by Isaac Hooke
36
Malem watched as Denfidal emerged from between the mountains behind them, likely from the same hidden mountain pass of defiles and valleys used by the oraks, and the Balor approached in all its dark splendor. The demon was colossal, about twice as tall as Vorgon. Large, curved horns protruded from its black head, similar to a mountain goat’s in shape. Its shadowy, vaguely humanoid body was outlined in green flames, and it walked on two backward-bending legs, with large, partially open wings extending from its back. A long tail provided a counterweight to that massive body, tipped by an iron mass of spikes and jagged points, like the head of a mace. In its muscular arms, it carried a fiery halberd whose flames burned a bright green.
It walked half on the shoulder of the mountain, and half on the adjacent dunes. It left footprints of glass in the black sand. Tendrils of darkness flowed around its body, seeming to be traveling toward the Balor and entering through its shadowy flesh, rather than emanating from it.
“The creature draws the essence of this realm!” Goldenthall said, before breaking out into a mad laugh.
Malem sensed a strong presence in his mind, and it took effort to resist. He glanced at Goldenthall, who gritted his teeth as if in pain.
“Watch him!” Malem told Abigail. “He may be too weak-minded to resist!”
“If he turns on us, I will be the first to slay him,” Abigail said. She added, more quietly: “To my sorrow.”
Malem urged the mounts on, pulling slowly away from the Balor. But then even more creatures emerged from the mountain pass behind them.
Four of the biggest black dragons Malem had ever seen soared over those mountains. They were terrible creatures with multiple horns on their heads, and large bony plates forming tall spines down their backs.
Balethorn literally screamed in Malem’s grasp at the sight. The sword panted with such fervor that Malem could barely contain the influence of the blade: he wanted to throw himself up at those dragons and rip out their hearts to feed his weapon.
Two huge, four-legged behemoths plodded through the pass on the ground beneath them, towering on stilt-like legs as they joined Denfidal. Their suction-shaped mouths were covered in small teeth, with tentacles flailing along the rims.
“Where’s Nemertes when you need her?” Gwenfrieda said.
“I doubt even the great blue would be able to hold her own against these,” Mauritania said.
“We run!” Malem said.
“Don’t look the Blacks in the eye for overlong,” Mauritania said. “They will paralyze you!”
“We’ve fought Black’s before…” Xaxia said. “Just not this big.”
Malem reached out, and tried to wrap his mind around the different creatures behind him, but his will evaporated when he touched each of them in turn. Not surprising.
He glanced over his shoulder, careful not to look directly at the dragons.
Darkness erupted en masse from Denfidal. It traveled toward the fleeing party, forming thick, curling ribbons that tumbled over one another, as if trying to devour themselves before they arrived. The dragons launched black magic of their own, and it joined the Balor’s to form a massive spear of churning black death.
Mauritania launched her Eldritch magic in turn, and chipped away at the incoming Darkness, but was too weak to disperse it all.
Malem spurred the mounts on to their maximum speed across the road and the rocks next to it, which wasn’t difficult, given the terror the animals and reptiles were already experiencing. While the Balor and its escort slowly receded, the dark magic slowly caught up, and would eventually overtake Malem and the others.
But as the mounts ran on, the Darkness began to dissipate. There were limits even to Denfidal’s power, then.
The Darkness became thinner and thinner as it approached, until it dissipated entirely a moment before touching Timlir, who was still on drag. The dwarf lagged slightly behind the rest of them because of Stridesfast’s slower top speed.
The dragons leisurely pulled away from the receding Balor and its stilt-legged companions, and approached Malem and the others as if out for an afternoon stroll.
One of them dove leisurely to make an attack run.
Mauritania fired the magical darts of Green Rot toward the dragon. The darts were thin, translucent—a testament to how weak she was. The beast dodged the blows—it had too much warning. That magic worked best when it was launched from a position of stealth, hitting foes in surprise, such as when Abigail and Weyanna had been struck while flying over the Midweald six months ago. Besides, even if the Green Rot had hit, the darts were too weak, and the dragon too powerful, for much damage to result.
Malem glanced up at the Black only briefly, long enough to see the gills on the side of its massive neck glow a subtle green—it was about to breathe acid.
He spun toward Mauritania. He drew stamina from the others and fed it to her. Then he tossed her Balethorn. “Teleport when it’s in range!”
The half Eldritch caught the blade, and glanced up determinedly.
Malem turned his mount away from the mountains, hoping to draw the dragon’s aim away from the others; sure enough, behind him, a stream of acid tore into the rocky ground, etching a smoking path through the black obsidian and pumice. He glanced upward and confirmed that the dragon itself continued on its same heading, which would take it over the party, roughly thirty yards overhead.
The attack ended a moment later, and Malem turned to run parallel to the party. Ribbons of dark magic came down upon him. For some reason, the dragon had decided that Malem was the most dangerous among them. However, the Black would only be following the directions of the Balor, of course.
Can Denfidal sense Vorgon inside me?
Mauritania teleported then as the dragon swooped over the party. Her green blur smeared upward the thirty yards to the dragon’s underside, at which point she materialized and swung Balethorn upward, into the belly of the beast. Because of the dragon’s forward momentum, Mauritania didn’t even need to move the blade to cause her gash to rip across the Black’s entire underbelly, creating a gash from between its two forelegs all the way down to its genitalia.
Malem could hear the blade humming triumphantly even from here.
That’s gotta hurt, Brita sent.
The dragon screamed, a terrible high-pitched screeching sound that was debilitating. Malem’s eardrums trembled with pain, and he instinctively raised his hands to cover his ears.
The dragon swatted its great tale at Mauritania, but she was already teleporting in a green smear back to her mount.
Malem sensed a big jump in stamina from Mauritania as Balethorn rewarded her for the blow, and he took half the boost for himself. Then he reached out, and was able to wrap his mind around the creature. It didn’t Break right away—while the blow was severe, the dragon still had some fight in it. As its lifeblood flowed from the terrible wound, Malem was finally able to crush the creature’s will, and the Black became his. He slumped on the lizard’s back from the effort.
Won’t be able to do much more of this.
He was really starting to miss Vorgon’s infinite supply of stamina.
Need some more oraks to kill with Xaxia’s sword.
He forced himself upright.
He was still driving his mount parallel to the others, fleeing the dark threads of magic launched by the dragon. Though the magic was fast dissipating, Malem didn’t think he was going to outrun it this time.
Withdraw your dark magic! Malem ordered the dragon.
The magic dispersed, and Malem spurred his mount toward the main party once more.
The dragon’s head hung low, and it flapped its wings drunkenly. It wasn’t going to stay airborne for much longer. It needed to find a dank, dark cave somewhere to heal. Or…
Come here! Malem ordered the dragon. While it slowly turned around, he sent to the team: The Black is mine!
We figured that out, Sylfi replied.
Malem turned toward Weyanna. Do you have enou
gh strength to heal this one?
Bring it closer, Weyanna said.
It’s on its way, Malem sent.
Xaxia glanced between them suspiciously. “Are you guys communicating telepathically or something?” she shouted above the noise of their passage.
Malem ignored her, and instead glanced overhead. The other three Blacks were making a concerted dive now.
The Broken dragon arrived and Weyanna directed white healing streams into the creature. She knit the lower portion of the wounds neatly, but flagged before she could mend the upper part of the belly.
Malem took stamina from Gwenfrieda and the others, feeding it to Weyanna. She finished the task.
The dragon’s wings beat more steadily, and it raised its slumping head.
Good job, Malem sent to Weyanna.
He directed the dragon skyward, and took personal control of its body. His human form would remain rigid and stock-still on the mount, the muscles engaged and applying a consistent amount of pressure while he was gone so that he wouldn’t fall off its back.
He flew upward in his dragon body, directly toward the three dragons. They suspected something was wrong with their friend, because they opened their mouths to bare their sharp teeth, and flung their talons forward. He swerved to the left, drawing them toward him and away from the party below.
First goal achieved.
He made a surprise turnaround, and breathed acid into the face of the closest dragon, blinding it. He adjusted his course to pass just above its head, and then raked his claws down its neck and across its back, tearing into the wing.
The stricken creature shrieked that terrible high-pitched pain cry.
He reached out and Broke the second one as well. There was no time to heal it.
Malem’s perspective dropped back inside his own body as he swayed drunkenly on the lizard’s back.
“What’s wrong?” Xaxia said.
“Broke… second dragon,” he explained.
Take my stamina! Sylfi said.
Malem drank from her, and sat a little straighter, while she hunched a little lower. He also took stamina from her sister. She nodded, as if giving permission.
Feeling better, he ordered both dragons under his command to head away from the Blacks, and make instead for Denfidal. The one with the injured wing lagged behind the other under Malem’s control.
The two unBroken Blacks pursued, harrying the laggard. They breathed acid into its wounds, aggravating the damage, and also repeatedly pummeled it with claws and teeth. Soon the already-weak creature lost the ability to fly and plunged to its death. Malem crushed its will before it died, recovering some of his lost stamina.
Meanwhile the first dragon, which Weyanna had healed, continued toward the Balor and its two stilt-legged companions; the evil trio were well behind Malem and the others by now.
But before the Broken Black even reached it, Denfidal struck out with its great flaming halberd and cut the dragon in two. As the separate pieces plummeted toward the sand below, Malem felt the boomerang effect that came when a monster was cut from him in death, and he lost all the extra stamina he’d drained from the other dragon.
Should have killed it first, he thought, slumping.
The other two dragons promptly turned around to continue the pursuit of Malem and the others.
“We’re free!” Abigail said, her voice suddenly deepening terribly. “We passed beyond the debuff zone! We can transform!”
She leaped off her mount as her body enlarged rapidly. Her skin burst through her dress, and in moments a silver dragon stood on the ground. While she was still majestic, she no longer seemed as great as she had in the past: in dragon form, Abigail proved a little less than half the size of the Blacks, not even reaching to the height of the Balor’s knees.
Don’t fight! Malem sent. We run!
I wasn’t planning on fighting! Abigail replied.
Weyanna, Sylfi, and Brita similarly leaped off their lizard mounts and ripped through their clothes, turning into dragons.
Malem crushed the four mounts for stamina, killing the reptiles, and he straightened immediately.
He and the others leaped off their mounts and boarded the dragons, taking their usual positions. Malem rode Abigail, Gwenfrieda Weyanna, Mauritania Sylfi, and Xaxia Brita. The dragons scooped Goldenthall, Timlir, and the horses in their fore claws and took flight.
Timlir didn’t complain about being manhandled by a dragon this time. There were no complaints from anyone. They just wanted to get the hell out of there.
As the dragons took to the air, Malem crushed the wills of the remaining unneeded reptiles below, killing all of them for their stamina. He shared that endurance with the dragons, so they would fly hard and true.
The two Blacks followed them. However, at least Denfidal and the stilt-walkers still receded.
The enemy dragons slowly closed, thanks to their powerful wing strokes.
The battle wasn’t over yet.
37
Can you hit them with the Green Rot, if we let them close? Malem asked Mauritania.
Probably, she said. But I’m too weak to cause much damage. Considering how powerful they are.
How far can you teleport in your current state? he pressed.
Twenty yards. Maybe twenty-five if you give me a stamina boost.
It would have to be good enough.
I’m going to give you Balethorn again, he sent.
He directed Abigail to fly above Sylfi, and then he drew Balethorn. The blade cried out for the silver’s blood, but he clamped down on the urge.
Drop this to Mauritania, Malem held the hilt toward Abigail’s head.
Not sure I can reach it, she said. Dragons aren’t the most flexible creatures in the world, you know.
But she swiveled her neck around and, straining, managed to wrap her jaws around the hilt. Her eyes widened, and fear spiked from her energy bundle.
Gah! I hate this thing!
She snapped her head around and dropped the blade. It seemed careless to Malem’s eyes. She obviously just wanted to get rid of the sword.
Careful!
He forced her to tilt to the side so he could look down, and he watched Sylfi snatch up the blade in her mouth. She spun her head around, and tossed the blade to Mauritania, who caught it.
It’s like handling a Balor! Sylfi complained.
Turn around, Malem said. All four of you. Abigail, Weyanna, Brita, we attack the two dragons from above. Sylfi, you come from below. Mauritania, when you’re in range, you know what to do.
The dragons separated as per the groups Malem assigned. Abigail flew upward, toward the sun, with Weyanna and Brita at her side. Then she turned around to dive at the dragons. The enemies unleashed their dark magic—it was useless against the intact scales of the Metals, but they were no doubt attempting to harm the riders. They also breathed acid at the faces of the Metals, trying to blind them.
Abigail turned her head to the right to avoid the acid breath, and altered her course so that the dark magic wouldn’t hit Malem. She summoned two fire elementals, which latched on to the heads of each Black; the elementals shoved their burning thumbs into the eyes of their opponents. The creatures moved their heads frantically from side to side, trying to shake off the elementals, because although they weren’t taking any damage, they were blinded.
The three Metals adjusted their course so that they passed just above their foes, and raked the wings of their enemies with those talons that weren’t holding passengers.
Meanwhile Mauritania came from below. Malem knew she had struck, because he could hear the blade singing from even here, and he also felt the boost in stamina from her energy bundle. The dragon screeched, rapidly losing height.
Sylfi flew away from the injured dragon. Mauritania sat between Sylfi’s wings, having teleported back.
Malem ripped away all the stamina the sword had given Mauritania, and then wrapped his mind around the injured dragon. After a short battle of wills, he B
roke the monster. The Breaking took all of the stamina he had gained form the sword, and then some.
Weyanna, help that dragon.
Malem transferred more stamina to her as she dove to intercept the Black. Meanwhile the other was coming about to make another pass.
Malem slumped, feeling very weak by then.
Weyanna reached the dragon, and quickly healed the beast before turning back.
The other Black dove toward her, its mouth open in a grim rictus.
Malem sent the Broken Black flying upward. The creature was weak from its ordeal, but it drew strength from within to rapidly gain height, and it slammed into the other Black before it could reach Weyanna. It tore into the creature’s belly, and its foe rolled up into a ball in midair as the pair wrestled.
Let’s go, Malem said, turning north.
He let the pair fight it out behind him while the Metals continued north. They vanished from view, and after a while he sensed the glow of victory from the Black he had Broken. As a reward, Malem released the creature from service.
Mauritania had Sylfi transfer the sword to Abigail, who promptly tossed it in Malem’s lap.
Rotten thing, Abigail commented.
But a very useful one at that, Malem said, wrapping his fingers around the hilt. You’re the one who gave it to me in the first place, if you’ll recall.
Probably a mistake on my part, she retorted. Whenever you wield it, half the time I’m worried you’re going to plunge the blade into my heart.
Half the time, I’m a hairsbreadth from doing just that. Malem quickly scabbarded the blade.
Like I said, a mistake on my part, Abigail sent.
They flew on in silence for several minutes. The monotonous, bleak landscape of black dunes continued to roll by below, with the southernmost mountains of the L-shaped range receding in the distance, and the north-south trending ridge a constant presence to their left.
Well, we did it, Gwenfrieda said.
We’re not out of the Black Realm yet, Malem told her.
Why isn’t anything ever easy? Gwenfrieda asked.
If things were easy, where would be the challenge in life? Mauritania commented.