by Hans Bezdek
“Run between them!” shouted Sloane.
Zeke nodded, taking off in a sprint between the furious demons and harnessing magic into his hands. Before he could make it through, the vines turned from bright green to a pale complexion and shriveled.
“Huh?” said Zeke, narrowly making it past the demons before they ripped free of their constraints.
“Her Arcane Staff has the power to give plant life,” laughed Lord Kutarm. “There’s nothing she can do against me. I’m able to kill anything she grows before they pose too much of a problem.”
“Not if I keep you distracted!” shouted Zeke, chucking two purple orbs at the man.
Lord Kutarm dashed off to the side, barely avoiding the two shots in time. Zeke was already building up his energy for another shot and chucked another ball of purple at the tyrant. Kutarm brought his hands up, forming a thin yellow shield of magic. Zeke’s shot crashed into, exploding on impact and destroying the shield.
“I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that an Arcane Staff held so much power,” grumbled Kutarm, looking at the destroyed shield with disappointment.
Zeke heard a thump, then saw a black mass fly away from the platform. Delvin stood at the point of origin panting, his left arm bleeding and leaning against his powerful mace. It looked like he took care of his demon, but didn’t have the easiest time at it.
“Could use some help!” shouted Sloane.
The archer was still getting used to her Arcane Staff, and fighting three demons at once was proving difficult. While two of them were once again wrapped up in vines, the third one was trying to take a bite out of her. Sloane was fast enough to dance out of its range, but she couldn’t summon vines fast enough to grab it.
Kriket was having a rough go at his two demons, which surprised Zeke at first. He assumed the lizardman would make quick work of them like he had in the forest outside of Burston. He noticed his friend nursing one of his arms, though, and took it that he must’ve been injured going into the fight.
Zeke glanced back at Kutarm right as a ball of fire shot from the man’s hand. The elf brought his hands up, a thin layer of protective magic forming around him. The fireball crashed into him, throwing him back. Zeke got back to his feet as the purple shield disappeared.
“Hey! I wasn’t paying attention!” shouted Zeke.
“Obviously,” sneered Kutarm. “That’s why I shot my fireball at you. It’s too bad your shield is so quick, or I’d have one less pest to deal with.”
Zeke narrowed his eyes at the man. He should’ve known better than to focus elsewhere. He needed to do what he said he would, and take out Kutarm as soon as possible. Zeke summoned more energy into his hands and ran at his opponent. Kutarm ran to meet him, spinning his Arcane Staff as he went. Zeke punched out at him as Kutarm brought the Staff up at Zeke. The elf’s hand connected with the Arcane Staff, triggering an explosion from both of them.
Zeke and Kutarm flew back a dozen feet as purple and gray energy shot out in all directions. Zeke nearly rolled over the side of the platform but stopped himself just short of it. He could feel a few more nicks on his arms and legs as he got to his feet. It looked like Lord Kutarm had taken similar damage, but his wounds immediately began healing themselves.
“It appears the power of the Arcane Staves are fairly even,” said Kutarm.
“Looks that way,” nodded Zeke in agreement. “Guess we should just call it a draw.”
“Hardly,” chuckled Kutarm. “I’ll ultimately win this fight between the two of us. We’ll continue to injure one another for who knows how long, but I’ll be healed after each exchange. Inevitably, you’ll take enough damage to no longer be a concern. Then, I’ll take my time killing you and your three friends.”
“Four,” corrected Zeke.
A black spear shot out through Lord Kutarm’s right shoulder.
“Yah!” he barked out in pain.
Xylona jumped on the man’s back, trying to wrap her arms around his neck. While Kutarm might’ve forgotten about the fae, she was just lying low to bide her time. With the man so distracted by Zeke, she finally found her opening. Zeke wondered why people seemed to forget about her so often in a fight.
Zeke took the assistance and rushed at Kutarm, a ball of purple magic forming in the elf’s hand. He slapped it into Kutarm’s side as hard as he could, an explosion of purple energy shooting out as it made contact. The tyrant stumbled away from the pain, dropping again to a knee.
Xylona hadn’t expected this and lost some of her grip on him. Kutarm reached up behind him and grabbed her, ripping the fae off of him and slamming her onto the ground before him.
“You’ve been a pain long enough!” growled Kutarm. He clenched his teeth and pulled the black spear out of his shoulders. When it was finally free, he stabbed down at the fae at his feet.
Xylona screamed as her own weapon was driven through her chest.
“NO!” cried out Zeke, running for them.
Sloane and the others risked a look back, their face’s falling as they saw what had become of their fae ally. The demons redoubled their efforts, grabbing their attention back.
Kutarm formed a wicked smile as he looked up at the elf. His shoulder and side crunched as he was healed. He was so proud of himself for the minor victory that he wasn’t paying attention as the fae wrapped her legs around the First Staff.
Twisting with what little strength she had left, she wrenched the First Staff from Kutarm’s grasp and flung it in Zeke’s direction.
“W-What the?!” shouted Lord Kutarm, reaching out helplessly after his Arcane Staff.
“T-Take… i-it…” groaned Xylona.
Zeke didn’t need to be told twice. The elf scooped up the Arcane Staff and held it threateningly towards Lord Kutarm.
Kutarm’s panic turned to confidence. He laughed at the elf, taking the lull to catch his breath.
“What’s so funny?” asked Zeke. “I’ve got your Arcane Staff. From where I’m standing, that means you’re done!”
“You can’t use it while I’m still connected to it, you fool!” laughed the man. “You’d have to kill me first, which can’t be done!”
Zeke lowered the First Staff and groaned. He had always wondered about that. He regretted not testing it out back when the Fourth Staff was still working.
The First Staff started shaking furiously in Zeke’s hands. The elf looked down at the Staff, wrapping both hands around it. He was worried that it was trying to escape him and go back to Lord Kutarm. He risked a look up at Kutarm, but the man looked as confused as the elf felt.
Instead of going anywhere, the black and gray energy at the top of it started to flicker.
The purple magic from his hands flowed out of him and towards the head of the Arcane Staff. In a matter of seconds, the purple glow completely disappeared into the weapon. The top of the Arcane Staff shot forth a powerful light, blinding everyone within a mile radius. Zeke covered his eyes with one hand, keeping the other on the First Staff.
As the elf felt his sight coming back, he looked back at the First Staff. Gone was the black and gray. A blue light now turned over and over at the top of the weapon. Zeke couldn’t explain it, but the weapon suddenly felt even more powerful than before.
“W-What… w-what have you done!?” screamed Lord Kutarm.
Zeke looked up to see the sickly Kutarm looking much different. The man had sunkissed skin, dirty blonde hair, and bright green eyes. It looked as if the man had reversed in age by a couple of hundred years. He oddly didn’t seem thrilled about it.
A few screeches came from behind Zeke, grabbing his attention before he could ask Lord Kutarm what was going on. The remaining demons scurried away from Sloane and the other two, jumping off the platform and away from Stedforge. Additional screeches came from down below, and Zeke could see demons suddenly turning on Kutarm’s men on the battlefield.
“Kutarm’s powers must have been reversed!” cheered Delvin.
“No… no!” cried out Kutarm. �
��This can’t be happening!”
“Good work, elf,” smiled Kriket.
“Finish him off, Zeke!” said Sloane, gesturing at Kutarm.
That was fair, he thought. Should probably make sure there’s no more regeneration before they all celebrated. Zeke pulled out Lucky and glared at Lord Kutarm.
“Whatever,” spat Lord Kutarm, regaining his composure and standing tall again. “I don’t need an Arcane Staff to defeat the likes of you. Your hands have lost the power you once yielded. You don’t know how to wield that Staff. You won’t stand a chance against a skilled spellcaster such as m-.”
Zeke chucked Lucky at Lord Kutarm’s face. The dagger spun blade over hilt several times, landing point first between the former tyrant’s eyes.
The man fell backward.
He was dead before he hit the platform.
Chapter 20
“That didn’t go like he thought it would,” said Zeke, staring down at the dead man’s corpse.
“Definitely not,” agreed Sloane.
“Y-You… d-did… it…” groaned Xylona, coughing on her side. She smiled through the pain and the coughing fit. She was happy to die if it meant the end of Lord Kutarm.
“You did good, fae,” said Kriket, bowing slightly towards her. “We’ll be sure to spread your name across all of Linsuk.”
Delvin and Sloane averted their eyes, Delvin’s getting a little watery. It must have been strange for them. They had planned on killing her earlier that day, but now didn’t want her to go. Even the lizardman seemed a little upset about it.
Zeke didn’t.
He pulled Lucky out of Lord Kutarm’s face, wiping it off on his bone armor and placing it back in its sheath. The elf then approached the dying fae and reached the tip of the changed First Staff out towards her chest.
“What are you doing?” asked Sloane.
The elf was quiet as the blue tip spun faster. There was a blue flash and then Zeke pulled the Staff back.
The fae put a hand to where she had taken the fatal blow, finding it healed over.
“H-How?” she gasped, eyes wide. “I’m not going to die?”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” said Sloane. “The First Staff controls death, but it looked like it would only heal the wielder.”
“Unless it changed,” marveled Delvin, rubbing his chin. “The magic from the Fourth Staff chose Zeke, but it seems like maybe it left him for the First Staff! When the two forms of magic combined, it changed not just the appearance of the Arcane Staff, but its abilities. Maybe it no longer controls death, but life!”
“How did you know that would work?” asked Kriket to Zeke.
“Dunno,” shrugged the elf. “That seems to be pretty common with these Arcane Staves. I just know. Here, hold still.”
Zeke proceeded to heal Kriket’s broken arm, along with everyone else’s minor wounds. Everyone felt as good as new, even Xylona. The fae got to her feet as Zeke finished his healing, still marveling at the elf’s new power.
“I thought for sure I was a goner,” said the fae.
“Ha! But instead, I saved you!” said Zeke triumphantly to Xylona. “Now you owe me a life debt!”
The fae raised an eyebrow.
“A life debt?” she repeated. “Like, the gnome thing? That’s not something the fae follow.”
Zeke looked at Delvin, who nodded.
“She’s right,” said the gnome. “We’re the only ones that do that, as far as I know.”
“Ugh, why did you never mention that!” groaned Zeke.
“I-I didn’t think it was a big deal!” said Delvin defensively.
“So you only healed me in order for me to become your slave?” clarified Xylona, a grin playing on her lips.
“O-Of course not!” said Zeke, taking a step back. “I-I was just going to have you work on getting the fae to get along better with the other races!”
The fae eyed him, then cracked a smile. “That’s reasonable, I suppose. Although, I can’t make any promises. Relations between fae and humans may be even worse off now.”
“Understandable,” nodded Zeke, relieved to hear Xylona was still going to work towards peace. It looked like working with her was the right move after all. “I hope you tell of Sloane, though, as an example of how not all humans are so bad.”
“She did try to kill me,” mumbled the fae, glancing at the archer.
“But I didn’t,” pointed out Sloane with a smile.
“I’ll keep her in mind,” laughed Xylona.
“What’s going on?” came a woman’s voice behind them. Zeke turned to see Ivsaar and a couple of dwarves making their way off the stairs and onto the platform. “We saw a blinding light and I came back to see what had happened.”
“We did it,” smiled Zeke. “We killed Lord Kutarm!”
Ivsaar gave them all a hard look.
“Are you planning on announcing that or are you just going to let the war continue?” she asked, anger in her voice. “You do realize the battle is still ongoing, right?”
“Oh…” said Zeke, rubbing the back of his neck. He kind of assumed that the battle would just magically stop once Lord Kutarm was dead. While the demons were free from his control, the human army had no idea. He probably should’ve thought this through better.
“I think we all kind of spaced on that…” said Kriket, peering over the platform down to where there was still fighting.
“Sorry!” said Sloane.
“I’ll fix this,” said Delvin, clearing his throat. The gnome closed his eyes and raised his hands up. The air around him shimmered slightly and the gnome’s voice came out in a boom. “People of Stedforge! Stop the fighting!”
The two armies paused, neither side sure of who was the one doing the addressing here. The Resistance hoped it was their side, while Kutarm’s forces were afraid of continuing to fight if Lord Kutarm himself was the one who told them to stop.
“Lord Kutarm is dead!” shouted the gnome.
A stunned silence spread out across the valley and city. Zeke looked around, expecting more excitement from the Resistance.
“How do we know you’re telling the truth?” shouted up a woman in blue and black.
“Yeah, show us his head!” shouted a dwarf.
“Ew, really?” said Delvin, looking around at the others.
“Seems a bit unnecessary,” cringed Zeke. “I know the guy was a maniac, but that’s a bit excessive, isn’t it?”
Xylona sighed and gestured at Lord Kutarm’s body. A black circle formed around his head and she lifted him up.
“Gross!” exclaimed Zeke. “She’s going to rip his head off his body!”
“Bleh!” said Sloane, turning away.
“What? No!” shouted the fae. “I’m just lifting him up so that the masses can see him!”
“Whew!” laughed Zeke, shaking his head. “That’s a lot better than I expected.”
Xylona grumbled and moved Lord Kutarm’s body over the crowd, giving them a good look.
Cries of both despair and excitement filled the air as everyone got a first hand look. The Linsuk Resistance looked ready to throw their weapons in the air, but someone at the front had an important question to ask first.
“We’re still getting our pay, right?” shouted a man.
“Uh, yeah,” shrugged Delvin. “I don’t see why you wouldn’t.”
“Hooray!” cheered the Resistance fighters as one.
“None of Kutarm’s people are to be harmed if they put down their weapons and surrender,” continued Delvin. “We don’t want to repay evil with evil. We’ll march on to other towns and make sure this word is spread all across Linsuk!”
Delvin left them with that, turning off his voice projection magic.
“Nice little touch there at the end,” smiled Sloane. “No need for any more bloodshed.”
“Agreed,” nodded Zeke. “What was that thing about getting paid, by the way?”
“It’s kind of a long story,” laughed Sloane. “The L
ost Citadel has a bunch of money, and I kind of made a promise to use part of it to fund an army.”
“How are you going to get it to all these people?” asked Zeke. “Seems pretty impractical.”
“We’ve got this - oh, I forgot to tell Anthony!” said Delvin, pulling out a bag. “He’ll be so excited that we succeeded!”
“Who’s Anthony?” asked Zeke, growing more and more confused. It sounded like he missed out on quite a bit when the group split up. He hoped to get the full story sometime but figured that would have to wait.
“Remember that ghost that was protecting the Lost Citadel?” said Sloane. “After we passed it, he kind of became our friend.”
“That’s… different.”
“We did it, Anthony!” exclaimed Delvin into a bag. “We killed Lord Kutarm!”
“Who?” came a voice from the bag.
“Er, the guy that we left to defeat?”
“I thought you left to save a friend,” replied the bag. “Did you kill your friend?”
“N-No! You know what, I’ll tell you about it later,” sighed Delvin.
“Wait, when will I see you aga-”
The gnome closed the bag and shook his head. “That was a waste of time.”
“That’s alright,” laughed Zeke, patting the gnome on the back. “I’d be interested to meet your ghost friend sometime.”
“Speaking of which,” said Sloane, glancing around at everyone. “What do we do now?”
Everyone was quiet for a moment. Zeke hadn’t really considered this timeline to be an option. He kind of assumed he’d die before even getting to Lord Kutarm.
Xylona was the first to break the silence. “I’ve got to return to my people and explain everything that has happened. The elders are dead and we’ll need someone to take over. I figure I’ll toss my hat in the ring, and try to use the position to work on our relations with the other races.”
“I appreciate that,” smiled Zeke.
