The Sufferer's Chronicle - Book 1: The Soul Prison

by Derek Hampton

  Chapter 27

  Ready to fight the warlord, once again, Dedricus charged at him. The gargantuan tyrant gave him a toothy grin, before passing his tongue across his yellow teeth. A gleam shone within the black abyss that were his eyes, setting his sights upon the young man.

  Completely sure of himself, Ravious stomped forward to meet him. He gripped his axe with both hands and held it close to his right breast as he rushed at his opposition, who he would not let escape this time. Kasyra, still incredibly fatigued, cast a protective ward around her friend. She and Ari quickly dashed away, further down what remained of the main road, to try and keep the giant at a range.

  The warlord came at Dedricus with a mid-level chop, aiming for the lower portion of his torso. He blocked with his shield, taking the hit successfully, and shoved his immense foe’s weapon away. In response, he thrust forward, aiming for the center of Ravious’ breastplate.

  Before the precisely aimed strike could land, he was off his feet. The towering man had forged a tiny hexagonal pillar to strike out at his right leg, knocking him to the ground. As he fell, the blade of a large axe followed his descent.

  The axe neared him, but recoiled, as the barrier Kasyra had cast just moments before shattered. It shielded the entirety of Ravious’ direct physical attack, causing fragments of solidified light to fall around him. Ari threw a bola of condensed vines that wrapped around Ravious’ arms. The warlord snarled in anger and flexed outward. He broke the vines apart with ease and regained his stance, readying another attack. By then, Dedricus had rolled back onto his feet.

  “Those wards will not shield you forever. Though there are other targets.”

  Turning his sights to the female youth, Ravious pulled his left hand back. Debris magnetized to his palm, forming a large sphere of earthen material. It pulsed with an orange glow, as if magma flowed within. He hurled the completed object at Kasyra, prompting a defensive response from the young woman.

  Seconds before the molten cone struck her, she waved her hand, creating a tiny barrier before her. The shield protected her, but shattered from the impact, sending molten material in every direction.

  By now, Dedricus was at the warlord’s back. He made a small leap, hoping to strike out at the hulk’s neck. Making a quick turn, he smacked the overzealous blade away with his plated forearm. Despite being knocked away hard, he managed to keep on his feet.

  Slamming his palm into the ground, the Half-Elf sent creeping roots at Ravious as he tossed his friend away. Bounding around the warlord’s legs, the roots hardened into a thick material. He tried to kick himself free, but was stuck and laughed heartily as he remained ensnared.

  Seeing the opening, Dedricus cast a hurried bolt of corruption at the petrified roots. Immediately, they were set ablaze by the reaction, igniting the area around the titan’s feet. He only laughed harder as his lower half was engulfed in flames. For a few seconds, everything fell silent, aside from the crackling flames that consumed Ravious.

  He had to have been burning alive, as the fire continued to rise. As with the inferno earlier, it seemed to have no effect on him. The roots burned out and allowed the warlord to simply kick himself free. His robetop, however, had burned away and revealed the whole of his black armor.

  He laughed again, analyzing Dedricus. He gripped his axe, pressing forward along the flat ground of the ruined city. The two met, axe to shield, with a strike that rattled like thunder. Lifting a foot, Ravious kicked him in the chest.

  The mercenary skid across the debris, landing against a piece of rubble that wilted behind him. Stomps like the drums of war brought him back to the moment. He thrust himself up and rolled aside as a titan charged passed him. Once more, he was back on his feet and ready for whatever was to come.

  Ravious’ charge had kicked up an obscene amount of dust and ash. To combat this, Dedricus raised his shield and waited patiently. He could hear a large menacing figure swirling around him. It stopped, only for a bolt of molten material to fly passed him.

  Two more whistled by, from different angles, before the dust finally began settling. Holding his shield behind his head, he turned and retreated from the scene. He had made it out of the storm of ash, and looked around for his friends. Kasyra could be seen further down the southern road. Ari, however, was missing.

  To offer him more support, she cast another protective ward around him before retreating into the ruins. Ravious soon burst from the dust, his axe already over his shoulder and ready to crush something. A frightened Dedricus instinctively raised his shield, but kept a low guard with his blade.

  “You’ve no more chances. This time, I will finish the job.” Ravious bellowed, as he pulled his weapon back and exchanged blows with the mercenary.

  After getting driven back again, Dedricus stood his ground and enveloped his steel sword in a shadowy aura. Ignoring the defensive posture his enemy had changed to, the warlord swung his axe violently overhead. The axe clapped against the unfaltering shield, holding with an incredible resilience.

  Ravious roared with fury as he attempted the same attack once more. The block still held. He whirled his axe around, sheathed it on his back, and leapt away. Making a claw with his right hand, he thrust it into the air, causing a large rock to rise from the ground.

  He punched forward several times. Each punch chipped off a large chunk of the rock, hurling it towards Dedricus at high speeds. He was forced to keep his shield up, as the fragments of earth crashed into him.

  The initial hits forced him to stagger back, faltering the ground he sought to hold. Catching the last chip of earth, and appearing from a nearby ruin, Ari returned the fragmented rocks to Ravious. He blunted the projectile with his gauntlet, causing it to splinter apart and strike his arms, chest, and face. Lowering his gauntlet, his front was laden with cuts and scratches that oozed a black liquid.

  “Solid earth is a wonderful thing, isn’t it, Elf?” the warlord snickered, wiping the blood from his face.

  “I always preferred roots and vines. More malleable.”

  “Clearly you’re well versed.”

  “Listen to me. I’ve got your back, but it’s gonna be important that you keep him busy. Kasyra is gonna try something.” Ari whispered to his friend, keeping his eyes locked ahead to Ravious, “Keep fighting like normal and she’ll find her own opening. Otherwise, I’ll make one.”

  He agreed as the Elf too retreated into the ruins. It was clear the warlord didn’t care for anyone other than Dedricus, as his nose was kept pointed directly at him; it didn’t matter where his wild eyes looked.

  Dedricus decided to make a risky move in the hopes of giving Kasyra the opening she needed. He realized that, due to the length of the axe, there was a small safe area in direct proximity to the warlord. If she could get him from behind, or even from the side, it could hit a vital spot.

  Leaving a wake of dust, the mercenary took to a blind charge. While Ravious prepared to grab his shield, the rush was a feign. Nearing him, he pulled his shield arm close and swung out with the shadowy blade. The titan was quick to adjust and block with his gauntlets.

  Keeping his left arm up as a guard, he retrieved his axe with the other. To deter Dedricus from making any advance at all, he swung it wildly and ended with the weapon in both hands and at the ready. A few blocked strikes and the warlord was already enraged once more.

  After a missed heavy swing, the young blade went in. He stayed close enough to Ravious, to where he wouldn’t be able to use the edge of his weapon at all. The titan looked from side to side, trying to find Dedricus and gripped his axe closer to the head for a more narrow range. By then he already felt it.

  The warlord roared in pain as the steel sword dove deep into his side. More of the black fluid spilled out from under his armor as he crashed down to one knee and took a heavy breath. As his smaller opposition hadn’t fled, he spun around quickly and grabbed him by the wrist.

  “I’ll show you what it is to break!” shouted Ravious.

  He t
ightened his grip around the young man’s arm. The metal wrist guard Dedricus wore under his leather gloves creaked as they bent from the force. He could not overcome Ravious’ might, and only struggled to free himself. Suddenly, a deafening blast was heard behind them.

  A brilliant flash of light caused Dedricus to close his eyes and look away. The warlord screamed in agony, letting go and gripping his left shoulder. Unsure of what had just happened, Dedricus crawled away while he could. Ravious turned to see Kasyra, in a combat ready stance, with her staff gripped in both hands and pointed at the giant.

  “WENCH! He will watch you die!” he howled as he reached for his axe.

  Before Ravious could even get his weapon in his hands, she fired another pulse of light at him. A blast of white plasma, summoned forth, hit him in the gut. He tumbled back, with two sizable holes bored through him.

  As he rose, he felt for the holes on his torso. He was at a clear disadvantage at range, even if she was “weaker” than him. He had also sorely underestimated what the girl was capable of. Dedricus clenched a fist and rotated his wrist several times. While it ached, it was still in good use. The three of them would end it there, together.

  Chapter 28

  Thanks to Kasyra’s powerful blasts, the warlord had been seriously wounded. It was tough to fight with two holes bored into your body, even at Ravious’ size. Black blood oozed out of the holes, dripping out from the spaces in his armor.

  “You think this hurts?! HAHAHA!” Ravious cackled, presenting his wounds.

  In response, he cast a similar spell as he had earlier, summoning a shard of glowing earth. Splitting it apart with both hands, he jammed the fragments of molten earth into the wounds he had sustained. It made an awful whistling noise as his flesh melted to the stone.

  “Horrifying? Hmm?! Did you forget that Earth Magic is also used for it’s healing properties? These wounds will heal quickly.”

  Taking back to the fight, Ari swirled his hands around his body. With this, much of the rubble littering the area flew towards him. One by one, he fired them at Ravious. The rocks would explode as they neared him, hailing his body with bits of stone.

  By the time the warlord raised a stone wall to defend himself, Dedricus had already grown close. With a whirl of the flaming axe, his charge was stopped by the titan. While they had not won yet, they were overwhelming him.

  “Cheap tricks.” snarled Ravious, sending the wall rushing towards Ari and leaping at the mercenary.

  The Half-Elf used his own magic to shatter the barricade and followed by sending another volley of rock at him. The strikes at his back broke the exchange between he and Dedricus. Tired of him, the warlord turned and thrust both hands forward. Ari’s legs were firmly encased in stone, leaving him immobilized.

  Free from Ravious’ hands, the molten axe flew at Ari. He had already prepared for such an attack and conjured a barrier of interlocking roots and vines. The weapon hit the barrier, before falling to the ground, as the Elf freed himself.

  Counting on that strike had left the giant open. Dedricus managed to slice at his neck, leaping up and landing in front of him. He placed a hand on his neck, to stop any potential bleeding, and lost his footing.

  Executing a nearly perfect chain of attacks, the mercenary swung his blade downwards with Ravious’ fall, aiming for where his neck should have been. The weapon caught no resistance and carried on. He had rolled aside, dodging the attack.

  His hand was still stuck to his neck. Looking to all three of his opponents, the warlord smiled before pulling his hand back and revealing a tiny jet of flame. He passed it across his open wound, melting it shut.

  A futile charge had Dedricus thrown back a ways. He landed hard, back near the portal. Having gone unnoticed before, it seemed the thing was drawing in wind. Despite there still being the warlord to contend with, he figured he’d see if he could do anything about the portal.

  Leaping up to the platform, the mercenary’s hair flapped wildly in the foul suction of the green door to hell. He looked over to the pedestal, seeing how the Soul Prison fit into it. The thing appeared to just be a simple stone pillar. There were no locking mechanisms or other devices.

  At the foot of the pedestal, the mercenary wrapped his fingers around the Soul Prison. An acidic corruption stung his hand, passing through the protection of his glove. He tore upwards, trying to rip the relic free from its pedestal. The green abyss before him seemed to increase its suction with the more force he applied.

  “Nooooooo! You have no idea what you’re doing!” screamed Ravious, taking notice of the interruption.

  Ignoring the anguished cries from the warlord and the burning pain shooting through the entirety of his arm, he continued his attempt at removing the cube. Dedricus grunted and planted his feet firmly as he now used both hands. It seemed impossible to free the thing, as it wouldn’t budge.

  He had little time to keep trying. The warlord was nearly at him, with his friends in chase. Ravious collided with the pedestal, as the young man was forced to let go. Due to his massive size and force of the crash, a portion of it crumbled away, revealing it to be hollow and filled with a green current of power.

  Back onto his feet, the titan swung at Dedricus, narrowly missing the young man. The two clashed, as Kasyra tried to aim another blast of light. With the combatants constantly shuffling about, she lowered her staff and tried to shift to more supportive spells.

  Ari emerged from a crumbled building and began twirling another bola of dried roots. Ravious had caught this before even the mercenary could, letting out a booming roar and charging directly for the Half-Elf. He let loose the premature bola, causing it to be trampled in the titan’s war path.

  Despite raising the biggest wall of earth he could muster, it was no match for Ravious. Breaking through it with ease, he was in arms reach of him. He grabbed Ari by the neck and began squeezing. Despite his weight, the titan had no issue picking him up off his feet.

  Slamming the Elf back into the ground, he raised a clawed hand to the sky and encased him in a prison of rock. He struggled, but couldn’t focus enough to break the powerful magic. A gargantuan axe was slowly raised high overhead.

  “Your mistake was interfering in my aff-”

  A sword protruded from the warlord’s chest, dripping wet with black blood. While Ravious had gone in for an overhead strike on Ari, the mercenary attacked him from behind. The precise lunge had pierced through both sides of Ravious’ armor. It had to have struck, if not his heart, something major.

  The titan coughed up a deal of the black fluid that filled his body, but only wiped his mouth, dropping the axe in the process. He seemed stunned, unable to move. Dedricus pulled his weapon back and went in for another attack. An invisible force prevented the strike from carrying forward. With the moment of clarity, the Elf freed himself from the earthen prison and got away from the incapacitated warlord.

  “Yes. I understand.” Ravious said aloud, responding as if he had heard something.

  Unsure of what was happening, the mercenary tried once more. Rather than being stopped, he was flung back towards the portal. Landing near the receptacle, he decided to try to free the cube from the receptacles unyielding embrace. The warlord began walking to the portal, before sinking to his knees, kicking up ashes as he fell.

  With a firm tug, the Soul Prison came free. Its receptacle began to crackle with green lightning as the portal’s inhalation turned to a violent wind. Ravious did little to stop himself from being carried away by the winds, as he still seemed catatonic. Not wanting to find out what was on the other side, Ari bound himself in roots and threw out lines to his two friends.

  All awaited the suction to end, but the portal only grew more volatile. The warlord seemed to snap back into it, clawing at the ground with his left hand and stopping himself from being sucked in. There was a malicious look upon his grizzly visage, as he locked eyes with the mercenary.

  “All according to plan! We will meet in the frozen land, Boy!” sho
uted the warlord, as he let go and submitted himself to the wind.

  Ravious’ body was sucked into the vortex, disappearing completely from view as he passed through it. Dedricus wanted to feel bad for him, but the complete lack of fear in his eyes as they exchanged glances made him lose all compassion for the warlord. He held onto the relic in one hand and the Elf’s root in the other. Looking at the cube, he remembered the first encounter with the warlord. The words came back to him. That girl is one of a handful of people who can stop me.

  “Kasyra! Cast one of your spells at the portal!” he shouted, as the winds picked his feet up off the ground.

  “What?” she asked back, barely hearing him over the deafening gust.

  “Cast a spell at the portal!”

  The mercenary had shouted so loud his throat burned. The young woman looked confused but seemed to get the idea, as she reeled her free hand back for a spell. Thrusting her left palm forward, she fired a missile of bright energy at the green gate. It stuck to the maelstrom before melting in, slowing down the wind and the rate at which it swirled.

  Kasyra pressed on, unleashing blast after blast, until the gate’s swirl came to a complete stop. Suddenly, the large green circle closed in on itself with a deafening roar and an intense, foul gust. It exploded outward, kicking up ash and rubble in all directions.

  After the dust settled, the Half-Elf remained firm. The roots he used to tether himself to his companions, however, had snapped. Dedricus landed within the crumbled building that once was the Blue Lark. He felt an immense pain on the top of his head, only to find he was bleeding behind his right ear. In actuality, he was bleeding across all the various wounds he had sustained in the fight.

  As he got up and brushed himself off, he realized he was missing something. The Soul Prison was nowhere to be found; he had let go of it in the explosion. He began to search for it aggressively. Ari rushed over to the ruined establishment. Dedricus, on his hands and knees, greet him with a casual wave.