The greenish fog rolled across the road, the air taken by a deep and sudden chill. From within the swirling tide came the sound of claws upon stone, the ground awash with glowing eyes and razor-sharp teeth. Yet the true threat stalked from the middle of the pack, pausing as it drew closer.
Ice touched air rolled off the woman’s body as she regarded Darian with pale blue eyes. Her skin was milky and was split here and there by jutting ice crystals. Her hair, which fell in a braid over her shoulder, appeared to be made of orange autumn leaves that tussled in the breeze.
“Damnit,” Jorg mumbled, his gloved hand balled tightly around the handle of his mace. “Whatever you do, don’t look into its eyes.”
Darian nodded at the paladin and drew into a fighting stance. But neither the gremlins nor the fey woman made a move. The two groups just stood staring at each other, Krast growing restless at Jorg’s back.
Then the woman spoke.
“Men of Lonelen,” it said, its voice as harsh as a winter storm. “You have trespassed.”
“Didn’t know this road was yours,” Krast half mumbled from behind.
Her eyes drifted to him, and he shrunk back, his boots crunching on the hardpacked snow.
“What the boy says is true,” Darian said. “We did not know this area belonged to you.”
Jorg grunted. “Don’t try and reason with the fey.” He grimaced, painful memories flashing before his eyes. “They can’t be trusted not to stab you in the back the moment you turn around. No, our only way out is to cut her down.”
Darian didn’t exactly trust Jorg’s judgment on these matters, but he’d be lying if he didn’t feel the Justicar was right. There was a sinister glare to the fey woman’s eyes that told him there was nothing they could say to escape a fight.
The woman laughed. “Silly creatures. You come with your men of bone and your blades of iron. Always to kill, crush, and destroy. You may have taken our home, but,” She flicked her wrist and the gremlins advanced. “You will trouble us no longer.”
Darian summoned six of his wolves, the beasts swirling to life from clouds of grey mist. They charged the onslaught of Gremlins as Jorg called down a bolt of holy flame. A portion of the monsters were killed instantly, but more and more appeared, their teeth barred, claws greedy for blood. And as the two sides collided, Darian hurled a spear of flame at the Fey, his sword slicing a gremlin in half as he charged for their leader.
Shards of ice materialized in the air around the fey, their crystal tips sharpened to a needle’s point. Activating [Dash Strike], Darian burst forward just as the shards shot through the air. They whistled past his head, missing him by a hair’s width.
His sword arced down, but a wall of ice greeted his blade, the force of the impact nearly tearing the weapon from his grip. The fey smiled, the wall suddenly pushing forward, forcing Darian on the back foot.
An orb of light appeared beneath the fey’s feet, but she did not seem concerned. With her eyes still on Darian, the orb exploded in a blinding flash. The holy energy washed over Darian’s cheeks, his skin tingling as if he was pressed too close to a furnace. But when the mist calmed, the fey was still standing, her body completely unharmed.
Jorg cursed from behind, the gremlins pressing in on him. Needing to buy the paladin some space, Darian summoned not only his remaining wolves, but his two giant bats. He sent the wolves to assist Jorg in protecting Isaac and Krast while he rounded the ice wall, his teeth barred.
He sent a command to his bats, instructing them to both target the fey with their sonic blast skill. But just as they hovered above her head, Darian’s connection to the creature’s was severed. They turned in the air, their eyes glowing a deep blue. And before Darian had time to consider what was happening, they opened their mouths, the air split suddenly by their screech.
The sound crashed into Darian, his ears bursting with pain. He stumbled, a gremlin jumping from the mist to clamp onto his arm. The monster’s teeth sunk into his flesh, but Darian hardly noticed. It was like his brain had suddenly been punched by a giant. Everything swirled, the sounds of battle and death fading in and out of his consciousness. More of the small creatures swarmed him, his thoughts collecting just enough to defend himself.
Then one of the bats swallowed the sky above, and its fangs came down on Darian’s shoulder. Piercing right through his chainmail shirt, the agony pulled him back to his senses. He activated [Biting Swarm] on the moon cast shadows along the roadside. The gremlins cried out as their strange blood began to flow, and Darian targeted them with [Crimson Daggers].
Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.
As the daggers materialized, Darian twisted, the bat still clamped onto his shoulder and a gremlin still latched onto his arm. Putting them between himself and the daggers, Darian sent two into the bat and one into the gremlin. The gremlin died instantly, but the bat relented, biting down harder.
Activating [Dominate Animal] on it, Darian could feel his will and the fey’s pressing against each other. As they battled mentally, Darian cut down gremlin after gremlin, but they continued to materialize from the mist. His wolves were still doing a good job helping Jorg stem the tide, and the Justicar was still hitting the fey with his holy spells. And while they didn’t seem to be doing much damage, they did distract her.
Darian wrested control of the bat, and it finally released him. He then turned and used [Dominate Animal] on the remaining bat. Snatching it back under his control, he directed them to assist Jorg. Since the wolves were still under Darian’s control, he figured they had to be close to the fey in order for her to take them over.
“That was a first,” Darian said, hacking a gremlin’s head from its shoulder. “Let’s make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
More ice shards appeared, but Darian used [Blood Mist] to block the fey’s vision. Obscured, Darian dashed to the side, activating more [Blood Mist] as he circled. Then he charged through, blade held close and more crimson daggers at his side.
When he cleared the mist, he sent his floating daggers ahead. The fey blocked them with another thick wall of ice, but that is what Darian wanted. He swiveled around it, his sword flashing out to catch her on the shoulder. She hissed, the flame enchanted blade melting into her ice-covered body.
Darian pulled his sword back, then used [Arcane Blade] to add a corrosive edge to his next attack. Sacrificing 15% of his HP with [Blood Strike], he slammed the sword into her ribs. Roaring, he drove the blade deeper and deeper, the fey screeching. Then, with a horrid ripping and cracking, he cut her completely in half.
The mist vanished in an instant, leaving a small horde of confused gremlins behind. But with their numbers dwindling, Jorg moved forward, his mace bashing the monsters to bits. Darian’s remaining wolves joined with the slaughter, and within moments the road lay in an eerie silence.
Looking down at the fey’s crumpled body, Darian watched as it evaporated into blue mist.
----------------------------------------
Enemies Defeated
[Gremlins Lv. 4] x17
[Winter Fey Lv. 12]
Class XP Gained: 123
Progress to Class Lv. 11 (542/650)
----------------------------------------
Darian leaned down and pressed his fingers to a pool of the fey’s blood. It was cold to the touch, but Darian still pressed his bloodied fingers to his tongue.
----------------------------------------
Winter fey blood consumed: + 8 Race XP.
Progress to race Lv. 4 (31/150)
Temporary Skill gained: [Ice Blast]
----------------------------------------
“We were lucky,” Jorg said as he approached. “This one was weak.”
“Prior experience with them?” Darian asked.
“Aye. Fey like to worm their way into the minds of men. I once saw a whole regiment fall under a Spring fey’s grasp. She had them all bite off their own tongues and start trying to sing. She laughed the whole time too, like it was all some kind of joke.” He pointed down at the pool of frosted blood. “Fey don’t die like the rest of us, though. They just reform after a while. Makes them see mortals as lesser beings. Toys.” He spat.
Krast leaned down and stared at where the fey’s body had vanished. He twirled a bloody knife in his hand, his lips shifting into a frown. “Shame she didn’t have the decency to stay put a while. Could use something to drink.”
Isaac stood close to Krast, but he was eyeing Darian’s summoned wolves and bats. “They edible?” he asked.
Darian shook his head. He tested it during his stay at the goblin village. While they bled, the blood itself held no flavor and did not quench Darian’s thirst.
“Well, what now?” Krast asked, rising and stretching his back.
“We continue down the road.” Darian peered into the foggy distance. “But we have to be extra careful. I doubt this fey was the only one.”
“A sad sign of these dark times,” Jorg said, shaking his head. “The fey should never have been allowed to take root here. But with so many of the kingdom’s forces battling the demons, I’m afraid this will become the new norm.”
“And there were undead at the caravan,” Darian added. “I fear we may be walking into more trouble.”
Jorg laughed. “Walking into trouble? I’d say that’s going to be the case no matter where we go.” He started down the road. “But we’re used to trouble, aren’t we?” He turned and gave the boys a reassuring smile. “Now let’s keep going. And pray to Argus that’s the last fey we see.”
Darian followed the paladin, but he did not pray. Not that it would do them any good even if he did. He knew this was far from the last of their troubles. But he would keep his feelings to himself. With luck, he would be proven wrong.