Verdunmull

by Jared Zakarian

  His father was proud of him. “Good to hear. We all have faith in your leadership.”

  The young leader tried to hide his lack of confidence as the pressure of this battle weighed heavily on him. This was the sole purpose for his being inducted as a Shadow Guardian, and he did not wish to fail, although he indeed had no real leadership experience in a planned defensive battle and worried if he would be able to make the correct decisions under pressure. He assessed their surroundings and took into account the apparent drop-off to the west, where the horizon met the barren landscape. He then looked to their perimeter and the two outcroppings and finally concluded everyone’s positioning.

  Faolan began giving orders. “Ireli, you will be positioned on the west side close to the mountain’s edge where there looks to be a sheer drop. Perhaps you can use the terrain change to your advantage. Caedmon, you will be front and center to easily and quickly aid either of the other mages should they encounter the beast first. Ehreion, you be up front on the east side, near where the forest meets the high cliff edge.”

  The three mages agreed to the leader’s orders and did not question his decisions.

  The young guardian continued. “We have two large outcroppings in asymmetrical placement before the seal. I need one healer behind each outcropping with one of their protectors. This will provide two opportunities to aid the mages out front should one become injured. The healer not blocked off by the demon can move around the battlefield to assist. Mother and Father, you will be located behind the outcropping slightly closer to the seal for final defense. I will stand behind the western outcropping slightly farther out from the seal for continual assessment of the battle and further command.”

  All the party members gave their confirmation and understood their placements for when the battle began. The real question was when to expect the creature’s appearance. If the Initiate had already found the seal’s key, as Caedmon had informed them, then it would not be long before the beast moved to open the seal.

  The young leader thought a moment. “Caedmon, perhaps you and the mages should discuss your plan of attack and possible elemental combinations. I will have the others move into position behind the outcroppings so we are not caught off guard.”

  The old wolf agreed. “That is a wise idea, Faolan. We will move farther out as well.”

  “Underst—” The leader was cut short by an evil roar from the forest.

  “The Initiate is here!” Auvelia shouted.

  “Everyone get to your positions!” Faolan commanded.

  The three mages sprinted out across the barren landscape to engage the demon as he emerged from the forest. Their eyes began to glow their respective colors as their magic’s heart came to life, and harmony was achieved through their beckoning call to its strength. Fire enveloped the dwarf’s hands and forearms, the wind began to rise around Ireli, and Caedmon looked to the ground as thick vines wove through the soil beneath them, causing the ash to ripple in curving lines.

  The rest of the group retreated to their assigned protective outcroppings and prepared for the coming battle. Aili moved to the western rock formation that sat farther out from the seal for a closer position to aid the mages, and Gavina followed the healer as her guard to preserve the delicate elf maiden’s safety. The young leader followed close behind and accompanied them at the western formation.

  Faolan’s parents moved to the rear eastern outcropping with Leith and Treasach. Their position was no more than fifty yards from the seal. As they neared the seal, they could see the doorway was made from obsidian and had glowing green script that produced a steady fog.

  “Is that it?” Leith wondered.

  Kellen eyed the ominous doorway. “Yeah, must be.”

  “Come, now; focus on the battle at hand. We cannot let the creature through,” Auvelia said.

  They looked out across the battlefield and saw that the others had taken up positions at their predetermined locations. Faolan glanced back at his parents behind the eastern outcropping and received a hand signal that all was well. The young leader then looked to Aili and Gavina to make sure they were prepared for what was coming.

  “Should one of them fall, I will move forward to assist their efforts. When it is safe for you to aid the fallen mage, then you may move to assist, but not before,” Faolan ordered. “Do you understand?”

  “Yes,” Aili confirmed. “Please do be careful.”

  “You as well,” the young leader added.

  Faolan shifted his attention out across the ash-covered land toward the mages and assessed their situation. They were still running to reach their positions, though they were almost in place.

  Suddenly, a bellowing roar sounded from the forest, much closer this time, and a second later, the Initiate emerged from the foliage at a full sprint. It held a massive and awe-inspiring golden great sword in its hand. The sword did not look to have been made by any elf or dwarf, and its otherworldly appearance was distinct. The great sword had a long hilt, and the bottom two feet of its main blade had multiple series of smaller diagonal blades pointing out and up along both sharp edges. The distal three feet of the golden sword were straight and came to an extended point.

  When Faolan saw the sword, a disorienting pulse rippled through him as a memory flashed into his mind, and the fair healer and general next to him both felt a surging distortion in the atmosphere around them. They looked at their leader through an ethereal vision as the atmosphere thickened and weighed down on them heavily. The vision they experienced this time was different than what Aili had witnessed before, and it was even more disturbing.

  Faolan’s right eye was bathed in a fire, its form fluid and controlled around the socket. The air around him bent and distorted under the strain of a great power.

  Both observers felt a terror rise from within their hearts as the eye moved to stare at them from its corner. It was an eerily piercing gaze with an unmistakable sense of intense rage.

  Faolan leaned on the boulder before him as a deep pain flowed through him. He pulled his right hand back and slammed it into the boulder, radiating cracks in all directions from the forceful impact.

  Then the vision ended, and Faolan looked normal; the eye was no longer on fire and the cracks in the boulder disappeared. Both witnesses were stunned as they watched their leader fearfully while reality returned.

  The young guardian turned to them. “What?”

  Aili glanced at Gavina with a wondering expression, and the general nodded slowly in bewilderment. The fair healer was partially relieved that she was not the only one who had experienced the vision this time, though she could tell by the disconcerted expression on Gavina’s face that the general was no closer to understanding the ethereal vision than she. Aili was deeply concerned for Faolan and what might be happening to him but was unsure of what to tell him or how to help him. Both witnesses were shaken by the vision, and many questions plagued them, but they knew now was not the time to inquire about the incident.

  “We will talk later,” Gavina remarked. “Keep your mind on the battle.”

  Faolan was uncertain why his companions were so jarred, but he did as the general suggested. He looked back out across the landscape and watched as the Initiate began combat with Caedmon, while the two other mages converged on the old wolf’s location to assist with the fast-approaching creature.

  “Is that the seal’s key?” Gavina questioned.

  “A golden sword?” Aili wondered. “No one makes swords out of gold.”

  Faolan shook his head uncertainly. “Hard to tell, but it is safe to assume it’s the key. Golden swords are too weak for combat and would break. What other reason would Maleuuenant have to carry it?”

  The seasoned soldier eyed the guardian with a look of speculation and was unsure about his familiarity with the demon. She commented, “True . . .”

  They watched the battle unfold before them and waited for their opportunity to act. The ancient wolf guardian charged the beast, his eyes glowing green
, and a voice rang from a short distance away.

  “Caedmon, use your vines!” Ireli shouted.

  The blue wolf raised one of his hands; vines erupted from underneath the ash. The thorn-covered vines grasped Maleuuenant’s ankles and grew taut, causing the Initiate to trip and fall. Maleuuenant hit the ground hard and looked to the sudden points of resistance. The beast roared in absolute rage at the opposition and shredded the grasping vines with ease. The evil creature surged back to its feet, enraged and focused, and charged the Ikalreev creation with speed and force.

  Maleuuenant rammed shoulder first into Caedmon’s chest and lifted the blue guardian off his feet, then shoved him forward without resistance as it halted its charge. The wolf flew from the demon’s forceful impact and spun haphazardly through the air before slamming hard into the ground and rolling to a stop. The guardian groaned from the painful attack as he rolled over on the ground.

  The demon quickly shifted its gaze toward Ireli and roared ferociously at her. The slight human stopped dead in her tracks as the teal light surrounding her eyes intensified. She thrust her hands forward, and a gale burst forth from her, racing across the short distance and pushing the demon back. It braced for the magical wave and endured its momentary force. Once the gale’s pressure had dispersed, the demon raced toward Ireli in bloodthirsty rage.

  A fireball blazed past the demon’s head, catching the beast off guard, and as it turned to see the fireball’s source, another one exploded in its face. The beast completely absorbed the powerful blast at zero range, and it slammed backward into the ground from the unyielding explosion as its hoofs flung upward from the energetic impact. The golden great sword flew from its grasp and slid off to the side beyond its reach.

  “Keep it pinned down, Ireli!” Ehreion shouted.

  The human motioned downward with her hands, and the sky crashed down on the demon with great pressure. A vertical gale flowed down on Maleuuenant and pressed it into the ash-covered ground.

  The demon wailed in pure anger, straining to tear its attackers apart. It clawed and rolled on the ground as it fought against the unrelenting gale. Another fireball exploded across the demon’s abdomen, and the beast was thrust back from the blast, viciously clawing at the ground to gain control of the situation.

  Maleuuenant gazed on its adversaries and roared in immeasurable rage. The Initiate dug its claws into the ground and used its powerful muscles to resist the consistent gales. The beast advanced toward them on all four limbs as it clawed for each foot of ground, and its pace quickened with each progressing step as it was propelled forward in massive bursts of force.

  “Get back; I cannot stop it!” Ireli shouted to the dwarf.

  The dwarf thrust his palms forward, creating an expansive cone of flame, and a steady stream of fire roared from his hands. The fire swallowed the demon whole as the rippling waves of the blazing flame consumed the entire area before the dwarf. The stout warrior laughed at his overwhelming magic and enjoyed seeing his Ikalreev power growing stronger.

  “How do you enjoy that, foul beast?” Ehreion shouted in between bouts of crazed laughter.

  He relished the sight of his raging cone of flame as it consumed the demon, and his eyes gleamed in joy as the firelight danced in them reflectively. The dwarf’s armor was glowing red and superheated from the intense heat rising from the Ikalreev magic. The stout soldier’s hands were on fire, and his eyes glowed a deep orange as he focused on his attack, though his insane laughter ceased when he heard a sound rise forth.

  A deep rolling laugh of evil could be heard through the roaring fire as the demon’s malevolent voice mocked them. “You lack intelligence. It is amusing.”

  The dwarf was surprised to hear the demon’s voice. He had believed his magic had roasted the creature and stolen its life from its mortal body. The stout warrior’s eyes widened as he witnessed the terrifying sight.

  Maleuuenant walked without effort through the flame and slowly emerged from the raging fire as the blaze rippled around its steadily advancing form. The charred skin of the evil creature had melted, and the wool on its legs burned away; its skin now looked like molten magma but maintained its rigid form. Its skin was adapted to physically alter in order to endure a heat so hot that no mortal would be able to imagine its threshold. Waves of heat could be seen flowing through the beast’s molten skin as it absorbed the magic’s warmth.

  The beast sensed its approaching triumph over the mages as it neared the burly warrior. It knew the fire mage would have no further effect on it and relished the sight of the dwarf coming to the same dire conclusion. The evil creature laughed menacingly at the dwarf as it burst through the remaining fire and charged the small adversary.

  “Ehreion!” Ireli shouted and thrust her hands forward. A gale discharged from her hands and raced toward the beast.

  Maleuuenant endured the abrupt gale as the wind challenged its momentum, yet the beast pushed forward and raked one of its massive claws across Ehreion’s iron breastplate. The sharp tips of its serrated claws carved into the surface of the expertly crafted dwarven armor, though they did not penetrate, even though the armor was weakened in its partially molten state.

  The dwarf reeled back from the raking attack, and the beast followed through by grabbing the stout warrior’s throat. The demon lifted the dwarf off his feet so it could gaze straight into the little one’s desperate eyes. The burly dwarf’s skin resisted the molten heat of the demon’s touch as the elemental Ikalreev magic protected him from all sources of heat and fire; however, the beast’s grip was painfully tight as its rage flowed into its claws and squeezed the small figure’s throat. The dwarf became lightheaded, and his vision began to blur from the rising pressure and limited blood flow reaching his brain.

  Before Maleuuenant could do any more harm to the dwarf, a heavy force slammed into the creature’s side and propelled it into a sideways flight as it unwillingly released its hold on the dwarf. The demon smashed into the ground gracelessly and tumbled to a rolling stop from the jostling counterattack, while Ehreion collapsed from the painful hold and regained his breath. The creature recovered in seconds and rose to its feet again, minimally affected by the unexpected attack. The beast eyed his adversaries with seething maliciousness.

  Maleuuenant saw the blue wolf standing before it and breathed fiercely through bared teeth at the old guardian. The beast paused and assessed its developing situation, its eyes shifting between the three mages and then gazing far behind them at the seal. The creature knew that it did not have to kill them to succeed. If it could breach their defense and reach the seal, then their efforts would be in vain, and it would not matter if it was killed because it would simply return after it regained its strength.

  The mages’ hesitation created time for the beast to plan its course of action and would prove a great detriment, though they, too, were trying to figure out how to proceed. Their efforts thus far had proved ineffective, and they wondered how they could overcome the Initiate’s resistance to the Ikalreev magic.

  The beast laughed; it felt confident its victory was assured. “The Ikalreev are naïve, and their puppets are weak. You dare believe your strength rivals my own?”

  Ehreion’s abrasive pride emerged. “We are doing just fine for only being three. You have not killed us yet, and you will not reach that seal as long as I am alive.”

  The demon laughed maliciously at the dwarf’s annoying defiance. “Your death was only delayed. Your pride should match your form.”

  “You will die for those words,” the dwarf fumed.

  “You do not have the strength to bring me low. Your struggle is hopeless,” the beast raged. “Your efforts will not bring you salvation, and the seal will be opened by the fallen angel’s sword.”

  “Fallen angel?” Ireli wondered.

  Maleuuenant laughed deeply. “We will reign over this land without your righteous angel to protect you. Your worldly defenses will be crushed into dust.”

  Caedmon growled feroc
iously, overcome with emotion as he felt the need to succeed. His whole life had been spent for this moment, to protect the living races. He was created to stop this evil creature, and he would not allow it to win. Determination surged through him as he yearned to fulfill his purpose and be the guardian he was meant to be and the Ikalreev Archmages had foretold.

  Vines erupted from the ground all around the beast and constricted the demon, though the vines caught fire immediately due to Maleuuenant’s molten skin. The weaving green cage of vegetation burned from the demon’s touch and turned to ash. A giant wooden spike erupted from the ground in an effort to pierce the demon’s torso, but the beast tore through the disintegrating vines and sidestepped the deadly spike. The jagged wooden protrusion sliced along the demon’s forearm as it nearly succumbed to the swift-rising attack.

  The demon raced forward between the mages, preventing any true assault from them; they hesitated out of fear of harming each other. The beast secured supremacy by positioning and moved to destroy them one by one. Maleuuenant thrust one of its heavy hoofs into the dwarf’s chest, bending the dwarven breastplate and propelling the stout warrior backward into a painful tumble. The demon rotated fluidly and clawed Ireli’s shoulder, causing the human mage to cry out and collapse under the searing pain running through her arm.

  The beast glanced toward Caedmon and smiled malevolently, seeing its opportunity and taking it with spiteful pleasure. Maleuuenant grabbed Ireli and hurled her into the blue wolf’s chest, then charged straight at the ancient guardian. The old protector shielded the vulnerable human in his arms and twisted her out of the way to ensure she would not die on impact. The demon rammed into the wolf without mercy and caused the ancient guardian to lose his footing and sacrifice ground. The collision threw Caedmon onto his back and sent him rolling while he protected the fragile human.