The Sworn Defender

by The Ranger

  "Something else?" Khora poked.

  He looked back at her and slowed his horse to walk alongside hers.

  "I think I'm… I don't know if it's Tala's memories or just her knowledge, but I'm aware of things I really shouldn't be aware of. Like, when we encountered Yurmgundar," he remembered. "I knew his name, and I recognized what he was. But before then, I'd never even heard of an Earthmover, much less known what one looked like."

  "Does that have anything to do with your eyes changing color?" Edmund questioned. "I don't want to tease you or anything, but that's been very… strange."

  A crease formed along Richard's brow as he stared at his friend before quickly pulling his attention to Khora. She nodded slightly and could see his appearance grow colder.

  "Ah, well, maybe… I'm not sure," he murmured. "I know that I feel more powerful when my— when that happens, as if my connection to Tala is strengthened, but I don't know exactly. Things just seem clearer when the change occurs, like a lake beneath a cloudless sky."

  Khora watched as he went quiet and could tell his mind was already elsewhere, deep in some wayward thought.

  "Have you tried to control it?" she asked, stirring him from his trance.

  "Uh— yes, during the battle," he muttered. "I couldn't do it, though, not at will. It only happened after… after Jensen was killed."

  His face returned to its previously distant self for a moment before he shrugged.

  "I don't know… it seems like anger sets it off, but that doesn't make sense to me."

  "Why not?" Edmund inquired.

  Richard met his friend's eyes but quickly turned away as he glared at the trees ahead.

  "Because I haven't stopped being angry," he whispered. "At Lucan, at Tala— at Maru and Varen and that damned golem too. Even at King Lacerne and Kota. They knew what all this really was, and they didn't tell us. Lucian wanted to help his people, fulfill his duty, but they left him without the knowledge he needed. People have… people have died paying for that mistake, and I think… I know the number of dead will continue to climb until we've set things right ourselves."

  Whether or not he meant to do it, his hand drifted towards his pocket— to the place Khora knew Lucian's gem resided. It was a stray gesture, one that he quickly recalled.

  "Don't worry— we'll do just that," she reassured, laying her hand on his shoulder. "We've made it this far… we will persevere."

  "Yes," he muttered, nodding lazily. "Thank you, Khora. You too, Ed, for being honest with me."

  "I appreciate your gratitude, Rich, but I think we should really be thanking Eren," the young boy proposed. "I mean, we've been sitting here talking, and he hasn't even tried to ride up to join us. It's, genuinely, a real show of restraint."

  "It's not like he can freely speak, really," Richard laughed.

  "He can try," Khora joined, turning her head slightly. "Would you like to join us, Eren?"

  She waited for an answer, her eyes meeting Richard's as the pair waited for their friend's response, but there was none.

  "You were talking to use a few minutes ago, Eren, so why aren't yo-" Richard started, turning back to look at him.

  He froze, and his eyes grew panicked; Khora swiveled her head to catch a glimpse of their rear and saw what had forced him into silence.

  Eren sat on his horse, hands desperately reaching for his face, while fingers made of wood and moss suffocated him.

  Richard leapt away from his horse and dashed towards him, seemingly releasing the animals from his hold as he did so. Eren was bucked off the horse and crashed onto the ground— there was little reaction from Torfir's arm, though, as it continued to smother him while he writhed in the snow.

  He pulled Eren away from the ground and gripped the Spriggan Lord's limb, tearing it off his friend and tossing it a few feet away. Khora and Edmund dismounted in time for the wind to pick up and lash around them.

  "I thought I might catch you in a peaceful moment," a voice hissed, one they recognized. "Ah, nothing quite like a pleasant stroll through MY woods."

  "Torfir?" she whispered, clutching her spear.

  "Why, yes, little girl," the spriggan's voice growled. "It is I, the lord of these lands— master of all that dwells within them."

  Richard lifted Eren to his feet and held him cautiously, eyeing their surroundings as he did.

  "Are you injured?"

  "No more… than before," the young man groaned, his hand lingering near his mouth.

  "What a pity," the winds howled. "I was hoping I might crush your jaw!"

  "Where is he, Richard?" Khora shouted, grabbing Edmund's arm and pulling him closer.

  His eyes darted around, scanning every detail of their surroundings before he shook his head.

  "Everywhere, as far as I can tell. Between the leaves, beneath the grass, and within the trees— I'm not sensing a physical form."

  "And you won't! I've taken the time to get a good look at you, the little abomination that you are. Repugnant may not be the word I'm searching for, yet it is the one that draws closest to my tongue," Torfir laughed. "Now, I know well enough how to conceal myself from your meager powers. I've dealt with creatures just like you: atrocities brought to be by my elders. As if humans weren't horrifyingly unbearable as it is. Disgusting."

  Richard scowled as the monster giggled, an ear-grating sound that left Khora feeling hollow.

  "Enough chatting," the Spriggan Lord barked. "One of your sorcerers forced me into hiding, another pulled me from my slumber, and then you ill-mannered runts cost me my home and scattered my children— I've had quite enough of your impertinence!"

  A prickly itch grew along Khora's legs and forced her to look down at her feet; there, rising and coiling along them, were growing blades of grass. They stretched up from the ground, with green energy pulsing within them, and entwined Torfir's enemies.

  "Move, Ed!" she grunted, pulling her knee to her chest in an effort to release her leg. "Don't let yourself be trapped!"

  The earthly net tightened its grip as she and Edmund flailed; it was only until the latter hacked at them with his axe that they were freed.

  "Wriggle around as much you want," Torfir groaned. "Insects, all of you— except, maybe, for my true quarry."

  Roots burst forth from the ground and weaved Richard's lower body within their thorny embrace. Long blades of grass grew around his hand, holding it in place as he went for the sword that hung on his hip.

  "No, no, there will be none of that nonsense," the empty air whined. "I've seen that blade in use long before it met your cursed hand, and I'm determined to make this place its final rest. Yours, too, as it so happens."

  Khora rushed forward, arcing her spear to cut through the tendrils that held her friend's hand in place. However, her efforts came late, as the roots that trapped him had pulled his sword and dragged it away moments before she reached him.

  "Thanks," he murmured, pulling the rest of his body free. "But be careful; I can't tell what he'll do next."

  "Well, now that I've separated that pesky thing from your troublesome grip," Torfir muttered. "There's little chance I'll get burned doing this."

  The tree nearest to them buckled and bent, and from its trunk sprouted a lanky and inhuman shape that raced towards them. A crude face began to etch itself into its head, and glowing green eyes were bored into it, followed by a crack just beneath them as it began to laugh.

  "It always feels good to walk the earth again!" Torfir squealed, slapping Khora away as he struck Richard in the face with the flat of his foot. "Oh, physical contact has never felt sweeter!"

  She tumbled into the snow and watched as her friend was launched into the air, crashing somewhere in the bushes beyond her sight. Torfir took the opportunity to stretch to the extent of his form, and it became apparent he was larger, albeit more gaunt, than in his previous body.

  "Now, for the rest of the class," the spriggan growled. "Allow me to enlighten you, with a — brief — lesson concerning the respect of
one's elders."

  Before the Spriggan Lord could react, a familiar flail and its chain wrapped around his torso. Eren dug his feet into the snow and began to pull with all his strength, but the monster refused to budge.

  "Yes, I had hoped you'd display your oh-so-welcomed stupidity," he grinned, gripping the chain with his creaking fingers.

  Torfir began to pull back on the Viper, forcing Eren to creep a few inches forward as he struggled to resist. Khora ran to him and slid her spear under her forearm as she grasped the chain tightly. Edmund dashed across the clearing to join them, and, together, the three of them tugged on the Viper's chain while Ranger set his jaws on Torfir's leg, coercing the Spriggan Lord onto the snow.

  The monster groaned as he huddled near the ground, but it was only for a moment before a low chuckle bit through the air.

  "Good attempts, one and all. Worthy of praise, truly, but not mine."

  The spriggan knocked Ranger away with the back of his hand, sending the dog sliding through the snow, and took hold of the chain once again. This time, he was joined by roots that coiled around the Viper's tail and gave the spriggan a better handle over it. He whipped his hands back, and the chain followed, causing Khora, Eren, and Edmund to drop as they collided with bush, boulder, and dirt, respectively.

  "You're still… a stupid tree, Torfool," Eren groaned, spitting snow back onto the ground.

  "Oh, we'll see how stupid I am when-" Torfir tried.

  A thick vine burst forward through the shadowed edges and crashed into the monster, tearing him away from the ground. Richard reappeared as the Spriggan Lord landed on the snow, scrapes and cuts adorning his bare arms, with stray leaves poking out through his hair.

  "Your recovery is exceedingly fast," the monster grumbled. "I was sure I'd sent you rolling downhill, with a few stones to soften your descent."

  "You probably hoped I'd crack my skull, didn't you?" he accused, staring down the creature.

  "Frankly, yes," Torfir admitted. "I knew that wouldn't kill you, but a spriggan can hope, can't he? Anyway, it matters not— even beings of my stature must occasionally lower themselves to deal with… pests."

  He snarled his last word as he lashed forward, seven-inch spikes sprouting on the sides of his arms as he charged.

  Vines swatted at him wildly, desperate to contain him, but the creature was much too fast for them. Whenever it looked as if he would attack one of them, he would twist in the air and target another instead, misleading them and wasting their energy.

  Torfir's attention eventually came to Khora, who narrowly avoided his slash when he slammed down next to her. He leapt in her direction, his thorned fists closing in on her neck when she impaled him with her spear. The creature giggled and groaned, forcing a pale brown liquid to ooze from his wound and encase the tip of Khora's spear within it.

  "Get down!" Eren warned.

  She did as he said and dropped onto the snow, confusing Torfir for a moment before the Viper slammed into him.

  "Pin him before he recovers!" Richard shouted, sprinting towards the monster.

  Eren was the first to reach him and straddled the massive creature's leg, forcing him further off balance as he wobbled. Richard was next, using his vines to pull on the spriggan's arms and bringing them closer to the earth. No time was wasted as Khora jumped into the air, slamming her feet into the monster's chest and using her captive spear to push him onto his knees.

  "Oh, we don't like that," Torfir hissed, struggling to free himself.

  The spikes that had graced the creature's arms began to grow across his entire form, forcing Eren to release his hold before he could be skewered. Khora remained, however, sidestepping the massive thorns before they could pierce her.

  "One of you, do something, now!" she yelled, attempting to avoid the spriggan's attacks.

  "Hah! There is nothing that can be done against a foe like-"

  "Ah!!"

  The viscous liquid that had dripped from the Spriggan Lord's wound sprayed onto Khora and Richard's faces as his head was cracked open. The axe that had split it in half was tenderly dislodged and pulled away from the strands of sap that threatened to restrain it. Edmund stared at the weapon in his hands intently while the rest watched him in awe.

  "Did I just…" he whispered.

  "Did… he…?" Eren murmured.

  "It looks like," Khora answered. "Torfir's dead, isn't he?"

  "I… I think so," Richard muttered. "Wait, no… I can sense-"

  A heavy crunch sounded from Torfir's remains as what was left of his jaw creaked open, a visceral cackle emanating from within.

  "I have occupied thousands of bodies across thousands of years, but never in all my time have I been challenged by children as trifling as you," the voice whispered. "Nor will I be again."

  The Spriggan Lord's body crumbled apart as it was reduced to a pile of splintered wood scattered across the slush; it paid witness to the trees that warped and whined around them. Four of their trunks ruptured, revealing bizarre and irregular forms emerging from within; three more joined them as they clawed their way up from the dirt, formed of mud and moss, and two others fell away from the stones and lumbered forward.

  "After I leave your bodies in the dirt to rot, I shall pay visit to your pitiful Azra and finish your sorcerer's work," the masses screeched in unison. "By the power of the Goddess Terria, I will reclaim these lands, and my forests will never be tread upon by you pilfering humans again!"

  All nine of Torfir's forms rushed forward, snarling and laughing in unison. Khora pulled her spear from the ground and raised it in time to catch a muddied fist aimed for her face.

  "Is the little stick for me?" the figure questioned. "The first piece I'd need to start my new throne? Generous!"

  A grunt spilled through her teeth as she swept her spear through the creature's body, cleaving it in half and leaving sludge spread across the ground.

  "The mud forms are weak," she announced, taking a moment to look over her allies.

  Richard seemed to be having the most trouble between them, as all four of Torfir's wooded forms viciously pressed against him; Eren dove for the Viper while one of the spriggan's stone forms chased him down, and Edmund was pursued by the other two mud monsters. It left just one of Torfir's forms unaccounted for, and that realization pushed her to turn around— just in time to be struck by the second stone creature.

  "You seemed to be deep in thought, so I decided to wait," it explained, rocks scraping eerily as it spoke. "I'm just such a kind being. It is, tragically, my least notorious trait."

  Khora raised her hands in front of her face as the stone form kicked at her, leaving a deep welt on her arms. He reared his foot back for a second strike, and she stole the opportunity to grab at his other leg. She pulled it forward, and Torfir slipped through the slush, a thud cracking out as he fell. She climbed onto the stone mass and gathered all her weight on Torfir's chest while her hands darted towards his head.

  "Oh, I really would not attempt to-"

  Khora slammed his head into the ground and saw the fissures in it widen as she did it.

  "This form is weak too, isn't it?" she poked, scowling as she continuously slammed the spriggan's head into the dirt.

  "Now see — this is just — what — happens — when — I stretch — myself — thin —" Torfir groaned between her attacks. "Don't worry — though — at least — like — this — I'm — never — alone."

  Khora's eyes widened, and she spun around, expecting another unseen strike, yet there was nothing but empty air.

  "And, there's also the opportunity to deceive," Torfir muttered, slamming his fists into her back.

  Pain rocked through her spine as she hit the ground in front of her, but the torment was not yet at its end.

  "You know, there was a predecessor to my kind once — one of the Ancients, of course — and they were able to soar through the skies with more majesty than any dragon or drake could ever muster," Torfir reminisced. "They were extinguished
long before your time, though… yes, quite long ago indeed; however, do not fret. You'll soar, just as they did."

  The Spriggan Lord gripped Khora by her foot and dragged her through the snow before pitching his arm upwards, flinging her into the air. She shut her eyes as she thought of what to do but dropped to the ground before she could produce a single idea.

  "There were also many of my brothers and sisters that dwelled deep in the seas," he continued lecturing. "I'll have to find an ocean to toss you into, but don't worry— I am not easily deterred."

  Khora opened her eyes warily and saw a familiar glint a few inches away from her face. She smiled as she slowly reached towards it.

  "You're not moving… you're not dead already, are you?" Torfir inquired, genuine distress in his rocky tone.

  Light bounced off steel as she swept Lucian's blade across Torfir's stony form. He fell apart, unexpectedly, when the sword's edge slammed into him, but she attributed it to his earlier damage. Khora's eyes darted forward and found Richard— he had dispatched two of the spriggan's bodies but was still being swarmed. However, both those attacking him and those stalking the others broke off as they ran towards Khora and the weapon she held. There was a moment where dread pulsed through her veins, but purpose cut through fear as she lifted her arm.

  "Richard!" she yelled, slamming her hand forward and sending the sword whipping through the air.

  He grinned and stretched his hand out towards the gliding blade, gripping its hilt just before it passed him. It grew alive in his hands, coated in a beating fire that billowed in the wind.

  Torfir's forms froze when Richard's hand met the blade, and they all turned to stare at him. Unease punctured the air as the flaming sword cut into it, sending a wave of fire towards the spriggan's bodies; however, they crumbled moments before the magic could reach them. Instead, each stray stone and errant branch rolled towards each other, forming a hulking pile of convulsing earth, sludge, and timber. There laid an unshapely mound at its peak, formed of compressed stone and fashioned by sharpened thorns— it was a ghastly reflection of Torfir's former face.