The protector nodded. “And where are you headed?”
Glaide’s ear perked up at that; perhaps he would finally find out where they were going!
“We’re headed east. I want to take him to a place few people know. One I think you mentioned visiting yourself, once.”
The man seemed to think hard for a moment, then his face brightened. However, before he had a chance to say a word, Kezthrem spoke.
“Don’t say anything, though. I don’t want my disciple to know where we’re going. He’ll discover for himself what this place has to teach him.”
“And yet, you never ceased talking about it when I was your apprentice. Why not explain everything now?”
Again, the older man sighed deeply, then turned towards Glaide. Both of them knew that answering the question would also force him to reveal the title the young man carried. However, Glaide wasn’t bothered.
“Go ahead, master. At any rate, we’ll have to start letting people know, because my training is beginning to draw to a close.”
Kezthrem began by telling the story of his student’s experiences up until then. From time to time, Glaide would add in a small correction, or add in a story or two that he hadn’t thought to mention before, when he first recounted his story to his master, back when they’d first met.
As he listened, Ydref’s eyes grew wider and wider with surprise. He had been unaware of everything that had been happening in the last few months. Finally, as night began to fall, Kezthrem finished speaking.
“The Destroyer,” murmured his disciple. “I have to admit, this all seems incredible to me...” He turned to look at Glaide, and his piercing green eyes seemed to look right into him. “As you said, it is now time that the world come to know who you are. Starting today, I will tell every man, woman, or child that I meet that you have come.” His mouth twisted into a toothy grin that the boy found a bit frightening. “I guess you could say that the days of Baras are numbered.”
They heard a knock at the door. As Ydref had said before, it was Arline, who’d come to join them. She, too, gave Kezthrem a long embrace. It was obvious that as he had trained Ydref, he had also become someone very important to the magg. “Will it be the same one day for Emily?” the boy asked himself. He hoped so...
After the introductions were over, the four returned to the table. The previous disciple explained to his companion who the person before them was, and she assured them in turn that she would inform everyone she came across. Glaide realized in that moment that he really no longer had a choice in the matter: whether he had what it took to be a Destroyer or not, that was exactly what he would now have to become.
The protector and his magg spent most of their time in the dojo. It took considerable effort to reconstruct the wall of the house, and it took the effort of all four to manage the work. For the time being, Glaide’s training stopped. He wasn’t concerned, though, instead taking great pleasure in the work that they completed each day. He knew that he and Kezthrem were supposed to leave at the end of the coming week, and he didn’t want to delay their departure, so he put his heart and soul into the work.
In the evening, after dinner, the four made a habit of sitting up on the roof of the house. They stayed there for hours, sometimes in complete silence, with each one caught up in their own thoughts, and at other times, in a joyful mixture of conversation and laughter. Glaide listened carefully on those evenings, because it wasn't unusual for Ydref or Arline to recount a story or two from their own training. Sometimes, too, though, they became very serious, and the young man was surprised one day to hear the other protector thank Kezthrem for his wisdom, which had helped him get out of more than one tough scrape.
The news that the man and the woman brought from the outside world was also very interesting. The adolescent and his master, secluded as they were, knew little of what was going on in the Known Lands. They were assured to learn that Baras hadn’t tried much of anything else, other than the sadly common attacks on small villages and isolated homes.
Glaide realized also that his friends must not have done much yet. What were they waiting for? Had Jeremy completed his training? Had the girls gotten better with their own talents? Had they gone off in search of adventure? The young man kept his thoughts to himself, though, noting that Kezthrem never mentioned his companions by name. If Ydref and Arline did chance across them, it would be better that they not know who they were, so they wouldn’t betray the boy’s location; it was better to leave Baras with no clue as to where he was. “At any rate, it isn’t terribly likely that they’ll meet. But then again, I did find the master of Iretane!”
Finally, the day when the wall was entirely repaired arrived. They had done excellent work, and almost no sign remained of the recent construction. As the sun began to set, the four workers stood and admired their work. They had incredible appetites that evening, and it wasn’t until they’d finished devouring their food that Kezthrem spoke.
“Glaide and I will leave the day after tomorrow, in the morning. We will go into town tomorrow to buy our supplies for the journey.”
“In that case, we’ll probably leave in two days, also,” responded Ydref. “What do you think, Arline?”
“That sounds fine to me,” replied the young woman.
“So then,” continued Kezthrem, “we’ll see each other tomorrow.”
With that, the protector and his magg left for the inn. As they watched the two disappear into the distance, Glaide’s master spoke.
“Sleep well tonight. It may be the last time in a long while that you get to sleep soundly in a bed.”
“But I thought you said we’d be leaving in two days?” the young man said in shock.
“Yes, but we’ll leave before the sun rises. Tonight, then, is the last time you’ll be able to get a full night’s sleep.”
The adolescent didn’t push for more information. He immediately climbed the stairs to go to bed. He had to admit that he was exhausted. The last few days with Kezthrem’s old student had taken a lot out of him!
Chapter 34
THE master and his disciple left the house towards noon. Glaide was in a good mood, and felt well-rested. The older man also seemed to have slept well. The two took their usual route to the nearby village, which had become comfortably familiar. They took great strides, and the prospect of spending the day with Arline and Ydref added to their good cheer. However, as they reached the halfway point between the house and the village, they heard a strange sound. With the recent chimera attack in mind, they decided to be careful, and as the sound approached, they held their swords at the ready.
Before them stood the small woods that they usually travelled around, and that blocked their view, so that they couldn’t make out the source of the sound until it was nearly upon them. It turned out to be a man who loomed up around the bend. Sweat dripped down his forehead, and the master and his disciple realized he had been running for too long. His eyes were wide with fear, but as he spotted the two before him, his face relaxed. He would have fallen to the ground had Kezthrem not held him up, such was his relief.
“Sit down, friend,” came the words of the warrior, as he helped him to the ground and settled in beside him. “What has happened?”
It took a few minutes for the stranger to catch his breath. Finally, he managed to speak, though with difficulty.
“The... the... vill... age... attacked... Orks.... goblins... an army...”
Kezthrem and Glaide exchanged a look. The same thought had crossed both of their minds: had these monsters come seeking the adolescent? The boy felt anger rear up inside of him, all the more because he knew that his day of reckoning had come. This new city would not disappear; over his dead body!
“How did you know where to find us?”
“A protector and his magg sent me to find you. They are fighting even now, side by side with the militia of the village. Please, help us...”
The young man was already on his feet, and ready to throw himself into ba
ttle, but his master held him back.
“Thank you for letting us know,” he said to the stranger. “You will find a house a bit farther on. Don’t hesitate to rest there if you need, then return to the village. One sword more, raised to fight, certainly can’t hurt.” The man nodded. With that, Kezthrem got up, and, without a word, headed towards the village, his student at his heels. They quickly reached the hill overlooking the city. The boy was prepared to throw himself down it with a cry, but once more, his master held him back.
“Calm down, Glaide.”
“Master, people are dying, and we’re losing time!”
“This battle will be different from anything I’ve taught you. Your goal is to protect the people, not to exterminate the assailants. Your priority is to prevent our enemies from reaching the inhabitants.” With that, he carefully drew towards the edge of the summit to evaluate the situation. Glaide followed him, and the first thing he noticed was the absence of smoke. There was no fire, and the enemy had not reached any of the houses. Then, he noticed that the battle was mainly taking place in the grounds in front of the village. From his position, he couldn’t distinguish the humans from the monsters, but he quickly realized that there couldn’t be as many of the creatures as he’d initially thought: there were probably a hundred monsters, and the same number of militia.
“If we can keep the zone of combat outside of the village, there will be less damage,” the adolescent declared.
“Exactly. So, now that we know what we need to do...” Kezthrem turned to his disciple, a smile flickering across his face. “To action!” And before the young man could make a single move, his master had reached the bottom of the hill, and thrown himself into the fight. Glaide, feeling the familiar excitement of battle filling him, rapidly drew his sword and began to run, crying out as he went, “For Rackk!!!”
Just as Glaide arrived, he noticed a goblin sneaking towards the entrance, which had been left unguarded. Without ceremony, he decapitated it, then joined a soldier who seemed to be having difficulty standing against a black ork that seemed particularly cunning. Glaide knocked the enemy’s blade away a moment before it would have pierced the soldier’s armor, instead piercing through that of the enemy. He quickly checked that the man was okay, and the man gave him a quick nod of thanks. Then, suddenly, he shoved the boy, who tripped, but managed to stay on his feet. In the place he’d been standing seconds before, he saw an arrow imbedded in the soil. He thanked the soldier in turn, then the two moved off in opposite directions.
In the distance, Glaide could make out Ydref, performing his deadly dance. Around him, cadavers were piling up, and it seemed as though the sight of that alone was increasing the morale of the militia members nearby. Arline was occupied with creating protection spells to deflect both the blades and the spells of their enemies. The young man was surprised to notice orks and goblins using magic themselves. They were caught up in magical duels against the human sorcerers who were defending the village.
The boy didn’t have time to watch the scene in detail, however, as just then, a group of a dozen black orks charged towards him. In an instant, he remembered his encounter with Baras; the battalion he’d sent against him then had looked quite a lot like the one that was approaching him now. It was time to see if he’d benefited from his training. It was now his turn to charge, and he let out a roar as he went. First, he carefully blocked and dodged the attacks of his adversaries, but he soon noted that they were very slow, and though they were powerful, they were very imprecise. He could easily make a counter attack, and in quick succession he took out three of his enemies. The rest rallied quickly, though, and tried to surround him. Glaide immediately looked for a way to avoid being encircled, and his mind, working at top speeds, came up with only one solution: attack before they managed it.
He launched a rapid attack on his enemies, his goal to prevent any further movement. They responded by crying out, and forgetting their strategy; they wanted the fight to be over as quickly as possible. Their distraction was an opportunity that the young man didn’t let pass him by: just as he’d practiced so many times with the wooden figures, he glided between them, dodging blows and counterattacking in every direction. He had the positions of each monster clearly embedded in his head, and every time he blocked one attack, he made sure he had a blow prepared for the ork behind him and who, certain of victory, had raised his weapon high to cut in two the man who had turned his back to him. Each time, it was the ork that received a blade through its side.
With his cape flying behind him, he felt like he was soaring through the air, now to the right, now to the left. After a few moments, he stopped, and his cape settled gently around him, covering him, front and back. It almost looked like he hadn’t fought at all, except for the drops of sweat that pearled up on his forehead. He threw off the material in a quick movement of his hand; the battle was not yet won.
“Either these black orks were terrible ones, or I’ve made incredible progress!” he thought with a smile.
He ran to join a group of soldiers who’d been surrounded by goblins, and were now at the mercy of their lances. Whirling around them, the adolescent broke the circle of green skinned monsters, sowing the seeds of panic in their ranks. The soldiers took advantage of that to rush their enemies, yelling all the while. They’d massacred the creatures in seconds.
The young man then spotted Arline, who was working to heal a man with an injured arm. The man could no longer wield a sword, and the incessant attacks of the orks around them were preventing the magg from accomplishing anything. When she saw Glaide arrive, a smile filled her face. Using telekinesis, she threw aside a few of the adversaries surrounding him, giving him a clear path to come to her aid.
As he joined her, he yelled, “You worry about the injured. I have you covered!” In all of the turmoil of battle and the noise of both the men and the monsters, he doubted she heard him. Nonetheless, she moved to help the soldier, ignoring their attackers.
“Remember, Glaide,” thought the young man, “your mission is to protect; don’t let yourself get drawn away, and be content to simply hold back the enemy until this warrior is ready to return to the fight.” That was easier said than done, though. Each time he began to fight off a new adversary, he had to force himself to remain in place, rather than following his enemy to cut him into pieces. Instead, he concentrated on blocking and counterattacking, without placing so much importance on killing his enemies.
Eventually, without even noticing, though, he drew away from the magg. The ork he was fighting seemed more skilled than most, and it took a solid three blows to kill him. He realized his mistake, but as he moved to rejoin her, he, helpless to do anything, saw a goblin about to pierce Arline – who was still bent over the soldier – through and through with a lance. Glaide let out a yell as he ran in her direction, but he knew he would never arrive in time. The creature struck...
But the lance never reached its target. The man she’d been helping jumped up with a bound, and pushed aside his healer. The weapon, which was too long for the little monster, became firmly embedded in the ground. The soldier grabbed his sword, which lay at his feet, and dealt a blow that decapitated the goblin. The adolescent, arriving next to the two, was short of breath, but relieved.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured. No one was listening, however, or at least, no one seemed to notice. The soldier took off to lend a hand to a battalion that was having difficulty fighting off a chimera, and before the boy could follow in his step, the young woman stopped him with a touch of the hand. She said nothing, knowing that it would be pointless in the deafening noise around them, but instead pointed towards something else: from a nearby forest, Glaide saw creatures arriving that he recognized as satyrs. If what Kezthrem had said was true, the village militia would have no chance against these creatures. Would he be able to head them off? He wasn’t sure, but decided to follow Arline nonetheless. The new arrivals were fewer than a dozen, but seeing how they wielded their staffs and lance
s, the young man felt his stomach tie in a knot. A hand touched his shoulder, reassuring him. Arline smiled at him, then said something. Glaide read her lips.
“I’ll protect you.”
Putting her words into action, she surrounded the boy with a blue protective shield. He nodded his head, then moved towards his enemies. They looked at him, surprised. They weren’t expecting the battle to come to them, and certainly not via one person against ten. Glaide remained calm, however, taking up a guard position. Eight of his adversaries continued on towards the battlefield, while two stopped to fight him. They were the first to attack. Thanks to their long weapons, they had a greater reach than the young man, and, fearing he would be unable to counter them, he contented himself with blocking and dodging.
The fight reached a standstill; neither side could find an advantage. Even with two of them, the monsters were unable to pierce the defense of their adversary. However, Glaide’s attention slipped: he wanted to make sure Arline was okay, and as he turned his head imperceptibly to the side, his enemies fell on him. However, the magg protected him still, and the lances of the satyrs bounced off the wall of blue.
The adolescent’s concentration had been seriously harmed, however. He turned in circles, not sure where to turn his attention. The blows falling around him frightened him, and he couldn’t calm down. The protection held, but for how long? And what then? Where were Ydref and Kezthrem?
Questions filled his brain, then suddenly, silence fell. A thick, heavy silence that replaced the sounds of combat. His two adversaries collapsed, pierced through from two blows of the sword. The protection disappeared, and Glaide fell to his knees, trying to catch his breath. Kezthrem approached, while Ydref joined his magg. The master helped his disciple up, who looked around at the field of battle. There were at least a hundred cadavers, but he couldn’t make out which were humans.
“This little army wasn’t sent here at all,” the man said, his voice calm and reassuring. “It was a chance encounter. And the satyrs just happened to join the battle, and they had no organization in their ranks.”
Chronicles of Galadria II - Encounters Page 25
