by J D Dench
It wasn’t until a third attack struck him that he stopped. The glow in his eyes was now pure darkness. The yellow that had shined where his eyes were sculpted was no more. Umin let go of any control he had, allowing the beast he truly was to finally come out. Snarling and spitting, he climbed to his feet.
Ti’a was left sobbing in a ball behind him as she covered her face to hide her wounds. As the Demon left her alone, Liz ran to the girl’s side. Liz quickly snatched up the bandanna and cradled Ti’a in her arms, wrapping the bandanna around her face. “It’s going to be okay,” she told the Elf in a hush. “It’s all going to be okay.”
Kayla had the Sword in her hand, pointing it at the gargoyle as he turned to face her. “You want to face the Elves? You go through me!”
She didn’t know where her words were coming from, but Kayla was feeling extremely confident. Her last real fight had been against Tony, but Kayla remembered how well Lillian had guided her in all of her fights. She trusted Lillian with everything she had, and Kayla knew Lillian trusted her the same way.
“Leave her, Umin,” the snake-Demon cried. “We have a job to carry out.”
“No,” Umin huffed. “She’s mine to kill.”
Igrath cursed before turning his attention to Kayla. “Then I’ll take care of her for you. Quickly. Quietly.”
He was stopped by a strike to the leg, sending him tumbling to the ground. He had been so focused on Umin and Kayla, the snake had failed to notice Matias approached him from the rear. He firmly gripped his Hammer and raised it in the air, preparing for a quick strike to finish the Demon quickly.
The snake Demon was known for his swiftness. He recovered quickly, wrapping his arms around Matias’ leg and pulling him down. The Hammer would have fallen from his hand if it were capable. Matias hit the ground hard, the wind being knocked out of him.
“Matias!” Kayla cried. She turned to run to his side.
Umin lowered himself onto all fours, his teeth exposed as all four sets of claws pushed into the ground. His tail curled to point over his head. To Kayla, he looked like a scorpion. He pushed himself forward with all the power he could, using his tail like a spear and aiming it at the center of Kayla’s chest.
Kayla turned the Sword into a large blade just in time to catch Umin’s tail. The force pushed her five feet back and onto her back, but the Sword saved her from the piercing of the tail. She hit the ground hard and landed in a heap.
“It changed,” Umin said in amazement. The end of his tail had struck the metal so hard it actually shattered, leaving nothing but a broken hollow end of stone. “The weapon transformed. So it must be the Sword. The one for Azzaan.”
Igrath curled around Matias tighter, his arms wrapping around Matias’, his legs doing the same. While he appeared to have arms and legs, he didn’t have bones. This allowed his limbs to act like their own snakes, slithering around prey. He heard Umin and smiled wide as the blades around his forearms came up close to Matias’ throat.
“So it is as Galruman thought.” The snake’s face was close to Matias’, his fangs exposed and the venom dripping just beside Matias’ face. “The Sword and Hammer have returned. That just makes our job that much easier.”
Umin stood on his two legs, glaring at Kayla as the yellow returned to his eyes and he gained some control. “You are the protector of the Elves? And you are going to die at my hands so easily!” His claws dug into the ground and pushed off, flying into the air and aiming all four sets of claws at Kayla.
Kayla closed her eyes and let Lillian guide her as she had done so many times in the past. When she opened them again, she saw the Demon in the air about fifteen feet above her. The Sword turned into a spear without her saying a word.
Throw, Lillian commanded. Throw hard.
Are you sure? Kayla didn’t want to doubt the elf. She didn’t want to lose the Sword, either.
I won’t miss.
With a deep breath, Kayla jumped to her feet and threw the spear as hard as she could at the Demon. With Lillian’s guidance, the blade of the spear bounced off the stone of Umin without making so much as a scratch.
Kayla didn’t see it. Umin didn’t know it. But Igrath spotted what happened just before turning his attention back to Matias. And the snake-Demon knew in that moment that the gargoyle was dead.
“She may have killed Umin,” it hissed at Matias, “but you are mine.” It backed its head away and struck forward with the force of a hurricane, the hungry fangs exposed and aimed at the throat of Matias to finish him off once and for all.
Why did that blow hurt? It bounced off with no issues. So why does it hurt so badly?
Behind Igrath, Umin cried out in pain. Kayla looked up at the gargoyle as he fell toward her at what felt like a million miles an hour. But she heard his cry, and instantly her eyes went to the spot on his chest where the spear had struck. And she saw what had made the Demon cry out. The spear had hit a crack on Umin’s chest. The crack was now growing and spreading through his body, and nothing could stop it. It spread down his arms and legs, the small amount of stone between the wings and his body snapping and sending the wings to the ground. By the time the gargoyle came down and landed on Kayla, he was nothing but broken chunks of stone with no life remaining.
He never even got to say a word.
That’s it, then, Kayla thought again. Lillian will never let me die. Thank you.
Matias found himself in a large, empty chamber. It was empty and hollow with a single person sitting in front of a fire. Matias instantly recognized the face of his ancestor, Hamerst.
“Lad,” the old man said, “take a seat. We have something important to discuss.”
Matias walked to the fire and sat where the Dwarf had gestured. The Hammer sat between them both. “Am I dead? Or did I somehow survive? Is this a dream? Or are you real?”
“Those aren’t the questions you should be asking,” the Dwarf answered with a heavy sigh. Matias heard the years upon years of sorrow and exhaustion in that single sigh. “In fact, I have a question for you this time. But the answer must be answered with nothing short of the truth.”
“Of course,” he answered instantly.
“Matias, holder of the Hammer, are you prepared to guard the Dwarves with your very life? To treat every Dwarf in the entire universe as if they were your brother?”
The Dwarf adjusted where he was sitting. Matias could sense the discomfort in the ancient Dwarf’s voice. “I want you to wield the full potential of the Hammer. To have all the power that I have for yourself. But I need to know you will put it to good use. The last man I trusted became a Demon King, as you know. I need to know that won’t happen to you. I need to know you will put the interests of my people above all else.”
Matias didn’t answer right away. He stared into the fire. “You know, when all of this ends, I intend to return to the other world and continue my life where I left off.”
He cleared his throat and looked the old Dwarf in his face. Hamerst’s eyes showed the ages of wisdom he carried. This Dwarf didn’t lie around when he was in the Hammer. He was listening to the world around him. Every event in history this Dwarf watched and was unable to prevent.
Matias swallowed hard. Just like me when the Demon King killed my people.
“I cannot force you to stay,” Hamerst responded. His voice was even sadder than before. But the Dwarf showed nothing on his wrinkled face. Only in the eyes. “You will go where you please. But as long as you are here, I need you to make this promise to me. Can you do that?”
“I want to protect people,” Matias answered with no hesitation. “Even if it costs me my life, my only goal is to protect people around me. My people. Other people. My family and friends. I want to protect the good from the evil for the rest of my life. So yes, I can promise that I will protect the Dwarves with every ounce of my being until the day I die. Because they are related to me. They are my brothers, fathers and sons. They are my family, and I will defend them until my dying breath.”
And then the Dwarf was gone. Matias woke up and looked up at the fangs of Igrath. He turned his head and saw the gargoyle explode into pebbles. Kayla was on the ground looking up, but nothing moved. No breeze. He tried to speak, but no words came out.
Time had stopped.
What power they have! I thought the Hammer and Sword were strong enough, but they can even stop time!
The only thing that moved was the Hammer. It released the same humming Matias had heard when the Hammer was held by Hamerst. Focusing on his right hand, he realized how much more power the Hammer actually held. It shook his bones and pumped his blood. The Hammer was his life force, as if it were the puppeteer and Matias were only the puppet.
The stone of the Hammer began to glow, and Matias watched as it drifted away from the hilt of the Hammer. The weapon was now in two pieces, and Matias could do nothing but sit there and watch it. The large block of granite planted itself on Matias’ chest. He looked down at it and watched the stone actually dissolve into his skin.
What is happening?! Matias was beginning to panic, but he heard Hamerst calming him in the back of his mind.
Just let the Hammer do what it does best.
The stone spread over all of Matias’ torso and wrapped around his neck. It crawled down both of his legs and wrapped under his feet. At the same time, the stone wrapped around his arms and curled around each of his fingers. With amazement, he watched the stone form a perfect suit of armor around his entire body, stretching up his neck and wrapping around his face. Once it was finished, the only things left uncovered were his eyes and mouth. The stone wrapped around him like it were a liquid before solidifying into solid stone.
He was wrapped in thick stone armor from head to toe, and the stone was not bumpy at all. Rather, it had smoothed itself over to create a sleek piece of armor. The hilt of the Hammer left his hand next, breaking into two equal-length pieces. The two pieces attached to the backs of his arms from his wrists to his elbows. Incredibly, a blade grew from the hilts, leaving what appeared to be axes on the backs of both of his arms.
Defend my Dwarves, Matias, Hamerst said quietly, his dusty voice creeping into Matias’ ears.
The holder of the Hammer felt a new rush of adrenaline enter his veins. His blood boiled, and his eyes shot up at the snake. “I will,” he said out loud.
Time set in motion again. The snake’s teeth bit into where Matias’ exposed neck had been. It hit the stone hard and shrieked in pain, writhing and backing away, unwrapping itself from Matias’ armor of stone. A piece of its tooth cracked and fell onto Matias’ chest, the poison hissing and sputtering into the air but unable to penetrate the incredible armor of the Hammer.
“What is this?!” it hissed angrily, spitting out venom from its wounded mouth. “Where did that armor come from? This is not the power of the Hammer!”
“No,” Matias replied instantly, pushing to his feet. Despite how much the stone must have weighed, Matias moved and felt as if there was nothing around him. The stone armor was not on him, but rather had become a part of him. “This is not the power of the Hammer. This is the power of Hamerst. This is the power of the Dwarves!”
Without another sound, Matias rushed at the snake-Demon. It tried to slither away, but Matias grabbed it by one leg and pulled it back. He sunk his axes into the Demon, blocking any counter attack it could muster. Matias’ attacks were precise and premeditated, as if he had worn this armor thousands of times over thousands of years. He could feel the thoughts and feelings of Hamerst rush into him. It felt as if he were Hamerst’s reincarnation.
The axes cut away the Demon’s arms and legs, leaving only the slithering head. “You cannot kill the Demon army,” it hissed with a smile. Igrath knew he was on his deathbed, and he wanted to make sure he left this world inflicting every ounce of fear he could. “Galruman will kill you and rip those stones from your body. He will destroy the Sword and Hammer, and if he doesn’t Azzaan will. You will both see. You will both die!”
Matias looked at the snake with no emotion. “Not before you,” he spat. With one powerful swipe, Matias buried the head of the axe into the head of the Demon and silence Igrath once and for all.
Chapter Ten
“What in the name of Lillian was that?” Liz asked Matias in the meeting room.
They had spent the aftermath of the battle checking on the damage caused by the snake Demon and the Demon of stone. Many were wounded, but the advanced healing abilities of Elves would allow them to recover. The squad members of Aega were saddened by her loss. She was never known as the girl who spoke much, but she had a good heart and was well respected among the Elven people. Nobody took the news harder than Thero, who refused to speak. Everybody knew the pain he wore, though. He wore the same eyes as Liz when Rizza had died.
In the rest of the Kingdom, the damage was more severe. A couple of the smaller villages on the outskirts of the Elven Kingdom were completely wiped out by the vicious and merciless Demons. The buildings stood intact, almost as if they were untouched. But the brave individuals left the buildings behind to come out and face the Demons. Liz had her troops dispatched to every village to ensure all of those who had fought and lost their lives defending the Elven Kingdom from the gargoyle and snake were given the burials they deserved.
Now, they sat in the same meeting room Liz was almost always in these days. “Well?” Liz asked again with a wave of her hand. “Explain yourself.”
“It was Hamerst,” Matias explained. “He saved me. I was inches away from dying, and then I was alone with Hamerst in some kind of room. I had to make a promise to him to protect all Dwarves no matter what, and he granted me his power to use the weapon for its ‘intended purpose’. Next thing I knew, it seemed like time stopped while the Hammer transformed and wrapped around me.”
“That’s incredible.” Kayla stared at the stone around Matias’ body and reached out toward it. Her hand ran along the impossibly smooth surface of the rocks. “The Hammer has even more power than it had before?”
I wonder if the Sword has any more.
Matias reached for one of the axes, and suddenly the stone around his body seemed to melt away and get sucked into the axe he held until he was standing in his normal battle gear with the Hammer in his hand. “Maybe Lillian has something special planned for you.” He added with a wink to Kayla, almost as if he could sense her thoughts.
“Whatever the case, it’s great to know we have something like that on our side. It only helps our cause that much more.” Liz looked around the table at the people around her. “Ryo, would you have Thero bring in Golvannor? We need to ask him a few questions.”
The Elf pushed his glasses higher on his nose and nodded quickly, turning and leaving the room. He returned shortly after and took a seat beside Hanika. Beside her was Matias and Kayla. Next to them was Ti’a, who was covered in bandages from her wounds. Her injuries were bad, including a long scar across her face that would never fully heal. Despite not being medically cleared, she came to the meeting with a fresh bandanna. Next to her was Lotesta, and Liz sat next to her with hands folded on the table.
Thero led Golvannor into the room with a rough shove. The man fell onto the ground and attempted to gather his footing. Thero put his hand on his sword. “Don’t even think about it,” he growled, his face a dark shadow in the room. “I’ll cut you down and not lose a blink of sleep.”
“Thero!” Liz’s voice cut through him like a dagger. She pointed across from her. “Sit down.”
Thero shot her a look but nodded, sitting next to Ryo. His hand never left his blade. Liz nodded to her guard
s and the door to the room was closed, leaving them alone.
Liz was about to speak when Kayla cleared her throat. The Elf looked toward her friend and nodded her head, understanding what Kayla was saying without saying it. Let me speak.
“Golvannor, what is your job here?”
The skinny man’s deep-set eyes darted around the room at everybody’s faces. His face had only one expression painted on it: fear. “Wha’s gotten into ev’reyone? Shouldn’ we be ou’ thea?”
“Answer. The. Question.” Everybody’s eyes were fixed on Kayla. Her voice had a note nobody was used to in it. She narrowed her eyes at the man, ignoring any emotions of remorse. She felt changed since Lillian had spoken to her again. She felt confident. “What is your job?”
“I’mma guard, mizz,” he replied. He swallowed hard before turning to look at Liz. “I’m her guard.”
“Liz’s guard, yet you didn’t even show up to the fight against the Palace?” Kayla slowly got up from her seat. “Thero and Ti’a were injured. Ryo went for help. Aega died. But you didn’t even come try to help?” The words left Kayla’s lips before she had time to register them. Is Lillian speaking for me?
“I wa’ under ‘rrest!” He crawled toward Liz. “Tell ‘em, Liz, I begya!”
Liz shook her head and looked away from him. “You were under arrest, but the bonds were cut by Thero when they were called to fight. You were expected to come assist in the fight, but instead you were reported to be trying to flee the Elven Kingdom.”
“I wa’ sca’ed I wa’ gonna be executed.” He saw the lack of emotion of Liz’s face and looked to the ground. “I wa’ runnin’ fer m’life.”
Kayla’s eyebrows shot up. “You were scared, I understand that. But you thought you were going to be executed? You were being held for questioning, which I believe was made clear to you. Why would you automatically assume you were going to die?”
