Chasing Down Glory: The Outrider Legion: Book Two

by Christopher Pepper

“Don't know. Just commenting on what I'm seeing.”

  “Wonder what the thing giving the orders looks like.” Alek mumbled, half to himself. Garm simply grunted in response, and the continued their pursuit. They went a few more yards when Alek spoke up again. “So, wait, just why aren’t we charging in? If they won't fight back, and with surprise on our side we could probably take them all out before they did any more harm.”

  “Maybe, yeah,” Garm whispered. “If I guessed right. But what if I'm wrong? And who knows how many more may show up? Ones that are ready to fight. That many of them that close to us would shred us in no time. Besides, you heard the Commander. We’re here to scout, not engage unless we can avoid it,” Garm said, his gruff whisper betraying no emotion as they ran. “He’ll want to know why these monsters are acting this way.”

  “Uh, yeah I heard Johan say that. Still have no clue what it means,” Alek whispered.

  Garm cast a quick look around a corner into an alley before jogging down the now empty street into the alleyway opposite them, with Alek close behind.

  “It means we scout where the Commander wants us to. And that if those...things jump us, we kill them quick. But we aren’t looking for a fight. Just information.”

  “Like what?” Alek asked once they were out of plain sight.

  Garm sighed. “Gods damn, you really don’t know what we do, do you?”

  Alek shrugged, a grin on his face. “Stop bad guys?”

  Garm grunted as they snuck through the alley, whether in annoyance or amusement Alek could never tell. “Yeah that’s part of it. But the Commander needs to know what is happening around here in order to make the best call. Like where most of these things are heading, and who they are going after first. The area around the Garrison Gate hasn’t been hit too hard yet, which doesn’t make much sense. Something is making them ignore the most obvious, dangerous target, and the Commander wants-”

  A sudden wave of...something...washed over Alek. Something felt familiar about it, and it nagged at him. Another wave of it hit him, and it kicked his danger and self-preservation sense on. Something extra crazy was happening ahead of them.

  “Hold up,” Alek said suddenly, halting Garm with a hand on his shoulder. “Some serious shit is going down, a few blocks ahead of us. Let’s, uh, not rush into things.”

  Garm looked back at Alek and nodded. “Now you’re getting it.”

  The two of them slunk into a nearby alley, and a few seconds after Alek’s warning they could both hear audible sounds of combat coming from the street ahead of them. It wasn’t just the ringing of steel and crashing of wood, however. While they could both hear the detonations and crackling sounds, Alek could feel them, and he finally realized what it was. Magic. Power. The Art. Some magical mayhem was being thrown around ahead of them.

  Garm reached the edge of the wall and looked around, and to Alek’s surprise the grizzled veteran actually started in shock for an instant. He looked at Alek. “Serious shit indeed,” he whispered.

  Alek peered around him again and saw a city block in flame. A small knot of people were standing together, fending off over a dozen of the crazed monsters. One of the people, a man with a longsword in his hand, let loose a spike of white hot energy, cutting down one of the monsters and staggering another. Behind him was a handful of girls, hands held at odd angles. Whenever one of the creatures drew too close, a pulse of red energy battered them away. Each crimson pulse, each blast of white energy sent a ripple through Alek’s spine. He could feel each spell was weaker, less intense than the last. And they couldn’t cast the spells as quickly as they needed. The people wouldn’t be able to hold out for much longer. Alek looked at the man with the sword again, and his mind clicked.

  “Goff’s Throne,” he hissed to Garm. “That’s Kinnese!”

  Garm nodded silently as he watched, his jaw clenched.

  “Want to let the monsters do our job for us?” Alek asked as he watched the silver-haired woman pummel down one of the monsters that somehow got past Kinnese and the girls. “They don’t have a whole lot of juice left in them. It won’t be very long at this rate before...well, you know.”

  Alek could feel the tension in Garm’s body grow, until every muscle was like a bowstring pulled tight. “I’d rather we were the ones to end him,” he growled. Then suddenly, the tension was all but gone, and Garm looked at him. “But, what do you think the Commander would want us to do?”

  “I...ugh,” Alek said as realization hit him. “He’d probably want us to save the bastard. Something about justice versus revenge or some nonsense.”

  Garm nodded. “It’ll make things interesting, that’s for sure.”

  “Fine,” Alek said, making sure his sword was loose in its sheath. “When this is all over, I think you and I need to get Johan a new book. That Sir Aldir one is giving him bad ideas. And they seem to be spreading.”

  Garm looked at him and harshly barked something that may or may not have been a laugh. “Can’t argue with that,” Garm said.

  “Okay, I’ll charge in, with you right behind me?”

  “Hold a sec. Let’s not do all the work for him,” Garm said, looking back at the carnage in the streets. “Let the bastard sweat for a bit.”

  Pulling his blade out of the twitching, former human at his feet, Kinnese wiped his brow. In the one quiet instant given to him, he tried to ignore the chaos to take stock of the situation. It seemed that the monsters were growing more determined in their assault the longer Kinnese and his group held out. Six times now they had attacked, and six times they repulsed the creatures. But the last wave had been a close thing. Between he, Pela, the small band of citizens, and the magic being hurled by Naria and her girls, they had killed six of the creatures in total. Many more had taken wounds and had fallen back, only to no doubt return in the next rush. The entire ordeal had the familiar, almost comforting feel of a pitched battle between two legions. Shock and rest, shock and rest. But the rest they were given wasn't enough.

  He had to admit that, were it not for the city burning around them, his rapidly dwindling strength, and seemingly endless horde of nightmarish creatures, Kinnese may almost have been enjoying himself. A pity that the constant fighting had forced the attempted retreat from the Steel Bells into a seeming last stand.

  The longsword in his hands had begun to feel heavy as his muscles, enhanced though they were, screamed at him that they were at their limits. Kinnese also felt an emptiness in his gut, his own reserves of Power were all but depleted. Stealing a glance around him, Kinnese saw that the situation was even more grim than he had feared. Another of Naria’s girls was down, either from exhaustion or one of the creatures he couldn’t tell. Either way that was bad news for the shield spell they had been casting. On his left, Pela was moving slow. The wiry woman’s shoulders heaving as she fought to catch her breath, and she was slightly favoring her ribs. The same ribs that had taken the tremendous beating at the hands of one of Else’s Outriders. Two of the citizens that were fighting alongside them had been killed, with another three nursing wounds.

  The other side of the tavern hadn't had it any easier. Clyde, the de facto leader of the survivors at the Steel Bells, had led another group that had repulsed three smaller attempts by the City Watch to hit the tavern's stables. With the chaos happening, they didn't dare try and break through with their women and children. The fighting had been fierce, and during the last encounter a City Watch officer had sliced his sword through Clyde's right leg just above his knee. Naria had managed to keep him and a few of the other injured defenders alive, but they were out of the fight. And perhaps worst of all, the flames from the burning row houses were creeping closer to the tavern they were defending. If the inn burned down with the people inside it, what the hells was the point of it all?

  Kinnese knew that they were simply playing for time with no real plan, and that the situation was probably hopeless. But as bitterness began to mix with despair in his heart, his eyes met Naria’s for a brief instant. Somet
hing in her eyes, some bit of understanding there perhaps, planted a seed of warmth in his chest. He felt a small but growing sense of pride in the fact that his last act would be one in the defense of others again. He turned back towards the street at the next wave of monsters gathering. He took some comfort in the fact that Spindle hadn’t shown back up. That comfort vanished though when he saw the monsters charging again, their numbers bolstered by fresh reinforcements.

  Raising his sword, Kinnese braced himself. This was probably going to be it.

  The first of the silent creatures was almost upon him, a smaller man-shaped beast with serpent-like eyes and a malformed skull. Kinnese saw that the creature, surprisingly, had normal, fleshy, human hands, and had them outstretched as if it were running to embrace him. A quick swing of his blade cleaved both hands apart, the tip of the blade slashing through and across the monster’s chest. The creature went spinning to the ground in a quiet heap, its too-thick blood pooling underneath. A second monster was immediately in his face, and Kinnese barely had enough time to bring his sword up to fend off the creature’s bone-like claws.

  One of the bone claws locked in place around Kinnese’s sword and ripped it free from his hands as the second raked him across the shoulder and chest. He staggered backwards and fell to one knee, narrowly avoiding a second swipe, this one aimed at his head. His first reaction was to summon his magical blade, but he didn’t have the strength left, nor the focus to keep the blade. Instead he drew a parrying dagger and a small knife as he backpedaled, refusing to die unarmed.

  The abomination tensed itself, as if readying to pounce, but before it could do anything a blade swept its head clean off its shoulders and it fell to the cobblestones. When the creature fell, Kinnese saw a bald, scarred man standing before him.

  “On your feet, traitor,” the man growled before turning to meet a four armed abomination covered in dripping sores and festering growths.

  A second figure, a mountain of a man, shot between the bald man and Kinnese, so quick he seemed almost a blur. Kinnese watched as the man punched his fist almost through one of the monsters about to leap upon Pela. The creature, impaled on his fist, tried to drive its spike-like appendages into his chest, but his other hand held a sword, and he drove it through the creatures face. He then spun, hurling the both body of the creature and his sword. The creature's corpse toppled a second one, and his sword drove into the chest of a third. Both monsters went down, though they immediately struggled to rise again.

  Holy hells, Kinnese gaped. It was them. Else’s Outriders. And they had just saved him. Despite everything happening, Kinnese found himself frozen in place for a second as he struggled to process it. The bald man, dodging and striking as he battled the claw-handed abomination cursed at him.

  “Carry your weight you piking bastard!” he yelled. The man’s harsh voice shattered the stupor and Kinnese found himself. He rose and charged into the monster locked in combat with Garm , driving his parrying dagger to the hilt between where a man’s shoulder blades would be as he also buried his knife into the back of the creature’s skull. The monster twisted and jerked so strongly that Kinnese lost his grip on his weapons and fell backwards again, avoiding the two claws protruding from the monster’s left side.

  The momentary distraction was all that the Outrider needed. With one burst of strength, the bald man hacked off both of the creature’s right arms, and slammed the pommel of his greatsword into its face, sending it toppling to the ground.

  “Come on,” the bald man rumbled, kicking Kinnese’s fallen longsword over to him. “We’re getting out of here.”

  “Excuse me?” Kinnese asked, caught out.

  “Commander'd like a word with you.” He cast his iron gaze over Kinnese’s shoulder towards Naria and the others. “All of you.”

  “Gods, don’t you people know a rescue when you see it?” the larger man said, his voice light.

  Kinnese suddenly realized that the courtyard was quiet. Other than the raging fire, and the screams beyond their little piece of the hells. The surviving creatures had fallen back before the sudden onslaught. The sudden onslaught of just two Outriders.

  Hells, where did Else find these men?

  “How do you intend to rescue us,” Naria asked. “The whole city is falling apart.”

  “Yep,” the larger man agreed. “But we’ve got an escape route. The only gate open to us is being defended by Bellkeep’s army at their garrison. That’s our only option. Now it's your only option too.”

  “Come with us,” the bald man growled. “Make no mistake. You’ll be arrested after this shit is over.” He gestured at the fires raging around them. “But at least you’ll have a fighting chance to survive. An honest trial beats staying here.”

  “Just me, right?” Kinnese asked, the words spilling out of him before he could stop himself. “I’m the only one you want?”

  The bald man shrugged. “Don’t know enough about your friends one way or another. Don’t particularly care myself. Alek?”

  “Nope,” the other Outrider said. “But we’d still like to, you know, get out of here now.”

  Kinnese nodded. “Fine. But we have people here. Innocent people in the tavern. They come too.”

  “Of course they do. This is a rescue mission. We aren't turning anyone away,” Alek said as he walked toward the inn, past the confused Naria who followed, with Pela racing close behind. “Come on, let’s get them out of here. No telling how much time we’ll have before those piking things come back.”

  Kinnese bent down to pick up his sword, but he kept his eyes on the bald Outrider. “I have your word, right? That I’m the only one you’ll arrest?”

  “Can’t give you that assurance,” he growled. “That's up to the Commander, not me.”

  “Oh,” Kinnese said as he drew himself up. “Wonderful.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “I don't want to curse us, but we've accomplished quite a bit here,” Captain Garrey said from the balcony of the Garrison. He was standing next to Johan watching as the trickle of survivors flowing into the Garrison slowly turned into a steady stream. “Thank you and your men for helping, Commander.”

  “We’re just a few men, Captain. You and yours have done an excellent job securing what they could,” Johan said. “Sweeping the streets of those things have allowed the civilians to start to make it here on their own. We just pitched in a little”

  “Give yourselves some credit,” Garrey smiled. “Any word back from your two scouts?”

  Johan shook his head. “No, not yet. But I'm not that concerned. Those two can take care of themselves.”

  “If you say so. Now it’s time to shore up what defenses we have here. Once we get all of these people down below, safe and secured, we'll seal up the garrison and wait for Gustav's stroke. We will, oh, by the gods!” Garrey said suddenly, pointing at a knot of battered looking soldiers walking amongst the survivors. “That's Betwa and Linney. I thought they were all killed.” Johan watched the men, their weariness evident in their strides, escorting a handful of civilians among them, make their way through the garrison courtyard. One of the women looked rather familiar, something about the way she moved, and her shape. She was cradling what looked like a child in her arms, and her clothes were tattered, but there was something about her...

  “That is good news, sir,” Johan said. “Now maybe we-” he broke off as the familiar looking woman, now in the courtyard, looked up at the balcony and their eyes met. The woman's mouth dropped slightly. “Pike me,” Johan whispered, unconsciously drawing in a breath. “If...if you'll excuse me for a moment, Captain,” he said, backing away from the balcony railing. Not waiting for Garrey to respond, Johan raced down the stairs of the garrison, past his men resting on benches near the gate, and out into the courtyard. The woman was still standing where he had seen her, clutching some large, covered object in her arms. Johan could see the bronze-like casing of her mecharm, and knew immediately he wasn't mistaken. Her eyes widened as recogn
ition crossed her own face. They stared at each other, shock holding their tongues still for a few seconds.

  “What in the piking hells are you doing here?!” Nerthus barked at him. Johan could only laugh as he walked over and hugged her. “Careful you oaf,” she said, a smile breaking through usual facade. “I'm holding super important...stuff.”

  “I can see that,” Johan said, stepping back. “Nice clothes, by the way. I don't think I even want to know who you're pretending to be.”

  Nerthus stuck her tongue out at him and then, as if remembering herself and the situation they were all in, the happiness in her face vanished, replaced by the stern Umbra expression she wore so well.

  “No, seriously,” she said. “What are you doing here? This place is done for.”

  Johan guided her by the arm inside the garrison, leading her towards the area the other Outriders had claimed as their own.

  “We had a rather secret mission of our own,” he said as they walked. “Kind of a spur of the moment thing that brought us here. Then the bottom kind of fell out of the city before we could leave.”

  “The gate is less than a quarter mile from here,” Nerthus said. “You could leave at any time.”

  “Yeah. But the locals needed a hand helping round up as many civilians as they could to get them to safety before those...things got a hold of them.”

  “Always playing the selfless heroes,” Nerthus smirked. “Well you had better get your heads on straight and get out of here soon. The whole city is crawling with those bastards.”

  The two of them made it to where the other three Outriders were resting. Vegard and Ryker were sprawled out on the stone floor, a thin layer of straw under them. Toma was sitting on a bench, one leg up, working on one of his crude homemade crystals. The scout looked up and saw Johan and Nerthus and he got to his feet, slipping his crystal and his tools in his pockets.

  “Whoa, what are you doing here?” he blurted out when he saw Nerthus. “Er, I mean glad to see you and all.”