Shadow Seed

by Rodriguez, Jose

  Most of the boulders crashed through the rank and file, decimating columns of infantry. Only a few of the terrosaurs were hit, with the worst only being staggered a bit before continuing on.

  The humans on the wall fought desperately to hold their position. If it wasn't the size and weight of the griffins, it was the Erinies’ long reach and speed overpowering them.

  Arthur and Jacob barely managed to avoid an incoming Eriny that landed between them. As the Pelasgian tried to take off, both men jumped on to hold him down.

  The Eriny was strong enough that it began to carry the men with him, until Thomas leapt on as well, causing the creature to spiral and crash.

  The surrounding soldiers immediately jumped in and killed the Eriny.

  William checked on the soldiers from the wall. “You guys okay?”

  “Look out!” Richard cried, shoving William just in time to avoid the end of a terrosaur's tail that came crashing through the wall vertically.

  Now on opposite ends of the ruined wall, Richard and William scrambled to get clear of the next hit.

  William ran into a tower, as Richard took a shortcut by jumping down into a pile of hay.

  The terrosaur took another swing at the wall, knocking down a sizable section.

  Arthur and his men regrouped with a company of soldiers falling back to the next street. After the wall took a third hit, the humans found that there was now little between them and the enemy.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  On the outskirts of Vesuvia, the amount of Pelasgians appeared endless.

  Fighting Turin, like Marus, was like trying to fight a ghost. Fog shrouded his body as it swirled around him. He easily blocked several attacks from a Satyr before stabbing it through the neck.

  Vesuvians from all of the Houses were present. It was at times like this Marus was reminded of the disparity in power, even between individuals of the same House.

  A Remian five hundred years old, and looked like an Olympic athlete, easily disarmed and killed a Satyr and two Centaurs within three seconds before going after a Cyclops.

  Another Remian, just over a hundred years of age, was thrown to the ground by a Corinthian and killed with a stab to the heart.

  It was easiest to spot the differences in power between two people of the House of Liro.

  Many could grow razor-sharp claws and had a small change in appearance, notably in the face area.

  Some Liros had a semi-final form with slightly bigger claws, and more pronounced physical changes.

  With each level came a slight increase in strength and speed, but this didn't compare to the Remia.

  There was no such thing as a Liro without heightened senses.

  All of this was enough to combat many of the Pelasgians fiercely, if they could get their hands on them.

  A few Liros reached the final form. It was terrifying to behold, being more bat than man in appearance. While the Cyclopes’ size proved to be a bit of a problem, the Liros could pounce on anything smaller and claw them to pieces.

  The Doran had perfected the use of blood as a weapon. It was like liquid mercury in their hands, and they had full control over it.

  One used his blood staff to block a Corinthian's sword before turning it into a whip-like weapon that shot through the Corinthian's chest.

  A powerful Doran could control the blood without even touching it. The blood spike was a nasty weapon that could repeatedly run someone through, with the Doran at a safe distance.

  Two Satyrs went after Marus, jabbing at him with their spears through the fog. One managed to slash his coat pocket, dropping the few precious blood marbles he had.

  Several yards away a Centaur took aim with his bow.

  As Marus tricked the Satyrs into stabbing each other, an arrow stuck his shoulder. Flinching for a split second, he took a Satyr's spear and threw it at the Centaur's head with incredible precision.

  At the rear of the Vesuvian army, the Siena made the most of their unmatched intuition with a bow and arrow.

  What separated one Siena from another was their ability to hit a target in all the commotion. The least adept aimed high, shooting far into the enemy army.

  For the more experienced, it was like watching a magic trick executed effortlessly. The best could fire past dozens of people in the midst of battle, and hit the enemy exactly where they wanted.

  The only Vesuvians not physically fighting were the Kanara. Mind-control used a fair amount of blood, even for the powerful ones. In a massive battle, it wasn’t as efficient as a support role.

  They functioned as a second set of eyes for those actually fighting. A Remian pulling his sword from a Satyr would have been struck from behind were it not for the timely telepathic warning of a watchful Kanara.

  The Kanara also relayed vital information about enemy movements at the speed of thought. This let the Vesuvians instantly know where their line was beginning to break and reinforce it.

  The dirty fighting was left to the Orlok, and they loved it. Those who could do so remained invisible, with many Pelasgians never knowing what hit them.

  They preferred jagged knives and blunt objects, quickly eliminating enemies already locked in battle from behind.

  A Turin girl blocked one attack after another from two Corinthians using only a short sword. As a Minotaur joined the fray, she threw a black powder that ignited with a blinding flash. With some assistance from the Orlok, she was able to quickly finish off the Pelasgians.

  Melding with the ground in the nick of time, Marus barely avoided being smashed by a Cyclops bringing his mace down like a hammer. He instantly reemerged and stabbed the Cyclops through the chest.

  Monitoring the battle from the Council's building, Helen called out to Marus with her telepathy. “Fall back! The Pelasgians are pushing hard into the flanks.”

  “Can we counter?” Marus thought as he pulled the arrow out.

  “It doesn’t look good,” Helen replied. “The rural section should be better for fighting, but you must go now.”

  At once, the Vesuvians went into retreat.

  The Pelasgians gave chase, fighting much of the way across the farmlands. They soon reached the rural section, a part of the city with buildings up to three stories high at the most.

  “Stand your ground!” Marus ordered.

  Without question, the Vesuvians turned to face the incoming enemy.

  Marus dodged a Minotaur and kicked him to the side where an Orlok happily took over.

  Little by little the fog covering Marus was dissipating, making him easier to see. A Corinthian swung and barely missed.

  Marus blocked the second attack, but that allowed a Satyr to spear him in the stomach.

  The sound of Marus' grunting in pain instantly drew his fellow Vesuvians' attention.

  A Liro tackled the Satyr, with many of the Turin charging the Pelasgians.

  The fog around Marus completely vanished as he pulled the spear out. Slumping against a house as he retreated, he noticed his blood marbles were gone. Another arrow struck his leg, causing him to fall over some baskets.

  A Cyclops broke through the Vesuvian line, swinging his massive club. He spotted Marus and ran at him.

  Marus forced himself up and dove into a small dark corner, virtually disappearing.

  The Cyclops swung his club and completely demolished the corner. It seemed impossible, but there was no body.

  Marus dropped from another shaded area directly above and rammed his staff into the Cyclops' back. He was thrown forward as the Pelasgian fell dead into a small market stand.

  Wounded and disoriented, Marus crawled and made it as far as the next corner where he saw his fellow Turin struggling with another Cyclops at the next intersection.

  The Vesuvians behind him were doing well, but they seemed so few to the Pelasgians.

  The shadow of a winged creature overcame Marus and landed beside him. Looking up weakly, he was relieved to see it was Gavin.

  Gavin and a select few were in their lege
ndary form. This was very similar to the final form, but came with huge batwings.

  With a low hiss, Gavin dropped a blood marble and flew off.

  Liros in this form were also very nimble in the air, as Gavin flew up past an oncoming griffin and picked off its rider with ease, dropping him to the chaos below.

  Marus ate the marble and was instantly on his feet, fog shrouding his body. Melding with the ground, he grabbed his staff.

  In the next moment, as a Cyclops swung his mace, Marus exploded from the ground behind thrusting his staff through the Cyclops' head.

  One of the Turin approached. “Marus, help is on the way, but the enemy is pouring in from everywhere. What are we going to do?”

  Marus looked back at the sound of Pelasgians coming around the next corner, and gave what he hoped wouldn't be his last order. “Stand your ground.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  “This way,” Gillan said, guiding others into one of hundreds of large boats. “Stay calm. Everything will be fine.”

  Close by on the pier, Caycee watched the sky as Khothu filed past her.

  Several Erinies and Corinthians with griffins landed on the dock, attacking and scattering the Khothu in all directions.

  Caycee took aim with her bow and nailed an Eriny with an arrow to the head. She quickly fired off another arrow, killing a Corinthian.

  The now riderless griffin went after a small Typhon girl, who fired what little flames she could to slow the creature down as she ran.

  Caycee fired an arrow and hit one of the griffin's hind legs, but the animal barely paused.

  Tripping over her feet from running so fast, the girl fell and cowered in the fetal position. Just as the griffin was about to take a bite, Nasia seemed to come out of nowhere and slashed the creature's side with her sword.

  Writhing in pain, the griffin had no chance of avoiding the searing hot fire Nasia then doused it with. As the creature looked for any way to escape it tried to fly off, only to fall dead into the water.

  Nasia picked the crying girl up. “There, there now. You'll be fine. Let's get you out of here,” she said. With the commotion ahead of her, she ran off with the girl towards another boat.

  As Gillan continued cramming as many people on the boat as he could, Melkor arrived on the dock with Kemik close behind.

  When the Erinies turned their attention to him, Melkor came to a dead stop, holding his son behind him.

  Kemik shook in fear at the sight of Erinies growling as they approached and took up the whole width of the dock. “Do something, Dad!”

  Waiting for the right moment, Melkor caused a chunk of wall to break and levitate between himself and the Erinies. It suddenly shattered into dozens of smaller, very sharp shards that shot into the Erinies.

  Gillan was familiar with Melkor's abilities, but even he was stunned with the visceral way the Komodo disposed of the enemy.

  Caycee continued to provide covering fire.

  When they finally arrived at the boat, Melkor helped his son on and began to walk back down the pier.

  “Dad,” Kemik yelled. “Where are you going?”

  Melkor stopped. “I am needed here. You go with the others.”

  Kemik hopped off the boat. “No way! I'm staying with you!”

  It was difficult for Melkor to face his son. He didn’t want Kemik to see the worry in his face. “Don't argue with me! The Pelasgians are ruthless savages, and they won't think twice about killing you.”

  A tear rolled down Kemik's face.

  Melkor softened up a little. “I promise we'll see each other again,” he said, hugging his son. “But I can't do my job if I have to worry about you. Now please, go.”

  Kemik reluctantly boarded the boat. “Fight well, Father.”

  The boat now full, everyone on the pier had to turn back, and it was slow going with so many people.

  Caycee was now on the dock helping people. She never noticed Piscoro, a Caidoz, jumping out of the water and landing a few yards not far behind.

  Piscoro had a long armored tail with a stinger she used to swat several Khothu away.

  Caycee sensed the terror from the Khothu around her and turned to see what was happening. Before she could react though, Piscoro's stinger was in her stomach.

  With a quick whip of the tail, Piscoro sent Caycee soaring over one building and into the wall of another.

  Many of Caycee's bones broke as blood shot from her mouth.

  Gillan made a torrent of water crash into Piscoro with enough power to knock most people down a street. Letting up, he was stunned to see her standing as though nothing had happened.

  “Allow me,” Melkor said, with the ground taking hold of Piscoro's feet and a wall of earth rising up to tip over on top of her.

  “Hurry,” Gillan said running. “We have to find Caycee.”

  As they reached the dock, Melkor watched as Piscoro poured out in liquid form from under the wall and reshaped herself in seconds.

  Gillan and Melkor didn’t know what to do. Piscoro took one step toward them before bursting into a cloud of mist from a fireball that struck her from behind.

  Gillan breathed a sigh of relief seeing it was Nasia who saved them. “As if the Pelasgians weren't enough,” he said. “Who was she?”

  “Who knows,” Melkor replied. “But it looks like she has friends.”

  Gillan could see the ram-headed Eisar further down the dock wreaking havok with a mace of fire.

  On the opposite side of the dock, Quasairu didn't appear to have a weapon until he opened his beak and belted out a loud squawk that could shatter glass a hundred yards away.

  While the Pelasgians retreated, Marduk walked up behind Cesni and Ivee watching as the Caidoz appeared throughout Tiamat, attacking at random and causing widespread destruction.

  “I almost feel bad for them,” Cesni said.

  Ivee giggled. “Almost.”

  Suruta could easily be confused for a Minotaur, but her femininity was definitely more apparent and she was much more deadly with a hammer that could crack the ground open like an earthquake.

  Imigen also had a beak, but his weapon was a whip that flailed around like it had a mind of its own. As he stood in the middle of the plaza, an ethereal twin kept randomly appearing within nearby, doing his actual fighting.

  Neccra had a giant crab claw that could cut steel like a hot knife through butter or punch holes into walls. She demolished many of the buildings on the shoreline.

  On one of the islands, Oel used his lion claws to set anything he touched ablaze. Even the ground he walked on was smoldering.

  Uratistagis reached back into his horse-like mane of fire and pulled out an arrow. Taking aim with his bow, he shot the arrow at a building, causing it to erupt into a ball of flames.

  Even if she didn't have the gills of a fish, Cipess could stay underwater indefinitely. She leapt straight up out of the sea, throwing a stream of water like a spear so fast it went through several buildings.

  Nasia ran down the dock, unleashing a fireball from both hands that engulfed Eisar. But to her horror, the Caidoz ran out of the blaze at her.

  “Run away,” Melkor yelled, with the Typhon Chief doing just that.

  Princcora suddenly came crashing through a building onto the dock. Having horns the size of an ibex goat, nothing could stand in her way. She also had gauntlets that covered her hands and much of her forearms. With a single punch, she caused a huge section of the dock to break apart.

  Unable to keep her balance, Nasia was thrown into the water.

  Gillan immediately dove in, quickly locating Nasia and helping her to a narrow beach path under the docks.

  Melkor collapsed a huge building onto Eisar and Princcora.

  Though even with all that weight on them, both Caidoz easily tore their way out.

  “Give me a break,” Melkor said in frustration.

  As Nasia lay on her side coughing up water, Gillan climbed onto the dock. Eisar and Princcora stood between him and Melkor.


  The sound of screeching wyvern drew Gillan’s attention. He looked up to see Perak fly past with a strong gust of wind in his wake.

  Gillan noticed the wind didn't seem to affect Eisar much, while Princcora was carried a good distance and knocked into Quasairu.

  Eisar raised his mace as he went after Gillan, but before he could bring it down, the Leviathan prodigy called up a wave of water that turned the ram-headed Caidoz into a cloud of steam.

  “That's it,” Gillan said.

  Perak made another pass.

  The wind threw Princcora into the water where she struggled to stay afloat. Quasairu, who wasn't affected at all, let out a deafening squawk.

  Covering his ears, Perak and his disoriented wyvern crashed into the roof of a building.

  “Melkor,” Gillan called, pointing to Quasairu. “Kill him!”

  Melkor made a quick gesture with his hand that made a spike of earth shoot up through the docks and into Quasairu, causing him to vanish into air.

  “Finally,” Melkor said, exhausted.

  Gillan had seen where Caycee was thrown. So it didn't take long for him and Melkor to find her.

  The sight of Caycee's body was unsettling. If she weren't Vesuvian, most would have thought she was dead.

  Gillan lightly shook Caycee. “Please wake up.”

  Though all Caycee could do was barely open her eyes and mutter. “Blood...”

  Gillan gave Caycee one of her blood marbles.

  In seconds, Caycee's bones reset themselves and she was back on her feet.

  Not far, Rovgi and Bilar came around the corner. Both groups spotted each other at the same time.

  “Who are you?” Gillan asked.

  “I can't sense either of them,” Caycee said.

  A powerful blast of wind blew against the Rheans and Bilar shot down the street towards them.

  Melkor quickly caused the buildings on one side of the street to explode, crushing Bilar under a pile of rubble.

  Rovgi pointed her sword, and made a large piece of rock fly at the three Rheans.

  Just before the rock could crush them, Melkor used his power to stop it in midair. “Gillan...go!” he said, straining to keep the debris at bay.