29

“Put out the fire,” San hissed. Elgava and the others looked at him like he was insane. Pivane was still recovering from nearly getting hypothermia and Elgava was heating up another pot of tea. “Now.”

Putting out a fire that was keeping the howling wind and freezing cold at bay wasn’t an easy task. It was built high and they had to waste the water they had melted upon it. The hissing steam and smoke sent everyone coughing until Bostarion told them to shut up.

“What the hell, San?” Elgava demanded.

“There are monsters out there,” San said. That shut them all up. A look of horror crossed Elgava’s face and Pivane began shaking and whimpering. The Mage frowned and began digging through his pack, pulling out the last sack of catalyst rock he had.

The action caused everyone to move toward their discarded weapons. Pistols were checked and the crossbows loaded. They moved quickly and quietly, Bostarion still guarding the entrance into the building.

“That’s what you killed?” Bostarion asked as they crouched by the door once more.

San looked at the massive creature, it towered more than a dozen feet in height, it’s shoulders were massive and in one hand it carried a thick iron axe. It definitely was not the creature he had fought.

“The one I killed was a lot smaller,” San said. ‘Maybe seven feet tall.”

“Guess you ran into a runt,” Bostarion said.

“They sing,” San said. “It makes you think you’re calm and fine. Like nothing matters. Then they move in and kill or kidnap.”

“Aye,” the ranger muttered. He continued to watch the creature, squinting until his eyes seemed to be closed. “It didn’t notice the smoke.”

“That good?”

“Aye. We can maybe wait until night or until the weather calms down before we make a move to leave,” the ranger said.

“What are they doing here?” San wondered.

“Old Kingdom ruins, might be they’re just squatting in them,” the Mage said appearing by their side.

“An Old Kingdom fortress right over a batto cavern,” San said. “Doesn’t sound like a good idea to live there. I found a pair of the creatures skulls down there. The monsters, I mean.”

“These void horrors sometimes work together,” Bostarion said. “Maybe they made a deal with the batto queen.”

“The Birthing Mother has no intelligence,” the Mage said. “It is a beast that spawns more beasts.”

Bostarion snorted. “Perhaps, but I’d rather not try to test that theory, Mage.”

“Are they a people?” San asked.

“Void horrors are not feral animals,” Bostarion said. “Some can think and feel and plan just like a human.”

“So they say,” the Mage added.

“No,” the ranger said firmly. “There are some that are as smart as a human being and more that are even smarter. What separates us from them is that void horrors carry the gems in their heads and they enjoy inflicting pain, emotional, physical, or spiritual.”

San watched as the massive white furred creature howled once more into the snow and wind before turning back and heading down some hidden stairs. It was soon out of sight and San felt a bit of relief at that.

“We keep watch,” the ranger said. “Once we can move, we will. Pivane won’t last long out there in this weather and we’re not dressed to survive any kind of blizzard.”

“Aye,” the Mage agreed. “We wait until the storm passes.”

Without the fire to keep them warm, everyone was cold and miserable. San took the first watch, while the other four huddled together, using the emergency blankets San had given them and trying to keep warm with water heated on the small camp stove. Pivane was the worst off. San didn’t have much to offer the man, besides some extra pairs of socks to cover his feet and hands with and a tattered T-shirt. No one else had brought extra clothing and no one was willing to part with what they had.

The storm raged for most of the day, finally calming as evening approached. San had been relieved of his watch and rested among the others, everyone packed cheek to jowl beneath the emergency blankets.

“Let’s move out,” Bostarion said as the sun began to descend toward the western mountains. “We need to move fast to the gate, then we get the fuck out of here. We’ll travel the entire night if we have to.” The ranger looked at Pivane and the man only nodded back.

With Bostarion leading them, they exited the building and moved within the deepening shadows of the ruined village. The wind had ceased, but the snow was deep and Pivane was already looking miserable. The man didn’t complain and pushed forward the same as everyone. There was no other choice but to leave the fortress.

The massive gates loomed before them and Bostarion came to a stop. He bade everyone to hold as he moved forward and peered through the man sized hole in the gates. He crouched for a moment and then froze. Slowly, he backed away from the gate and made his way to the group.

“Its out there,” he whispered.

San didn’t have to ask what ‘it’ was. The invisible monstrosity.

“Shit,” Elgava muttered. “Is it after us or something?”

“Perhaps,” the ranger admitted. “If San is right, it was about to attack the wagon the first night we camped. Its either been following us or there are more than one of these creatures.”

“Shit,” Elgava muttered again.

“What are we gonna do?” Pivane asked. He was shivering, both from the cold and from their predicament.

“Hope it doesn’t see us,” the ranger said, his face set into a frown. “We can’t stay here. We need to leave.”

“We’ll all die if we leave,” the Mage said.

“It’s scared of Fire in the Night,” San said. He looked toward the distant fortress walls. “Maybe these void horrors aren’t on friendly terms with one another.”

***

“You go left, then right, and then straight until the red house, then turn left again. That’ll lead you to the gates,” Bostarion sketched out a series of marks in the snow before them. He and San crouched in the shadow of a collapsed hut. The ranger looked at San. “You sure about this?”

“It’s the only plan we have,” San said. “I’m the fastest also.”

The old ranger nodded and sighed. “I’m not one to dissuade a man from making his own choices, but I’ll have to admit. This one is a real idiotic one.”

San smiled. “The most outrageous ideas are usually the best ones,” he said.

“Or the one that’ll lead to your death.”

San only nodded in response. He rolled his shoulders, finally able to after removing his steel cuirass and pauldrons. He felt surprisingly light without the steel armor and pack, almost as if he would float away if he wasn’t careful.

He double checked his weapons, two pistols, a crossbow, his sword, dagger, camp knife, and bear mace, along with the pistol from his own world. He doubled checked the laces on his boots and stretched his legs. It was freezing out, the sun having half descended behind the distant peaks and turning the world into a gloomy blue.

The white furred creatures were active as the night began to descend. San and the others had noted the torches and braziers being lit within the fortress. It appeared the creatures had made it their home. San only hoped they would be willing to defend it.

It all depended upon him, San realized. Perhaps he was overestimating his physical abilities, perhaps he would falter when push came to shove. Either way, the others might have a chance if he distracted the monster.

“Alright” San said, crouching once more. From his pocket he pulled out a lighter and sparked the flame. Bostarion held out a torch and it ignited. “Fire in the Night.”

The torch flared and Bostarion moved it to where the light wouldn’t be seen by anyone looking in their direction. The ranger slapped San on the shoulder and nodded to him. San returned the gesture and rose to his feet.

Now or never.

The depth of the snow was going to be an issue, but as San moved along the abandoned streets, he felt he could keep up a good pace in it. The snow was powdery and didn’t impede him too much.

The gates were soon upon him and San slowed his pace, moving quietly as possible toward the opening. He peered out, scanning the treetops for the telltale shimmer of the creature. It didn’t take too long for him to notice the warping of the horizon, like a heat shimmer. It moved slightly, as if the creature were swaying back and forth.

San took a deep breath. He would have called what he was attempting suicidal, but so far everything he had done was suicidal. He should have died on the plateau over a month ago. He should have died to the Flesh Horror, the Rippers, and during the Nox attack. Yet he was still alive, he had Power now, he had strength, and he had people who were depending on him. The thoughts of Pavano, Azios, Endaha, Cassa, and even little Kovass all ran through his head. He had to return and help them.

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San removed his crossbow and loaded the bolt. He exited through the hole in the gates and stood in the open. He couldn’t see the eyes of the creature, but he could feel its gaze settle upon him. He could feel its eyes burrowing into him, recognizing him. The creature moved forward.

In the dimming daylight, San saw its movements. It lumbered through the snow, kicking it up and stamping down with heavy footfalls. San paused, wondering if this was the creature that had attacked them. It didn’t seem to move with the gracefulness as it had the night before or three nights previously. It staggered about as if barely able to hold its massive frame upright.

San raised the crossbow and fired it at the shimmering beast. He immediately turned and threw himself back through the hole in the gates and then began running as fast as he could. The sound of the creature’s scream filled the air. He had hit it and it was pissed.

As he passed a rundown hut San tossed the crossbow toward a small opening. The weapon sunk into the snow and a moment later Elgava’s hand snaked out and pulled it in. They only had two crossbows left.

San cast a look over his shoulder and nearly skidded to a stop. The creature wasn’t slowed by the massive gates, instead it phased through the entire wall. One moment there was the thundering of its steps chasing after him and in the next the creature appeared as if stepping out of the wall as if it hadn’t been there.

“What the hell?” San said, staring.

Not only could the creature turn invisible, but it could also phase through objects or barriers. San cursed at the unfairness of it. How could they hope to kill a creature that could turn itself incorporeal. How then; how had he shot it with the crossbow bolt?

The creature roared and stepped forward, turning solid once more. San stared at it, seeing the reddish splotch in the center of its chest where he had shot it. He could see the crossbow still there, he could see it bleeding, therefore it wasn’t invulnerable to attacks.

He turned and ran once more. A bit of hope blossoming in his chest. If it could be hurt, it could be killed. It’s incorporeal powers didn’t seem to be a passive thing, it had to activate them. That meant it was limited and possibly couldn’t be used all the time.

San careened left onto a side street, barreling down the empty cobblestones. A thunderous crash filled the air and San could feel the rumble under his boots. He cast a quick look behind him and saw that the monster had collided with a building, then righted itself and pursued.

It was no longer invisible. It stood its full forty feet height, towering over the ruined buildings, its iridescent scales glittering in the waning light. The creature roared again and then began giving chase.

San was fast, but he knew he couldn’t outrun the massive strides the creature was taking. In seconds it would close the distance and then it would swipe down at him with one of its four arms. San pushed himself. He was stronger now, faster, and he didn’t have all the gear and armor on him this time. He had to outrun it.

He skidded and turned right on the street, racing down another debris and snow covered street. The monster crashed into another building, screeching in anger. It was big and fast, but it didn’t have a quick turning radius. San filed away the information.

About three hundred feet ahead of him lay the red painted ruins of a house. He needed to reach it and then turn left, from there it was a straight shot up toward the walls that loomed over them and into the fortress. The home of the white furred creatures.

San ran.

A rock shattered before him, exploding into stinging shards against his coat. San nearly staggered to a stop, but he knew stopping would be death. Another rock exploded before him, kicking up snow and shards. San finally looked up toward the inner walls of the fortress. Upon the walls stood two white furred monsters, not the massive twelve foot one, but smaller. They were throwing stones at him.

San cursed and dodged another thrown stone. The white furred monsters seemed to be laughing at him. San cast a look behind him and saw the monster was barreling down toward him. Maybe he had been wrong in his assumption that the invisible monster would not like the white furred creatures. Perhaps they were working together all this time.

The red house approached and San skidded and changed directions, turning left and toward the long road that led to another set of ruined gates. Like the old keep in the Mage Chief’s cursed city, there was a wide ramped road that lead toward the inner gates.

Any kind of army would have had a tough time trying to lay siege to the inner walls, if they didn’t have blackpowder. San passed debris and fumbled for his pistol. The monster crashed into another building, this time its screech was more of annoyance and anger.

San’s legs were burning and the incline toward the gates was steep. The white furred creatures must have realized his destination for they had stopped throwing stones at him and seemed to have rushed back into the fortress to warn the others. San could hear a keening noise, like a song combined with a warning. He pulled a pair of earplugs from his pocket and shoved them into his ears.

The world muffled and the only sound he could hear was the thundering of his heart and his bellowing breaths. A white furred monster appeared by the gates, it held a long spear and its mouth was hinged open, either screaming or singing. San didn’t know. Instead San pulled out a pistol and skidded to a stop. He aimed the heavy blackpowder pistol and fired.

He could hear the thunderous roar through his earplugs. San shoved the pistol into his coat and then threw himself off the edge of the road. Bostarion had scouted the location and had told him the moat around the inner walls wasn’t filled with anything but snow. Age and no maintenance had filled the original moat with dirt and debris, nearly filling it.

San plunged into hip deep snow, grunting in pain as his hip hit something hard. He groaned and pulled himself forward, clambering out of the moat. He could feel rumbling and roaring, but he didn’t look. Instead he dug his hands into the soft soil and pulled himself forward. Pivane appeared before him and grabbed his outstretched hand. The man pulled San up and over the last remaining obstacle and they fell into a pile of snow.

Pivane had cloth stuffed in his ears and he pointed toward the gates. San looked and saw that the plan had worked.

The now visible scaled monster was battling two white furred creatures, while another lay ravaged and bloodied on the road. The only problem was that there were more white furred creatures racing to defend the gates, all of them armed. The scaled monster had size and power going for it, but the white furred creatures had numbers and weapons.

A fire was burning in the street past the red house, Bostarion standing to the side, crossbow ready. He nodded to San and they all paused for a second, watching as the fight between the creatures progressed. Two more white furred creatures were dead and five more appeared. San didn’t see the massive twelve foot one, only smaller ones in the seven or eight foot range.

Bostarion tapped his shoulder and mimed running away. San glanced back at the fight, with the sun now setting they were being shrouded in darkness. The white furred creatures were going to win the fight, the scaled monster was bleeding from wounds and screeching in pain. The axes, swords, and spears the white furred creatures wielded were making quick work of the monster. How long would it be before they chased after them?

San made up his mind. He tossed Bostarion his empty pistol and pulled the ranger’s own from his belt. The man shouted something at him, but with his earplugs he didn’t hear him. San turned and raced toward the towering monster.

The big beast was going to die, but that creature was just like an animal. It was hunting prey, it was chasing after food, the white furred creatures were smart. They had tried to kidnap Cassa. How many others had they taken?

Black blood dripped to the ground, hissing in the snow and reeking like a mixture of gasoline and rotting flesh. The white furred creatures were focused on the monster and didn’t realize San had approached. Up until he fired one pistol in pointblank range of a white furred creature with its back turned to him. The lead ball punched through its tattered cloak and into the space between its shoulder blades. The creature staggered forward and then flopped to the ground, dead.

There was a moment of silence as all eyes turned to San. He raised his second pistol and fired it into the face of another white furred creature. This one saw the shot coming and tried to move, the lead ball clipped the side of its face. An eruption of blood and flesh showed it had been hit. The creature dropped its axe and clutched at its face, screaming.

The scaled monster took the opportunity of the shocked reactions to grab another white furred creature and throw it against the stone gatehouse. The creature went limp and bounced off the wall, leaving behind a splotch of blood.

San felt more than heard a crossbow bolt flash by him. He saw the bolt sticking out of the throat of the white furred creature he had grazed. This time its screaming stopped and it clutched at the bolt, before falling backwards and off of the road.

The scaled monster stabbed down with all four arms into one of the furred creatures, the ends of its long arms turning into sharpen points. The impaled furred creature continued to snarl and brought its axe down upon the monster, shearing away one arm before it bled out.

The last white furred creature screamed and charged the scaled monster. It carried a long spear and shove it up and through the multi jointed leg of the monster. As if its strings were cut, the monster crumpled down, the long blade of the spear having sliced through something important. The white furred creature backed up, pulling out a sword and then began stabbing at the monster.

The monster wasn’t dead yet, just crippled. It swiped out with one arm and the white furred creature brought its sword up and cleaved through the limb. More blood and screaming followed as the white furred creature followed up by removing the damaged leg from the monster.

Two crossbow bolts slammed home into the white furred creature’s chest. It staggered back, shock on its face. San surged forward, pulling his sword free and bringing it down in a deep slash across the creature’s chest. Blood erupted and San could see the bone beneath its breast exposed. The creature staggered back and fell over. San dodged the last flailing attack by the dying monster and turned to retreat.

Through his muffled hearing he could both feel and hear the roaring of something else. He looked toward the fortress gates and saw the twelve foot figure of the massive white furred creature finally arriving. It wore what looked like bronze armor and carried its massive axe in one hand and a large shield in the other.

San took one look at it and then turned and ran.

The white furred creature pursued him. Its footsteps seemed louder and heavier than that of the scaled monster. San saw Bostarion, Elgava, and Pivane rise up. The ranger and the soldier were carrying crossbows and Pivane had a pistol in his hands.

San dropped to the road, throwing himself flat. He could feel the passing of the crossbows and the roar of the pistol. He immediately pulled himself up and raced toward his friends. The Mage appeared before him, tossing San a rock. San skidded to a halt, plunged his sword into the road and faced the creature.

A crossbow bolt was sticking out of its thigh, which was unarmored. A large dent showed where the pistol had struck it in the breastplate. The fire burning behind San cast the white furred creature in stark shadows, making its eyes seem to glow in the coming twilight.

The white furred creature spread its arms and roared at them. It just wasn’t a roar, it was a song within it. A noise that seemed to tell them all to stop. To lay down. To not resist. That they were safe and everything would be fine. San fought against the feeling and threw the catalyst rock with all his strength.

The explosion from the rock cleared the air. The feeling of comfort and no worries was expelled and the world came rushing back. San looked to see the Mage was lying on the ground blinking. He reached down and yanked the pistol from the man’s belt and faced the white furred creature again.

The creature looked stunned, its left arm, from the forearm downward was missing. All that was left was the remains of the shield it carried and a bloodied stump that was scorched.

San leveled the pistol and fired. He wasn’t aiming for anything but the exposed kneecap. The leg exploded with blood and fur, the creature snapped out of its shock and screamed, collapsing into the snow and black blood of the dying scaled monster.

He pulled his sword from the ground and raced forward. The creature had released its hold on its axe, using its remaining good hand to try and push itself up. San brought down the sword in an overhead chop onto the creature’s head. The enchanted blade cleaved the skull of the creature open.

It shuddered under his blade and then went still. San breathed heavily, a grin forming on his face. They had done it. They had defeated them.

He looked up and saw a massive arm swinging toward him. Pain exploded across his body and he felt himself flying.

Then there was darkness.