CHAPTER 11

Burning bridges

“Which Paladin order sent you to finish me off then?” A pang of concern shot through him, he had sent Iridia back to Zeth, could he be involved?

Brondius let out a powerful laugh. “I don’t take orders from the likes of Paladins.”

Kaleb stood two feet from Brondius, smoke from the fire whipped around them and he resisted the urge to cough. He leaned to the right to look past Brondius, inspecting the damage as hot embers flittered around their feet and kissed the grass with a fiery tongue, beautiful and deadly. He screwed his face up and pointed beyond the bridge over Brondius’ shoulder. “What is that?”

Brondius turned to see, his steel cage rattling. Kaleb wasted no time and brought his hammer down on his steel helmet, it buckled under the weight and Brondius collapsed in a scrap heap.

“Simpleton.” Kaleb turned to follow the retreating wagon.

Bronidus’ steel clanked. “Weakling.”

Kaleb stopped and looked behind him; Brondius had gotten to his feet, wrenched the dinted helmet and tossed it to the side. His head was crushed in on one side with an eyeball bulging out and his jaw hanging loose. By a miracle of the divine, he had healed albeit with a hefty scar and lopsided features. Kaleb was aware that Brondius had similar self-preservational abilities, it’s why he was also earmarked for the role of justiciar, immune to the demon-slaying weapons and able to take unreasonable punishment made them both excellent at the role of taking down the remarkably strong Paladins if they should veer from the righteous path. However, even Kaleb would struggle to resurrect from such trauma so quickly.

Brondius afforded Kaleb no time to ponder such a quandary and swung his arm in an arching sweep, aiming it for Kaleb's skull. Kaleb ducked and rolled deftly, keeping his hammer in reach so he could lift it again.

“The Hammer is mine! Zale is my house!” He bellowed as he brought the hammer downwards, it made a putrid snapping sound as it connected with Kaleb’s ankle.

“Ah!” Kaleb rolled away, unable to re-arm himself. Brondius kicked the hammer of Zale away.

“You’ll never wield me!” The hammer glowed.

Brondius ignored the hammer as he circled Kaleb like a stalking predator playing with its kill. “I’ll be doing everyone a favour by offing you.” He brought the hammer down once again but Kaleb managed to roll away.

Kaleb scrambled to his feet, ankle healed enough for him to walk again, he darted under the arm of Brondius and lifted his hammer. “How is he so powerful?” he whispered to his hammer.

“I do not know, Kaleb, make every blow count.”

Kaleb let the haft of his hammer glide through his hands to send the head into Brondius’ chest. Normally that would have put a good number of men down, but Brondius merely stumbled backwards. He didn’t let up, he pulled the hammer back into full grip and stepped forward to drive another crushing blow to Brondius’ rib cage.

Brondius roared and swiped at the assaulting mace before returning the favour, he swung his hammer and struck Kaleb in the shoulder, it popped and Kaleb stumbled to the side before repositioning. “You feel that? You have no chance.” Brondius’ eyes flickered black and his tongue lashed out.

“Faster!”

“I am going as fast as I can, my lady.”

Iridia stood up on the front of the wagon, Brimshire was in sight but didn’t know what awaited her. She thought about Flencer and his crossbow; any little help from any dark corner might be welcomed. Once in range of the village gates, Iridia lept off the front of the wagon with spear in hand and armour adorned she pelted full pace, it was outstanding how fast she could run, Iridia didn’t realise she could move so rapidly.

Zeth was preparing his horse out in front of the inn when he caught sight of Iridia. “Neophyte, what’s the rush?” he cocked his head and moved to intercept. To his surprise, she lifted her spear and pointed it at him. “Woah now!”

“Your friend burned the bridge!”

“My friend?” Zeth approached slowly with his hands raised. “Brondius? He went ahead to return to Angelspree, about time.”

Flencer came out, half cut it seemed. “Nah, what’s all this hustle ‘n’ bustle?”

“Flencer, where is your crossbow?” Iridia kept her gaze fixed on the bewildered Zeth.

“Inside my dear, one moment.” Flencer went back inside and returned with the heavy bow. “Am I shootin’ this one?”

“Dear divine no you are not sir!” Zeth turned to look at the crossbow-wielding dwarf. “Let’s all calm down.”

“I think that would be a marvellous idea.” The crow-faced Mayor cawed from further up the road, he was joined by a retinue of three villagers, holding miners' picks and pitchforks. The mayor's eyes flicked black as he approached, his men lumbered lazily alongside.

Flencer swung his crossbow to aim at the threatening approach. “I hate this town!”

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

“Say, Mayor, what goes on here, hm?” Zeth placed his hand on the hilt of his sword that hung from the side of his steed.

The mayor screeched, his mouth opened wide and bore rows of spiny teeth, then his blacked-eyed retinue charged mindlessly.

Zeth freed his golden blade and with a beautiful motion he sliced through one of the assailants as if they were made of air, a wheel of arching yellowed blood sprayed away into the sky and the man fell with a thud.

Flencer shot the other through the chest to put the brakes on his charge.

Iridia, caught up in the moment stepped forward and met the third; she thrust her spear and pierced him through the stomach. The man went limp on her pole which weighed her down, she struggled to free it and so Zeth came and helped with his foot. “Excellent form young lady.”

Iridia looked up at Zeth and blushed. “Oh, thank you.”

“Not to interrupt, ladies, but we have more to deal with, and I can’t nock bolts that fast!” Flencer pointed at the building across the road where more men had emerged looking hungry for violence and perhaps more.

“It’s time to leave, into the wagon, get back to Kaleb, I’ll follow!” Zeth mounted his horse and held his fabulous blade aloft. It glittered in the sun and at that moment his horse raised on its hind legs. This scene could be immortalised in the form of a statue at the centre of Angelspree thought Iridia, awestruck.

“Come on, Iridia!” Flencer grabbed her arm. “You can gawk after!” He helped her into the wagon and hopped in the back with her.

“Ehm right, back to the bridge, Morgan!”

“I was hoping you’d say that!” He cracked the reins to wheel off.

Iridia clambered out in front and reactively spiked a man trying to hang onto the side, who fell away and rolled a few times. She watched her second kill writhe until Zeth rode into view, swiping at the other men with impeccably clean slices.

Blood filled Kaleb’s throat as he crawled away from Brondius, he coughed up lumps and groaned.

“Out of steam, Kaleb?” He marched behind the crawling Paladin and brought his hammer down on his spine. Kaleb let out a scream of pain and blood pooled in his mouth to cut the groan short. Brondius tossed his hammer to the side and lifted the hammer of Zale which Kaleb had dropped partway through their clash; which had gone on for nearly forty minutes before Kaleb couldn’t fight back any longer. “Fitting that I kill you with your housemaster.”

“You have no right to wield me! You filthy animal!”

Kaleb had flopped onto his back, eyes rolling, dizzy from the agony of his broken spine. He wasn’t healing as quickly, the blows were galactic and put his body through tests he hadn’t experienced before.

“Time to die.” Brondius roared and slammed the hammer down towards Kaleb’s head. “Ngh!” The hammer’s intended destination was prevented by Kaleb's foot, catching the mace on his sole, he shoved the hammer with his leg to shatter Brondius’ spiny teeth.

Kaleb rose painfully, the agony raked its burning claws down his back but he had to keep moving if he was to survive. He kicked up Brondius’s heavier hammer and stepped back, he hadn’t the strength to swing it now.

“Ragh!” Brondius swung at Kaleb who parried despite the justiciars hindered mobility. The battle was nearing its climax; he knew the Paladin of Zale couldn’t hang on much longer. He pulled his arm back, ready to deliver a mighty blow that would surely break Kaleb's guard.

THUNK.

Brondius choked and blood spurted from his mouth and nose.

“What a shot!”

Kaleb’s hearing was impaired and his vision blurred, his head lulled in the direction of the muffled yell. The wagon was rolling up the road toward the bridge which was now a smoking wreck.

Flencer fist-pumped the air. “Did you see that, shot?”

Zeth galloped past the wagon and charged toward the mangled Brodius who was wrenching the bolt from his neck.

Brondius pulled the bolt and inspected it on his bloody palm until his arm fell off. Zeth had brought his sword around as he charged behind him and lopped off his arm from the elbow. He let out a bellowing cry, which was interrupted by a hammer blow to his forehead.

Iridia had moved through the back of the wagon, picking up her new shield.

“I hope you’re not going to use me, young lady, I’m not made to be a shield, you know I am sick of this, how about I be a nice dinner plate?”

Iridia ignored the shield and approached some of the stragglers that had chased the wagon, She placed her spear over the shield and thrust at the closest one. Another swung at her and she blocked.

“Ow!”

Another strike.

“Ow!”

She thrust another, spear getting stuck once more which forced her to release the weapon to defend herself from a heavy pick axe bludgeon.

“Ow, ow and ow!” The shield complained.

Iridia fell back onto her bum. “Shut up! I’m trying not to die here!” She rolled out the way and held the shield up, two more had joined and now she was in a bit of a pickle.

Flencer, who had been mindful enough to take note of Iridia’s courage and perhaps stupidity, hopped from the back of the wagon and with a twist and a tug, pulled the spear from the corpse. With simple thrusts and cute ducking and weaving, Flencer dispatched the foes with ease. Iridia watched; impressed.

“Ya need to twist when you thrust a little and twist back to release your spear.” He tossed her the weapon. “Ya can’t be losing your weapon in battle.”

Iridia nodded. “Right, of course.”

Brondius was pinned to the floor with a blade through his shoulder and Kaleb’s foot on his chest.

“Why have you betrayed us!” Zeth cried as he looked over him.

“Eat shit! Fuck the divine heart!” His tongue lashed out and his smashed teeth chattered with a repulsive click.

“I’ve heard enough.” Kaleb brought the heavier hammer down onto Brondius’s face with fury and renewed vigour. His head was crushed flat into the mud, sending bits of splintered bone and flesh in all directions to create a gory sundial. “Get up from that.”

“Well, that concludes that interrogation.” Zeth looked at Kaleb with a frown which softened when he saw the damage Brondius had done. Even with his ability to heal, Kaleb was a mess, his face was battered and his eyes and cheeks were bruised into submission. “Are you able to heal, Kaleb?”

Kaleb fell to his knees and collapsed on top of Brondius’s corpse.

“Dwarf, help me get him into the wagon, we should move down the river to the next bridge before more come.”

Flencer nodded and helped Zeth shift the injured Kaleb while Morgan and Iridia joined, heaving him into the back of the wagon and setting off. Zeth held onto the hammer as he followed on his horse.

Kaleb roused after a heavy bump and sat up on his elbows.

“Woah there now, lad, rest a bit, you’ve been through the wars.”

Kaleb frowned at Flencer. “Who let a bloody dwarf into my house?” he coughed and his eyes rolled back into his skull before he fell unconscious.

“Even near death, he’s rude,” Flencer sighed.