Death Knight Box Set Books 1-5: A humorous power fantasy series

by Michael Chatfield

  Tommie looked at Bruce, his blades swinging out of his arms and back in.

  “Let’s do this.” Solomon guided them forward.

  They reached camp, which was a series of tents that had been erect- ed in the forest next to a small natural stream.

  Tommie didn’t care about being quiet; they needed speed. He ran into the camp. People yelled in alarm, not expecting a metal monster to appear in the middle of their camp.

  Tommie pulled on the Guardian power within his body. His eyes turned purple and a hammer appeared in his Gnominator’s hand.

  He smacked it down and a small courtroom appeared. Chains flew out from the courtroom, latching onto the people around. Bruce ran around outside, using his staff to stun and throw people back into the range of the courtroom.

  The strike happened too quickly for the bandits to realize what was going on.

  “You got this?” Tommie asked the court.

  “It will be a busy night for you,” the dwarf said.

  “At least I was able to nap ahead of time,” Tommie said. A few had a sliver of a smile on their faces.

  “Go. We will take care of this here,” the elemental said. Tommie nodded as he checked the compass inside the Gnomi-

  nator and then started running off toward the north.

  “There is a caravan under attack—turn to your right,” Solomon said.

  Tommie and Bruce plowed through the forests, across the roads, moving faster than the beasts that lived in those places.

  Purple light appeared across the roads, plains, and forests as Tom- mie and Bruce followed Solomon’s guidance, purging the wildlands be- tween the different safeholds.

  ***

  Dave disappeared and Anthony dropped from the sky. He slammed in- to the ground, creating a crater. People screamed out, running away, or looking over from their different rooms.

  The dust dissipated, showing Anthony with his sword in the ground. Purple flames appeared within his body and dove into the en- chantment, speeding up its activation. A purple fire appeared at his feet and he jumped up into the sky. A courtroom appeared as the guards reached the square.

  Chains reached out and a barrier formed around the city, clos- ing all inside.

  Golden wings appeared on Anthony’s back. He sped off toward the next target. Then he dove toward the ground, leaving a crater and a Guardian Flame behind before he shot off again.

  Purple flames appeared in cities, in camps and villages, as peo- ple talked of a golden knight with wings.

  ***

  The city guard looked up at the line of fire shooting across the skies. “Is that some kind of comet?” one of the guards asked. “Shouldn’t be—it’s too big,” an older guard said.

  “Is, is it getting bigger?” the first guard asked.

  “It—” The older guard narrowed his eyes at the fiery object and then they widened.

  As he was just about to yell out a warning, the fiery object banked to the side and something slammed into the middle of the small village.

  A purple courtroom appeared in the middle of the vil- lage.

  “Is that a bird?” The first guard was still focused on the fiery ob- ject that circled the village.

  The older guard turned to see. The second, younger guard grabbed him and brought him to the ground.

  “Down!”

  He was about to yell at the younger guard when he felt the rush of air overhead.

  They got up, seeing a knight being carried away in the phoenix’s claws.

  The older guard got to his feet and a chain wrapped around him. He let out a yell as he was dragged from the wall. He appeared with a number of guards in front of the court.

  “All right, we don’t have much time for this, so, what crimes are you guilty of, and what criminal activity do you know of, or you think you know about?” a human made from purple light asked.

  “I once stole a pie from Miss Hodgkins up the road. It was smelling so good and I didn’t need it, but I was a young boy,” the older guard started to say. All of the guards spoke at once, the court quickly filled with noise.

  Chapter: Movements Unknown

  “What do you mean we’ve lost contact with the cities to the south? Have the camps been overrun?” General Fysher demanded from the man in front of him.

  “The camps are still there and manned, but the forces are saying that they are no longer capable of fighting the enemy. A number of them have been seen talking to the enemy and there are groups that are training in the middle of the line. We don’t know why,” the man said, subconsciously cringing.

  Fysher fought to regain control. The Church of Light had led their armies away, in the middle of the day yesterday, clear to all of the army and to the beast kin on the other side of the line. Morale was lower than ever and he could feel the beast kin were preparing. He didn’t know what for and he didn’t have any solid evidence, but if he were them, he would be preparing to attack his weakened and defenseless opponent.

  “What do we know?” Fysher asked.

  “There were some lights in the air last night. People said that some- thing dropped out of the sky and then disappeared. Hap- pened in dif- ferent towns, villages, and cities. Afterward, we lost contact with a lot of them. There have been reports of odd happen- ings.”

  A new messenger ran up. “We have reports of some of the places having purple fires in close to the middle of their cities. Said that a man dropped out of the sky, stabbed the ground and then wings ap- peared on his back and he flew away.” The messenger read directly from the small scroll that had been attached to a familiar, panting between words.

  97

  “Purple flames, like the ones in Ascen?” Fysher frowned, feeling as though the ground were shifting beneath his feet. “Just what hap- pened in Ascen?”

  The messengers stood there, waiting.

  55

  “Yes, though there are conflicting reports of a man appearing with a phoenix and using a hammer to summon a court. A metal man and beast kin appeared in the middle of criminal camps and used a hammer to call a court down on them. People with purple bindings are training to fight; others are heading out into the fields to raise crops. Nobles have been removed from power.”

  “Well, is there anything else about these flames, or the places they’re located?”

  “Some appeared last night, others this morning, randomly. A court appeared and started questioning people—charged some with crimes, others were let go. Some tried to destroy the flame, but they were ap- prehended. Also, there was some information on the shimmering lights that some of the camps are seeing. The flame turned into a human woman who started talking about a war in the past, that these doors are passageways to another planet. That a race called the Drafeng will invade through them. That we need to de- stroy them.” The messenger looked around and then passed a sec- ond message to Fysher.

  He read it, his eyes going wide.

  They say that they have reclaimed the Church of Light as their own Guardian’s Tower, that the flames are to protect the people and that the Church of Light was a group created by the Drafeng to weak- en Dena. That the Drafeng have been working for centuries to weaken Dena and draw them into chaos.

  Fysher looked up at the messenger. “Have you said anything to any- one?”

  “No sir,” the messenger said.

  Fysher rolled up the piece of paper and put it away. Do I even need to destroy it? This information is being passed across Dena now. Is this some kind of ploy by the beast kin? The elves? The islands? Is it true?

  Fysher shook his head as his thoughts led somewhere danger- ous.

  “Okay, we need to destroy these enchantments and regain con- trol over these cities. Order the camps along the line to send out forces tonight to do just that,” Fysher said.

  “Understood.” The second messenger hurried back. Fysher waved to the first and they headed off.

  Fysher looked out of the window but didn’t look across the line.

  Where is the
line now? What is happening in Ascen and across Radal?

  ***

  “Are the legions ready?” A large beast kin looked at the table in front of him. It was made of shifting sands that would move to form different groups across Dena.

  “Yes, my emperor!” Five high generals, each of them in com- mand of two legions, saluted in a beast kin manner.

  The emperor was battle scarred. He looked to be a mix between a bear, badger, and lion. He was from the Boret clan, a race that was de- fined by their mixed bloodlines and their nightmarish eyes that seemed to see through people and could be used to control or dis- tract others.

  They were some of the strongest warriors in the beast kin lands and had quickly risen into power, holding many positions based upon their fighting ability.

  Emperor Kalyn was the strongest of his bloodline and genera- tion. His body glowed with a black and a red clan spirit, unheard of within the clans.

  “We are sure that the Army of Light are heading deeper into the human lands?” Kalyn asked, looking for a ploy within the shift- ing sands.

  “Yes, my emperor. It is said that Ascen has been lost. Though the army stands ready on the lines.”

  “If they retreated to Ascen, they know that we will follow them. They cannot leave. It doesn’t mean that their morale is high.” Kalyn

  looked to the letters and the images that had been drawn out in front of him. Of men and women who wore scraps of clothes, turned into skin- ny beasts that glowed from within.

  “We do not know what happened among the Army of Light. We cannot confirm what is happening in Ascen. Our information network is falling apart. There are shimmering items that appear within our bor- ders every day. The islands are fighting a battle on their islands and the Deepwood is showing signs of fighting. A pur- ple flame sits atop the Church of Light and purple flames have started to appear in our cities, with the ancestors appearing and putting people to trial. Yet there is no information on any of this? Just vague rumors?” Kalyn slammed his hand against the edge of the table, cracking the stone. Sand poured at his feet.

  The room was silent as the leadership of the military and the nation were quiet.

  “Shall we halt our attacks?” Kalyn’s subordinate and fellow Boret clan member Mortas asked.

  “No! We have been given an opportunity to charge the enemy’s camps and castles while they’re weakened. We continue with the plan, but we must gain a greater control over our land and find what is hap- pening in the rest of Dena,” Kalyn hissed, looking around the room.

  His eyes landed on the legion’s high generals. “Carry out my or- ders.”

  “Yes, my emperor!” They headed out of the room.

  Kalyn turned and left the room. Mortas glowered at those in the room and followed after him. Guards snapped the doors open for them as they left the command hall, marching down the cor- ridor with their boots hitting on the polished stone beneath their feet.

  “There was talk of another purple power,” Mortas said. “Where?”

  “Skalafell—that knight,” Mortas said. “Was it for good, or bad?” Kalyn muttered.

  “What was that, Emperor?” Mortas asked, unable to hear him. “Make sure that people entering and leaving cities are checked.

  These flames are clearly being brought in by someone. Also, I want re- ports from our people in the cities where these flames are. What do these flames do? Get a talking mirror to the lord of Skalafell, and find me that knight!”

  “Yes, my emperor.” Mortas saluted and Kalyn continued to march off, deeper into his residence, his sworn knights following after him.

  Chapter: Sneak Attack

  Anthony didn’t know how many cities and villages he had gone to in the last two days. He had just moved his way north, dropping in- to camps and fortresses along the way, disrupting the war. It wasn’t a per- manent solution, but it would force the two groups to train together.

  They were still enemies but it was much harder to kill someone you had been forced to eat with and sit with, to sleep beside. It was a half measure and Anthony knew it. They would need comman- ders who didn’t care whether they were one species or another, who cared about winning against the enemy. Otherwise, the units and groups would start to fall apart.

  Solomon stirred on his shoulder.

  “The beast kin have launched an attack on Radal. Some of the camps were overthrown. Others were defended. They got past the line and are within Radal now, attacking anyone they can.”

  Anthony’s emotions twisted, followed by rage and despair. He let out a yell and stabbed out with his sword. A ripple of power shot out from his sword.

  He panted as his wings continued to carry him.

  How many died in their sneak attack? How many? What if I left the camps alone—would they have been able to stop the beast kin? Would there have been more dead?

  Anthony presented a carefree attitude, but now the fire in his eyes was cold and devastating, instead of filled with laughter and smiles.

  “Contact the others. We end this shit now. Penelope will take Bruce and Dave to the camp with the leader of the beast kin. Then head to Bracegar, the beast kin capital. They will clear out corrup- tion there and command the clans. With their power and support, we can assimi- late Selenus. Tommie, Dave, and I will head to the

  106

  camp with this Gen- eral Fysher.” Anthony said the last part to Dave as he altered his course and banked to the west.

  60

  ***

  Su and Gus were on the wrong side of the line. They were part of the supply caravan passing out supplies to the legions that had at- tacked in the deep of night, taking two camps and pushing into Radal’s south.

  Rain came down on them all, making the road a muddy and slow affair.

  Gus jumped up onto the caravan that Su was leading. “Little Tommie—he was from Laisa, right?” Gus asked. Su felt his stomach drop. “Did it—?”

  “I’m not sure. Sounds like there was a purple barrier around it, just like there was around some of the other large cities and vil- lages,” Gus said.

  Su let out a grunt. He felt dirty. He felt that this was wrong. “Are they still attacking those barriers?”

  “Yeah, looks like they want to make an example of them. High- er- ups want to know just how powerful they are,” Gus said.

  Both of them were lulled into a sullen silence; they didn’t know what to say.

  “I used to think that defeating the humans was the only way we could win,” Su said.

  “I did, too. Just, now, I don’t think that they’re all bad, that there are people on their side, just like on our side, who are just try- ing to live their lives.”

  The two old warriors’ blood was cold in their veins as they sat there in the rain, the weather reflecting their disposition.

  Chapter: A Guardian’s Wrath

  Line General Gheta was from one of the side ram clans. She was smaller but there was a sturdiness to her. Her horns were covered in clan tattoos that ran down her back. Even with her diminutive stature compared to the rhino clans and the bear clans, none of them dared to look down on her.

  She stood at the shifting sand command table of Haerton Keep. It was one of the oldest and largest defensive fortresses that defended Se- lenus against the humans of Radal.

  Its five walls stabbed forward at Radal. Twenty-meter walls stood in defiance, scarred from previous battles and wars. Still, they stood as a testament to the tenacity of the defenders. It was said that the mor- tar was more blood than clay now. Countless men and women had died over the years defending this location. Through it one could pass through the low lands to Bracegar and into the heart of Selenus.

  “High General Turguit reports that they have advanced ten ki- lo- meters into Radal. They are sieging three different fortresses. He wants to know if he should keep sieging or push to attack the small- er villages,” a messenger asked.

  “Tell him to hold. He holds the right flank, High General Orsa will hold the left, and Zanal
i will push forward. Tell her to priori- tize attack- ing the smaller locations. It seems that they do not have these new de- fenses of the humans.” Gheta’s voice rose in volume so all could hear her. “I want to know the capabilities of these barri- ers. I want reports on the forces that have left their fortresses. When will our policing forces reach them? My line has become a mess in two days. I want to know just what or who is causing this!”

  Her voice came out in a growl and she snorted in anger, tossing her horns.

  109

  Suddenly it felt as if she had been punched in the gut as she felt

  a

  powerful bloodline resonance.

  62

  Everyone in the room felt it as well. They looked out of the com- mand tower’s small windows.

  A phoenix appeared in the sky. “That’s—!” someone hissed in surprise.

  The phoenix that has flown across the skies, dropping off a knight with his purple hammer.

  “Raise the defenses! Sound the alarm!” Gheta forced out.

  Two men fell from the heavens; one wielded a staff, the other a hammer that was as big as his giant frame.

  Arrows and javelins were hurled up into the air.