The Immortal of Degoskirke

by Michael Green

  The ravager had wheeled around and dipped one half of its body, to give the many dozen brutox armed with crossbows and flame spitting lances a good look at Andy.

  Andy fell to his knee and raised his off-hand, morphing the blade into a shield. A torrent of bolts and gouts of flame glanced off his shield and armor.

  This isn’t going to work! How can I fight it?

  Andy heard a shriek and turned too late to see a second ravager bearing down from behind.

  He tried to stand but felt himself lifting off the ground. He cried out as a pair of chitinous jaws clamped onto his breastplate. A crack split the air as the ravager’s massive jaws crushed down. His feet kicked against empty air; the ground was far below and he heard the agonized shouts of the guards. His vision darkened and then he heard a loud snap. His etherium armor had failed beneath the weight of jaw, but the ravager was burned by the Argument. The beast cried out and he felt himself being flung a great distance before scraping across the ground. The sounds of ravagers shrieking and guns firing seemed to fog and mix in with the shouts of the guardsmen and the ringing of steel.

  “Grab him!” A human voice echoed in his ears.

  “They’re coming!” another voice yelled, an instant before crying out in pain.

  Andy felt his body being dragged. He felt hands pulling him into a crowd. Belt and baldric buckles sparkled in the light of spitting flames as his eyes opened. He saw muscled legs tense against the slam of beasts larger than a thousand men. The ravagers circled the halberdiers, dipping their flanks to let their crews fire, and then raising again to shield the reloading crew from wheel-locks returning fire.

  Andy’s eyes tried to count the forms, but they spun and melded into each other. Their shrieks, splitting his ears. Their snapping maws rattled the ground and shook his bones.

  Another volley of bolts whistled through the air. He heard the sounds of metal splitting and saw shafts puncture the shining plate all around.

  “This is suicide!” A guard screamed, his voice like a child’s, drowned in the raging surf.

  Andy’s head lolled as he struggled to rise. He saw streams of blood spreading out beneath the guards and pooling between the polished flagstones. He saw their boots slip and their greaves clatter and stain with blood as they buckled to the ground. A banner caught fire from a strafing lance. Its bearer hefted it like a spear and impaled a passing ravager, to no effect.

  A sudden crash overwhelmed all the other noise. Andy lifted his head. A blue ravager, somehow even larger than the others, had just side-swiped the nearby guild-house, tearing down a portion of the structure.

  “There’s nowhere to go!” “The doors are caved in!” guards yelled.

  “Stand your ground!” the commander bellowed, several bolts piercing his gilded armor.

  Another ravager made a sharp turn towards the circle of guards and snapped its jaws as it collided. Brutox leaped from the back of the ravager which pulled away moments later, embedded with halberds and crying in agony.

  These brutox were a kind Andy had never seen before. He barely recognized them as locust-like before he was dropped to the ground, as his bearers drew their broadswords. Other guards were forced to abandon their halberds and resort to daggers and fists as the locusts slammed into them. Andy struggled to stand on the bloody ground. His body shot with pain but he grasped at the armor of the men next to him and pulled himself to his feet amid the crush. He tried to draw the blade but the pain and press from all around made articulating the right muscles impossible.

  A locust leaped off the back of a guardsman, its huge wings buzzing thunderously, before crashing into Andy. Its many claws and blades stabbing as it snapped its mandibles.

  “Caspian!” Andy screamed in terror.

  Andy’s off-hand shook and flexed painfully. The blade burst into the locust, but it jolted wildly and was lacking hone.

  Andy felt his heart nearly explode in his chest. Guardsmen were crumbling to the floor all around.

  I’m going to die here.

  Andy felt a hand grasping his arm. He looked and saw a guard with a broken wheel-lock. His armor was split apart and singed from the flames. He was staring at Andy with glassy eyes.

  “I always believed!” the man yelled, before letting go.

  The sight broke his heart.

  I can’t do this.

  Never had he felt the urge to give his body over to Caspian so strongly, but Caspian did not take him. Andy sank and slipped in the blood.

  When he was certain of death, a mountainous roar broke out over the fighting.

  Thrag!

  Andy wiped his tears and felt a surge of hope. It was Caspian’s hope filling him.

  The fighting slackened and even the ravagers slowed to a halt as the roar filled the air, resounding with the force of a hurricane.

  The barbarian was riding atop three cyclostones that had been chained together.

  He leaped and crashed onto the pilot of one of the ravagers, ripping the antennae from the brutox and hurling him into the confused crew behind. Thrag growled and piloted the beast at full force into another. The two ravagers shrieked wildly before violently spilling their crews across the sky. Thrag leaped from the crashing beast onto another.

  The guardsmen cheered at the sight.

  A trilling flight of missiles filled the air. The sound was foreign, and Andy looked for the source.

  “The mer!” a guardsman called.

  A few hundred of the mer fighters had spilled out into the plaza from a side street. They wore their distinctive black armor and bore recurved bows, spears, shields and sabers at their sides. They were standing in the path of the circling ravagers. He saw Ithmene with them.

  “I need to get to them!” Andy yelled.

  A pair of guards heard this. “Yes, sir!” one replied, shouldering his blade and grabbing Andy by the arm.

  They struggled towards the edge of the fighting.

  Andy saw Thrag rolling to the ground nearby, a slack brutox in each hand.

  “Thrag!” Andy yelled.

  Thrag paused, turned and raced to the sound of his name.

  “Caspian!” Thrag cried. “Raise your voice and conduct the slaughter! I know not what nation or people these be!”

  “We’re in Degoskirke! Don’t worry about that, just—”

  “Strange, the word is foreign to my ears, but this place has the look of ages about it! I should know it!”

  He lost his mind before this city was founded.

  Andy felt a pang of remorse.

  “Thrag!” Andy repeated, trying to get through to the man. “Get me to those mer!”

  “Ah!” Thrag saw Ithmene. “Always the ladies!” he said, grabbing Andy from the guards and bounding over the broken bodies of the ravagers.

  The mer raised their weapons as Thrag lumbered towards them.

  “Hold!” Andy yelled. “We’re friends.” Then to Thrag. “Stand me up, please.”

  Thrag tried to help Andy stand under his own power, but he still needed to lean against a broken wall to keep upright.

  “Oh, no!” Ithmene cried, pushing through the mer fighters. “I just healed you! What happened?” Andy opened his mouth, but she continued, “This is the last minoe we have here! You must be careful; you can still die!” she said rushing to Andy with the vial.

  “Hold on!” Andy said, raising a hand to her. “Who is in charge here?”

  A mer with a red scarf stepped forward. “We have spoken before, your Eminence.”

  Andy nearly rolled his eyes at the title. “Get your force off the plaza it’s too open—”

  A ravager careened over the fallen bodies of its fellows to attack the group of mer.

  Thrag turned and bellowed, rushing towards the towering monstrosity.

  The ravager snapped its jaws, the sound broke out like a thunderclap, before it dipped towards Thrag at full speed.

  “What’s he doing? He’ll be ripped apart!” a mer cried out.

  Thrag roared and
caught the massive jaws. The ground shook at the collision. The shock of the sudden impact traveled down the length of the ravager, launching its crew high into the air. Andy saw every muscle in Thrag’s body ripple, like waves over still water, as they opposed the impact. His feet tore into the flagstones and he screamed with a fury before the ravager finally lost its forward momentum.

  Thrag twisted his body, bending the ravager in one direction, before snapping back the other way. The twist rippled down the ravager’s torso. Its spindly legs shot out from underneath, ripping the flagstones apart, as it came tumbling to the ground from front to back.

  The crew had spilled out and the mer charged, massacring them in moments. The remaining ravagers pulled back to discern the situation.

  “Did the barbarian just wrestle that thing to the ground?” a mer asked, his eyes wide.

  “Thrag!” Andy yelled in triumph.

  The sudden change in fortune was not lost on the guard commander who ordered his men to break formation and head for the cover of the buildings.

  Ithmene peeled the metal armor off Andy before applying the minoe. The armor came apart in pieces. Andy bit his cheeks as the minoe worked on his wounds.

  “Too much in so short a time will sting.”

  Andy grabbed the mer commander by the scarf. “Don’t fight them in the open. Aim for the pilots! We’ll drive them from the plaza and give the Exegesuits a chance to escape!”

  The commander nodded, a surprised look on his face. “Of course,” he said before leading his archers. They advanced and used the fallen bodies of the ravagers as cover from which to fire at the others.

  “There’s a lad!” Thrag bellowed, cracking the ravager he had just wrestled to the ground over the snout with his bare hands.

  “Never forget your old master!” Thrag said, laughing.

  “Thrag! Can you pilot that ravager without crashing it?” Andy asked, still wincing.

  Thrag responded by pressing on the ravager’s head, forcing the creature to right itself, and then hopping aboard. “Hurry!” Thrag yelled, an eager note in his voice.

  Andy moved towards the ravager but Ithmene grabbed him. “Are you insane?”

  “We can get to the queens with the ravager! Maybe we can end the invasion,” Andy said, pulling away.

  Andy felt the strength returning to his body, though he was still limping. He regretted the loss of his armor, but was glad Ziesqe put it on him in the first place.

  Andy climbed up the ravager and, before he was over the side, Thrag had snapped the antennae thrice, commanding the beast to rise and then turn about.

  Andy tumbled into the hull, got to his feet, and scanned the city. He saw dozens of other ravagers tearing through the city, bringing fire and destruction where they went. He imagined how many more were beyond his sight.

  “See my little gibla, so green and savage in the pell-mell!” Thrag said, enthused and pointing at a large group of goblins.

  Gibla? He must mean goblins. Wait—that’s Letty with them!

  “Get over there, Thrag!” Andy commanded.

  Thrag pulled on the antennae and they shot across the plaza. Thrag hooted and deftly slammed their ravager into another, surprising the other creature and tipping it over.

  “I said don’t crash us!” Andy howled, holding onto a convenient rope bolted into the ravager’s hide.

  Andy saw that Letty was covered in blood, and she moved with a limp too. A horde of oddly lithe brutox were huddled behind her. While her group of goblins was being attacked by strafing ravagers, mercenary ychorons, and even a few ryle.

  “She needs help!”

  Andy tensed his body and summoned up two short, armor piercing blades and his full suit of armor. He felt lightheaded as Thrag commanded the ravager to the ground.

  “Reinforcements!” an ychoron called out.

  “Not quite,” Andy whispered. His eyes met Ziesqe’s.

  “Turn about! They’re attacking from the rear!” Ziesqe called. Thrag leaped from the ravager and slammed into the wall of ychorons, snapping limbs as he went. Andy mounted the ravager’s head and hurled himself at the last of Ziesqe’s servant ryle.

  Andy’s armor cracked against the ryle’s. The ryle wasn’t prepared for sudden grappling and his knees gave out as Andy collided with him. They rolled to the floor.

  “Andy!” It was Letty’s voice.

  “Attack!” a shrill mouse ordered.

  “Broken Teeth!” the goblins cried, as they charged the confused enemy line.

  Andy rolled with the ryle, stabbing at his armor before finally finding a gap under the arms and piercing. His foe crumpled and released a small purple orb.

  Andy felt the weak stabs of the surrounding ychorons deflecting off his armor, but he knew that Ziesqe was seconds away. He struggled to his feet, waving his blade wildly to scatter his foe and was then surprised to see Titus bounding through the combatants to rapidly climb up his shining armor.

  It doesn’t hurt him.

  “Lysander! How goes the battle?”

  “It could be worse!” Andy replied, slicing through ychorons and looking for Ziesqe.

  “Have you seen? All of Sentinel’s Watch is here!” Titus said, proudly, pointing up. “And me, with my whiskers singed off! What a scandal!”

  Andy laughed and looked up. He saw scores of cyclostones flying over the battle.

  A flight of bolts smacked against his armor. Several goblins fell to the floor. Circling ravagers dipped and continued with their volleys.

  “The ravagers are trying to keep the brutox away from the queens by fighting from a distance! The queens can’t help us this way!” Titus said.

  Andy suddenly felt his mind click.

  “Get those cyclostones down here and carry the queens, like they carried Thrag! Let them jump down onto the ravagers and capture their crews, one ravager at a time!”

  Titus’s eyes went wide at the plan and he was bounding away and up the side of a tall building before Andy had even finished.

  Andy struck down another ychoron before he realized there were no standing enemies left.

  Where is Ziesqe?

  Letty ran up to him and pulled him back behind the goblin shield wall. “What’s wrong with you! Get back here!”

  “I’ve got armor—” Andy paused, suddenly aware of her wound. “Your face! What happened?”

  “Forget my face! What are we going to do? We can’t get the queens to help!”

  “Titus has a plan!” Andy said, looking up and trying to spot the mouse.

  The ravager he and Thrag had captured suddenly lifted.

  What? But Thrag is right here.

  Andy forced the Argument into Sight and peered through the ravager, whose lattice form looked nothing like any other creature he had seen. He pushed the peculiarity from his mind and saw through the beast to the pilot.

  “Ziesqe and Kal! They’re getting away!”

  Andy was about to call an attack but a second, screening ravager cut too close to their line and fired a volley, forcing them to defend. Thrag rushed out, despite the flying bolts, and raised a fist, while bellowing a challenge.

  The ravager broke off and turned away.

  The goblins cheered but Andy clenched his teeth at the retreating ravagers.

  “Who is that guy?” Letty asked raising a sarcastic eyebrow at Thrag.

  “Long story,” Andy said, watching a chain fall from the sky.

  “Thrag! Reel them in!” Andy ordered.

  Thrag laughed and grasped the chain, slowly pulling it in. Many dozens of the cyclostones had been chained together in clusters. Titus and other mice climbed down the chain to get a look at Andy and Letty, both bearing blades.

  “Get the queens aboard the stones!” Titus ordered.

  “Goblins, go two to a queen and protect them as they work!” Clang added.

  Andy saw Quill and Staza appear from behind the queens.

  “Where are Emma and Dean?” Andy asked.

  “Back in the g
oblin’s basement. They should be safe there,” Blue spoke from Letty’s shoulder.

  Andy realized that Blue and Titus had never been introduced. They shared a still glance, from one shoulder to the other.

  Maybe another time.

  Andy ignored the mice and watched the progress at the chain and the procession of queens and goblins climbing up the stones.

  “That’s all we can take!” Taptalles said, hanging from the chain. “Lysander, is that you?” the mouse squeaked.

  “There’s no time, Tap, get them up!” Titus yelled.

  Andy heard footsteps approaching. Thrag stood by Andy’s side as dozens of various Archatians wielding swords and improvised-weapons appeared. A mer sergeant, with two fighters at his sides, also approached. Finally, a heavily beaten guard lieutenant joined.

  “Where are we needed?” A frazzled braid asked.

  “The buildings surrounding the plaza are now clear, but the ravagers have left the area, they are attacking other parts of the city!” The mer reported.

  “Brutox warriors are rising out of the sewers all across town!” the guard lieutenant added.

  “We have a plan,” Andy said. “With the help of the mice we’ll strike at the ravagers from above and quickly get the queens to where they are needed.”

  Letty spoke, gesturing at the remaining queens, “Protect these queens and try to head the brutox off in the sewers. They won’t be able to escape or resist.”

  “Yes,” Andy said, “the unarmored Archatians would be good in the sewers, there shouldn’t be much fighting. They just need to keep the queens safe while they convert the brutox. Keep an eye out for any ychorons; they aren’t affected. Most all the ryle should be dead. I will hunt down the last two, and make sure this never happens again.”

  “We’re going to hunt down the last two,” Letty corrected him.

  “The blood is strong!” Titus announced, raising his mouse paw.

  Blue looked both upset and moved by what was happening.

  A man in black armor among the Archatians echoed the sentiment. “The blood is strong!” he roared.

  Many of the others appeared afraid, though a few repeated the incantation.