The Grim Legion

by Kindred Ult

  At that moment, though, a large root burst from the ground under his feet and wound its way around him. In moments he was stuck mid-swing, with a large root and many other, smaller ones that had sprouted from it, constricting every one of his limbs. One even spun around his sword.

  "A druid!" Leon gasped as he was completely immobilized.

  Raphael noticed the danger he was in, so he leapt back, but in a flash Brand was on top of him, swinging both of his swords with all of his speed and strength. Raphael gave ground as he ducked, dodged, and even leapt over the strikes. He tried attacking Brand's arms as they passed by, but the wounds healed after each attack, so he could make no progress. Eventually he grew tired of dodging, and he looked at his brother, who was struggling to get out of the wood and yelling for him. They locked eyes, and Leon whispered "No."

  Then he yelled out. "No!"

  "Bye." Raphael whispered back as he ducked under one last strike and charged forward. He saw Brand's smaller sword swing towards his head, but he was done with defense. He stabbed out with both swords and smiled when he saw them pierce Brand's chest. He saw them go to the hilt, and then the world tilted to the side. The last thing he saw was his own body and Brand's bloody sword swinging past it. Then the world went black. When his head landed, it was facing Leon, and it was still smiling.

  "No!" Leon yelled as Brand grimaced and pulled the swords out of his chest. They had pierced both of his lungs, and one even nicked his heart, but even as blood flowed from his wounds they began too close, and he was alive.

  Demenn saw from where he was, and he felt something within him break. He growled, and this, time, when the dragon blew its breath at him he charged it, yelling out. The darkness enveloped him, and in seconds he felt like countless blades were slicing through every part of his body. Pain shot through him, and he felt like he was falling to pieces. He wondered if the pain would ever end, but just when he felt his left arm begin to disengage from the rest of his body, he was through the dark flame and came out right under the dragon. Demenn grabbed his left arm with his right and held it to him as he used his ruined wings to fly towards Brand. Blood was spraying from every part of him, but he could not let himself think about that.

  Unfortunately, after three beats his right wing broke off, and Demenn fell to the ground. As soon as he hit, he switched to his normal vampire form, and looked like nothing was wrong with him. It was a strange sensation, to suddenly go from pure agony to feeling nothing. Even the other wing was no longer on the ground. He leapt to the ground and ran at Brand, who was walking towards Leon. He was almost at the beginning of the clearing when Brand reached Leon, grabbed the root, and melted into it. Demenn stopped in his tracks, and for a second he had no idea what to think of what had just happened, but then he figured that he had best save Leon. Too late, he realized that he was right next to a tree, and as he spun around he saw a clawed hand disappear into the tree with the keys to the shackles clasped in its grasp.

  The first thought that flashed through Demenn's mind was about the hostages, but at that moment saving his friend was more important. He ran towards Leon, but even as he was about enter the clearing a first class leg came out of the last tree and smashed into him. He was sent flying back, into another giant foot that sprouted from another tree and stopped his movement. His arms and legs flung behind him, protesting the sudden stop, and he felt Brand's claws pierce his spine. A hand came from the tree and backhanded him back in the same direction he had been trying to go in the beginning. His flight was helped by a two-handed smash from a branch, and Demenn went up into the air over the clearing. He lost momentum, and hung in the air for a moment, but then Brand was there, with his large fist cocked behind him. When he punched him, Demenn's vision went white and the next thing he knew he was on the ground, with Brand on top of him. His foot was on Demenn's chest, but Demenn could not feel it there.

  Brand looked down at Demenn, and his expression was mixed. "I'm sorry, Demenn. I've been the one to kill your comrades one at a time, and yet you allowed me to live, so I will return the favor tonight. You and your friend may live, but I will take the Queen and Lupine back with me. I wish I could have fought you honorably, like last time, but we are too evenly matched, and I cannot risk their safety. Count yourself lucky."

  Demenn looked to the side, at Raphael's head, and began to shift into his Other form, but even as he did he felt his wounds re-open, and his problems were multiplied when Brand lifted his foot up and slammed it back onto him. Demenn slowly morphed back, and Brand smiled.

  "That's right. Just lie quietly." He shifted to his normal werewolf form and went to the Queen and Lupine. Demenn watched him unlock their shackles and start to lead them towards the werewolf dragon. He wanted to move, but his body would not obey him. He could not move, talk, or barely think. All that went through him were notions and emotions, and all he felt at the moment was despair. His entire body was limp, and his eyes slowly closed.

  The Queen looked behind her at Demenn, then at Lupine, who was crying softly, and finally she turned to Brand. "What about him?"

  "He's dead." Brand tried to look satisfied with what he had done.

  "Good." Lupine had such spite in her eyes that Brand was almost taken aback, until he remembered what had happened to her.

  The dragon was still about thirty feet away from them when Demenn's eyes flicked open again. He was staring straight at Leon, who looked back at him. Leon smiled.

  "Goodbye." He whispered, before he grunted and twisted his sword with his grip and broke the root around it. Within seconds he was free, and he soundlessly ran towards the group with his sword hanging behind him. Demenn wanted to tell him to stop. He wanted to tell him that revenge was pointless. That it would not bring his brother back. That they needed to go back to the vampires. That his brother had not died in vain. He wanted to say all of those things, but all that came from his throat was a strangled gasp.

  He did not know if Brand heard him, or just somehow knew that Leon was behind him. Regardless, he kept walking until Leon leapt into the air behind him and swung out. His large sword kept heading towards Brand, but then Brand's sword was out. He deflected the attack and, in one motion, morphed only his arm into its first class form, turn around, and smashed it into Leon's chest. Leon's eyes widened, and he let go of his sword as he was thrown back and into the air. He went up in an arc, but was quickly stopped by a tree.

  Demenn was watching him, and in his pain-thickened mind, he kept expecting Leon to slide down the tree. Leon never did, though, and when the pain had cleared a little, Demenn saw a branch sticking out of his chest. His body was slack, and his eyes were dead.

  Seeing his only other companion die cleared Demenn's senses like a splash of cold water, and he looked around as if for the first time in ages. He saw Raphael's body lying in the blood still flowing from his open neck, and his head lying not ten feet away. He saw Leon still suspended in air by a sharp branch through him, and he saw that Brand, the dragon, and those women had left. He tried to move once again, but found that his legs were broken, and he could not feel his left arm. He did not know the rules behind morphing to his Other form, but he felt like he was feeling the repercussions now. Still, he had to move. He had to live.

  He rolled onto his side and crawled forward using only his right hand. It took him many agonizing minutes, but eventually he reached Raphael, whose heart he swiftly pulled out and devoured. When he felt the bones in his legs and his arm fuse themselves together, he stood up shakily, and then ran to the tree Leon hung from and leapt to him. He latched his fingernails into the bark and pulled Leon off before falling back to the ground. Laying Leon next to Raphael, he regretted not being able to give them a funeral, or even a burial. The best he could do was take Leon's heart as well, and then run off into the night towards vampire territory.

  In a sick way, it was fitting that they had died within minutes of each other and to the same opponent. They had done everything together, and now they died together. Bot
h of them killed by the only werewolf Demenn could not bring himself to hate. The only werewolf, or vampire, who was not scum. Now almost half of his squad was dead, and he had no idea what had happened to the others. As he ran, he wondered how he had become this way again. He was without any companions. He was, once again, alone.

  "You cannot be serious." Aaron sounded incredulous.

  "Would I joke about something like this?" Victoria looked terrible, and she sounded like hell. "Brand not only defeated that Dragon, brought it with him, beat Demenn, killed those two with him, and then let Demenn live."

  Aaron cursed. "How was he even able to kill that dragon?"

  "I don't know." Victoria put her head in her hands. "That dragon has killed every werewolf we sent after him, even first classes. He was like our disposal system. We didn't think it was possible to defeat him. We did not know about his druidic powers, and I think that played a large role."

  "Damn, so not only do we not start our final battle, but both of our problems lived?" The mere thought of such failure made Aaron's head ache.

  "Well, yes." Victoria sounded contrite.

  "And why didn't you just kill both of them then?"

  "And then what? Kill her too? And then the dragon? And then say that Demenn killed them and her but that I got away safely? There's far too many holes in that story."

  Aaron growled. "Why can't anything go right for us?" She obviously thought that he was talking about the war, but he had just wanted to see her for once.

  "It's okay. I have a plan. I hadn't wanted to do this, but I guess I'll have to. I think I might know someone who can convince the King to take the battle into the open."

  For the first time in awhile, Aaron laughed. "Yes, you do that. Meanwhile, the vampire council of war will be convened soon and I'll be there. Events are moving swiftly so make sure that Lueke is informed."

  "I will. Goodbye, Aaron." She had never said his name that way, and it sent shivers down his spine.

  "Goodbye, Victoria." He savored the word more than fine blood.

  "I will not endanger my people like this. The vampires know that we are here, and if they try to assault us we can easily defeat them within our caves. But if we march out we will be subject to whatever twisted treachery the vampires can think of. It may very well cause our destruction." The King's voice was firm, but it held a note of desperation. He was not used to arguing with anyone, least of all his own Queen.

  "You are a fool!" Where is your courage? You're acting like one of the vampires with such cowardice!" The Queen shouted back at him.

  "But dear—."

  "Don't "dear" me, I was captured from within our very walls, made to watch my handmaidens slaughtered before my eyes, and almost raped. I demand that, if you have any honor, you will destroy those vampires."

  "My dear," he said, in a voice that brooked no interruption. "I understand your feelings, but you must understand that I must weigh your pain against that of our people. If we do this, thousands of them will undoubtedly die."

  "Your people are stumbling over themselves to express their zeal to destroy the vampires. The best gift you could give them would be to release them on our foes. They've been cooped up in here for far too long. Release them on the world once again. Let them be free to do what they were meant to do. What they were made to do. You must do this, not just for me, but for our people, our forefathers, and our creator."

  Still he hesitated, but eventually he bowed his head and slumped back in his chair. "I know that you are right, my love. I'll have the counsel convene tomorrow. I just hope that we are not making the biggest mistake in our history."

  She smiled and kissed him before leaving. When she left the chamber, followed by Lupine, who was her impromptu maid for now, her head drooped and she leaned against a wall. "I just hope I'm doing the right thing."

  Lupine came up behind her and placed her hand on her shoulder, smiling. "Don't worry, highness, you did."

  The Queen smiled back behind her and covered Lupine's hand with her own. "Thank you."

  - 15 -

  The Second Aftermath

  A quick note. Anyone who has read the last chapter will see about one, maybe two pages worth of the same material. That's a "my bad." I included the stuff in the last chapter without thinking, and so now it's here, just surrounded by other stuff… Okay, that's all I got, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

  17

  The Second AftermathWhen Nightwing landed on the ground next to Stone Wolf, the entity looked rather surprised, and a little chagrinned. He gave a sigh as Brand came up to him with the Queen and Lupine in tow.

  "Ah, and I was just starting to like you, Deathbreak. And then you go and do two things to help the werewolves. I don't think our friendship can survive such affronts."

  Brand could not tell if Stone Wolf was joking or not so he smiled anyway. "I know Stone Wolf, but my slave is still in there, and she would not be allowed to live unless brought the Queen back safely."

  "Thanks for caring about me too." Lupine sounded completely dejected, but all Brand could do was flash her a helpless smile.

  "Yea, whatever," Stone Wolf sighed again. "Just come on in and receive all the praise that's due. Oh, and we do not yet have a proper residence for the dragon, but I'm sure we'll be able to come up with something soon. Now, tell me your name and rank."

  "Nightwing, fifth class." The weredragon was beaming at his newfound power.

  "Very well, come in then, all of you."

  They entered the cavern and began the walk back to the werewolf lair. Along the way, they came across the mutilated bodies of handmaidens, and each one only served to increase Lupine's soft crying. The Queen remained studiously placid, even after seeing the very first handmaiden to die. No werewolf had left the lair, so the bodies had been left intact. This one's head still stared at its body with a look of fear and pain. Even then, the Queen kept her head upright, with only a twitch of her mouth to show that she even saw the cadaver.

  Soon after that last scene, they reached the large door that marked the beginning of the lair. When Brand knocked on it, the slit was opened and a cry of exultation exuded from the guard. The door swung open and countless werewolves rushed out to greet their queen and Lupine. They seemed to be never ending, and Brand had no desire to be among the festivities. He ran his hand along the wall of the cavern until he found a root, focused on it, and in an instant he was on the other side of the wall in an abandoned side street.

  He started to go to his house, but then figured that they would not hold her there. If she was still alive she would be in the prison, so that was his best bet. He swiftly changed to his first class form and charged down the street. At first he did not know where to go, but soon he found a familiar street, and from then it was only a matter of time before he reached the prison. The guards let him in at first, and he found his way to the blackened hallways that still smelled of burnt flesh. Each gate down the hallways was broken down, and when he reached the stairway, even he was given pause. Bodies littered the steps. Limbs by the dozen were flung over every part, and even though werewolves were at that moment cleaning up the bodies—and taking their hearts, of course—there were still at least a hundred bodies still lying about in various death throes.

  Brand continued his way down the steps, slipping a couple times on entrails, but generally making it without incident. When he reached the last gate, which was still intact, strangely enough, he found it locked and guarded by two first classes. They eyed him as he came up.

  "I wish to see the prisoner slave Nasoren. She is to be released immediately."

  "Our orders were to keep her here until the Queen was brought back and to kill her if whoever it was that went after her failed." The first class on the side eyed Brand with a challenge.

  "The Queen has been brought back, and I am the one who went after her." Brand took just a modicum of pleasure at seeing them cringe back. News must have already spread about his defeat of Nightwing.

  "Well the
n, I suppose that there would be no more reason to hold her." The first class almost shrank back, but retained enough pride to not seem subservient. They unlocked the gate, and Brand walked inside. He saw Nasoren, chained to the ground and bloody, and for one moment he was ready to kill her keepers, but then she looked up. He saw her face light up and she smiled in a way he had never seen her do before. He walked up to her and knelt down next to her. Upon closer inspection, the blood was not hers, and she seemed relatively unharmed.