The Blade Guardian

by Darren Hultberg Jr

  The others backed away from the table as the amber-colored barrier solidified around us, creating a small dueling area atop the rectangular table and chairs. Oddly, as they settled to watch the spectacle unfold, not a single one of them had their eyes on me. Instead, they were solely focused on Cryox.

  “I don’t know what you’re planning, boy… but you just sealed your fate.” Those were the final words that Cryox said as he raised his bracer-covered arm into the air. The socketed gems began to glow a multitude of colors as hot-white lightning crackled near his palm.

  Then his blade began to form.

  First came the solid black pommel, followed by a sleek handle large enough to be held in two hands. Then, with energy still swirling in the air, a massive icy blade formed at the end of the handle, its edge both jagged and sharp.

  Finally, Cryox’s grin was replaced with a look of resolve as he raised his newly forged Aether blade into the air, a magnificent weapon built from the souls of familiars long dead…. Then the man charged.

  17

  The Aspect of the Dragon

  Silence hung in the air for the briefest of seconds as Cryox and I leaped at one another, blades poised and ready to strike. Our boots glided across the long oak table, eyes focused, muscles tensed... and then we clashed.

  “You bastard!” I yelled as nevermore slammed into his Aether blade, creating a shower of sparks that singed my arms, shoulders and cheeks.

  Cryox remained poised as he shifted his sword to absorb a second strike coming from my drake sword, then took a quick step back out of range. “Pretentious fool!” he barked back as he waded in with a slash of his own. “Your claim to strength is nothing more than borrowed power... power that will be mine!”

  Cryox lunged in with speed that matched my own, slashing his blade three times in quick succession. I brought my own swords up to parry, but the third pass of his blade slipped past my defenses and bit into my thigh.

  I immediately backpedaled as a small chunk of my health reticle diminished and a sharp pain rippled down my leg. Cryox did not relent, slashing away as I ducked, dodged and parried, forcing me to the very edge of the table before sweeping my legs and sending me crashing to the floor below.

  The rogue paused, heels balanced at the very edge of the table, eyes staring down on me with a look of blatant disgust. “You don’t deserve that power,” he said, pointing to my drake sword with that icy blade of his own.

  I returned his gaze with a primal glare of my own. “Then come and take it.”

  The rogue took no time to answer my challenge, leaping from the table as he thrust his blade at my torso. I rolled to the right as the weapon smashed against the stone floor, then quickly rose to a knee as he swept the blade in my direction.

  Again, our weapons clashed as I managed to parry his sweeping strike, though my arms groaned in protest from the force of his blow. I grimaced, then pushed back against the rogue’s attack, forcing him to take a step back and giving me an inch to breathe. Dammit all, I wished I hadn’t drained my mana during my previous encounter... I may have had an actual chance to put this bastard down!

  “You’ve got nothing to offer in this fight, boy,” Cryox taunted before rushing back in with his Aether blade. This time his attack was a bit more erratic, his movements blurred as he activated his skill, trickster blade.

  Trickster blade

  Rogue Skill

  The rogue’s movements become blurred as he lunges at his opponent, executing a series of attacks that become increasingly hard to block. High ranks of this skill can even make the rogue temporarily appear ethereal.

  The rogue swung his blade frantically, slashing at my arms, my torso, my neck. Moving with haste, I worked my swords trying desperately to block any major blows, but several of his strikes slipped through, leaving my flesh torn as blood began to pool in spots beneath my ripped shirt.

  Cryox’s blurred form returned to normal as his skill ended, and he quickly retracted his blade as he reset his stance. Fighting through the pain, I took the opportunity to launch an assault of my own, swinging nevermore and the drake sword in either hand, trying to quickly overwhelm the crafty rogue.

  Cryox was prepared. The rogue brought his icy blade up at an angle, knocking away a vertical attack from my drake sword that should’ve landed directly on his chest… Unfortunately for him, he left himself exposed.

  Without hesitating, I brought nevermore down in the same spot, scoring a direct hit as I dragged the obsidian blade across my opponent’s exposed chest. A surge of adrenaline coursed through me as I waited for the sword’s edge to slice open his flesh, but instead my attack was met with resistance. That long, black coat he had on seemed to resist the edge of my blade, its leather now offering a soft glow as its magickkal properties activated. I grimaced as the coat managed to protect him from damage, leaving me surprised and off-balance. Dammit all, what other tricks did this guy possess?!

  The rogue grinned as he brought his Aether blade back, pulling energy from his bracer until the icy blade began to glow. Then, before I could regain my balance, he swung the weapon directly into my midsection.

  I pulled my drake sword in front of me just in time, absorbing the brunt of his blow with my sword. Still, the power behind the attack was so immense that it knocked me off my feet, sending my body careening through the air and leaving a shockwave of Aether in my wake. My body slammed into the glowing barrier of the dueling area before I finally fell to the ground in a heap, a sharp pain now running down the length of my back.

  “Dammit,” I growled, eyeing my health reticle that now sat merely a quarter full. If that charged strike had landed flush on my torso, I likely would’ve ended up in two pieces.

  “Done yet?” Cryox asked, his grin now even wider as he sensed an end to the duel approaching.

  “Hardly,” I responded, rising back to my feet as I wiped a line of blood running from my mouth. I could feel the anger swelling in me, the frustration…. It willed me forward!

  Again, I charged at the man, this time dashing in at an angle, feinting high before dropping low for a swing at the man’s legs. Cryox seemed even more prepared for this attack, kicking the flat of my blade and knocking it away before clipping me with another charged-up swing of his sword. Trails of smoke began to emanate from my shredded shirt as my back skidded across the stone floor and my health reticle dropped dangerously low. My frustration came to the forefront as a sad realization dawned on me.... I had yet to land a solid hit on this man. I wasn’t just being defeated, I was being downright dismantled!

  Suddenly, Salence’s draconic voice echoed in my head, a single word that drowned out any thoughts I could call my own...

  Rise.

  His emotions resonated in my core, his sadness, his anger, his rage. They gave me strength as I climbed to a knee. Again, the word rang loud in my mind...

  Rise!

  I felt Salence’s anger crescendo as my own rage reached new heights. His Aether ripped through me like a tempest... It felt as if a barrier inside of me was shattered as the dragon familiar’s power poured through me anew. And again, his voice rang true, now louder and more forceful than ever...

  RISE!

  As I climbed to my feet, my damaged body began to fill with warmth as draconic energy worked its way into every fiber of my being. It was a feeling not so dissimilar to when I channeled Kord, though this time the power was fiery and fierce… This time I was channeling the dragon.

  I stood tall as my body began to undergo some sort of transformation. Crimson scales began to grow over my exposed chest, then my forearms, my legs and my cheeks, quickly providing a natural coat of armor. Tiny claws began to grow from the tips of my fingers, curling to unbelievably sharp points. My muscles hardened, my size increased, and my eyes began to glow a fiery red. Finally, translucent red wings and a long, scaly tail began to protrude from my back as Salence’s Aether completed our bond. To the shock of Cryox and the other onlookers, I let out a primal roar…The full power
of the dragon familiar was mine!

  I could hear the proud growl of Salence resonating inside of me. Our minds carried a singular focus as my body became a conduit for his power. I clenched my fists as my gaze settled on Cryox, my eyes now burning red. Full bond had been achieved... and I had risen. Now it was time for that bastard to fall.

  “You don’t deserve that power!” Cryox hissed, the slightest hint of fear surfacing in his hazel eyes. That fool hadn’t realized I had the power of a second familiar churning inside my body. Well, now he’d be feeling that power for himself.

  I began my charge, raising nevermore into the air before launching it at the rogue like a massive throwing knife. As expected, Cryox used his Aether blade to deflect the blow, releasing a current of energy as he knocked the obsidian sword away. I used the split-second distraction to dive at the man, dropping the drake sword and wrapping my draconic claws around his wrists as I dug the tips of my claws into his bracer. Cryox tried to struggle, tried desperately to free his arms, but despite all of his writhing, my grip held true.

  Growing desperate, the rogue placed a boot on my scaled chest and tried to pry himself free, a maneuver that set the man off balance. Immediately I hoisted him into the air with my bolstered strength before slamming the rogue onto the floor, eliciting a howl of pain from the man and eliminating a sizable chunk of his health reticle.

  Again, Cryox tried to throw a boot into my chest, this time with added force in a desperate attempt to create some space, to get away. I allowed the kick to connect as I released his wrists and grabbed onto his ankle... and then I took him for a ride.

  Planting my feet on the ground, I scooped up Cryox and began swinging the man in a circle, gaining speed with each revolution. The rogue managed to throw a few errant swings at me with his blade, but our momentum prevented him from landing anything that resembled a solid strike.

  With one final spin, I heaved the rogue into the air, sending his body soaring over the long, oak table before slamming into the barrier of the dueling area. I followed closely behind, leaping onto the tabletop as I charged towards the now-stunned rogue, draconic fury still powering my every step. Flames began to pool in my hands, began to form in pockets around my body as I activated my first draconic bond skill, flame rush.

  Cryox rose to a knee as I approached, muttering something as he raised his bracer into the air. Suddenly, his Aether blade dissipated, turning into a wave of blue energy that pooled in the rogue’s open palm.

  “Die, boy!” the battered rogue yelled as he wound up and threw the ball of pulsing energy in my direction. It soared through the air, heading directly for my chest and carrying much more speed than I anticipated. My mind told me to leap out of the way, but my draconic instincts took over… they had other ideas.

  My aethereal wings flittered, causing my body to lift off the table and perform a corkscrew of sorts through the air. Cryox’s energy blast whizzed by just inches from my chest before slamming into the barrier behind me in an explosion of dust and light. The rogue watched helpless and devoid of energy as I descended, clawed fist smashing into his stomach as dragonfire washed over his now feeble form.

  Cryox let out a howl of pain as he shielded his face from flame, covering it with the sleeves of his coat and giving me the opportunity to wrap my scaly tail around his ankles. With draconic rage still fueling my movements, I hoisted him into the air before slamming him into the stone, again and again, my back muscles straining under the use of my newly grown appendage.

  A spot of blood began to grow on the floor as his body connected with the stone. His face wore a look of pain and the look in his eyes begged me to relent… of course this bastard wanted mercy.

  I lashed my tail around his neck, causing the rogue’s eyes to bulge as I prepared to slam him into the ground a final time. That is, until the dueling sprite flittered in the air before me, halting my assault.

  “The duel is over,” she announced, placing her hands on her hips and giving me a stern look until I released the man. “And the winner is Zander Darkblade!”

  100 exp. gained

  My body flooded with exhilaration as I eyed the rogue, bleeding and barely conscious at my feet. Thankfully, the man had relied heavily on his items, rather than his skills. If he had been a combat-efficient rogue, then this duel’s outcome might have been very different.

  A small glimmer appeared in the air, eventually materializing as I grasped it in my palm.

  Item acquired:

  Cell Keys x1

  I couldn’t help but grin as I squeezed the key ring in my grasp. This… this meant that she was here! She was trapped somewhere in this godforsaken den of thieves, but dammit all she was here!

  My grin quickly faded as the barrier of the dueling area faded, and the group of Cryox’s constituents began to move in. “Kill him…” Cryox blurted out, his body still writhing on the floor.

  I took a quick look around as the other thieves’ guild members began to draw their weapons and surround me where I stood. Some looked a bit pensive, but a few looked more than ready to kill. I let out a growl as I raised my clawed fists into the air, unwilling to go down without a fight. It was ironic… many considered the confines of a dueling arena to be dangerous, but it was perhaps the safest place you could be. In there, it was just Cryox and I, not a fight to the death but a measure of power. But now, out in the open, I was fair game to this group of wily thieves.

  “Kill him now,” Cryox spat once more, his voice full of scorn. This time his guildmates didn’t hesitate. This time, with weapons drawn, they set their sights on me and struck!

  18

  A Cleansing of Thieves

  There was no delay in their reaction, no pause of consideration. No… the rogues had marked me as their target, and then descended like wolves!

  Blades whirled through the air in a maelstrom of iron and steel as the rogues attacked me from all angles. Some of the blades bounced off my draconic scales, while others found their way into soft flesh, draining my HP ever further.

  Panicked, I gave my Aether wings a flap and soared into the air, climbing just out of reach of my assailants’ blades. Suddenly, one of the men equipped a long, hooked chain and launched it skyward, landing a direct hit on my left wing. The hook latched itself onto the base of my wing as the man gave it a mighty yank, forcing me to spiral out of control before crashing several feet away into the hard, stone floor.

  “Dammit…” I growled, trying to force myself back to my knees. Salence’s Aether had nearly run dry since our fight with Cryox, and my own power was still waning… I was a sitting duck.

  The rogues began to approach once more, the chain-wielding man leading the group. None of them wore grins any longer as they readied their blades to strike. It looked like the game was over for them. They’d received their orders to kill… I was just prey.

  I used the little bit of strength I didn’t know I had left and forced myself to my feet, nevermore forming in my clawed hands. As the rogues approached, I used my wings to propel me, spinning about in a wide arc, swinging my obsidian sword and keeping my attackers temporarily at bay.

  Suddenly the hooked chain came barreling in again, this time hooking my ankle as the man yanked my foot out from under me, dragging me back to the ground. Before I could rise, another pair of rogues dove on top of me, each of them latching onto an arm and pressing me firm against the stone.

  I struggled with all my might, but my body just had nothing left to give. Soon, my draconic features faded as Salence’s Aether ran dry. I was pinned to the ground in the basement of the damned thieves’ guild… I was defenseless.

  “I’m gonna carve you up, boy,” Cryox spat as he rose to his feet and stumbled over to my location, dangling a small knife precariously over my eyes.

  His face morphed into a scowl as he realized I wore a wide grin on my otherwise battered face. As expected, it brought him pause. “What the hell are you smiling about!?” he snapped, gripping the knife tighter as he pressed it
against my cheek. “What’s so funny?!”

  My grin remained as I met his gaze, spreading my lips to reveal blood-soaked teeth before uttering the words “you lose.”

  Cryox furrowed his brow as a look of confusion crossed his face, that is, before an arrow cut through the air before him, piercing his neck and diminishing his final few hit points.

  The room filled with shouts as members of the Tidecaller guard rushed in, recurve bows and tridents gripped tightly in their hands. And at their rear stood a familiar face… my father, Kord perched gleefully atop his shoulder.

  “Put them down!” Greygor howled, emerging from behind a pair of tidecaller bowmen. “Let’s get these scum out of our city for good!”

  The remaining rogues began to scatter, rushing for the nearest exit as a hail of spears and arrows pierced their backs. One rogue in particular, the woman with the knife in her hair, danced about the room, performing a series of quick flips as she dodged the many projectiles flying in her direction.

  Now free to move, I turned and gave her a quick inspection as she fled.

  Anna Freya

  Lvl 30 Rogue

  The woman gave me a wink before she fled down one of the far corridors, mouthing the words “watch your back,” before disappearing from view. Just another name to add to a growing list of enemies…

  I began to prop myself up on my elbows, but before I could fully rise a pair of muscled arms wrapped me in a tight embrace.

  “Adam!” my father said, lifting me back to my feet as he gave me a mighty squeeze.

  “Dad, I…”

  “What the hell were you thinking?!” he interrupted, refusing to loosen his grip on me,

  “I couldn’t let that guy get away. He had Hilda’s sword and—”