She sat up straight as if remembering something.
"What the hell was that war? And the king? It could be anything. A test from Bardos or something that's happening this instant." she spoke hurriedly, mixing up her words. Kaden stared back at her, not having any more of a clue than her.
"You seemed to know what you were doing back there, so why ask me? I don’t trust whatever had been happening within that castle and all the fighting. Who are they anyway? And how can someone as strong as the guy in that black armour even exist?" Kaden’s reply was spot on, leaving Laney without an easy response.
She sighed and hugged her knees, losing herself in thoughts about something she couldn’t help and had no power over. A chime brought them both back to the present as a message appeared in front of them, and quite different than anything they had seen up until then.
Mission received: Cleanse Stone Beak village. Do you accept? Yes/No
There was no description given at all, so they stared at each other for a moment.
"Would it be smart to decline anything he offered us?" Kaden asked. Laney shrugged and dropped back onto the grass.
"I wouldn’t call it an offer. He is more likely giving us some guidelines on how we should be proceeding. If we decline, who knows what penalties he might dump on us?" Kaden closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and accepted. Laney did the same before she turned around to look at him.
"Say, would you care to make a deal with me?" she asked suddenly, catching him off guard. Seeing his expression, she chuckled and hurried on to explain. "We don’t have to call it like that, you can give it any name you want." Kaden looked at her again and frowned.
"A deal? Sure, if it's about you trying to keep us alive, I gladly accept," he replied sarcastically.
"What?" she snapped back. "Until you had gained your new magic, I was the one destroying the Goblins!" The two stared daggers at each other and sighed a moment later, deflating. They both knew nothing good would come from bickering.
"You are right about the killing part. But I also assume that thoughts about killing crossed your mind as well." Kaden didn’t want to hold back as it was better to get it over with right away before it backfired later on. A long, uncomfortable silence followed as Laney mauled over her response.
"You are right," she admitted. "Those thoughts did cross my mind." At a loss for words, Kaden opened his mouth to reply, but kept quiet. "You don’t know a thing about me, but you judge. I would like to see you stay sane after thousands of years enduring all kinds of tortures, roaming the world and suffering day by day."
"Thousands of years? You must be joking right?" She looked away from him.
"You didn’t find it strange that I led you directly to Bardos?"
"Well—"
SCREECH
A shrill sound threatened to burst their eardrums as some kind of birds appeared out of the bushes, running straight for them. Moving on instinct alone, Kaden pushed Laney towards a tree as the birds closed in. The lead creature slammed into his legs with its body, sending him sprawling, bruising bone upon impact. Kaden screamed in pain as he rolled away from the birds.
You have sustained 28 damage from Stone Beak.
Kaden heard Laney cast her buff spells and felt a familiar rush come over him as his body became lighter, faster and stronger. The pain partially
disappeared as he got up, his eyes finding the now yellow bar that represented his life, and cursed.
"Run!" he yelled darting away from her, trying to lead the birds away. Kaden raised his hand and shot out a [Magic Bolt]. It did nothing more than to antagonize the birds and slow them down for a few seconds as their heads were covered in feather-like pure armour.
Seeing the minimal effect his spell had, Kaden decided to cast something with more oomph. He stopped for a moment and cast [Ice Orb]. It flew from his hand and two seconds later crashed into the same bird that had rammed him.
You have inflicted 447 damage to Stone Beak.
Its wing exploded in shards of ice as it froze over. Above its head appeared a red bar which was down a third.
[Ice Orb]
You have inflicted 488 damage to Stone Beak.
Kaden cast it again one more time, the counter saying twenty-three out of twenty-five uses left. The spell crashed into the frozen bird again, killing it instantly and creating a fist-sized hole in its chest.
Laney took that as her chance and ran in Kaden’s direction, passing him a moment after he released another orb.
[Ice Orb]
You have inflicted 467 damage to Stone Beak.
The third spell left his hand quickly following the second one, freezing his hand solid and causing his hand to erupt into a world of pain.
You have sustained 22 damage from Self Inflicted.
Not even waiting to see if the spell hit one of the remaining creatures, he turned around and ran for his life. As the ice melted from his hand, he could see his skin had burst open in two places.
"Shit!" he cursed himself for forgetting about the damage he himself would sustain after rapid use. "I need to be more careful," he said to no one in particular.
Kaden’s health bar hadn’t reduced further since the first blow, and that's how he wanted to keep it. The pain in his hand was excruciating as the ice peeled off and melted steadily. In a panic, he stopped and looked for his partner who had disappeared.
Maelstrom Page 6