His blade stabbed out, piercing the second in the neck as his knee crumbled. He reversed his blade with such speed that it sung in the air; he slammed it under his arm and it pierced through ar- mor and the elbowed cultist’s chest.
He seemed to evaporate and reappear with an arrow in his hand. He turned and threw it back at the archer. It was covered in golden flames, a streak of light as it struck the archer.
Su looked back and two more were lying on the ground, dead.
The other cultists looked over at the fighting, giving the woman the opening she needed.
She dropped low. Her dagger shot out, piercing underneath a man’s armpit; she grabbed his other shoulder, turning his back as he turned forward into the new wound in his shoulder.
Her blade went through the opposite side of his neck and came out with a spray of blood. She kicked him into another attacker near her golem.
The attacker stumbled into the golem’s range as he kicked the cultist, breaking their body. He threw a spear, passing the woman by inches; she shot out a water spell, catching a cultist in the face. The water formed around their face and they clawed at it, trying to pull it off.
The other golems didn’t try to advance anymore, instead using their bodies to draw and hold in as many cultists as possible so they couldn’t stop the ranger woman and the knight.
Dadri appeared in front of the man. He let out a breath on the powder in his hand, a powerful poison that covered the man’s body.
Dadri had a gloating smile on his face as the man shot forward a flickering shadow that resolved into a man right before Dadri, be- fore he had time to react a golden light pierced Dadri’s throat and came out of his spine.
His gloating smile turned into one of confusion.
Su took a violent appreciation to seeing the man’s world turned around, seeing him the victim instead of the attacker. He didn’t know how to deal with it.
The man’s blade slid out as he ran forward, turning into a blur of flames and shadows before slamming into a barrier around the altar.
“You’ll never be able to break through in time.” The master sneered as the last of the materials on the altar were being con- sumed.
Su would have bent over in pain if he could move. Instead, he cried out in his head and between his teeth, feeling that foreign and alien power invading his body, changing him.
The knight lashed out, threads of black and gold around his sword as he slammed it against the barrier, throwing up a gale that made it hard for any of the cultists to get close to him.
“Bruce! Give me your strength!” the man yelled out.
A earthly power that resonated with Su seemed to awaken within the man. It stilled one’s fear and gripped their stomach, causing one to feel the blood rushing through their veins, the vital- ity and power held within their bodies.
A silhouette of an ox appeared behind the knight as the green section of the tree on his back seemed to turn into real tree bark in- stead of just an elegant carving.
Threads of deep-green power spread through the knight’s legs and joined the power on his sword.
The knight drew in power from the room and struck out: one man’s and three familiars’ power concentrated and working togeth- er.
The power rippled through the mana barrier and cut into it. It shattered down in a line like glass, ripples of destruction radiating off the strike.
“You!” The master’s body fluctuated wildly as chaotic power rippled through his body. Unable to contain it in his emotional state, he grew rapidly, reaching nine foot in height. His eyes blazed with chaotic power as tears across his body leaked out power.
The knight was thrown back by the force of the shield breaking.
He dug his feet into the ground as he slammed into several cultists.
The golden light and the black shadows evaporated outside of his body, turning into the dragon and a devil-like mask.
They shot out: the mask sent them into their nightmares and distracted them as the dragon, in its smaller form, tore them apart.
“You good, Aila?”
“Yeah!” the woman yelled back.
The knight turned and yelled as he threw his sword like a light- ning bolt. The underhanded sword was covered in green energy as a bull silhouette appeared around it, its horns in line with the blade. It sunk into the altar. The convergence of power sent green energy through the cracking altar, causing it to explode and rain down.
The energy that had been invading Su was released, rushing back to the altar and then back to the others. Their appearances started to recover but they dropped to the ground, drained and un- able to move.
Su dropped to the ground, feeling his strength had been sucked out of him.
“For the clans!” Gus said weakly as he tried to force himself to stand.
The others stood, their tattoos blazing with power as they let out a yell.
“Half protect the others!” Su yelled as he checked on Gus. “Go!” Gus said, pushing him aside angrily.
Su nodded and ran forward, grabbing a hammer from a cultist’s body.
Su felt his old power coming back. His instincts to fight in- creased as the weakness in his body was left behind. He was a war- rior of the clans!
They rushed forward. The cultists had pale faces, seeing every- thing come apart around them. They weren’t trained fighters; if they were, they wouldn’t have needed to resort to poisons and sleeping powders.
The beast kin ran together. Their bodies blazed with power as their tattoos enhanced their abilities and drew out their bloodline more.
The ground shook as Su let out a war cry and lowered his head. He smashed a spear to the side with his hammer and hit the cultist’s shield, sending them flying on their back. He struck out with his hammer, cracking another’s skull their body being tossed to the side.
Su got a cut on the shoulder as he tried to dodge a blade. The cultist beast kin swung their blade back, aiming to cut Su’s ribs.
Another guard hacked at the cultist’s neck and cut him down.
The guards were cut and wounded, but they fought on, relying on their tattoos to gain the power they needed to keep on fighting. The majority of the cultists were human. Their familiars were twisted and corrupted; their attacks were confused and erratic, al-
lowing them to get in hits.
The knight had charged forward and met with the chaotic-al- tered master.
The devil mask and the dragon raced through the cultists, land- ing hits and helping out as they could.
The knight’s sword met the man’s fist, cutting through it. The master let out a surprised scream.
“Stronger doesn’t mean invulnerable!” The knight pulled out his sword. He dropped down and forward; his blade cut clean through the master’s leg.
He screamed out as he tilted forward. He landed on the floor and rolled to the side, sending blasts of chaotic power at the knight. His sword moved like the shadows: flickering, deflecting the blasts with golden fire, and supported with the strength of the green al- most emerald outline of a bull covered in glowing emerald Tattoos. Blasts struck the ground, leaving smoking craters as he ad-
vanced and the glow of the master started to decline.
The master raised both of his fists and a spell formation ap- peared.
The knight shot forward and pierced that formation with his sword. A golden light consumed the power of the spell.
His sword flashed, smacking the man’s arms into the ground. The ground came up, moving like a snake, wrapping around the master and his body, drawing him into the ground slightly.
Su looked up from his fighting. He had blood in his eye and there were bruises and cuts all over his body, but as long as he didn’t get an infection, he should be fine.
Two guards had died in the fighting, but no more cultists re- mained.
The light dimmed around the knight. As it did, one could see a faint purple symbol of an eye on a shield on his chest.
“Y-you—how? You
all died!”
“Ah, you don’t know the half of it,” the knight said with a cold laugh. “It’s good to be remembered, though—seems that not all of the memories of us have faded.”
“Guardian, you might have come back from the dead but the chaos has been here this entire time!” the master spat back.
“Then I have a lot of work to do. I had a fear I would get bored.” The knight reached out and put his hand on the master’s head. Golden flames spread through the man’s body, consuming his chaotic power and destroying him from the inside.
The knight turned toward where the altar was and reached out his hand. A spell formation appeared there. As he moved his hand, its complexity increased and the formation changed. The forma- tion used for the ritual drew in power from the cultists’ bodies, turning them into dust that disappeared with the slightest wind.
Their energy congealed into the formation that glowed green and blue.
Su couldn’t help but feel relaxed seeing it, even with the im- mense power that was building up.
The knight placed his hand on the formation. A powerful life force energy spread out. Motes of light spread out, like seeds of a flower being released upon a strong summer breeze.
Su felt it entering his body. His wounds healed at a visible rate; the aches, the fatigue of his body recovered. The strength and life force he had lost was returned and increased; even his horn started to regrow.
He looked around and saw the rest of the traders recovering.
The dead didn’t rise, but the wounded recovered quickly.
Su turned and rushed over to Gus, who was looking at his side, wiping away the blood to show his side had recovered completely.
Su dropped to his knee and examined him.
He didn’t know what to do; relief rushed through his body.
They didn’t need to say anything as Gus held out a hand. Su took it; the two of them embraced and slapped each other’s backs.
The golem’s purple light went out as they collapsed into piles of rocks.
The woman’s clothes were torn, but she stood up straight, her minor wounds recovered.
“Solomon, make sure none of them escape. Dave, destroy them.”
Like wraiths, the two familiars rushed off in opposite direc- tions, charging through the tunnels of the hidden underground base.
“Who is your leader?” the knight asked. “I am,” Su said, standing straighter.
“I suggest that we make sure that everyone has recovered, get some food into them and then we leave at first light. My compan- ions and I are heading to Skalafell and to the northeast,” the knight said.
“We’re intending to go to Skalafell as well,” Su said. His eyes caught Carrie’s body.
The knight saw her body and walked over to her. He placed his hands on her. Magic power entered her body; her body became whole again, a peaceful look on her face.
“Thank you,” Su said, choking on his words.
“Everyone deserves to be treated with respect,” the knight said. “See to your people.” The man cocked his head to the side. “We found your carriages.”
“My name is Su. What is your name?”
“I’m Anthony, and this is Aila. Our other companion is Tom- mie,” Anthony said.
“Thank you for saving our lives.” Su tilted his head to them both, a sign of great respect, placing his life in their hands with complete trust.
“It is my duty. All people of Dena fall under my protection.” Anthony raised his hand and his sword shot into it before he sheathed it. “I’ll check on those carriages and make sure that none of the cultists escape.”
nel.
Su nodded as Anthony and Aila walked together down a tun-
“Saved by a human—who would have thought,” Gus said, next
to Su.
Su grunted, but his eyes followed their shadows before they turned a corner, disappearing from sight.
His eyes turned to his people. People were crying and holding one another. The guards were fanned out, watching the entrances. Everyone was still tense, a chaotic mix of emotions.
“See to Carrie. Once Anthony and Aila return, we’ll move to the carriages,” Su said.
Gus gave off a low whistle of acknowledgement and headed to carry out his tasks.
Chapter: Memories
Su postponed leaving the next day. They spent the night gathering wood, building pyres for those who had passed away.
There were no long speeches; instead, several people closest to those who had passed away held torches.
Su stood in the front, next to Carrie’s pyre.
“To the lost,” Su said, as everyone else responded: “But never forgotten.”
The torches were lowered, catching on the wood.
The flames quickly grew. Waves of heat came off the pyres and smoke rose into the dawn sky.
Some cried in the crowd; others watched with stony expres- sions as they saw those pyres burning on the side of the stream.
Aila turned to Anthony. “Those cultists—they said that they were Agents of Chaos.”
Anthony let out a tired sigh. “They’re nothing more than the minions for the true Agents of Chaos. Their sole purpose is to cre- ate infighting among the people of Dena to weaken us before their gates can bridge the gap between our worlds again.”
“Who are they, though, and how do they know you?”
“They’re a race from another place that invade our lands, look- ing to consume the power of Dena. They consumed all of the power of their own home, so they want to destroy ours. They know me be- cause the Guardians were originally just a ragtag group of warriors who upheld a certain code, but with the unification of Dena, we were drafted in to be Guardians, creating an oath and swearing to uphold it to create stability for the people of Dena.
“Our duty was to fight the chaos destroying our backlines, so that the front could remain strong and united. Though based on the master’s memories, it looks like there were some who were left here, or they had a few hidden gates that they sent a few Agents of
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Chaos over in. They’ve been building strength. They’re one cell, or group of people, that are part of a vast and complicated network that looks to hide among the population, gaining positions of in- fluence to carry out acts to create instability between people.
“The Agent of Chaos told them about Guardians, and he also said how they were able to destroy us and remove us even from his- tory so that we will never be reformed...” Anthony’s words trailed off.
“Something wrong?”
“Oh, there are a lot of things that are wrong. I feel like there is a memory I have that’s linked to it, but I just can’t seem to bring it into focus. How frustrating.”
“You’ve made a lot of progress already in recovering your mem- ories, but how were you able to read the master’s?” Aila asked.
“Just an ability I have—keep the person off-balance and I can draw out a lot of their memories. The surface ones, the ones they’re thinking off right at the moment I do it, are the strongest. It was why I showed my emblem, see if there was anything triggered. Thankfully I was able to get some useful bits.”
Aila looked to Tommie, who was looking at his feet. “Are you okay?” Aila asked.
“Am I okay? I was too scared to act. I just stayed with Ramona and her children, looked after them. I was scared stiff, didn’t know what to do, wanted to run or hide. Every noise made me flinch.” Tommie sunk lower.
“It’s okay to be scared and afraid. You could’ve run, but you stayed there and watched over Ramona and her children. I was ter- rified, thinking that I could die, but I just did as I was trained to and kept on fighting,” Aila said.
“But you were trained to fight. You’re an elf—best fighters in the woods—and he’s a knight with familiars and powers.” Tommie built up before deflating. “And I’m just a gnome. I wanted to build
the Gnome-inator, thinking that it would give me the confidence I needed to beco
me like you two, to become a hero or a champion. Instead, when a challenge arose, I hid instead of doing anything.”
“Why did you follow us?” Anthony asked. “To challenge myself,” Tommie said.
“The real reason. You had a comfortable life, you had a job—why did you give that up to follow two basic strangers?” An- thony asked.
“I...” Tommie’s face moved in different ways, as if trying to somehow communicate thoughts, emotions, and ideas into one co- hesive collection of words.
People started to head back to the carriages as Anthony and Aila looked at Tommie, waiting.
“I always tell people about the places that I’ve been and things that I’ve seen but the truth is that I have only seen a few things and gone to a few places. I want to see and do more. I have few attach- ments. I was working with the merchants because I wanted to get parts for my Gnome-inator. When I heard that you were going to the capital of the elves, I was interested by the story that I could tell others. Another reason was I wanted to get the parts to finish off my Gnome-inator. My dad always says that my mother left us, but I know the truth: she was killed in a random troll attack. He wasn’t strong enough to stand up for her and I wanted to be strong enough to stand up to others. I see gnomes and the smaller peo- ple always being stepped on, so I wanted to build something that would allow us to be respected, that would allow us to stand up to the powerful people in the world. You’re both strong, so I hoped that I could tag along, going to different places, getting the parts that I need to build my Gnome-inator. Then I can go home, tell people stories about other places, and sell my Gnome-inator design so that other gnomes and smaller races can defend themselves. I’d be rich and live a comfortable life,” Tommie said.
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