Rogue Vanguard: Book One of the Eterialumen

by Peter Hall

  The soldiers on the ramparts were swamped and the demons poured over the walls. Bryn and Durandal got to their feet and sprinted inside the castle, heading for the observatory. The horde followed them in as they ran for the stairs. As the last of the soldiers fell and the demons flooded over, Starcaller shot her seeker arrows as fast as she could trying to protect Cerberus, but it wasn’t enough. They were all over him, biting into his arms and legs but he kept swinging.

  Bryn and Durandal burst through the observatory door and slammed it behind them as the horde swarmed the castle. Durandal ran to a bookshelf next to the door and pushed, trying to tip it over. Bryn grabbed the other side and pulled it down and they blocked the door, just as the horde got there. They were clawing and bashing the door as Bryn and Durandal leaned against the bookshelf, trying to keep the demons out. The demons got the door to open a little and Bryn saw their clawed hands reaching in and forcing their way through. This is it… Bryn thought as the door kept thumping and opening wider with every moment.

  Starcaller was still firing arrows down but Cerberus got swamped and disappeared under the horde. “No!” she screamed as his mighty battle-axe finally stopped swinging. Eir was beside her, holding onto her leg and watching the door to the observatory gradually open. The demons started squeezing through and Eir screamed. Starcaller turned around with tears in her eyes and fired her blue arrows at the demons as they forced their way into the room. Eir looked away and closed her eyes tight. The sound of wings flapping suddenly filled the air and she opened her eyes and looked up. Her jaw dropped as she saw the Ljosalfar come flying towards the castle, their golden armor shining in the red sunlight. There were hundreds, maybe thousands of them flying across the sky, and three of them swooped down towards the balcony.

  “Look! It’s the Elves!” Eir shouted over the commotion. The first Ljosalfar landed on the balcony and grabbed Starcaller and took off, leaving Eir by herself. Bryn and Durandal shared a glance and sprinted towards the balcony. The demons burst through the door and climbed over the bookshelf as another Ljosalfar swooped down. Bryn grabbed Eir and the Ljosalfar picked them up and flew high into the sky. Eir looked down below as they soared into the clouds and she saw the demons flooding into the stables. “Angel! No!” she screamed as tears rolled down her face.

  Durandal gripped his sword and turned around as the demons swarmed him. He closed his eyes. He thought of his son and his wife and felt at peace. He was going to see them again. He felt something grab his cuirass from behind and the next moment, he was airborne. He opened his eyes and saw the demons flooding the balcony below as they screeched and howled.

  They could see it. High on the tallest mountain in the ranges, a tiny little castle. There were hundreds of giant bats circling above it. As they got closer they saw more demons. A sea of ghostly white terrors standing in formation outside the castle. The Ljosalfar slowly descended and they landed behind a ridge overlooking the castle. The demons were covering the whole mountain ahead of them for miles.

  As soon as they touched down, Bryn sat Eir on the ground and collapsed to her knees. Durandal was talking to one of the Ljosalfar and Starcaller was sitting on the edge of the rise, looking out over the army before them. The Ljosalfar gathered behind the ridge and one approached Bryn. He was tall and pale with golden hair, sharp features and he was wearing heavy golden armor.

  “Are you alright?” He said in a soft voice.

  Bryn looked up at him. She had never seen an Elf before, light or dark.

  “Where did you come from?” she said.

  “Valenor.” the Ljosalfar said and tilted his head. “What is your name?”

  “Brynhildr.”

  “My name is Ylyndar, I am the commander of this army.” He kneeled down beside Bryn and looked over at Eir who was sitting in the snow crying. “We have come to destroy the dark lord who resides in that castle beyond the demon army.”

  “You can’t kill him.” Bryn said, staring at the snow.

  The Ljosalfar seemed confused. “Why not?”

  “You just can't!” Bryn said and got to her feet. “We need to lure him out of the castle first. There is a device inside that will cause the Demon Gods to return to Eteria if he dies in there. That is his plan.”

  Ylyndar stood up and tilted his head. “Demon Gods?”

  “Yes, demons. Big demons. You know, the kind that can destroy the world?” she said and walked over to Durandal.

  “How in Hades are we going to get to the castle now?” Durandal said.

  “We wait.” said Bryn. “They must be gathering for something. Perhaps they will march out like the rest. That’s when we can strike.”

  “What if they are just gathering to protect the Master? They may not move until he brings about these thirteen demons.”

  Eir, Starcaller and Ylyndar joined Bryn and Durandal on the ridge. Bryn turned and walked over to Starcaller.

  “We’re going to wait, see if the army moves out.”

  “Im leaving.” Starcaller said.

  “What?”

  “You heard me. I’m done. We got you to Drogan, that was the deal. Now give me my gem.”

  “Starcaller we need your help! How are we meant to kill the Master without you?”

  “This is a suicide mission.” she said and held out her hand. Bryn reached into her pouch and took out the pink gems. She put them both in Starcaller’s hand and closed her fingers over them.

  “I’m sorry about Cerberus.” Bryn said.

  Starcaller turned and walked away, heading south in the dim red light. They watched her disappear over the mountain and then she was gone. Bryn walked over to Durandal and looked to him for answers, for something, anything. He just stared back, like he was in shock. Eir walked over and hugged Bryn’s leg.

  “Why did she go?”

  “Because… because we’re done. It’s over.” Bryn said and turned around. Tears started to roll down her face.

  “We can’t give up now! Do I have to kill this Master myself? We HAVE to keep going! What else are we going to do!” Eir shouted, tears welling in her eyes.

  Bryn turned and looked at Durandal, wiping her eyes. He walked over and put his hand on her shoulder.

  “Brynhildr… if we walk away, these demons will keep coming and perhaps these Demon Gods will destroy the world. The way I see it, we don’t really have anything to lose.” He smiled and wiped her cheek. “Let’s go for it. One last charge. We make a run at the castle, perhaps we can make it there, perhaps the Master will come out and perhaps we can kill him.”

  Ylyndar interjected. “We can distract the demons while you head for the castle.”

  “Alright.” Bryn said. She turned and kneeled down next to Eir. “Sweetheart, you should stay here. If we don’t make it, you must head back to Iliad, the way we came. Alright?”

  “No!” Eir said “I am coming with you!”

  Bryn looked at Durandal and he shook his head.

  “Eir… “ Bryn said but she cut her off.

  “No! I'm coming and you can’t stop me!”

  Bryn’s heart sank. She knew Starcaller was right. This was a suicide mission and now she had dragged Eir into it. She was going to get them all killed. She nodded to Eir and picked her up.

  “Alright, little warrior.” she said and forced a smile.

  Durandal walked over to the ridge for another look. The castle was about a mile away and there were demons covering the mountain all the way from the castle to about two hundred yards in front of them. Bryn walked over to Durandal and crouched down next to him on the ridge.

  “New plan. We kill the master whether he is in the castle or not. To Hades with the Demon Gods. If we don't kill him, this army will destroy Eteria anyway.”

  Durandal rubbed his chin and nodded. “I agree. To Hades with them. If we manage to kill the Master and these Demon Gods come about, then we kill them too.”

  Bryn smiled and they embraced, sharing one last kiss. Suddenly the Ljosalfar army took off and flew straight
towards the demons, drawing their curved swords and swooping down in a flurry of flapping wings. Ylyndar and another Ljosalfar walked over to Bryn.

  “We will carry you to the castle.” he said.

  As they soared through the air they could see the battle raging below. The Elves had met the demons in combat and it was carnage. They were flying through the demons hacking them with their curved swords. Archers were flying above raining hundreds of fiery arrows down into the horde. The Ljosalfar army cut left across the demons and drew them to the west. The demons kept swarming towards them and it was almost a clear run ahead to the castle now.

  “Now!” Durandal shouted and Ylyndar swooped down straight towards the castle. Bryn was holding on to Eir as the Ljosalfar dived down and dropped them about fifty feet from the castle doors.

  They landed in the snow and bolted straight for the castle. Immediately they had demons sprinting at them from all sides. Durandal swung Nightclaw left and right, decapitating the first two. Bryn cut a demon’s head off as she dashed by and it burst into flames. Fiery arrows were falling all around and demons were lunging at them from all directions but they didn’t slow down. They were stabbing them, slashing and smashing a path toward the castle. The doors to the castle were wide open and demons were coming out one by one. The bats swooped down and tried to grab them in their talons when a squadron of Ljosalfar intercepted the winged beasts, their swords flashing in the sky as black blood rained down on the trio running for the castle.

  They got to the doors and ran straight inside the annex room. Bryn skidded across the stone floor and tossed Eir to the side of the room, the Halfling sliding along the floor and into the wall as Bryn stopped and ran towards the pit in the middle of the room. A demon crawled out and she sliced its head clean off, the creature burst into flames and another three were upon her. She kicked one and swung her sword in a huge arc hacking both the other’s heads off an explosion of blood, brains and fire.

  Durandal ran in swinging. He carved four incoming demons in half with one swing, turned and sprinted back to the doors. A dozen or so Ljosalfar flew in and began shutting the huge wooden doors to the castle. They almost had them closed but there were demons outside forcing them open and squirming through. Durandal ran up and sliced his sword down in between the doors and started stabbing the demons through the gap. Bryn was at the pit smashing the head of every demon that came out, one after another they burst into flame as their heads exploded. She looked over and saw Durandal and the Ljosalfar struggling with the door. She smashed another flaming skull and charged towards the door. She crashed into the pack and the doors slammed shut for a moment.

  “Hold it!” Durandal shouted and ran to the side. He grabbed the wooden bar and slid it across, locking the doors. The demons were bashing on the outside, but it was locked. There were about seven Ljosalfar left alive and they charged over to the pit and killed the demons that had just emerged.

  “Stay here! Guard the pit!” Durandal said and ran over to Bryn who was helping Eir to her feet.

  “There.” he said and pointed across the room. It was the door to the throne room. Bryn nodded and turned to Eir.

  “Stay here, out of sight.” she said and kissed her.

  “Alright.” Eir said and hid behind an old barrel with her sword drawn.

  “Stay safe little one.” Durandal said and smiled at Eir.

  She smiled and nodded. Bryn and Durandal shared a glance and headed for the throne room. Bryn unslung her shield from her back and gripped her father’s sword as they approached the doors. Durandal grabbed the handle and looked at her.

  “Ready?” he said.

  “Let’s finish this.” Bryn said, gritting her teeth.

  Durandal pushed the door open and held his sword out in front of his body as he walked into the throne room, Bryn following close beside him. Bryn’s heart was pounding and sweat was pouring down her face. He was there. Sitting on the throne in front of them. It was the creature she had seen that night. The creature that had murdered her parents and taken her brother away from her. She felt overwhelming fear and rage all at once. Her hands were shaking and her legs felt like jelly as she walked towards the monster. It sat there, motionless, staring into space. Slowly they approached it.

  “Ahhh… Valkyrie.” it said in a low, gravelly voice. “I have been waiting for you.”

  Durandal looked over at Bryn and the Master shot across the room in an instant and grabbed Durandal by his head with one hand and lifted him up off the ground. Durandal screamed and dropped his sword, grabbing the Masters arms, trying to break free. Bryn swung Gunnlogi, but the Master punched her in the chest before the blade connected, sending her flying across the room. She slammed into the wall and collapsed to the ground, her sword and shield clattering on the stone floor. The vicious blow had broken about half of her chest bones and she could hardly breath. She coughed as blood poured from her mouth and looked up. The Master sunk his teeth into Durandals neck. He gargled and screamed as the monster drained the blood from his jugular.

  Bryn watched in horror as the Master then threw Durandal across the room. He smashed into a wall and crumpled to the ground, blood pouring from his neck. Bryn rolled to the side just as the Master lunged at her. It smashed into the wall and stumbled back. Bryn grabbed her father’s sword off the ground, got to her feet and charged. She swung Gunnlogi and landed it on the Master's shoulder, smashing its bones to pieces and setting the creature alight. It fell over and made a high pitched, demonic scream as it burned, holding its arm. Bryn ran up and swung the sword down but it sprang up with impossible speed and grabbed her by the throat with its burning hand before she realised what had happened. Her sword dropped to the ground and she stared into the Masters empty, black eyes with terror as blood poured from her nose and mouth. It grinned widely and then it turned its head towards Durandal. He was taking his armor off.

  The Master tilted his head and threw Bryn across the room. She slid along the stone floor and slammed head first into the wall. She coughed up blood and tried to focus. The room was spinning, the Master was walking toward Durandal and Durandal was naked. Have you lost your mind? Bryn couldn’t make sense of what she was seeing. Is he naked? What she saw next convinced her that she had definitely lost her mind. Durandal stood there, facing off against the Master. It stopped and hissed at him.

  “Go on! Do it, dog! Show her what you really are!”

  Durandal’s eyes lit up bright blue and he roared. His body tensed and then he hunched over. Dark, grey hair sprung from his skin, all over his body. His body shook as he transformed into a huge grey wolf. The master started laughing a sickening, awful laugh that echoed around the room as it stood there burning alive.

  “Now you will die, dog!” the Master said and sprinted towards the wolf.

  The wolf growled and charged towards the Master just as Bryn threw Gunnlogi with all her might and collapsed face first on the ground. Her father’s sword spun through the air and skewered the Master’s leg. He stumbled and fell to one knee, shrieking in pain. His black eyes widened as the wolf lunged forward and sunk its sharp white teeth into his neck, biting down hard. The Master gargled and stabbed the wolf in the stomach with it’s sharp, burning claws. The wolf kept biting down and ripped the Masters neck open, the black blood spraying up into the wolf’s mouth. The huge grey wolf collapsed to the ground and transformed back into Durandal as the Master shriveled up into a dry, burning husk.

  Bryn lifted her head and saw Durandal lying motionless and the Master’s dead body, still burning. Her head fell back to the stone floor and everything went dark Eir ran into the room and looked over at Bryn.

  “The monsters are…” she saw Bryn lying in a pool of blood and gasped. ”Bryn!” she shouted, then she saw Durandal.

  “No!” she screamed and ran over to Bryn, shaking her. “Wake up! Wake up Bryn!”

  In the dark chamber within Ravak-Gren, Garet sat staring at the grimoire, chanting the words, waiting desperately for the moment of t
ruth. The dark blood in the pool started to bubble and boil and he lifted his eye. Yes! Yes! Finally! He thought. A head emerged from the pool and slowly, a naked, blood covered woman rose from the bubbling pit with her arms folded across her chest. She lifted her head and opened her eyes as huge bat-like wings extended from her back.

  Garet trembled with fear and excitement as she stared straight at him and hissed, revealing two long, sharp canine teeth.

  “Garet,” she said in a thunderous voice that shook the foundations of the chamber, “You have served us well. But your mission is not over. There is a new Master.”

  “N-new Master?” Garet said, his voice giving out as he kneeled there before the Demon Goddess.

  “Yes. The wolf. Go now to Valenor and seek him out.” she said, staring at him with her shiny, black eyes.

  Garet nodded as the Demon Goddess folded her wings and slowly sank down into the blood once more. He gathered his things and climbed the stairs leading out of the dark chamber under the mountain. The wolf… He would have his victory yet.

  Shapeshifters

  ‘Monsters of Eteria’ from ‘Eterialumen 1320th year since the cataclysm’

  There are many legends that speak of Shapeshifters, human’s that can transform their physical appearance into that of an animal. The tribes that live in the frontier lands to the south of Sierra are said to have Shapeshifters in some of their rare liniages that survived the great cataclysm. The most well known type of Shapeshifters are Lycans, humans that take the form of wolves. It is said that they can transform at will, the exception being on the occurrence of a full moon, at which time the Lycan will involuntarily transform. Shapeshifters pass their abilities on to their children and as such most are born with their abilities, yet there are many tales of humans being ‘turned’... but the exact method in regards to this is unknown. Lycans are powerful and fast, in both their human and wolf forms and they can even become hybrid wolf-men by a type of ‘half shift’ or ‘hybrid shift’. Other known animals that Shapeshifters take the form of are foxes, owls, dogs, cats, eagles, bats and horses. Despite the many tales and sightings of these strange creatures, most people believe Shapeshifters are nothing more than myth.