Hafth swung his sword, clipping the helmet of King Uldor as sparks flew from it and chips of gold rained on the grass. He blocked the incoming swings with his shield as Hafth channeled the rage of his dead wife and child, telling himself that Uldor started everything that lead to it. Almost frothing at the gnashed teeth, he tossed his own shield aside and standing wide open to bait his opponent. Uldor, knowing he was not half the swordsman, proceeded with caution, shield up and ready to defend.
“Is this not what you want? Your enemies with their hearts exposed for you to strike? Is this advantage and every edge not what you and your witch have been looking for?”
“Diaz is dead.” He barked, slamming an unexpected strike to his hilt and jarring him a little. “She died for her misread beliefs. I have nothing now, brother. NOTHING!” he roared, bashing his blade over and over with hatred. Hafth kicked his knee out from under him, stepping back to toy with his prey.
“And you started this war for her. You started a war between brothers that has killed half of us, one king will remain tonight, but unlike you, I fight with courage. You think you have lost everything? You have no dragon, but you still have sons and a wife. Mine were slain in this hate-fueled fire you lit ablaze when your witch told you to strike MY VILLAGE!” he roared, the red fire of the Rose burning in his eyes, kicking Uldor in the face. “She lit the torch of war, and like a dog on a leash you obeyed her, casting that torch upon what is mine. Look what you have burned, brother. Your witch deserved to burn too. I gave you the chance to bow and give up what you stole, to offer your head for your sins, and you stepped up to me in armor with a sword.”
“Then kill me, what stops you?” Uldor asked, clutching his shield.
“When I kill a man in armor, I kill him on his feet, not on his back. And I want you to bleed first. For my wife, my son, and the 600 peasants you set fire to in Thalebrook.
“Oh do boast as you always do, purest of blood and favorite of father. Tell me how those slaves you worked and robbed in Thalebrook now have souls and value now that they have been taken from you. You are no better than me, dominating the weak for riches and power, except I can admit I’m a bastard, and you believe yourself to be of the finest gold. You are the better swordsman, as you always have been, never the better man, nor the better king. I believed in a united world, a lie told by a beautiful woman who believed it as well. She was just wrong, naïve in her hope and her prophesy, arrogant that she alone could see the truth, and I followed because of love and faith. So let the lies end, father’s better hafth, admit this is not about your family or the peasants you worked to death, it’s about glorious power and greed. Admit it and see yourself for what you are, the same bastard with a better swordhand and far more men believing your lies.”
“Believe your own lies. I fight for glory and grief.” Hafth said, striking again, sticking his sword in the shield and giving Uldor a chance to drive an armored elbow to his face.
Gizzy dove for the bridge, taking cover as The Rose breathed a breath of molten heat overt top. She watched the stone above her glow red and the iron bars begin to melt.
“Holy shit.” She sighed, realizing she was not ready for that kind of heat. The beast took a sudden flailing dive to the ground as Vinn held it in place with the shield's beam.
“Yoink mode is not easy to sustain!” he reminded as Dee unleashed cover fire as a distraction and Gizzy rushed in for the neck shot, drawing her blade and sliding to a halt as it turned it’s head, and she made a right angle turn to run from the fire. She used a stray rock as a ramp, running up and backflipping as the molten white wave of death passed under her. She landed, on one knee. Gizzy made a dash the other way, tackling Dee as she fired a wild shot in the air, and they both rolled into the creek, the fire passing overhead. The Rose broke free of the shield grip and turned its fire to Vinn. He ducked, and the shield did its job, saving him from the fire in a glowing bubble of energy. It took flight again.
“I was trying to get in close.” Dee said, popping up from the water. Gizzy popped up too, watching the sky.
“It would have killed you. We’re rated to survive 2,000 degrees, that glancing breath just liquefied half the bridge. Iron melts at like 2500. That dragon’s breath is lethal even to us. We were not ready. You need to stay way back on this fight.”
“I can’t fight way back, I have a bow, I suck dick on bow. You know that.”
“You suck dick great, but your bow skills ARE terrible, and so are your analogies. I’d rather you be useless and mildly distracting than dead.” She said climbing out.
“Vinn, let’s get friendly.” She said, rushing in and sliding under his shield.
“I don’t like the way that sounds.” Vinn yelled.
“You can’t kill with a shield, I can’t survive without one. Dee is basically just eye candy in this fight. So we act like one target, block and strike. If one of us dies, the other one picks up the gear and continues with both items.”
“Pick up both? The items that together become more of a tempting corruption to the wielder, and they go insane with power? The not dead one of us does that? Amazing plan.”
“Just block, yoink, get that thing on the ground and rush his ass. The moment it runs out of breath, you let go, turtle down, and I’m gonna leap over you and chop it’s head off.”
“Hate all of that. Let’s go.” He nodded. They rushed together, locking the dragon in with the shield beam and reeling it in like a very angry fish on the wrong side of the water surface. It turned to dive into the pull, flaring up for an attack as they braced and dug their feet in. The Rose flapped once, turning feet first and double kicking them instead, sending them in slightly different arcs and then circling for a breath of flame. Vinn dove and rolled, shield blocking Gizzy as the flames surrounded her. He locked on target and yanked harshly, slamming the dragon to the side. Gizzy dove over him, using his shield like a springboard and swinging for the fence. Her sword struck something, as a wing struck her, ragdolling her into the air. The beast recoiled, missing a piece of wing and trying to take off, unable to flap through the pain and off-balanced wings. Gizzy circled as several wild aimed bolts of light rained towards The Rose. Not close enough to hit, but close enough to get it to notice.
“Back off target!” Gizzy yelled.
“I just saved your ass. Stop scolding me and save mine!” Dee yelled as Vinn sprinted frantically towards her as a shield, carrying one. She ran to meet him and hunkered under it as the dragon’s breath engulfed the bubble and Gizzy went for the dragon’s back side, hoping it wouldn’t turn and just light her world up.
She was not so fortunate.
Hafth plunged his sword into Uldor’s shield, the tip sticking through enough to hit armor. He twisted the shield and disarmed Hafth. Now standing with a sword and no shield, as Hafth circled unarmed and still brimming with a confident smile. Uldor swung and missed as Hafth stepped aside, kicking him in the back and sending him stumbling. He casually stepped on the shield and yanked his sword out, flipping it playfully and pointing it at the now shieldless Uldor. King Uldor stepped in for a kill and locked blades with his brother, who simply slammed his helmet into his nosepiece, bloodying his face and sending him to his back, sword pointed out and crawling for some range. Hafth opened his arms, leaving his blade down and out, as if to provoke a shot. Uldor took the bait, lunging and missing his spin out of the way. Hafth grabbed the outstretched blade, slamming the flat of the fuller to his armored knee, breaking the blade in two and strolling back as Uldor watched his hope bounce off the ground and retracted half a sword.
“You stupid fool. I was always the better swordsman, but I still have the power of a dragon coursing through my veins and you do not. That dragon made you powerful, and you sacrificed it to a prophecy that was a lie. You have done this to yourself. Your faint but possible chance of beating me face to face, just cast aside for a witch's whim. You threw away everything, Uldor. It wasn’t taken from you or lost. You threw it away.”
“God they are taking forever.” Nicole sighed. “If they would stop talking, they’d be done by now.” She finished as Nathan in chains sat beside her.
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“So who’s your money on?” he asked.
“Well, obviously the blonde one. He’s got dragon blood stuff. Trust me I know the advantage of that.” She said with a slight evil smirk. “Actually, he might make a decent second husband.”
“If I was your first one, and you didn’t pull this power hungry brat bullshit, I’d be all for it. Vinn might not feel the same about sharing you. The old Nicole would remember him, you know, her current husband.”
“I’m just saying hypothetically, like a strategic and non-sexual second husband on paper. Don’t even. Just watch the cockfight.” She snipped.
Gizzy sailed through the air, sword back and ready to swing as the dragon’s mouth lined up with her and too far back to slash. Mid-fall she felt a moment of fear, not in death itself but leaving her team alone, and Dee with Silverback, who would totally get himself killed and break her heart again. Suddenly a shield flew past her, and she grabbed for it, curling up and being engulfed in flames, before a clawed swat sent her to the dirt. She dropped the shield and retracted her hand, smoldering and burnt as well as a few bits not properly blocked by the shield.
“It doesn’t really work as well unless the owner wields it.” Vinn reminded.
“Better than nothing by a mile.” She said, picking it back up and debating her moves as the dragon singled her out. Dee drew her bow and struck it in the wing, putting a clean hole in the already damaged limb, now crippled and useless. It tucked the injured limb and hopped around Gizzy to use her as an inhuman shield against arrow fire.
“You clever bitch.” Gizzy said as it bull-rushed her instead. She panicked and just overhand threw the sword, sticking it in the dragon’s side and only slightly slowing it as it rammed her and send her and the shield in different directions. Vinn recovered the shield and locked it in place, as Gizzy ran to her horse for some kind of backup weapon, looking rather disappointed and annoyed.
Dee ran like hell as the fire breath veered her way, frantically firing lasers in no particular manner. Gizzy rushed back in the fight, armed with her short sword and something under her arm bundled in cloth. She saw Dee lining up with the dragon’s muzzle faster than Vinn could get in front of it, and she threw her short sword, which bounced off the dragon like striking a brick wall. However, it did seem to annoy it, enough to draw it to her, now weaponless, shieldless and somehow fearless.
“Eat me you overgrown Komodo. Come on! Fire is for chicken shits, fight me with teeth and claws.” She said baring her fangs and nails as the dragon seemed amused. It snorted and stomped closer, its one good arm read to claw and tear and it’s teeth bared and ready to taste the flesh of whatever this fearless creature was.
Uldor landed back against the wall, ducking just as a sword struck where his throat once was. He swiped with half a sword as Hafth chuckled maniacally. He batted the stub away and stabbed Uldor in the shoulder, leading him like a dog my the arm to the stone wall and pinning him there.
“Have I bled enough for your amusement? Because I will never beg or bow. I will die on my feet spitting in your face. You want my head, take it.” he groaned, dizzy from the pain. Hafth twisted the sword and pulled back, taking the strike for his head and hitting a blocking half sword instead, as Uldor staggered out of range.
“Why doesn’t he just kill him?” Nicole said, rolling her eyes.
“He’s toying with him. Giving him chances to strike back arrogantly. He’s an idiot. That’s why. Going mad with power can do that to you. That chaos corruption he still has making him powerful is making him insane. Makes you sadistic and bloodthirsty.” Silverback said cryptically.
“I get it, the robes are making me evil. You know what else power does, it makes you powerful. He’s a dick, but he’s winning. I’m winning. I’m not some morally gray sketchy bitch, I’m stronger than these robes, Nathan.”
“Those kings drank dragon bone to gain power, and look what it did to them. Look how Uldor has gone from a hated king to an almost human after his dragon died. You have dragon blood AND the robes of power fighting for your soul, Nicole. Even if your will is twice as strong and your heart twice as pure, in twice the time you’ll be as corrupt as them, and if you take the other items you’ll be lost.”
“You don’t know a thing about power. You’ve never had it.”
“Power isn't everything, if you have no heart. That’s why Uldor is still alive in this fight. He's mortal again, fighting with heart, not chaos.”
“Oh, he’s gonna be dead when fuckin…Halfthor Bjorgisborg get tired of playing with him.” she assured.
Gizzy stomped up to the beast, smiling as if she already won. It swung an overhand claw, crumpling her to the ground, as Vinn sprinted for the fight and Dee shakily aimed and couldn't keep Gizzy from wobbling into her sights, afraid to make the shot.
The dragon bared down, as Gizzy held up it’s claw, her hydraulics crunching as she lifted up her free hand, still holding a cloth wrapped object and a raised middle finger. It opened its mouth, chomping down and feeling metal and fabric force down its throat. Gizzy pulled out her arm, without the swallowed object. Gizzy staggered back, her left arm now elbow to fingertips stripped to the mechanical bones, and no longer holding any object. He chuckled darkly, eyes glowing blue, and holding up a gold key in her other hand.
“You didn’t pay your rent on time.” She said as the lunchbox ticked down inside the beast’s belly and with a thunderous bass boom, the house materialized in front of her, dropping a good 6 feet and painted red with a few hundred gallons of viscous liquid. “So that’s done…what do we have…2 left now?” Gizzy asked, collapsing and flopping backwards with exhaustion.
Hafth stepped back, swinging his sword and gasping for air, as a strange feeling of weakness overwhelmed him. He suddenly felt the pain of his wounds, the aching of his muscles and the weight of his heart now broken and empty as The Rose burning in his soul was quenched. He placed his hand on the stone wall to steady himself, and half a broken sword planted firmly in his back. He looked down at the shard of steel sticking out of his chest and Uldor backed away, picking up the discarded shield, raising it over his head and slamming the metal banded tip into Hafth’s neck, sending his golden locked head rolling across the sandy ground. The crowd behind the wall cheered and began beating their shields, as Dravenguard’s army stood in disbelief and silent shock. Uldor roared with triumph, turning to Nicole.
“All other kings are dead, The Rose is dead, the grand city is now unguarded and vulnerable. My goddess, I have passed your test. Soldiers of Dravenguard!" He roared. "Bow to her, and bow to me. For I am your king now, and she is our god. There will be no more war, no more blood feud, none shall be slain in the name of kings and vengeance, of colors and of flags.” He said, staggering and catching his breath. “For one king remains, and…” he paused, dropping to his knee. “One king…shall re…mai-” he said, blacking out and landing on his back, the bloody wound on his abdomen and shoulder now showing how much blood he was losing. He closed his eyes and coughed a single cough of red saliva, going limp. Spirecrest now matched and mirrored Dravenguard’s solemn silence as their king lie dead as well, and Nicole rolled her eyes.
“You shitting me? All that and they both died?” she said, walking her way to the center of the battleground in between both armies. “See, this shit right here is what I’m talking about. Pointless war and death. Even kings fall to this stupid fighting, but no more. No kings, no sides, no armies. You are all mine now. Everyone go home. You, red guards…go back to Dravenguard. Build a life. You answer to my call and for now, the war is over. Spirecrest, un-prepare to defend the walls. Just go home to your families. I’m all of your kings now…al of your king. All of…yours’s…I’m everyone’s king. That’s the last of the Elf kings rule. I killed Ulferling, my servants killed Faeryn, and these two turds flushed each other for no good reason. They could have shared, they didn’t. And what did we learn today?” she said, crossing her arms as silence fell over the land and one man frantically ran to her side with a breathless pace, holding a scroll and doubling over in exhaustion.
“My queen…king. Goddess.” He said, looking for the right words.
“Your highness is fine. What is so important that you gotta interrupt my speech about ending war?”
“The army of Gravestead is approaching for war.” he huffed. She facepalmed, brushing her now almost pure white hair out of her face and looking furious.
“Their king is dead, the dragon should be dead too by that logic, are they seriously marching against 2 armies, a goddess and the last dragon left? Why? It’s too stupid? What’s the point? Oh my fuck, it just never ends. How long do we have?”
“A day, maybe longer, if they stop to rest.”
“Okay, everyone, listen up. These stubborn twits are gonna insisted on fighting, so I guess both armies rest up and be ready for battle AGAIN, in the morning, so we can do this whole speech AGAIN, and probably have to watch some princes fight to the death or whatever. I’m over it. It’s too much. I’m going back to my tower, just…nobody kill anyone until they get here, okay? God’s orders. This is ridiculous!!” she yelled, breathing frost and fire and punching the wall on her way through the gate, leaving a small crater lined in melting frost and black smoke.
She slumped in her hot bath, still wearing her robes as Silverback ate grapes and meat at the table.
“I can’t keep track of this shit Nathan, are we winning or no? Is this a GOOD outcome, or a big ol shitmess? I honestly don’t know. We came here to fix the world, we’re just making it kingless and confusing.”
“Sounds like a great time to just kill the last dragon, head out with the robes in a bag, destroy them and go home. Mission accomplished.” He said with a mouthful of venison.
“Don’t you dare even joke about hurting Blueberry, and those items are mine now. Without leadership, these dumbasses will all self-dead in months.”
“You do realize the only way to properly wield them is to be their master, and you’d have to kill Gizzy, Dee and your husband to untether them and claim them. You wanna graduate from the god of mercy that doesn’t kill, to killing your friends and husband for the items, or do we just destroy them all and leave like we planned the whole damn time?"
"Obviously, I’m not killing them. There has to be a way to unlock it, like I unlocked the dragon. I just don’t know how yet, we’ll get mages on it and spell books sent in, someone has to know! In the meantime, I’m still one of 4 wielders who’s also now turbocharged and controlling multiple armies and the last dragon. What are they gonna do, gang up and kill me? I’m unkillable, magic armor, plot armor, and look at me, I’m adorable, even as a snarky spoiled bitch. Nobody’s touching me. I’m still in charge, I just have to figure out how to solidify that by unlocking the stuff and going full chaos mode. Chaos Nicole is gonna be a whole thing, and it’s gonna be great. Trust me."
“I really don’t.” Silverback sighed.