by Al Shield
AS THE BRIDGE APPEARED, his hopes were dashed as he sighted a band of battle brothers from the 13th Sanctum. Originally members of the dreaded Lord Audon, they had decided one day that strike it out on their own and disemboweled their lord during the last clan meeting. Now they hired themselves out as mercenaries to the highest bidder - in this case to the forces Dar'kannag had found himself fighting against. With their scaly hides, lizard like features and love or torturing anything smaller than they were they stood half a man taller and wider than Dar'kannag and all seemed very pleased that he had suddenly appeared in his wagon. They all slammed their bladed staffs on the ground, banged their shields together and hooted at him to try and take them on as he brought the wagon to a halt out of throwing distance of their weapons. What made this situation worse was the metal juggernaut emerging behind them.
Dar'kannag had heard whispers of this machine - a vehicle roughly double the size of the Warwagon with a snarling giant beast mare head carved out of solid firestone. The fabled troop carrier of the 13th Sanctum, sorcery powered and as strong as the carved rock front piece. Dar'kannag doubted he could even put a crack in the stone if he threw everything the Warwagon had if he hit it full on.
If Ch’ann was in that troop carrier, then there was no conceivable way of getting him out ever again.
‘Look brothers!’ one called out loud enough for him to hear ‘The grand champion of the forces of the east plains has come to claim the bridge! Step aside and then this champion take his much deserved trophy!’
The band burst out laughing, some even rolling around on the ground holding their sides.
‘Oooh, careful brother Drax! Lest this mountain of a warrior gets out of his mighty battleship and crush us all beneath his mammoth feet!’ another cooed which lead to another round of raucous laughter from the group. They were enjoying this new game immensely.
As his irritation grew to incredible levels, N’Tharax was at a loss as what to do next. His hand cannon only had enough rounds to injure a handful of them for as much good as that would do and while running them down with the Warwagon was a very tempting option, he knew they the ones he didn’t hit initially would overpower the vehicle and him in short order and that would be the end of him.
‘Brothers, he is trying to crush our minds with his dangerous gaze from long distance! Avert your eyes!’ a third laughed and as one they all comically turned their heads.
‘I will find a way you crush you all for that.’ Dar'kannag spoke through gritted teeth and he revved the engine out of frustration. Some of the battle brothers responded to the sound by assuming a battle stance, looking forward to the possible clash.
After debating with himself for a few moments whether or not to risk a direct charge, Dar'kannag wisely decided that the numbers too great and the chance of survival too slim. If they guarded the bridge with half the numbers and without the benefit of the monstrous troop carrier then he might have a fighting chance...but without any help currently the odds were simply next to impossible.
He had just engaged the gear to pilot backwards when a blur of white in his rear mirror stopped him. He blinked and the blur now seemed to shift to the other side of the vehicle, now closer. He turned for a better look just quick enough to see something behind the vehicle jump up and land on the roof. There was the sound of something sharply cracking twice and the battle brother at the front of the band fell forward, crashing into the ground in a heap. The others thinking it was just another part of the ridiculing of the smaller demon in the wagon burst into laughter again. But then two more cracks were heard and the brother closest to the fallen spun quickly before falling to the ground. Then more cracks and even more of the brothers fell never to rise again.
Confusion in the group immediately turned to realisation and the group roared forward, swords waving. On top of the wagon the white blur rapped sharply on the roof and issued a command.
‘Full speed, straight ahead!’ she called.
‘Are you insane? That troop carrier will crush us all!’ Dar'kannag roared back over the noise of the approaching horde.
‘Get me close and I’ll do the rest! Go!’ was the reply and without waiting for further instruction he put his foot down and accelerated wildly, the Warwagon almost jumping in response at the pack. Dar'kannag gripped his own sword tightly as the speed picked up - he would go down swinging if it came to that.
If the ever increasing speed bothered whoever was on the roof they didn’t say, the cracking sound continuing with more of the scaly warriors falling with each burst. Crack, crack, crack - down more went each second. By the time the front spikes drove into the first of the running group a good third had already been slain and the survivors had wisely raised their shields as they ran, hoping it was enough cover. Like the soldier pack he had ran through earlier, many were knocked away by the impact and only a pair were unlucky enough to join the soldier still stuck there from earlier. The berserker head licked its tongue and cackled manically at the chaos all around it.
Clearing the group Dar'kannag kept his foot down however and they continued at full pelt directly at the ram headed carrier. At the last second the warrior on the roof rapped again and called out.
‘Hard turn, now!’
Without hesitation he locked down on the brakes and twisted the wheel violently, the Warwagon sliding sideways in the blasted dirt. Above him there was the sound of breaking glass and then came a flash of mighty light before what looked to be a giant ball of energy streaked towards the carrier. It hit the ram front with a massive boom and then there came the sharp stench of molten rock as the entire front melted away instantly, the front half the carrier liquefying into the dirt rendering the front shields and controls completely useless.
Dar'kannag had seen magical based weapons before but this one and it’s effectiveness was completely new to him. He watched in awe as the four wheels at the front soon bubbled into slag and the body of the vehicle dropped into the ground. With the front stripped away, he could now clearly see the four battle brothers who had been sheltered inside - the ones ordered to keep watch on a very familiar captive.
‘Ch’ann!’ Dar'kannag roared as he grabbed his hand cannon and started firing at the startled soldiers. Accuracy from his position wasn’t great but the exposed soldiers all dove for cover. ‘Run you fool, run!’
On the roof the mystery warrior had shifted her attention to the mob behind them. The ones who could still stand had gotten to their feet and marched back at the wagon, this time at a slower pace and with their shields linked in a phalanx maneuver. The cracking sounds of the shots continued but casualties were far fewer now that the battle brothers marched behind their shields.
While he had all his eight arms tied, Ch’ann still had his legs free and ran as fast as he possibly could. Dar'kannag’s shots whooshed past him, keeping the soldiers behind to keep their heads down and not attempt to cut down the fleeing shadow lurker. As he came within reach of the warwagon the rear window dropped down and needing no instruction, he hurled himself through the opening and onto the back seat.
‘You on the roof, hold firm! We’re leaving NOW!’ Dar'kannag called as the Warwagon lurched again as the wheels struggled to gain traction. There was the thud of metal on metal as a some of the battle staffs hurled like spears hit the back of the vehicle but moments later they were well out out of range.
‘It’s good to see you again my friend!’ Ch’aan chittered from the back. ‘And here I was thinking they were going to skin me and turn my bones into furniture!’
‘Well you can thank the warrior on the roof -until they arrived I didn’t really know how I was going to get you out of there!’
With the mention of their name the warrior somersaulted neatly from the roof and through the open passenger side window, gracefully landing on the seat. She rested her twisted rifle against the seat as she finally came face to face to the demonic driver and his tied up friend in the back. Her bright bone white skin contrasted brilliantly against the
glossy black of her glass like armour plates and the metal tips at the end of her curled horns glinted in the flare of an explosion from nearby. As she flicked her mane of pure black hair back, she grinned as she introduced herself.
‘Battle brothers, you can call me Nex. Now, who else can we kill today?’
CHAPTER SIX
‘So those that hack and slay together, stay together?’ Omega mused.
‘Pathetic... but poetic meat, I will give you that. But yes. We have been in union for a very long time. She is part of my very soul now.’
‘So it must really twist you up inside to know that she’s a few rooms away, out cold on a slab? Our medical team don’t think she had much of a fighting chance - catching all of those bullets that she did and all....’ Omega’s words trailed away.
The words didn’t seem to faze Dar'kannag at all, a little smile creeping on one side of his muscled face. He went to lean forward to get his head closer to Omega but the chains held him firmly in place.
‘Given the motivation, she could fell entire armies. I have seen her bring wars to mountains. And you pitiful creatures truly believe that a few shells will be her undoing? How sorry you will be. How happy it will make me when she cuts off your head and makes it watching your body flailing around as your life runs out..’
‘And how I will enjoy cutting you up personally when we run out of questions.’ He snapped back. ‘The bio teams are going to have a field day when I starting sending your chunks-.’
A glint appeared in Dar'kannag’s eye. Omega had stopped himself after realising he’d let his anger get the better of him. This was rare, he was normally completely in check with his emotions in times like these. The beast must have really pushed a button. He paused and took in a few deep breaths.
‘I think that’s the most emotion I have seen you display since we started this little conversation.’ He licked at one his his dagger like teeth with his blackened tongue. ‘More of that little meat, it was highly entertaining.’
‘You’re not going to bait me like that again.’ he promised.
‘A shame. But I’m sure that won’t be the last of your amusing little outbursts.’
Omega was handed a bottle of water which he drained in a couple of gulps. He threw them empty bottle over his shoulder and resumed his questioning.
‘So Nex is your life partner and K’Dian your son...’
Dar'kannag nodded.
‘So who is unit M?’
Dar'kannag’s eyes widened in surprise.
‘You really can’t tell from looking at it? I would have figured that even you would be clever enough to deduce his identity.’
‘There’s not much to look at when he got chewed up by the autocannon fire. The teams are going over the lump that’s left but educate me then, who is he to you?’
‘He was once one of the most dangerous beings in the realm.’
‘Was?’
‘His name was once Barror the Unforgiving. But that name hasn’t been whispered for a while now..’
BARROR WAS IN THE MIDDLE of a glorious feast when the messenger arrived. He had strolled into the feast hall only minutes earlier, threw his jewelled grinning skull war helmet on the table and then dived right into the vast offering. Gnawing at the arm joint of a roasted shadow lurker that had spent its last few years in the dungeons, he ignored the nervous chittering creature, another of its pathetic kind and yelled for more wine. Fast reacting servants raced to offer their jugs to his outstretched goblet and he gorged himself, hurling the empty vessel at the wall as soon as he was done where it shattered in many pieces. Once again the servants clambered over each other to be the first to clear the debris, lest they felt the razor sharp barbs of his lightning quick whip. Warily they kept one of their many eyes on the slumbering death hound snoozing under the table - it was known to have a ferocious bite if you got too close.
After tearing off more of the roasted flesh, he finally looked up and sneered.
‘This better be important little worm! Can you not see that I am currently indisposed?’ roasted meat juices flowed out of his mouth and down his chin, dripping onto his strider skin tunic. A servant stood by tentatively with a piece of cloth, ready for the signal to wipe his chin.
‘Muh...muh lord!’ the messenger stuttered,
‘Speak!’
‘The bu- the bu...the bounty...it...iiiiii....it has increased.’
‘By how much?’ he asked slowly. He put down the arm on the table and gave the messenger his full attention, the move spooking the already terrified creature even more.
‘L....llll.....lord Xukiloch....he...he...offfffffered land. Yes land! Mu- mu- mu- much land! A massive plot near the ffffff.....the fffff....the fens of the forgotten!’
So the enticing offers for his head had increased again. It was no surprise really, not after he had ordered his soldiers to kidnap Tar’gun’s daughter from his very palace, ransom her for a very hefty sum and then returned her...in the stomach of a bog stalker. Up until this point it had been purely monetary offerings...but land, land could start a new empire if the right person took ownership - especially with the funds offered so far. And this corner of the realm could do with a few less lords he figured, hence his plans to remove as many as possible. Getting them enraged was only the start - he wanted them to march across the wastes and try and attack him as one at his impenetrable fortress. Let them wear themselves down and suffer badly while he was on the defense. Let their treachery while he played the long game be their undoing as they turned on each other out of frustration. Let them all wish they had stayed back before he reached out and crushed them all, one by one. Then when they had exhausted themselves, his forces would march out and occupy all that he saw, all that he had held before him.
That is why he had spent close to two years working his charms and seducing Olgreth’s life partner before having her impaled and roasted as dinner to his fiercest warriors. That’s why he had slain all of the known sons of Zarraroth, and many that could possibly his offspring too. Even if there was only a minute chance that one could be his offspring, he took no chances and had it killed.
That’s why Az’Gun starved in his dungeon, so his more warlike brother could marshall his forces and attempt a pathetic rescue. Next to the now withered Da’Gasir the Brutal and the rotting corpse of Mon’Par the wise.
The start of this campaign was already marked by rivers of blood - by the end Barror planned to drown the world in it.
‘Your thoughts advisor?’ he turned to face the wall.
Istron had been in Barror’s service for half a century now, first as a respected member of the palace guard and then as a battlefield advisor. After the former goat warrior from the Moon tribe lost the use of one of his legs during a failed assassination attempt, Barror ‘rewarded’ him by removing the rest of his body, leaving just his head. Thanks to the palace sorcerers, Istron would live forever but would never leave his position mounted on the feast hall wall, in amongst the other trophies. He could not speak but thanks to the sorcery, his mind could still communicate.
‘They all still offer their bountiesss....hoping for the servicesss of otherssss’ the words hissed ‘Perhaps it issss time to ssssew another sssseed of disssent?’
‘Interesting. What did you have in mind?’
‘You are aware of the possssturing of Prince Tolgassss?...’
‘Son of Zeralin? How could I not? He makes my skin itch with his idiotic views. His constant wailing of a council offends me. He should know that the strong feast on the weak and that is the way it has always been.’
‘And alwaysss will be...’ Istron echoed. ‘Perhaps if he wassss to disssapear and turn up where he would least expect to be...’
‘Like on the grounds of Lord Kelrok...’ he mused.
Kelrok had been one of the more vocal detractors of Tolgas’s views on the council. He was one of the more neutral lords in the realm had never threatened violence against the others, but if Tolgas’s father Zeralin brought the f
ight to him...
He rubbed his chin.
‘Your idea has merit. I will think it over tonight.’
‘Thank you my lord.’
‘As for you’ he turned back to the quivering messenger. ‘I want an update as soon as you hear even a ghost of a whisper of moves against me. You understand?’
The creature nodded furiously.
‘Good. Your obedience pleases me. But remember, one misstep and I will personally squeeze the life out of you like I did with your sister. Now leave me.’
The creature raced off, thankful that it had survived another meeting with the feared Barror unscathed.
As the most hated one resumed his gorging and feasting, Istron continued his communicating, but not to his lord and commander. This time his silent conversation was to someone who had silently made their way through the outer wall of the keep...
AFTER FEASTING, BARROR amused himself with his collection of concubines - many of them prisoners from various campaigns. Those that had chosen execution over servitude had been forced by sorcery to become his willing slaves. While their bodies were his to command for his twisted whims, their minds constantly screamed silently through their ordeals.
Fed and satisfied for the day, he was about to retire to his chambers when his communication crystal chained to his neck grew warm.
‘Apologies for the intrusion my lord’ the disembodied voice spoke through the stone ‘But out sentries have spotted signs of an assassin.’
‘What signs?’ he growled as he touched the crystal.
‘On the east tower the guard has seen a flash of steel and caught a glimpse of black armour from afar, the style of the Screaming City.’
He was about to send out the order to investigate further when he stopped as he suddenly remembered - no assassin from the Screaming City would be as unskilled as to be allowed to be seen from a sentry from afar, even a fleeting glimpse. They were fanatically trained and masters of blending in with their surroundings. If they were truly one of the order they would have seen the sentry long before the guard was even aware of them and taken measures to hide away accordingly.
