The Slayer

by Darren Hultberg Jr

The stomp of boots outside my door ripped me from my thoughts. Hilda perked up as the noise grew louder. Razyr’s tail began to twitch. In a flash he scurried up my body and perched himself atop my shoulder, hiding his head behind my own.

  “You must keep me safe from the dark woman.” He whimpered. I raised a hand, preparing to summon nevermore to my grasp, ready for whatever was coming through the door… that was before Helena burst in.

  “Where is that slimy little beast?!” She roared, her crimson eyes filled with rage. It only took a second before she spotted him. She approached the bed, hands outstretched as if she were about to burn us all with hellfire.

  “Whoa, calm down.” I said… perhaps the wrong choice of words.

  “Calm?! CALM!? THAT LITTLE BEAST ATE ALL MY SPELL COMPONENTS! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH IT COSTS TO BUY RAW DEMON HORN?!”

  Razyr let out a shallow belch before curling tighter against my neck. I put my hands up defensively, praying Helena wouldn’t strike us down then and there.

  “Listen, Helena. I’m sorry… I’ll, I’ll get you a new horn once we arrive in Stormgard, even if I have to sell off my blade to do it.”

  She eyed me with suspicion, her chest rising as she breathed heavily, tiny flames dancing on her fingertips. “You’d better… or I’ll burn the whole lot of you!’ She sighed. “I’ll never become a demonoligist at this rate.”

  With that, she stormed out of the room. I turned to Razyr who still clutched my neck. “Why did you eat her things?”

  He shrugged. “Was… weak after battle. Needed to… recharge.” The drake relaxed a bit. “Plus… was hungry.”

  <><>

  After re-equipping my gear, I headed out of the room and down a pair of old creaky stairs. It led me through an open living area and into a much larger dining room where the girls sat at a large polished table. Helena shot me a glare, though I wasn’t sure if it was directed at me or the drake perched on my shoulder. Either way, I shrugged and took a seat.

  I quickly realized I was in the old red farmhouse, easily spotting the lake outside one of the large framed windows. It looked like most of the carnage had been cleaned up outside… or perhaps scavenged by another beast that was passing by.

  The door creaked open as ‘old man quest-giver’ strolled in (the name Helena had given him), a glowing golden icon above his head. “Thank you, lads, for clearing that beast out of my lake. If it wasn’t for you, it would’ve devoured all of my elken.”

  “Heh, lads.” Helena huffed under her breath. I grinned, which in turn drew a toothy grin from the old man in response. Such a strange fellow he was, but in an oddly charming sort of way.

  After a moment of pleasantries, the man awarded us with quest rewards, 1000 exp. and a tide rod (rare fishing rod) for each of us. I raised a clenched fist in the air… level 10!

  <><>

  After a quick regrouping, we continued our trek towards Stormgard. The area was now clear, save for a few smaller beasts that called the area home. It seemed as though the drake was an anomaly, a creature who had found its self out of place and in a foreign ecosystem. It was odd, but there wasn’t much more I could gather from the situation, so we moved on.

  The bonding to Razyr had restored my health and I felt better than ever. As I walked he remained perched on my shoulder. Despite his weight, something about having him there just felt right.

  During our trek, Hilda and Helena even began to open up more, recounting the battle to each other and comparing strategies on how to best combine their abilities for maximum effectiveness. As their conversation trailed off I turned to Razyr, eager to learn more about my tiny new companion.

  “So, you and me, huh?” I said, giving the creature a nudge with my head.

  “It… appears that way, Zander.”

  Awkward silence. I trudged along, a dozen questions swirling in my head. “So… does everyone receive a familiar or,”

  “No.” Razyr responded firmly. “My kind are… born of the Aether. We seek out those with qualities we deem… worthy. I saw you as… worthy.”

  “Qualities? Like strength?”

  “Not physical qualities.” Razyr scolded. “Honor… courage… a willingness to protect others. Qualities that were once…. pillars of the Azure wardens.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Azure wardens?”

  “Yes... they were powerful… warriors who bonded with familiars like myself. They were able to…. control the Aether… to use it as a powerful weapon before the… great cataclysm.”

  I locked eyes with Razyr. “Cataclysm? What happened to the guardians during the cataclysm?”

  Razyr’s eyes went wide. “The World breakers.”

  World breakers… this is the second time he had mentioned them…. “Were they some sort of,”

  “Weapons.” Razyr cut in. “Weapons so powerful… that they could slay a god. They brought about… the cataclysm.”

  I remained silent for a moment, trying to absorb everything the drake had said. In fact, I was so lost in thought that I barely noticed the towering structure in front of me.

  I paused next to Helena and Hilda, who were both standing with mouths agape. In the distance was Stormgard, its many towers under siege from a visibly powerful storm. Still, in front of us stood something even greater.

  Lodged into the stony hillside was a towering runic sword, it’s blade standing taller than a modern-day skyscraper! The side of the blade glowed with a faint blue light, illuminated by dozens of intricate runes. It was a sword larger than any mortal could wield… a sword fit for a god.

  “What… is this?” I uttered, more to myself than anyone else.

  “It is… the sword of Titelus, God of the Stormskies.”

  Hilda furrowed her brow. “If this is his sword… than where is he?”

  Razyr bowed his head in dismay. “He is… dead… slain by the world breakers.”

  16

  The skies began to blacken overhead as the five of us stood there, gazing at the towering weapon of the fallen deity. Something had killed the deity that once wielded this sword. A weapon powerful enough to kill a god… it was hard to even fathom.

  Cautiously I approached the sword, reaching my hand toward the artifact… that is, until Razyr’s screeching in my ear brought me pause.

  “Do… not touch it!” the drake spouted. I gave him an incredulous stare. He continued. “It will leave you a smoldering pile of ash.”

  Rain began to fall from the sky, slowly at first before quickly picking up. Helena crossed her arms over her chest and gave me a smug look. “Are we done here? She asked, not trying to hide the annoyance in her voice.

  “Rather not get your tunic soaked?” Hilda quipped, giving the warlock a smirk.

  Helena’s crimson eyes flared to life, but she chose to hold her tongue… that was a good sign!

  The rain began to pick up, so we put the towering relic behind us and headed towards the city. We could see the Stormgard’s towers looming in the distance. They weren’t quite as tall as the god sword, but they surely were impressive nonetheless.

  Sitting atop each of the towers was long metal rod that glistened in the now beating rain. They seemed unimportant… that is, until lightning lit up the sky. Clouds parted as bright bolts shot from the sky, heading straight towards the rods atop the towers. Upon contact, the rods adopted a marvelous blue glow, trapping the lightning’s energy and sending it coursing through the tower itself. It was quite a spectacle!

  “Lightning rods…” I said softly, to myself more than anyone else.

  “Indeed.” Razyr replied anyways. “The city was… built near the fallen god sword. The sword generates powerful storms… annnddd…. The towers capture the storms energy to power the city.”

  “Brilliant.” I eyed the storm for another moment as it showered us with rain and the occasional mighty gust of wind blew at our backs.

  “This thing’s picking up!” Hilda yelled over the roar of thunder. “Can we please find some shelter?!”

  I n
odded, and the four of us began bolting towards Stormgard. As the city came into full view, I quickly realized (to my detriment) that the city’s border was covered in a tall, stone wall. It did have a gate, but the massive thing was closed and seemingly unmanned. Damnit all! We were trapped outside.

  Hilda ran up to the solid stone gate and banged her shield against the outside, though the sound was barely audible over the roar of the storm. She turned to look at me, a look of distress on her face. I tried to respond, but another massive gust blew in, knocking me off my feet.

  In mere moments, the storm had gone from minor annoyance to life-threatening tempest. We needed to get out of it… we needed inside that city!

  “Run!” I yelled to the others, urging them to follow. I began running along the outside of the large city wall, hugging the stone as best I could to avoid the wind and the rain. I could only hope that there was a portion of the wall that was weakened… something, anything we could work with!

  A crosswind blew in, slamming our bodies up against the stone with vicious force. Helena growled in pain, her thin garments providing the least resistance to the blow. A bolt of lightning arced from the sky and slammed into the wall above us, breaking off a large chunk of stone that nearly flattened me where I stood. This was not a normal storm.

  I looked back at the other two, but there looks of concern did little to help. “Razyr?” I asked, turning my head to meet the drake’s gaze. “Anything?”

  “Shelter…. Yes. I suggest you find shelter.” He replied, frankly.

  Damned familiar pointing out the obvious.

  “Maybe the ravens can help!” Hilda yelled, raising her insignia into the air. We paused, holding our breath as we waited for some sort of response.

  Helena rolled her eyes. “Put your damned arm down and lets keep moving.” Hilda nodded, then dropped her arm in a solemn motion. There would be no ravens flying in these winds.

  Another bolt of lightning cut through the air and slammed into the ground, leaving a large spot of blackened char. It was so close that it left my ears ringing.

  I put my head down and began charging forward, rounding the outside of the city wall. The thunder drowned out the other noises around me. The rain beat down on my face and body, soaking my gear and weighing down my steps. Still, I charged on. My eyes scanned the stone wall as I passed, searching for a crack, a hole, a weak spot that I could use to break through.

  A third bolt of lightning shot from the sky, blinding me as it struck near my feet. I immediately dropped, a searing pain burning at my scorched side. My ears rang louder than ever. My vision was gone, replaced by a blinding white light.

  I crawled across the ground, searching for shelter that wasn’t there. I tried to right myself, but my mind was a jumble of thoughts, fuzzied from the blow. Damn this was bad!

  I felt a hand grip my shoulder, grounding me. My vision began to return, though just a blur at first. I turned, looking to the figure that stood at my side. Hilda? No, this wasn’t her... too short and scrawny. Razyr hissed, now perched onto my back.

  “I see you’ve found yourself trapped in a storm.” The voice came from the figure at my side… a sly, masculine voice. Slowly, he came into focus as my vision fully returned. He was a short man dressed in black, a well-trimmed mustache on his face and a pair of daggers dangling at his waist. He wore a grin despite being showered with the icy rain.

  “Who the hell are you?” Helena yelled, hugging Hilda for cover as the pair ducked under her aegis shield.

  “I’m all you have!” the man yelled over the roar of thunder. “Follow me and live…. Or stay out here and brave the storm. Your choice, my friends.”

  The man turned and began walking away from the wall. I looked to the women who both bore looks of concern. Still, what choice did we have.

  Reluctantly, I followed the man out into the storm.

  <><>

  The stranger led us out into the storm, straight to a massive oak tree. Oddly, enough it stood tall amongst the other trees in the area, seemingly unharmed by the constant lightning. The man approached the tree, withdrawing his dagger and sliding it into a fine slit in the bark. Light illuminated the tree trunk before fading to reveal none other than a secret passage!

  The stranger entered the tree and we followed eagerly, finally escaping the raging tempest. It was a tight fit, especially for Hilda and her bulky armor, but we managed to squeeze down a narrow staircase and into larger tunnel below. It was a large passage made of stone and illuminated by torchlight. It ran from our location and curved directly towards the city. Perhaps this was a smart move after all!

  “Careful with this one.” Razyr whispered into my ear.

  “What do you mean?” I asked. “He saved us.”

  Razyr gave a quick twitch. “Something… just isn’t right.”

  I shrugged, then gave the man a quick inspection

  Reynaldo

  Rogue

  Lvl: 12

  I shrugged again. If the man tried something, I was certain we could take him.

  We followed Reynaldo through a winding series of tunnels that brought us directly into the bowels of Stormgard. It was quiet here… eerily quiet, and the man had said nothing since saving us from the storm.

  “Where are we headed?” I finally asked, holding my scorched side that was still quite tender from the glancing lightning strike.

  “Back to my place.” Reynaldo said with a grin. “We’re almost there, then we’ll get you cleaned up. Don’t you worry.”

  Hilda gave me a nervous glance before addressing Reynaldo. “Why are you helping us?”

  The man didn’t respond. He took a quick turn down a torchlit hallway, approaching a large circular door with a slit at its center. He turned his head, giving Hilda a wink, then inserted his dagger into the door.

  Slowly, the round portal creaked open, revealing a seemingly stone room cloaked in darkness.

  Helena grabbed my arm. “Remember when I said I was going to help you make better decisions? Well, this might be one of those terrible decisions I was talking about.”

  “A little late.” I hissed. It was too late for that now.

  Cautiously, I took a step in, then another, until all of us were near what we thought was the center of the room.

  “Ah, now that we’re here, let me get the lights.” Despite the darkness, I could tell Reynaldo was grinning. “Shroud, if you would please?”

  The sound of snapping fingers came from the right. Suddenly, the darkness began to recede, moving in waves towards the snapping sound. Eventually it faded, disappearing into the palm of another man dressed in black. He was tall and lanky with long black curls that hung past his shoulders. He sat, legs crossed, flipping a dagger in his palm.

  Shroud

  Shadowmancer

  Lvl; 17

  “What the hell did you drag us into?” Helena cursed into my ear. I took a quick look around, eyes wide. At least a dozen men surrounded us, all dressed in black and armed with various types of blades. Laying around the room were piles of armor, discarded weapons, weathered packs and even a wagon wheel. At the front of the room was a large makeshift throne where a masked man sat, slowly grinding a pair of daggers together.

  “What is this?” I growled, turning to Reynaldo. He still wore that damned grin on his face.

  “Why, this is my home… and these men, well, these are my people.” He waved his hand in a grand motion. “Now… give us your things, if you will?”

  “Wait, what?!” I stammered,

  “Now, don’t make this hardon yourself, my friend. You must know that nobody walks away from the storm scavengers.

  Razyr’s claws began to dig into my shoulder. “These people…” he whispered. “They prey on people trapped in the storm. They… don’t leave survivors.”

  I grimaced. “Be ready, then.” The drake nodded.

  “Come now.” Reynaldo insisted, waving his hand in my direction. “Hand over your valuables

  “You damn botto
m-feeders.” I growled through gritted teeth. I reached my hand down to the shortsword strapped to my waist. “Take it.”

  I tossed the blade, flipping it end over end towards the man. As his eyes locked on the blade, I summoned a sword of my own… Nevermore.

  I activated lunging strike, dashing towards Reynaldo and slamming my blade into his gut. He let out a cough of surprise, then stumbled away gripping his grievous wound. The other storm scavengers leapt from their seats and perches, drawing daggers and blades as they approached us with caution.

  Hilda and Helena joined me, pressing their backs to my own as we created a defensive circle in the center of the room. The masked man remained on his throne, eyeing the battle with curiosity.

  “What exactly are we doing?!” Hilda growled.

  I grunted, raising my blade. “Surviving.”

  Another man in black charged us, but Hilda parried his blow with ease. As he staggered back I slashed at him with nevermore, forcing the man to make a full retreat. Behind me, I could feel the heat as Helena rained hellfire down on another approaching foe. We were holding our own, yet still so many enemies remained.

  On the other side of the room, three men drew longbows and knocked arrows in my direction. I couldn’t flee. No, that would mean the arrows would find themselves in the backs of my companions. “Razyr, I need you!” The drake nodded, then abandoned his physical form as he showered me in a soft blue light. The light crept up my arm, pooling in my off-hand until it solidified into a wide parrying blade.

  The drakesword.

  “No armor?” I said nervously.

  Wed don’t have the Aether or the strength in our bond for that again.

  Great…

  I steeled myself as the arrows came in. With a quick turn of my blade I deflected a pair of steel arrowheads, but the third found its mark, piercing the flesh in my thigh. My health took a steep drop, already growing low from the lightning.

  I winced, then cut away the arrow shaft and stood tall, wielding both of my marvelous blades in front of me. “Stand down!” I yelled. “Or would you dare kill a member of the azure wardens!?” What the hell was I saying. I barely knew what they were myself…. How would I trick these men into believing I was one!