by Erik Weir
The creature bounded away as people stepped through the jagged hole. A dragon woman was first, followed by a pointy eared woman and finally a man. The fox-critter looked back to them before disappearing into a bush along the canyon wall.
Victor looked around, the still air soothing his nerves. “This is the place?”
“It’s one of the places. The Slinger informed me that this is a watering hole for many creatures and there is a chance Dorian would come here to replenish his water supplies.”
Night eyed the small pond and looked around at the high canyon walls. “Such a place of solitude. Does Dorian not like society?”
Shyryth stepped forward, the sandy ground shifting under her scaled feet. “With so many hunting him, he prefers to be alone so no one would get hurt.”
“Like Superman’s Fortress of Solitude,” Victor said absentmindedly.
“Have you met him before,” Night asked.
Shyryth shook her head. “No, very few have. This is a special circumstance and I wouldn’t have gotten this far if I didn’t mention it was Astor’s dying wish.”
“Why did you want me to meet him, Astor? Why was this so important?” Victor whispered under his breath.
Shyryth unslung a pack from her shoulder and let it drop to the ground. “Cassandra gave me one of her special packs. It is filled with camping gear. We should set up here and build a fire. We may be here a few nights.”
Victor turned to the two women, “A few nights?”
Shyryth nodded. “No one has any idea when he will appear. We should…” the dragon trailed off as her scaled hand fell to her rune covered gun.
A shadow appeared from around the edge of a canyon wall and stepped into view. Victor’s hand was out, but a sword did not slide into it, his gaze focusing on the man in a cowboy hat, black clothes and dark brown duster. A bandanna covered the midpoint of the man’s face and flowed down to his neck. Hard eyes drank in the three standing by the pond as hands were at his sides, one by the pistol holstered at his hip and the right flap of his duster pulled behind it.
Silence filled the canyon floor until a small fox-creature appeared by the masked man’s side.
Victor relaxed as he eyed the man. The eyes reminded him of the poster he saw in Loress on his first trip to Eddor. Was this the man so many were afraid of?
“State your business,” the masked man said to Shyryth.
The dragon-woman took a step forward, palms out at her sides to show she not armed. “Dorian Reins, I have come as one last wish from Astor Korr.”
The Slinger kept his diamond cutting gaze, “Astor is gone?”
Shyryth’s eyes saddened as she nodded. “She died defending the people of Valis from a shadow army. She followed your teachings to the end, her last wish was to bring our friend, Victor Hobbs, to you.”
Dorian turned his hard gaze to the Blade. “What was Astor to you?”
Victor stayed his ground as his gaze dropped. “Astor was my friend…”
Dorian cut him off. “What was she to you?” he repeated in a dark tone.
A chill ran down Victor’s back. The Slinger’s gaze bore holes into his soul and he felt he was on a cliff’s edge, one wrong answer and there would be a smoking hole in his chest. Mentally preparing a defense, he spoke the truth and hoped it was enough.
“Astor was a friend and lover. She followed Vala’s ways, as do we all. We fought side by side against Baaldir and she fought with all of us against the shadows threatening the Valis Realm. She was not only a hero, but a force of nature and lover to many.”
Dorian’s arms relaxed and a duster flap covered his gun. Even in the dying light of the day, Victor witnessed a single tear form and slip down from the corner of the master slinger’s eye. A breath later, it was gone. Shoulders deflated an inch. The slinger moved to a large rock and sat down, head bent forward and the wide rim covering his eyes.
“She completed her quest. I’m so proud of her.”
The three stood, looking to the slinger as cool air caressed the entire canyon floor.
Dorian looked up, a new, gentle light in his eyes. “I trained many slingers over the years. She was one of the best. It was almost like the gods carved her from pure metal. She held a hardness no one could match. It was that hardness that led to our last lesson and her final quest.”
Victor, Shyryth and Night stepped closer as the Slinger continued.
“Astor never knew love. It showed in her dedication to gun-craft. On our last day, I gave her a quest to follow her heart. I told her never to return to me until she found her matching flame. It wasn’t a love you find for a lifetime, but a single spark that brought two souls together.”
Dorian looked to Shyryth and gave a small nod. “How lucky she found two sparks that matched her own.”
Shyryth’s head dipped as pink colored her cheeks.
“You sent her to find love,” Victor said in a low tone.
The slinger nodded. “It’s easy to stray from the path of righteous protection if you don’t know what the heart can do. Our weapons are part of who we are, but so is the capacity to understand the heart. We are a sum of our parts, but each one can be powerful if you experience and understand it.”
Victor mulled over the slinger’s words while trying to get over the easy-going nature of the man. He wasn’t sure what he expected which deep down was a lie. The mental picture he painted was a hard man with a big gun, maybe two guns. Instead, Dorian Reins seemed like a normal man who wanted the best for people. The slight differences from what he expected and what was before him seemed to meld together and gentle understanding whispered in his heart.
“I thank you for coming to me,” Dorian said while looking to Victor and Shyryth in turn, “Astor was a remarkable woman. I will mourn for her like I do for all those who fight and die for the greater good.”
Victor parted his lips, ready to speak when an envelope appeared over his shoulder. All eyes turned to the floating invite before Victor grabbed it and saw “Dorian Reins” written on it.
No wonder why Vala wanted you to meet him too.
Victor’s lip wrinkled for a moment before he stepped closer to Dorian and held out the envelope.
“It looks like you’re invited to Vala’s Resurrection.”
Dorian reached up and took the envelope. “Vala…is returning?”
The very air turned into a haze. A dreamy vibration ran along all gathered. Victor tried to blink it away, but it seemed to grow and grow. Night’s arms and legs began to shake as Shyryth leaned on one leg, barely able to stay standing. Victor fought through the misty haze until his senses touched on something beautiful.
Mists flowed together until the robed form of Vala stepped from it. Victor, Night, and Shyryth watched with wide eyes as Vala stepped past them and moved closer to the slinger on the rock. Dorian stayed where he was, looking up with the invitation in his hand, but peace in his eyes.
“The dreams were true,” Dorian said in a low tone.
The dark hood of Vala bowed slightly.
“What’s happening right now,” Victor tried to say, but his words came out garbled.
Dorian stood up and faced Vala, eyes holding a deep sorrow. “I never thought this day would come.”
“I knew we would be reunited, thanks to my Champion,” Vala said in an other-worldly voice.
Victor cut through the hazy fog, “Vala? What is happening?”
A pale hand touched Dorian’s shoulder as she spoke. “Dorian is my son.”
Hearts stopped as all looked to the goddess. Victor opened his mouth, but no words came out. Shyryth and Night looked on like moths caught in the glow of flames. The world seemed to stop as the sun just touched the horizon.
“I could not reveal myself unless my Champion was here to act as a conduit, his small regrets allowing me to be here, now.”
Victor took a shaky step forward. “You…told me your son died.”
Vala nodded. “He did…but his twin brother was still in my womb
as Baaldir murdered him. It was for his survival why I didn’t allow him to be born until Baaldir left in a mad rage. The span of time was so great as the gods hunted down my followers, more than enough time to hide Dorian amongst dreams so he would be strong enough to fend for himself.”
Vala reached up and touched Dorian’s covered cheek. “I have missed you for so long.”
Dorian wrapped his hand over Vala’s hand, eyes closing. “I have missed you, mother.”
“Dorian, you’re a god,” Victor said in astonishment.
“He is a fledgling god,” Vala corrected. “I locked his true power until I could return. It was a measure to ensure he remained hidden until I was ready to protect him.”
Vala’s voice lowered as she continued, “Our reunion is close. Victor and many others have been fighting for my return. I could not bear to come back and not see you there when I arrive.”
“Mother, I’ll be there to welcome you back.”
Vala smiled. “I know my son. For now, hold onto the invitation and appear when you are summoned. Because my Champion had to meet you, I could not let the moment pass without saying I love you.”
“I love you,” Dorian said with heartfelt warmth.
Vala pulled away from the slinger, turned and walked to Victor. The goddess bowed her head to the Champion.
“Victor, my love, you have proven your worth more than any who have walked the realms. Despite your doubts, you carried out my will. My power grows closer to my resurrection. This will be the last time we meet until the crusade is complete. Be the hero I know you to be. Fight with love and honor. I will be waiting, ready to enter the realms and be with all.”
The goddess leaned forward, red lips touching Victor’s. A surge of unimaginable bliss flared, nearly engulfing the Blade before it faded, as did Vala’s form. Victor stumbled back from the power; every nerve lit to seductive pleasure before it faded to the background. The mists parted and clarity returned to the darkening canyon floor.
Dorian eyed the Blade, dragon, and elf as they seemed to regain their wits when a sharp pain touched his neck. In a blur, the slinger’s hand slapped at the back of his neck and something crunched. Pulling his hand back, he saw a crumpled, monstrous insect, twitching and dying.
Turning his attention up, he watched as four shadows emerged over a canyon edge and manic giggling bounced off stone walls. Weakness flowed into muscles and the slinger fell to one knee, hand on his one rune-covered pistol.
“We got here too late!” a man covered in shrouded robes shouted.
“You just had to murder that family before we left,” a woman with blonde hair laughed.
“Can you…do this without me. I’m…so sleepy,” said a tired man with nearly closed eyes and short gray hair covering his head.
“The insect did its job. He won’t be much of a threat now,” said a large brute of man.
Victor tried to push away the confused haziness when the four figures at the top of the canyon jumped. When the last tendrils of confusion parted, the four intruders landed on the other side of the canyon floor. Shyryth pulled her pistol and aimed while Night held up her hands, balls of fire glowing just above her palms. The gun-blade slid into Victor’s hand and he spent a Constitution point to charge it. Six holes glowed as power infused the weapons.
The four newcomers stood nearly shoulder to shoulder, their horrific features coming into view. The shrouded man stood, small horns on his forehead and flesh missing from the side of his cheek. Teeth clicked as decayed flesh and muscle moved around it. Skeletal hands flexed while nearly white eyes bore down on the all those gathered.
Next to the shrouded man was a warp spawn woman, blonde hair flowing from the top of her head and down past her shoulders. She wore a tight top against her small chest. From the waist down, her body was nothing more than black tentacles, coiling and holding her entire body up. The crazed grin she wore left stretch marks along her cheeks as her eyes blinked sideways, small giggles bubbling up her throat.
The gray-haired man next to the warp spawn looked nearly normal except for his extremely sleepy gaze. To Victor, it looked like he was about to pass out and fall over at any moment. The gray robe he wore was thick and it appeared a little ragged like he never took it off.
The brute to the right of the sleepy man was large, nine feet tall and built like truck. Shoulders heaved as thick arms hung down, nearly touching the ground. His face was a mask of scars, tusks jutting up from behind his lower lip and three eyes. Two eyes appeared in their normal places, but above them, a third eye blinked and looked around in all directions.
The decayed and shrouded demon stepped forward, white eyes on Victor. “It’s so wonderful to finally meet you, Vala’s Champion. In our line of work, it’s rare when we come across other Champions across the realms so this is a big treat for us.”
“You’re such a liar, Xix,” the blonde warp spawn giggled.
“Shush Vayne, you’re taking all the fun out of this,” the demon tried to hide his decayed smile and failed.
Victor glanced to Dorian as he stayed on one knee, hand touching his pistol but not drawing it. Shyryth and Night moved to either side of the Blade, eyes and hearts hard.
Xix continued, “Your name is being whispered across the realms. How fortunate we get to end the legendary Blade in some nameless canyon in the Forsaken Lands. I wonder what the wildlife will leave behind when we are done?”
“I want the marrow in their bones. You promised,” the three-eyed brute growled.
Xix turned to his companions. “You guys are really messing this up. I had it all planned and your talking through it. How are we to be the ones who killed Vala’s Champion if you keep interrupting with inane chatter? Shut up so I can enjoy this!”
“Guys, I really want to lay down,” the sleepy one said.
Xix rolled his eyes before he composed himself, turned and looked to Victor. “As I said, we are here to murder all of you. My name is Xix Blight. The warp spawn over there is Vayne Whisper. The gray-haired one is Lexx Hollow and the large fellow is Kaiser Zul. We are the champions of Redarr, Tantia, Ibris and Roohr.”
Victor blinked. “I don’t know what any of those names mean nor do I care.”
Xix’s decayed smile faltered. “Not care? Don’t you understand the courtesies? Champions must reveal themselves and their gods before they do battle. It’s a standard practice.”
Victor shook his head. “You’re talking to the wrong champion. All I see is a sad imitation of Gwar. You could have put in some better thought when it comes to your costumes. I wouldn’t even let you in the door if you were playing in a dive bar.”
Xix’s face shifted to annoyed confusion.
“I think he’s making fun of us,” Vayne laughed.
Victor glanced to Shyryth, “I finally understand why Lily is always mad about the gods and their Champions. This amount of annoying behavior is enough to drive me insane.”
“They are dangerous,” Shyryth said while never taking her eyes off the four Champions.
“So are we,” Victor smirked before turning his attention to Dorian.
The slinger remained on one knee; eyes shut like he was fighting some kind of internal battle.
“Dorian, we can get you out of here,” Victor said coolly.
“No…they won’t allow it. Buy me…some time,” the Slinger said with a grunt.
Kaiser turned his three eyes in Xix’s direction. “He’s fighting the poison. We only have a few minutes left before he overcomes it.”
Xix grinned, decayed flesh stretching unnaturally. “Then, let the play begin!”
A broadsword appeared in Kaiser’s oversized hand. A staff appeared in Lexx’s hand and the Champion promptly leaned on it. Two curved blades appeared in Vayne’s hands and she spun them around like they weighed nothing. Xix took a step forward, spiked ball and chain dangling from a short rod. Victor eyed the morning star as the spikes appeared rusty.
“Stay close and don’t let them break us up,�
� Victor said over his shoulder before laughter filled the canyon.
Xix shot forward like ghost, spiked ball spinning. Victor pumped five points into his Strength and Speed, raising it to a greater effect. Gun-blade shot up, smacking the spiked ball away and bringing his blade down. Xix was already spinning away, spiked ball lashing out and Victor barely parrying it from the air.
Shyryth stepped forward, rune-covered gun in hand as Vayne and Kaiser charged. Finger gently resting on the trigger, she picked her target and squeezed the trigger. A mana-bullet exploded from the barrel, streaking forward. Kaiser growled as he leapt in the bullet’s path and turned his broadsword sideways. The deflection caused the giant brute to stumble back as the bullet slammed into a canyon wall and cracked it. Shyryth was already re-aiming when Vayne leapt into the air over her large companion. The dragon-woman didn’t hesitate as she squeezed the trigger twice.
One mana bullet and another slammed into the warp spawn, causing her to spin. Shyryth lowered her gun and reached out with her left hand, catching the warp spawn by the neck and squeezing.
“Harder…” Vayne hissed before tentacles wrapped around the dragon woman.
Shyryth saw that this was the warp spawn’s plan the entire time. She tried to pull away, but the tentacles took hold, wrapping around her and forcing her gun to her side.
“Now it’s my turn to squeeze you harder,” Vayne laughed as the coiling tentacles squeezed like several vices.
Victor knocked away Xix’s spinning spiked ball, but every time he tried to get a shot off, the demon seemed to move faster. Stepping back, he was on the defensive until fire glowed. Xix glanced to Night and spun away just as one fireball streaked by. The shrouded demon landed and slid before jumping away to avoid the second fireball. Night hissed incantations as another set of fireballs appeared in her hands. The span of time was enough for Victor to aim and squeeze the trigger.
