Crimson Blade

by Corey Soreff

  Then Eucibous reappeared a short distance from him, and began walking slowly towards the mage. "I was going to destroy you in an instant, but I decided to see your face as your life faded away." He strode forward confidently, with his arms down and chest out, as if nothing the mage could throw at him was a problem.

  "You're a fool!" Lienir shouted. "Sargath will have your soul!" He yelled words of power, and a wave of boiling acid shot from the mage's hands towards Eucibous. Eucibous swept his right arm to the side and the acid dissipated into nothing before touching him. The mage had mentioned Sargath, the chances of him being the liche had just increased. Eucibous continued forward, uninterrupted.

  Three fireballs were next, launching towards Eucibous one after another. Even a strong mage would normally tire from casting one fireball, casting three in a row showed that Lienir was on another level. Eucibous effortlessly knocked away each of the fireballs as well, however.

  Lienir began getting annoyed. Eucibous had not even cast any defensive spells, he had merely blown away the attacks with his unbelievable aura. "So it's true. Some among the drow claimed that in your fight against their King, you used the Godwill."

  The Godwill was something only sang about by the bards, of heroes long gone. The songs spoke of men that were able to manipulate nature and magic with mere willpower, their aura having a power of its own without the need for spells. They were mere legends, or so everyone had believed. Not even the most powerful of each generation in modern days had ever come close to such power. Until now.

  Eucibous continued his stride towards the mage, getting closer every moment. His aura seemed to triple in power at the mention of Kol'thakal. "You are a fool to mention the drow King. I suggest you prepare your best spells, for your death is imminent. Don't disappoint me."

  Lienir winced in anger. His best spells? He had just cast spells that most magus could never hope to attain! The Crimson Blade was as ignorant as ever. "Ok then, I suppose it is time to reveal myself." Lienir held his hands out to the side, palms upward as he looked to the sky. He allowed his magic to flow freely, releasing the restraints he had placed limiting his power.

  Most onlookers in the arena collapsed to the ground, conscious but unable to stand due to the combined pressure of such powerful auras. Hope was drained from each and every soul, except Eucibous, leaving only despair. Even though they were not fighting the mage themselves, every man and woman present felt impending doom. This was not just a powerful aura like that of Eucibous, this was an evil one. The world went dark for many.

  Eucibous did not stop his advance, ready for anything. "It's about time, liche." Violent winds smashed against his face, caused by the emotion of the man before him. Eucibous was not too familiar with this "Godwill" he had been accused of possessing, but whatever it was, the man he stood against possessed it as well.

  It was only a few minutes before the mages were able to dispel the dimensional pocket. The forces of darkness appeared before them, and the forces of light felt a wave of doubt wash over them. They were approximately five thousand knights. They were looking upon an army of perhaps twenty thousand. True, a large portion of that number included fodder such as goblins. But even fodder was formidable in large numbers. And then they saw the dragons.

  The army looked ready for battle, apparently warned of their discovery and given several minutes to prepare.

  Ceric faced his knights, standing proud. "Knights! Fear not their numbers! We are the Knights of Darnillus, and Darnillus himself has stood at our side this day! Today, you will live a hero, or die a legend. Either way, you will fight with honor! Your lives until now have been in preparation for this moment! Forward, and take your glory!"

  Lok approached the Knight-Commander, speaking softly. "The General is mine, by the command of the Gods."

  Ceric grunted in response. He was already given that information, and it irked him that he could not achieve his own glory by defeating the enemy commander. The Gods, for some reason, deigned to honor the very enemies they once sought to destroy. Eucibous Dan'anti would fight the Liche King, and this arrogant Lok would fight his General.

  Eucibous had scryed the drow before, of course. Nothing excited him more in the past twenty years than thinking about his future battle with the legendary Liche King. So he occasionally checked in on him observing his training, or cruelty. So he knew the drow's face. He didn't even need to have seen the liche before, however. He knew the man that stood before him was not Seth'nerak, for two reasons. First, the man was human, making it quite obvious. Second, Eucibous had seen this man before. He had not seen his face the last time, but he felt his presence.

  The change in events was enough to temporarily stop Eucibous's advance towards his opponent. He stood twenty feet from him, letting this new information settle. "Well, this was certainly unexpected. Greetings, Sargath."

  Sargath was adorned in the same robes as before, but they had now turned black. He wore an evil smile, and his eyes were a solid black as well. There were no pupils, the entire eyeballs were black. His teeth were a rotten yellow, as were his fingernails, which were long and sharp. He was short in stature, but the sheer evil emanating from his presence warned of the risk of underestimating him. "I could hardly help myself. Your ignorance will be punished. Your insults rewarded with death and eternal torture. How could I trust my liche to deal with you? And although he could indeed deal with you, why would I want to let him? I would love nothing more than to snuff out your lifeforce with my own hands."

  "Well, than I guess your emotions will have led to your demise." Eucibous said cockily. "I thought you'd be smarter since you once killed a God yourself."

  "You will regret your insults, mortal!" The winds blew stronger as the God became more angry. "I killed a God because I was the strongest! And I am stronger now!"

  Eucibous laughed. "Stronger? How have you become stronger, by lounging in the heavens commanding mortals? No doubt you're rusty."

  A gust of wind blasted Eucibous, forcing him back a step. He was not used to being pushed back. Eucibous was excited and angry at the same time. Thoughts of the drow washed away, fighting a God was much more interesting. "Let me ask you Sargath," Eucibous said as he cracked his knuckles by merely clenching his fists. "Kol'thakal. He was under your orders, yes?"

  "I know why you ask, and sure, you can blame me for your friend's death. And you can blame me when I kill the rest of your friends today as well. It won't matter much when you're dead, however." Sargath kept smiling eerily.

  "You crossed the wrong mortal, Sargath." Eucibous stepped forward, resuming his advance.

  "You crossed the wrong God!" Sargath gathered his aura and concentrated it, compressing it to increase its potency. His right arm darted forward, and an invisible mass of pure power struck Eucibous square in the chest.

  His breath was taken away, and Eucibous flew backward. He hit the ground and rolled across the dirt until the momentum ceased. He immediately stood up, more excited than ever. Things that might take hope away from a normal man inspired Eucibous to fight even more. Sargath could control this "Godwill" better than he could. Pain throbbed in his sternum where he had been hit, but he was not fazed.

  Eucibous brushed the dirt off his extraordinary armor, and flung his crimson hair back. He began laughing manically. "Excellent! This is a good day!" He then began weaving a forbidden spell unknown to most magus, a spell that would have those most tolerant to pain begging for mercy. But before he could finish casting, the unexpected happened.

  Sargath was still smiling when the dagger came through the back of his neck. Eucibous saw the blade protrude from his throat, with Sargath's mouth open in shock.

  Expecting to see Rorik the assassin as the owner of the dagger, Eucibous was very surprised to realize his misconception.

  The assassin materialized behind Sargath, his stealth being dispelled after his attack. Eucibous watched Sargath fall to his knees, and the man standing behind him was none other than his dead friend Ginin, dagge
rs wet with the God's blood.

  Cavalry smashed into the front lines of the dark forces, made up of goblins and trolls. Those unfortunate enough to be at the head of the army were mowed down quickly by powerful steeds. Those unfortunate enough not to be mowed down were quickly battered from above by their riders. The Dark Lord would sacrifice his fodder and take down as many enemy cavalry as possible before he would even consider sending out his own riders. Some riders were pulled from their horses by tall trolls within reach, mauled by the bloodthirsty creatures upon hitting the ground.

  The initial charge had been successful, but Lok looked upon the battlefield and realized that very soon the cavalry would be overwhelmed and brought to the ground by sheer numbers. It was a mistake for Ceric to send out the riders first. This is why Lok was given the power to override such commands.

  "Pull back!" Lok screamed at the top of his lungs, hoping at least a portion of those engaged in battle would hear him. Hoping the officers would hear him and repeat the command to those further out. Hoping not to lose too many riders.

  The officers that were at the border of the carnage but not in battle themselves heard the command, and relayed it to their knights. The knights, surrounded by disgusting creatures eager for their blood, were all too willing to pull back. A decent number of them retreated successfully, while some were slaughtered in the process of trying. Lok looked around at gruesome corpses littering the ground, and shook his head. Being killed by goblins was not an honorable way for a knight to die.

  Ceric approached Lok with malice, anger in his eyes. "You were given command as a novelty! It does not mean you will make every decision in this battle!"

  Lok shot him a glance that told him to take him seriously. "Your foolish decision to sacrifice your strongest forces could have cost you the battle. I fixed it."

  "Fixed it? Who do you suggest we send in there now? Knights on foot to be overwhelmed by their greater numbers? Or perhaps we should send peasants as fodder?" Sarcasm was evident in Ceric's voice.

  Lok gripped his magnificent halberd and stared into the distance. "I will pretend you were not getting wise with me, Knight-Commander. I will take care of the fodder you fear so much. I suggest you save your strongest for their strongest."

  Ceric laughed. "You'll take care of them? And which forces will you take?"

  Lok bent his knees, crouching to the ground. With a smile at Ceric, he launched himself forward into the air, jumping further than most men thought possible.

  Lok landed in the midst of the enemy army, surprising the goblins around him at first, until they realized it was only one man. Eager for kills, they circled around him and closed in with abandon. Lok wasted no time. Halberd met flesh as he swung it in a wide circle, ripping through any goblin or troll foolish enough to be within range. Within a moment, twenty enemies lay dead on the ground, and the circle faltered.

  Ceric continued to watch with amazement as he occasionally caught glimpses of Lok within the battlefield spinning and slashing, tearing through hordes of the enemy who now sought to get away from the merciless one man army. "The Crimson Blade eh...so all the rumors are true then." Ceric's thoughts then quickly turned to the dragons. "Shit!" If they're all this good, I better find a dragon before those other two get them all!

  Jarec and Grymmbeard were laughing as blood splattered their faces. They had snuck around the bulk of the army to get closer to the dragons. When they figured they had gotten to a point where the army blocking the dragons was thinnest, they charged in without a second thought. Right into the cavalry that were meant to be saved for later.

  Horses panicked as sword and axe tore through their midsections, or dismembered their riders. Many of the dark knights lost control of their steeds, and those not able to fight properly were quickly disposed of.

  Jarec's agility had him weaving in and out of enemy lines, under horses, circling behind forces; the entire time his scimitars were a blur of whirling death. He rolled underneath one horse, cutting open its stomach as he rolled, then coming up on the other side and impaling its rider upwards through the ribs. Rolling again as he ducked under another rider's sword, he then jumped into the air and spun like a tornado of blades, killing two riders around him. When his feet hit the ground, he didn't stop moving. He continued through the cavalry, cutting to ribbons anyone in his way.

  Grymmbeard was not as agile, but brute force was his ally. He roared as he charged a rider, slamming into his horse with his shoulders. The horse was sent slightly into the air on its two right legs, and Grymmbeard used this moment of confusion to swing his axe over his head, catching the rider and blasting him off the horse. Without a pause, he immediately brought his axe back around and swung in the opposite direction, cutting the throat of a horse approaching him. The horse tumbled, and the rider jumped off and landed in front of Grymmbeard.

  The rider grinned, looking confident. Grymmbeard returned the grin, then quickly turned and planted his axe into the chest of another dark knight that meant to surprise him from behind, which had apparently fueled the other knight's confidence. The other rider tried to flee, but Grymmbeard spun again and heaved his axe at the man; he caught the giant axe in the back, severing his spine and killing him instantly. Grymmbeard quickly retrieved his axe and continued his reign of destruction, cutting his way through to the dragons, Jarec doing the same nearby. Though heavily outnumbered, the two had never seemed happier.

  Chapter Sixteen

  An Unexpected Ally

  Eucibous arrived at the dwelling where his mark was said to live. A reputably strong assassin, this mark might prove an interesting one. But Eucibous felt insulted. He and Lok had never failed a contract, never. Yet apparently they had given this contract to others as well. Eucibous watched as a group of bounty hunters crept up to the small cottage in the woods. Several archers, several swordsman, and a mage from what he could see. The archers positioned themselves around the house, ready for any chance at escape. The swordsmen slowly approached the front door, with the mage following from behind.

  Eucibous couldn't help but laugh quietly when he saw the mage collapse, blood spewing from his throat. Good, always get the caster first. He was surprised to have still not caught a glimpse of the assassin, since stealth was dispelled upon any form of attack. Straining his eyes, he thought he might have seen something creeping quickly through the shadows, but it could have been a trick of the eyes. Nevertheless, the archers fell next, within seconds of each other. It had only been moment since the mage was killed, and already four men were dead, leaving three confused swordsmen near the entrance. They had no idea what had happened, but half their men were dead and they never even saw the attacker.

  Apparently deciding that this mark was no longer worth such risk, the swordsmen turned and tried to run back the way they came. But alas, they were cut down in a heartbeat. Only after all of the men were dead did Eucibous briefly see a cloaked man standing next to the dead swordsmen, but he was gone again within seconds. Smiling, Eucibous came out from the trees and began walking casually towards the cottage.

  He had only gone three steps when he felt the blade at his throat, which was surprising considering how far away the man had been moments ago.

  "Who sent you and your men?" The man whispered into his ear.

  Eucibous laughed. "Me and my men? You insult me. I would never recruit such weaklings. But I will tell you why I'm here. Your contract bearer is none other than Lucius Barrow, leader of the assassins guild in Caldar himself."

  "Impossible," the man answered. "I am his best assassin."

  "Too good, it would seem." Eucibous replied. "No guild leader wants someone too powerful around."

  "Well, I thank you for the information. Godspeed in the afterlife." The assassin jerked back his arm, to cut the throat of the man who had come to kill him. But he felt no penetration, it was as if he had tried to cut a stone. Jumping back a step, the man fell into a fighting stance as he measured up his opponent.

  "You don't think I'
d carelessly approach the home of an assassin without a defense in mind, do you, Ginin the Shadow?" Eucibous turned around, smiling at the hooded killer before him.

  Legends and rumors flooded Ginin's head as he looked his enemy up and down, taking in every aspect. Crimson hair, armor, and eyes. Dragon teeth standing menacingly on the shoulders of the platemail. A sword longer and thicker than any he had ever seen, aside from those used by giants or ogres. A tabard over the chest, a crimson blade on a black cloth.

  Ginin swallowed nervously, then regained his composure quickly. Assassins couldn't afford to get nervous. "Eucibous Dan'anti, The Crimson Blade. The guild speaks of you often."

  Eucibous shrugged. "I would assume so, considering I've been killing for them since I was a child. Along with many other guilds."

  "Other guilds?" Ginin asked confusedly. "No guildmaster allows such a thing."

  "And no guildmaster tells me what to do. The cowards have always feared me." Eucibous said.

  "Then why haven't they put out contracts on you?" Ginin asked.

  "They have," Eucibous laughed. "Hundreds. They gave up years ago. Lucius was the replacement for a guildmaster I killed for trying."

  Ginin did not fear Lucius Barrow. Ginin was confident he could kill any man in the guild. But the guild was powerful, influential, and rich. If they couldn't defeat someone who threatened them, they would find and pay someone who could. This is why assassins never did anything foolish like killing a guildmaster. Standing in front of him, however, was someone who had killed a guildmaster and gotten away with it.

  Ginin wasn't stupid. He was one of the best assassins on the planet, and it was not often he came across someone he thought he could not defeat. If the stories were true, standing in front of him was one such man. "How much is the contract for? I'll double it if you walk."