by Brandon Chen
Yuri pursed his lips as he listened to Kura talk. The warrior certainly seemed to know what she was doing. This was going to be an exhausting journey indeed if she was in charge. Yuri wondered if Violet would be able to keep up on horseback. Last night, just before they’d gone to bed, they had set up a system of markings that would help Violet track Yuri’s party from a distance, since Archerus would be able to sniff her out if she came within a mile of their party.
Yuri felt a tap on his shoulder and found that Princess Violet was behind him. With her was the royal family of Horux and King Reimos. The boy smiled politely at the lords and bowed respectfully. “I’ve come bearing you a gift,” Violet said, biting her lower lip. She held out her hands, presenting a beautifully woven scarf, the color of rubies. “I expect that Lichholme will be cold. This will help protect you from the bitter weather.”
Yuri stared at the gift in awe, the corners of lips curving into a broad grin. He accepted the scarf and put it on immediately, unsurprised by its warmth and softness. It was well knit, surely an expensive piece of attire. He turned his head slightly and caught a glimpse of Senna, who glared at him with noticeable animosity. But the knight said nothing and stomped off to speak to Terias.
Turning his attention back to the princess, Yuri nodded. “How kind. Thank you,” he said, noticing that the other members of his party were already beginning to mount their steeds. Archerus led two horses over, handing the reins of one over to Yuri. The boy gripped the leather reins in his hands and looked back at Violet. “I’d better get going. Like Kura said, every second counts.”
“Best of luck on your quest, Yuri,” the king of Horux said with a gentle nod. “Help us retake our kingdom.”
“You need not worry, milord,” Yuri said, striking his chest with a courageous soldier’s salute, a respectful gesture that Asmund had taught him. “We shall not fail.” He dug his heels into the side of his horse, starting the mare off at a slow trot as he moved through the gigantic gates of Reidan with his fellow adventurers.
“The princess has taken a liking to you then?” Terias said with a sly smirk, riding up beside Yuri, acknowledging the boy’s new scarf. He gestured to Senna, who was conversing with Kura near the front of the group. “Senna seems a little jealous.”
“He’s always fancied her,” Archerus said, mounted on Yuri’s other side. “It’s why he worked so hard to become her closest protector, I imagine. It’s almost disheartening to see that Yuri has won her favor in only days when Senna’s been trying for years.” He snickered, accelerating to a gallop.
Terias whistled. “That’s tough,” he said, watching as the other warriors started to increase their speed as well. “Come on, let’s go.” He increased his speed to a canter and within moments was sprinting with the rest of the unit, moving as one.
Yuri cantered behind the squad, stealing a glance back through the gates of Reidan and locking his gaze with Violet’s in the distance. Perhaps she couldn’t see him, but he could certainly see her. Yuri touched the soft scarf around his neck, caressing the warm cloth gently. He sighed and dug his heels into the side of his steed, taking off after his friends.
***
Faelen stomped on the corpse of one of Moriaki’s tree spirits, shattering the animated bark underneath his hairy feet. The triumphant beast snarled as he stormed over a sea of lacerated trunks and snapped branches. This was the seventh skirmish that he’d had with Moriaki’s damned creatures. The druid had summoned rock golems and tree spirits to defend the forest outside of Horux, and they were becoming more than just a nuisance. Faelen had counted three dozen of his own werewolves killed by these weaklings.
He ground his teeth in annoyance, his eyes gleaming with rage. “How many of these accursed trees has Moriaki enchanted?” he barked, his claws quavering at his side. At this rate, the Iradian soldiers would arrive before the werewolves could enter Escalon’s mainland. He would be trapped again, isolated and sealed away like a—
Faelen felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. He turned to find that Tanya was standing at his side, giving him a worried look. He felt his shoulders relaxing beneath her soft touch and his furor drifted away with the breeze. Why was it that she could calm him like this? His wrathful nature was a relentless tempest; it could be not tamed. Yet, just a gentle touch from her was enough to erase his frenzy and return his sanity. “Thank you,” he grumbled.
“What’s wrong?” Tanya asked. “You’ve been extremely angry about, well, nothing. We’ve defeated all the enemies that we’ve come across and we’re well on our way to spreading the infection across Escalon.”
“At the rate that we’re pushing through Moriaki’s magical barriers, we won’t be able to leave the peninsula without running into an army of Iradian soldiers. The Druid of the North will go to the humans for help,” Faelen said. “I’m just worried that I’ll be locked away again. The very thought terrifies me, to have my freedom stripped away and be forced into a cage like … an animal.” But that’s what I am, isn’t it? An animal. An abomination feared by all. He remembered what it was like to be stuck inside of Beo’s catacombs, remembered the claustrophobic feeling of his throat tightening every time he looked at the solid walls around him. Sometimes he thought the room was closing on him and that one day he would be crushed. Most days, he wished that it would so that he wouldn’t have to live such a purposeless existence behind silver bars. The moment his freedom was torn away, centuries ago, was also the moment that he’d lost his reasons for living.
“Then we will overcome them, as we will the rest of our enemies,” Tanya said confidently.
“That is easier said than done,” Faelen said. “The renowned druid, Moriaki, will stand with them. He’ll be a formidable opponent and it will take time to defeat him, time that we may not have. If we do not defeat Moriaki quickly enough, Iradia will send reinforcements that will ensure that we never escape this peninsula. Then it’s only a matter of deciding how they’ll destroy us.” He closed his eyes, exhaling from his nose. “They don’t understand what it’s like … to be caged away for centuries. My rage increased with every second that I spent in that confined hell and they will know my wrath. Perhaps alone, smashing through Iradia’s ranks would be difficult. But with you by my side, Tanya, things may be different.”
Tanya smiled at him. “Lord Faelen, things will be different.”
“I can only hope so.”
***
It took Zylon and his soldiers several days to reach the southern peninsula of Escalon. It would take a lot of manpower to cover the entrance to the mainland, manpower that they didn’t have. Currently, Zylon had five hundred knights with him. Against the thousands of werewolves that Faelen was probably commanding, they were vastly outnumbered. Not to mention that the beasts were already physically stronger. Zylon understood that he would have to make up for their disadvantages with his creation magic.
The knights had set up camp on the strip of land that connected the peninsula to the mainland of Escalon. Surrounding the land bridge was the endless ocean, extending as far as the eye could see. The encampment faced a forest of giant trees where the werewolves supposedly were, still battling through Moriaki’s magical fortifications. Though the druid claimed that most of them had already been torn down.
Zylon crossed his arms over his chest, watching the peninsula. The werewolves could emerge from various parts of the forest, but eventually they would all have to converge on the land bridge where Zylon’s forces were located. At least that meant that all of the beasts would be coming from one direction. As long as Zylon’s army did not enter the forest, there was no threat of ambushes. All of the confrontations would be direct.
Zylon’s main concern was how they would deal with all of the werewolves. The monsters would slam into the Iradian knights with tremendous force. Their numbers could overwhelm Zylon’s soldiers within moments, and individual battles with the werewolves would surely end in the soldiers’ demise.
“The last of my barriers were jus
t torn down,” Moriaki said tensely, stepping beside Zylon. The druid kept his eyes trained on the forest before him, stealing a glance back at the dauntless ranks of knights that were in formation behind him. None of them had ever seen a werewolf before; they had no idea what the vicious creatures were like. “What’s our plan?”
“You and I are going to have to do the majority of the work here,” Zylon said, scratching his nose. “If the werewolves manage to overwhelm our knights, we’ll crumble within moments. I imagine that you won’t have to be as careful as the rest of us, with your healing magic and immunity to the werewolf disease.”
“Right,” Moriaki said, understanding. “The knights will handle any stray beasts that aren’t caught by our magic.” He exhaled, feeling the ground rumbling underneath his feet. The werewolves were approaching. The druid gripped his staff tightly and held it out in front of him, pointing its tip towards the forest. “Reinforcements arrive in a week. Do you think we’ll be able to hold out for so long? We can’t just keep casting spells forever. We’ll tire before help arrives.”
“We have to hold out; we have no choice,” Zylon said, watching as the dark monstrosities pounced from the trees. Countless beasts piled out of the forest, the frenzied creatures scampering towards Zylon’s force with mindless rage burning in their eyes. The immortal had never seen a werewolf for himself, despite his centuries of existence, but they were just as he had imagined them. Whatever humanity they once had was now gone, replaced with pure bestial instinct. “Don’t get bitten!” Zylon roared to the knights behind him, who courageously held their ground before the legion of monsters.
Glimmering energy surged into Zylon’s palm as he forged a pistol made of the immortal’s creation magic. The weapon was the color of fire, initially looking more like a toy than a gun. However, when he pointed and fired a bullet into the breast of an approaching werewolf, the knights all watched as the creature crumpled behind its fellow beasts, howling in pain.
Zylon swept his arms upward, materializing multiple walls that formed barriers between his force and the werewolves. He knew, however, that the werewolves could scale the walls with ease. Watching as the beasts clambered up the magical hurdles that Zylon set out, the experienced magician simply snapped his fingers and the walls came crashing down, squashing dozens of werewolves beneath their weight.
Moriaki’s irises faded, and his eyes glowed as he summoned an enormous amount of power to animate the trees of the forest. The giant oaks groaned to life, lashing out with their massive branches, and snatching werewolves off the ground and hurling them into the earth. The bewildered beasts stared at the familiar enemy, now engaging in a battle with the forest as well.
The druid felt slightly sapped of energy after casting such a taxing spell, but he knew that there was no time to rest. Even with Zylon casting his creation magic, the werewolves were only being slowed. At this rate, they would still descend upon the small force of knights.
Moriaki sprinted forward, his body morphing into a massive rhino with three horns, one that was the size of an elephant. The charging beast surged forward with incredible speed, barreling into the front lines of the werewolves, sending the monsters scattering in all directions. The druid felt bones crunch underneath his feet as he trampled everything in his path, forcing his way into the heart of the werewolf army. He’d gotten the attention of most of the creatures and knew that now he would have to stand his ground.
The rhino then transformed into a polar bear of equal size, with fur the color of snow and sharp claws that could shred flesh from bone with ease. The ferocious bear roared as he brought his claws swiping about, mangling the werewolves around him.
The knights watched with shock as Moriaki bravely charged into battle. But soon they saw that there were hundreds of werewolves now advancing towards their position, avoiding Zylon’s creation magic. “Shields up!” one of the commanders shouted. The first two lines of soldiers stacked their silver shields together, one atop another, to create an insurmountable wall.
The werewolves slammed into the shields, some of them roaring in agony as their skin was scorched by the silver. The knights jabbed their swords and pikes through the tiny gaps in the shield-wall, stabbing the wounded beasts.
Some of the creatures leapt over the shield wall and descended upon the force of prepared knights, who brought their weapons upward to fend off the monsters. Things were going according to plan, at least until he arrived.
***
Faelen sauntered onto the battlefield, his overwhelming presence stealing the attention of every living being in the area. His eyes flashed with malice as he trundled towards Moriaki, who was tearing apart his brethren. His eyes widened when he saw a flash of bright light break into his peripheral vision. As he tilted his head, a spear made of golden magic grazed his cheek.
“Zylon, the immortal,” Faelen breathed, scowling as he spotted the man that had thrown the spear. He’d heard stories of the renowned hero. “You’re here as well?” He turned his attention to the hundreds of knights guarding the land bridge that led to Escalon’s mainland. Reinforcements were indeed here. Grinding his teeth in frustration, memories of confinement flashed through his worried mind. Damn it, they’re already here?
Tanya smashed an animated tree into the ground, slamming her claws through the bark. The oak choked out a moan, its leaves withering and branches deteriorating as it died. The Bount stood up and rushed to Faelen’s side, recognizing the distraught look on the werewolf’s face. “It would seem that our opposition is stronger than expected. Their numbers are low, but the druid and magician are formidable opponents.”
Faelen nodded, swallowing hard. “There is only one way to break through their defenses, and that is if you go ahead without me,” he said, seeing the look of surprise on her face. “If I charge them, both Zylon and Moriaki will temporarily focus their attention on me. That is when you must rush through the land bridge. I imagine that you can bypass some lowly knights with ease.” He sighed. “It is only the druid and the immortal that we have to worry about.”
“But then you’ll be trapped here. You can’t defeat the two of them alone—” Tanya began.
“They cannot defeat me either,” Faelen said with a weary smile. “But if you go ahead and begin infecting the humans of Escalon, they’ll have to turn their attention back to the mainland. I will be trapped on this peninsula, but only for a short time. Once you infect one village of humans, that will be enough to scare Iradia into withdrawing their troops from this peninsula. Then you’ll travel north to Lichholme to search for the Oblivion Portal.”
“Only one village? Are you sur—”
“I’m positive,” Faelen said, stretching his body forward so that he dropped on all fours. “Do as I say. Now go!” the werewolf shot forward with inhuman speed, accelerating to a mere blur to the ordinary eye.
Just as Faelen had predicted, Zylon and Moriaki both turned their full attention to him. The druid morphed into a rhino as he rushed after the sprinting beast while Zylon materialized a wall right in front of Faelen in an attempt to slow him down.
“You aren’t going anywhere, Faelen!” Zylon shouted, holding out his hand. Dozens of needles, made from green magic, sliced through the air straight towards the werewolf. “Escalon is under our protection!”
Faelen grunted as he slammed his feet into the dirt, sliding to an abrupt stop before the magical wall that Zylon had created. He brought his forearms upward, the sharp needles slamming into his flesh, stinging him slightly. Smirking, he knew that Moriaki was just about to impale him from behind in his rhino form. He spun around and grabbed the druid by his horns, the werewolf’s muscles bulging as he swung the mighty beast straight into Zylon’s wall, shattering it an instant.
Moriaki hit the ground, rolling to his feet, immediately transforming into an ebony panther. He gnarred, baring his sharp teeth.
“I know,” Faelen said with a wild grin. “But she is.”
Zylon saw something flicker across h
is peripheral vision. His eyes widened as he spun around, watching as a female werewolf sprinted with abnormal speed towards his battling knights. There was something about this creature that was different from the rest. It wasn’t dashing forth wildly like the rest of the crazed beasts. It was clear that every movement was chosen as she avoided Zylon’s obstacles. No way…. “Stop her!” Zylon boomed, holding out his hand to materialize a cage around Tanya.
But Faelen was not going to let that happen. The Bount was already upon Zylon, slashing his claw through the air with a murderous look in his eyes. The immortal grunted, instinctively creating a shield to block the sudden attack. Faelen’s blow struck Zylon’s magical shield with unstoppable force, sending the man flipping backwards.
Zylon slammed onto his back, the wind driven from his lungs. He panted, relieved that his shield had absorbed a majority of Faelen’s strike. Wincing at the aching pain that pounded in his arm, he saw that Moriaki was sprinting after the female werewolf as a cheetah. Behind him was Faelen, who was somehow moving even faster than the druid was. “No, you don’t!” Zylon extended his hand, fabricating a purple chain that shot from his sleeve, constricting the werewolf’s ankle.
Faelen’s eyes widened as he was yanked to the ground, his pursuit of Moriaki abruptly halted. There was a powerful tug on his leg and the beast grunted, digging his claws into the dirt, realizing that Zylon was trying to yank him back.
Werewolves dashed at the immortal from various directions but Zylon moved with perfect reaction. He ducked, leapt, and dodged the various beasts that threw themselves at him. The ground was marked with footprints from the magician’s boots, proof of his amazing footwork.
Zylon stomped into the ground, conjuring red spikes that scattered on the ground around him. The startled werewolves all halted their assault, surprised by the man’s arcane magic. The immortal extended his arm, unleashing another chain that curled around one of Faelen’s forearms.
