Brace For the Wolves

by Nathan Thompson

  The result was a light show of fire and lightning that everyone had to quickly close their eyes for. The screams of the Mongrels and howlers competed for a bit with the explosions of fire, lightning and acid, but after a while they began to die off. I still heard a number of footsteps run downward, so we moved to the second stage of clean-up.

  Breena fired off another lightning bolt, one she had begun casting normally instead of her stored one. Then Karim fired off his lightning bolt, also one he had begun casting. I fired off my stored lightning bolt, because my hands were too full right now to cast one from scratch. Then, relying on Avalon to figure the concentration of the remaining Hordebeasts, I threw down the stored fireball I had just recovered.

  Horde size now at 5% of original total, Avalon advised me after the fireball detonated.

  We had slaughtered them, and people were starting to comment on it. Weylin was first.

  This is almost too—

  NO, I practically shouted through the mind-link. DON'T. JINX IT.

  Besides, that was most of our dirty tricks. A handful of Mongrels still made it down, staggering, sizzling and smoking all at once. Their damage was such that despite their greater size and power they died even faster than the Wretches and Ilklings had. But the bodies tumbling down the stairs had knocked our corpse-barricade out of position, and the howlers, the only survivors left, were able to take advantage of that.

  I had the presence of mind to tell Avalon to close the door one final time, and then long lupine shapes were leaping down on us.

  “Kill the traitor-prince!”

  Larger and stronger than Mongrels, the remaining half-dozen howlers slammed into our shield wall with enough force to knock us back. They were only able to come down one at a time, and the first impaled himself on at least two of our spears, but the ones behind him slammed into his back until we were finally pushed an inch or two away from the door.

  That was all the rest needed. The passageway was narrow, but it had a high ceiling, and the final three howlers were able to use the backs and shoulders of their packmates in front to vault over our wall.

  I felt that was pretty unfair, but I swung away from supporting Virtus and Eadric to handle the three foes now at our back, giving my spear a final shove into the monster it impaled earlier. My bronze short sword leaped into my hand as I barreled into the wolf closest to our ranged fighters. I slammed my shield into the howler's side, and he let out a surprised bark when he found I was strong enough to slam him into his closest packmate.

  Through the mind-link I felt Weylin go for his short blades while Breena and Karim both fired all of their finger bolts into the third howler, and the tall monster writhed as twenty different bolts of electricity writhed over him. I was dimly aware of Weylin darting up the stunned beast's torso as I went to work on my pair, stabbing into the monster next to me with my magic-enhanced blade. Every other stab sent electric current into the thing.

  “Kill the traitor-prince!” he screamed in agony, and his partner finally pushed himself free to attack me. I darted back with wind-enhanced speed, and the howler I had been pressing sank to his knees. Both of them had still been partially injured by the firestorm we had unleashed in the stair tunnel, and I did my best to use that fact to my advantage. I reversed directions and charged forward, kicked the kneeling howler in the head, then ducked under the standing Hordebeast's claw swipe and speared my short blade into a blackened patch on his side. My electric attack triggered again, and the monster shook all over as I pulled my weapon out and slashed above his knee joint. The other howler rushed at me on all fours, swiping his paws as he came close. He swiped at my shield, and I stepped into a blow, accepting a glancing hit on my arm as I bashed my barrier into his slavering wolf mouth. It was a good hit, and I saw teeth fall out. As he reached for me again, I slammed my blade into his exposed throat.

  The wolfbeast gurgled as my weapon went in, and slumped onto the ground when I tore it out. Having more space and time, I sent back my short blade and swept out my spatha.

  The other maimed wolf tried to lunge at me with his good three limbs. I snapped a kick into his face and sent him tumbling away. “Come to my planet,” I growled, walking forward. “Invade my kingdom. Threaten my people. And then you have the nerve to call me a traitor, and a prince, on behalf of a bunch of assholes I've never met.”

  “We have told you why,” the howler hissed, trying to rise on three good limbs.

  “You have!” I shouted into his face, knocked a weak strike away with my shield and slammed my sword hilt-deep into his chest. “And it still pisses me off!”

  I twisted my weapon into his chest and yanked it across, scarring the monster's ribs, spine and everything between them. Then I yanked my blade out to let him collapse onto the floor.

  “You say I betrayed a cause I never embraced,” I continued to shout. “Abused fealty I never received, and stole a power I never even wanted!”

  “You wrong me, and then demand I pay the cost!” I continued to shout. My dragon agreed with me, and once again the experience pleased and unsettled the both of us. “Enough! I've had it!”

  My last words came out as a scream.

  Everyone stopped to look at me.

  Weylin looked up from the limp howler he'd just eviscerated. Breena and Karim paused their spells. Virtus and Eadric looked away from their final remaining foe, the other two lying dead at their feet. Their foe also looked at me, and it dawned upon him that he was the last remaining Hordebeast left in the fight, out of over five hundred. He met my gaze, and backed away.

  “DO NOT HESITATE!” a giant called from beyond the door it was currently smashing against. “GO AND KILL THE TRAITOR-PRINCE!”

  The howler took a long look at the doorway above, another long look at me, and decided I was scarier. He bolted up the stairs. Unfortunately for him, he was right.

  I was scarier. And I wasn't going to let him go.

  “You think you can run now?” I demanded as I made a wind-enhanced jump after him. “So that you can chase me later? Did you let the people you took to your Pits run away?”

  He began clearing three stairs per step. I began clearing six. He got halfway up before he tripped. That was all I needed. I leaped on top of him, stabbed my spatha into his spine, then began bashing the rim of my shield into the back of his canine skull. My blows kept slamming his face into the stone stairs until I heard something crunch, and the last hordebeast attacking me and my people went still.

  I removed my sword from my foe and turned my attention back to my surroundings.

  Avalon, what is the status on...

  “Wes, get back!” Breena screamed.

  I leaped backwards just as the door at the top of the stairwell blew apart. A massive paw swung downward, reaching at least ten feet down. I held my shield in front of me, shuddering as large rocks impacted it. I fell far, and would have landed hard on my back had Virtus and Eadric not caught me.

  Get him on his feet! someone shouted through the mind-link. And fall back!

  Why? I asked dazedly. It's not like he can get down—

  “TRAITOR-PRINCE!”

  The giant roar swept down the stairs into the hall beyond it. Replaced torches farther back flickered from the force of the shout.

  “Yeah, let's fall back fifteen feet,” I said as I extracted myself from my party's arms. That was a couple of leaps, and then I tried to recast my storable spells.

  “Wes, what are you doing?” Breena demanded as I started casting again.

  The massive paw swung through the stairs again. More rocks fell from the ceiling.

  “We should probably go farther back than fifteen feet,” Weylin said, and Eadric nodded grimly.

  “Couldn't hurt,” the dwarf agreed.

  “Nope,” I answered, completing my Fireball spell. “Get ready for round two.”

  “Wes,” Karim hissed, coming over to me. “We cannot fight an Icon. Only the greatest of heroes would even dare, and only when led by the mighties
t of Challengers. You are not strong enough. We are not strong enough.”

  “TRAITOR-PRINCE!” the roar sounded out again. “COME OUT, DECEITFUL TRAITOR-PRINCE!”

  More rocks fell.

  “We don't really get to make that choice,” I replied, refreshing my Lightning Bolt spell. “Because he's coming for us either way. Or at least for me.”

  Another giant slam sounded against the upper wall. More rocks fell downward.

  “You go ahead and pull back,” I said to the little blue heal-jelly. “Every time a rock falls closer, I want you to jump back twenty paces. And start focusing all of your rejuvenating magic on Guineve.”

  “Di-rec-tive!” the happy ball shouted as it bounced away.

  That was a mistake, I realized. I probably should have been telling it to focus on Guineve the whole time.

  Outer structural integrity diminishing, Avalon informed me. I directed it to fire off all of the remaining traps outside, and in response to the whistles and blasts the Icon roared again. That was a good sign. They were at least effective enough to irritate him.

  Maybe our attacks would be enough to do the same.

  After another slam, a large piece of masonry fell tumbling down at our feet.

  And my hunter finally came into full view.

  He had roan fur, of all things. That was the closest name for it. The tips of his ears were a bit of brown, and a bit of white. The coloring continued down to what I could see of his neck. It made me wonder if his coat shed and regrew to change colors during different seasons, but stayed like this when the weather didn't affect it enough. Had the fur been cleaner, it probably would have been beautiful. But it was unkempt, unclean, almost purposefully mangled and unkempt, giving me the impression of a diseased animal.

  Well, it would have done that, if the fur had been the monster's most hideous characteristic. Because even though my eyes noticed the fur subconsciously, the thing's bare, fleshy maw took my main attention. The thing's mouth was large enough to fit half of me inside it easily. No fur appeared on any part of his face, and the skin was blistery, oozing, and raw.

  That probably explains his name, I thought as I tried not to panic at the sight of the massive monster. Then I thought HOLY SHIT, and THAT THING'S HUGE, along with WHAT THE HELL AM I GONNA DO, and finally THAT'S THING'S BIGGER THAN CAVUS—and then I calmed down.

  Because this horrible freak was nowhere near as terrifying or strong as Cavus had been.

  “Alright then, everybody,” I said calmly, and my mind-screen sent a subtle message that my Defiant Heart ability was activating. Lightning people, form up on me.

  Wes, this isn't a good idea, Breena cautioned me.

  We're just stacking the odds in Guineve's favor a bit, I replied back. Now fire on my mark. We're waiting until he opens his mouth again.

  That... might hurt him a tiny bit, Breena replied. Actually that will! Just a bit, but every little bit helps. And then we pull back, right?

  Probably, I thought back unhappily. If we have no other way of hurting it.

  We won't, Breena insisted. Not for another fifteen Rises at the very least. And that's just because it's a very young Icon.

  Damn, I swore. Okay then. We fall back behind Guineve. Head to the refugees. I'll follow shortly after.

  I felt everyone's agreement, and Breena's acceptance of my compromise.

  But one purpose did not agree.

  No, my dragon growled. You are not leaving her.

  What? I asked.

  Because my inner dragon hadn't exactly been the self-sacrificing and compassionate type.

  You are not leaving her to fight this thing alone. I forbid it. I forbid it!

  I can get behind that sentiment, I thought cautiously. But why do you care? You're a dick.

  I care, Teeth growled, because she held us when you cried! What is wrong with you? Why would you ever leave someone that held you when you cried behind?

  That is a completely emotional response, I retorted. And we're going with that idea. Provided you can come up with a way to make us effective and not a burden to her, we're staying behind to kick that thing's ass.

  I can do that. But that thing's about to start snarling again, so get ready to do that lightning thingy you just told everyone about.

  Sure enough, the Dark Icon opened his mouth to roar about the traitor-prince again. And three lightning bolts hurtled down his throat.

  A strange, high-pitched howl sounded out of the monster's burned throat, and then he shook himself and began growling curses.

  “INSOLENT MORTAL DUNG FLIES! I WILL CARRY YOUR BROKEN CORPSES BACK TO THE LOST DEEPS! YOU WILL FEED THE OLDEST, MOST WANTON OF THEIR PITS AND BE UTTERLY DEGRADED IN THE PROCESS!”

  The monster lowered his naked head and slammed directly into the crumbling doorway. Another large chunk of masonry broke free, and the creature was able to stick his entire massive head into the opening.

  “Right,” Weylin muttered, trying to keep the panic out of his voice.. “That's our cue to fall back? We can run like hell, now?”

  “I think so,” I said. “Unless there's anything else we can think of...”

  “No, Wes,” Breena replied. “He'll have raised his guard. The same trick won't work and none of our other attacks can hurt him enough to make him flinch. Not even yours, Wes, and you’re abnormally powerful for your level. If you had fifteen more Rises on you, we could actually try to stick around. But not now.”

  “Alright,” I sighed. “Go ahead of me. If anything goes wrong though, we're coming right back.”

  “Wes,” Breena argued sadly.

  “No, listen.” I slashed my hand. “Guineve's our only hope. If she dies, we all die. Or at least me. The thing wants me, Breena. He's been hunting across the Expanse for me. It makes sense for me to be the last to go because not only is he going to keep hunting down here until he finds me, there's a chance he won't take anyone else if he catches me first. I'm not being unreasonable. This is really the best call I can make. But whatever you do, I need you to survive, so you can look after Little Gabby and the others, because they're going to be in pieces if I don't make it back.”

  That got to her. She blinked, then fumed in mid-air, then kicked my shoulder with her tiny foot

  “Don't you dare be dumb and die!” she shouted. Then she grew big enough to wrap part of me up in a hug. She flew some distance away, stopped, and began casting a spell on me. My mind-screen identified the spell as an improved, but costly, version of Fairy's Grace. Breena seemed to wane for a minute after casting it, and this time a kaleidoscope of colors settled over me, my weapon and shield, and even on the magic handle portion of my sword. She smiled at me, and indicated through the mind-link that she really, really didn't want me to worry about her right now. Then she shot an expectant look at the Testifiers, and jerked her head towards me. The three other spellcasters sighed, and as they each walked by me they stopped for a moment. Weylin sang a wordless song that echoed off the walls, hitting several strange pitches and keys, and for just a moment it sounded like the range strained his vocal cords. Stell's magic didn't translate the song, but through the mind-link I got the impression that he was trying to sing a future where I was victorious into existence, that he was recording the outcome of my battle before it came to pass. When the song finished but a handful of seconds later, his shoulders sagged much like Breena's did, and he walked away from me. Eadric and Karim both did something similar, Karim writing a symbol that I somehow knew said victory over my chest, while Eadric took out a figurine that I hadn't seen him use yet. He ran his bare thumb over the figurine's outstretched sword, stabbing it and letting his blood flow down the statue. Then he handed it to me.