Daniel tightened his grip on the reigns, steadying himself as his Cro’kan came to a slow stop. Dawn had come, and with it, an eerie wailing on the wind. The morning’s cool breeze pricked at the skin on his cheeks, but all other sensations were numb. Of the nearly one thousand warriors from Vul De Rah who had set out to meet the demons on the field of battle. Not a single one spoke a word; the sound of boots, rumbling on the earth was the symphony of their trek. For Daniel could imagine, all of their minds lay on what was ahead of them. The single focus of their mission; to destroy a great evil that now threatened to obliterate, not just their home, but the entirety of their world.
Alektor strode beside him, pulling on his reigns to bring his Cro’kan to a halt. “Do you hear that?” He asked, his eyes looking toward the brightening sky above. “The voices on the wind?” He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. “Part of me was hoping I would be wrong, you know? That we would arrive to find nothing but the irritated forms of spirits. Ready to turn us away for invading their space.” His eyes opened and he turned toward Daniel. “Alas, blood must be spilled all the same.”
“We all hope.” Daniel’s words were rasped as he answered. The silent hours he spent riding with his thoughts alone making his throat feel as though it were filled with gravel. “But hope doesn’t win battles, now does it?”
Alektor’s eyes narrowed as he leaned forward. “I trust you will have more encouraging words for the warriors. Before they fight creatures that are, quite literally, from their nightmares.”
“Don’t misunderstand me.” Daniel sighed, “Hoping for the outcome we want is part of the equation, yes. But that just gets you to the fight. Once you’re there, you’ve got to give everything you have to win it.” Daniel locked eyes with Alektor, the familiar numbness before a battle washing over him with a serene comfort. “Hope got us here. Now, we’ve got to fight. Besides, you’re the one who’s got to make a speech or something to motivate everyone, right?”
“I suppose that responsibility would fall to me.” Alektor said, turning as the sound of Cro’kan talons impacting on dirt echoed from their right. Daniel turned to see Avria, Katrina, Robert, Delmos, and Turak making their way towards them.
“Our scouts have reported back!” Avria’s voice was laced with tension as her mount skid to a halt before them. “Thousands of demons now march toward our position. Straight for the city.”
“A city that would be much easier to defend, than an open field.” Delmos grumbled.
“The threat to the citizens of Vul De Rah is too great.” Alektor replied with a glare. “If even one of these monsters were to get there, they could slaughter countless innocence before we could stop them. In the same note, our most powerful Dunamis abilities can be unleashed here without fear of too much collateral damage.”
“We will have to fortify ourselves, here.” Avria interjected, scanning the open field around them.
“That might take far too long, with the Dae-Voh we currently have at our disposal.” Turak huffed. “Most of them are reserve warriors.”
“Please.” Avria turned toward Katrina. “We have one of the most powerful Dae-Voh in Eleutheros with us.”
Katrina smiled, turning toward Daniel. “You know about military fortifications, right, Dan? What would be the best way to defend against these things?”
Daniel pondered for a moment, looking at the field as well. “We need high walls, Kat. Really high walls. Oo’lak was like twenty feet tall. He could fly too, but the smaller ones can’t. We also need to be able to imbue our powers into the stone. I want them to pay for every inch of ground here.”
“Their goal most likely is the city.” Alektor added. “According to Lauren, they just need to slaughter as many of us as they can, in the hopes of opening another, larger gate. If we prove too hard a target for them, they might just try to go around us.”
“We can’t only defend.” Robert said, pointing toward the horizon. “To stop them we need to close the gate. And the gate is in the forest somewhere.”
“It shouldn’t be too hard to find.” Daniel shrugged. “I know I’m not the only one who can sense it over there.”
“No.” Katrina shivered as the words left her mouth. “I feel it over there alright. Like an open wound that’s festering. And that sensation is getting closer by the second.”
“Then we have no time to waste.” Alektor nodded toward Katrina. “Make us a wall, as high and as strong as you can manage around our forces, my dear. Show the warriors the strength of a Spirit-Sent. It will embolden their hearts.”
Katrina nodded, then dismounted her Cro’kan. Daniel watched as she strode several paces forward, flexing her fingers in anticipation.
“I heard a report before our departure.” Alektor said, his eyes not leaving Katrina while she prepared herself. “That dear Katrina had been ascended to the rank of Hego within Lokkon.”
“We have the authority to appoint whom we wish, your Highness.” Avria answered, her voice was steady and confident. “I was unaware of any complications.”
“We don’t have time for political sparring here, Avria.” Alektor’s answer was laced with irritation. “Were she anyone else, I would have welcomed the appointment. However, like your father, you seem determined to attempt to outmaneuver me at every turn.”
“Quiet.” Daniel said, nodding toward Katrina. “We’ll deal with all that nonsense if we survive. Until then, lets focus on the mission.”
“Agreed.” Alektor seconded, while Avria only rolled her shoulders.
Katrina clasped her hands together, bowing her head in concentration. After several seconds, she shot her hands out. Extending them toward the open field before them. A deep rumbling shook Daniel to his core as the ground beneath them began to shake violently. Then a massive wall of stone burst from the ground, spanning hundreds of feet in either direction. Encircling their entire army completely. There were audible gasps and cheers from the assembled warriors as the wall ascended nearly fifty feet in the air before stopping.
Katrina gasped and fell to her knees after what Daniel knew must have been an incredible strain on her powers. He leaped from his Cro’kan and was beside her within moments.
“Damn, Kat. That was incredible.” He said, putting his arm around her shoulders. He craned his neck looking up at the immense structure she had created. And pride surged within him at her accomplishment. “You alright?” He asked.
“Peachy.” She groaned, resting her head on him. “Let’s hope they take the bait. I don’t know if I have another one of these in me.”
“You think they’d just pass us up?” Daniel chuckled. “We’re a pretty juicy target.”
“A fine achievement, Katrina.” Alektor said, walking up to them. “The histories will speak of this; there is no doubt.”
“Now we need to ensure that there is someone to write those histories.” Avria said, approaching the wall and inspecting it with her hands. “Your Dunamis courses through this structure.” She said, turning to face them. “The demons and their minions will have a difficult time breaching it.”
Daniel stood, his focus now on the wall. The structure was smooth and sturdy looking. Even more impressive were the impressions that ran the length of it, reaching the top, acting as hundreds of ladders for the convenience of the warriors. “Let’s start setting up our defense.”
Over the next hour or so, hundreds of the defending warriors positioned themselves atop the wall. Mainly the more powerful Dunamis users, including Daniel, Alektor, Robert, Avria, and Katrina; who could unleash their powers from the high ground, raining death upon the attacking demons. The remaining seventy percent of the warriors remained below, digging in smaller defensive positions for fallback points and acting as reserves for the warriors above or in case of a breach.
“Highness!” A warrior called down the line on the wall.
Daniel and Alektor turned to see him as well as dozens of other warriors pointing out at the horizon. A pit formed in Daniel’s stomach as the sheer number of creatures came into view. There were thousands of them; a sea of black and grey that oozed over the hills in the distance. Like a great ink stain spreading over a pure piece of parchment.
“Holy…” Daniel whispered, his eyes squinting to see the makeup of their forces. As he had suspected, the vast bulk of the enemy forces were the smaller, though no less intimidating, familiar creatures Greyson and his group had summoned before Ool’ak had been called. This would have been a wonderful development, as they were vulnerable to the Dae’s abilities. If not for the hundreds of hulking forms that traveled amongst them. No doubt demons, in the same, or greater class as Ool’ak had been.
“By all the spirits…” Alektor said, his voice seeming small in the face of such overwhelming adversity. “There are thousands of them… tens of thousands.”
“And more on the way.” Avria said, coming to stand beside Daniel. “If we don’t close that gate, Daniel. We’re all doomed.”
“How do we get through them?” Daniel asked, unable to pry his eyes from the terrifying sight before them. “It took everything I had last time to fight back Ool’ak. And he still managed to escape.”
“Our abilities can kill them… weaken them even.” Avria declared, turning to a warrior to her right. “Find Hego Katrina, and King Reku. Bring them here immediately.”
“Yes, highness.” The warrior bowed and disappeared into the crowd of warriors who peered in fear at the demon horde.
“When I killed Ool’ak,” She continued. “I felt as it crumbled under the onslaught of my power, Daniel. We can weaken them if we change the field. Katrina’s power flows through this structure.” She stomped her boot on the wall. “It will surely be painful for them to touch it.” She pointed out at the approaching horde. “If we can imbue her Dunamis into the ground, as far as we can. It might help weaken them. And if Reku can do the same, but in the air.”
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“They will be sure to feel it.” Alektor finished for her, nodding. “I believe you are on to something, Princess.”
“It’s worth a shot.” Daniel said, leaning forward on the battlements. “I don’t see how a force like this could be stopped any other way. There are just too many of them. And this is one of the small gates?”
“Lauren said the main one would be a hundred times more potent.” Alektor stated, grimly. “Meaning more powerful demons as well.”
“Dan!” Katrina shouted, pushing her way past the mass of warriors on the wall, with Robert in tow. Daniel and Avria took several moments to explain her theory, and both Robert and Katrina nodded along in consideration.
“I suppose it could work.” Robert tilted his head from side to side. “We know that demonic energy is basically ineffective against our power. Dio’Mar’s reaction when she tried to put me back in that prison at Greyson’s camp should be proof enough of that. If it can stop abilities like that, it should also disrupt these smaller demons well enough.”
“Alright.” Katrina nodded, “So, how do we do it?”
“The same way you imbued your power into this wall, Katrina.” Avria stated. Press your hands to the ground and flood it with as much as you can. Spread it as far as you can. And you too, Robert. I believe you have a bit more practice with this sort of thing, correct?”
Robert nodded, his face grim. “Yeah…”
“We should wait until they are closer.” Alektor interjected. “It also might act as a deterrent if we use it too soon.”
Katrina and Robert shared a tense look. “Ok.” She said, taking a deep breath. “How close are we talkin’ here?”
“When their mass makes contact with the wall.” Alektor turned again to the approaching army. “They are clearly heading directly towards us. So, at least we know that they plan on killing us first, before moving on the city.”
“That’s what we wanted, right?” Robert asked, before Katrina let out a sharp breath.
“Got it.” She grimaced, “So, when they’re right on top of us.”
“That shouldn’t be too long.” Daniel said, gazing out to see the mass of demons flowing toward them like a surge of tar. “They’re speeding up.”
There were cries and whimpers from the warriors around them, several clearly considering fleeing.
“Raise me up, Katrina!” Alektor demanded, turning to face the warriors.
Katrina didn’t hesitate, as she lifted him up another fifteen feet on a pillar, so he could be seen by all of the warriors.
“Warriors of Eleutheros!” Alektor’s voice boomed over the assembled Dae, hundreds of heads turning to see him standing on his new perch. “Calm your hearts, and steady your blades! For beyond this wall, lies the death of all you know. The destruction of not only our beloved Kingdom, but of our entire world! But what can darkness such as this, do to warriors of the light!? Nothing! For all things are through the spirit’s will, and we are here, with their chosen! So, let no fear conquer you today. But be emboldened by the faith of our great spirits! And the duty we have to hold this position!” He held his gaze before them, raising his hands in the air toward the enemy. “And they will break upon this wall like crashing waves on a cliffside! Shattering beneath our strength, and cowering before the power of true sons and daughters of Eleutheros!”
A cacophony of cheers and shouts erupted from the defenders, emboldened by Alektor’s words. Even Daniel felt a surge of energy jolt through him as his anticipation for the battle grew.
Alektor descended, clearly basking in the effects of his words. “To our bloody violence, warriors.”
“To our bloody, fucking, violence.” Daniel growled, building his power within him.
~
Monstrous growls and screeches echoed in a nearly deafening wail as the hordes closed in. Daniel tensed his entire body as they got closer and closer.
“Steady!” He shouted, his voice booming over the noise. He could see the larger demons now, much more clearly. Each one of them, their own nightmare. Horrendously misshapen and wretched beings that towered over the smaller familiars. They began to howl even louder as he could feel them building their demonic energy, in preparation for what would no doubt be a volley of power.
“Kat! Robert!” Daniel shouted, turning toward them.
“Hold!” Alektor shouted, “Keeping his arm raised.”
“Spirits save us!” One of the warriors next to Daniel cried, as the energy began to pool to a breaking point.
“Now!” Alektor shouted, bringing his hand down.
A burst of golden light poured from Robert as his Dunamis flooded over the demon horde just as they slammed into the wall. Howls of pain and gnashing replaced their previous eagerness for blood, and even the larger demons faltered in their accumulation of power. Then, moments later, hisses and screeches of agony came as the ground beneath them glowed as well.
Daniel stood from behind the small cover of the battlements atop the wall and let out his built-up fury in a massive blast of golden flame. The demonic forms that were unfortunate enough to be in its path evaporated as the flames consumed them. Then, an eruption of power surged from the warriors on the wall. Their elemental attacks striking soundly into the mass of familiars, but landing harmlessly on the larger demons.
Then a massive explosion sent a shockwave past Daniel and the warriors around him. Some nearly losing their balance and toppling over the side. Daniel blinked at the size of the explosion in awe, then recognition came. It was the same explosion that rocked the glade during the first battle of Vul De Rah. The power that broke the back of the Lokkadonian defense. Alektor’s power. Holy, shit… Daniel thought, as another explosion rocked him. I forgot how fucking powerful he is.
Daniel smiled in satisfaction at the near helplessness of the demon’s attack. They couldn’t get past the wall and were being slaughtered by the hundreds with each powerful attack. This is winnable, he thought, just as an enormous lance of black energy slammed into the wall just below him. Immediately the sturdy foundation beneath his feet gave way as it crumbled, and he, along with a dozen warriors, fell onto the rubble below.
Daniel winced as he landed on a rather jagged shard of wall and rolled to his feet, catching his breath. “Son of a bitch!” He cursed, as another lance of energy pierced the wall again, allowing yet another section to crumble. He recognized the signature of power that pulsed from the wall’s wounds. “Dio’Mar…” He seethed, before a wave of howling demons charged over the rubble of the hole and straight for him.
Daniel called his metal blade to his hands; it shining like a star against the unending void of space. He leapt at the surging demons, using his power to blast them back, taking advantage of the bottleneck. Daniel swung his sword, dispatching several familiars before a wave of Lokkadonian warriors charged past him, slamming into the enemy. Daniel immediately dashed forward, determination clear on his face. “Push them back!” He bellowed, followed by a shout of affirmation from the warriors.
Body after body fell as black blood and entrails now coated the rubble and grass. Daniel’s heart beat like a war drum within his chest as he enacted his bloody work. They were slaughtering them, weakened as they were, from Robert and Katrina’s abilities, but there was just no end in sight. Daniel heard a cry of pain to his right, and turned to see a demon savaging the arm of a Dae warrior. He dashed over with Dunamis enhanced speed, cleaving the demon’s head from its body. “Are you alright!?” Daniel asked, over the chaos of the battle.
The warrior nodded, cradling his damaged left arm with his right. “I can still fight, my Lord!”
Daniel held his hand out to him, using a bit of his power to heal the wounds. “Good, let’s get back to it then!” Daniel stood to dash back into the fray, only to see a thirty-foot demon, covered in spikes and oozing wounds, lumber into the gap of the wall. Crap, Daniel thought. Let’s hope he’s weakened enough to go down easy. Readying himself, he leapt into the air toward it. His blade’s glow intensifying in preparation of a powerful downward strike.
With unnatural speed, the demon lashed an unnervingly long arm at Daniel who turned his blade sideways to block it. It hit him with all the speed and power of a freight train, flinging him into the side of the wall. Daniel gasped as intense pain wracked his body. “Fucking, bullshit…” He croaked, his blurry eyes focusing just as it began lashing its arm at the Lokkadonian warriors below. He heard cries of pain and fear as Dae were eviscerated by the demon’s attacks, sending sprays of blue blood with each kill.
“No, you piece of shit!” Daniel roared, using the technique he had been practicing on his own against the demon. An intense beam of light burst from his hand, lancing through the demon’s body. Causing it to howl in pain. Then he saw a Dae leap at the demon as it fell to a knee. His blade was glowing with golden light as he plunged it into its grotesque head. Fire burst from its eye sockets, and it slumped over, dead.
Daniel blinked in confusion as he moved toward the Dae who had felled the demon. As he closed in, he recognized him as the warrior he had healed. “That was incredible!” Daniel shouted, clasping the Dae’s shoulder. “How did you?”
“It was your power, my Lord.” The Dae said through an ear-to-ear smile. “I can’t explain it; I felt your power within me and focused it on my blade. I can still feel it!”
Daniel looked at his hand, then to the fifty or so Dae warriors who were around him. “Everyone, hold your incisors into the air!” He shouted, and they did so. He closed his eyes, focusing his power on each of the warriors. He streamed it into them, feeling the immediate drain on his strength. Damn, he thought. I better hold out. This is pretty taxing on my powers. This should do the trick though.
“It’s working!” One of the warriors shouted, allowing his blade to glow in his hand. “Incredible, Spirit-Sent!” He exclaimed, then was followed by the rest of them.
“You are all in charge of holding this breach!” Daniel commanded. “Don’t let a single one through! Do you understand?”
“Yes, my Lord!” They responded, their voices filled with reverence.
“Good.” Daniel said, before turning and dashing toward the other side of the wall. I’ve got to find Robert and Katrina, he thought, leaping up the notches in the side of the wall until he reached the top. We can’t hold this position forever. We’ve got to close that fucking gate. “Kat!” He yelled, looking for the sign of her Dunamis. He was rewarded with a massive portion of the wall that lashed out like a spike into the chest of a large demon. Right there! He thought, dashing toward it.
~
Katrina unleashed a yell of triumph as the demon’s life drained from it, and it fell to the mass below. “Take that, you piece of shit!” She laughed, turning to find another demon to kill.
“Kat!” She heard from behind her, and she whirled around to see a blood-soaked Daniel skid to a halt in front of her.
“What’s up, Dan?” She smiled, feeling the fatigue of the battle starting to get to her.
“I need you and Rob, right now.” He urged, pointing toward the direction of the forest. “If we don’t close this damn gate, we’re never gonna see an end to these things. Rob can get us there fast. But we need to close it.”
“Dan, I can’t leave this wall!” Katrina protested, “Those blasts of energy or whatever, nearly took the whole damn thing down. If the wall crumbles, we’ll be surrounded and completely screwed. I’ll help you find Rob though.” She looked further down the wall to her right. “Last I heard, he was over there somewhere with Avria or something, covering that flank.”
“Let’s go then.” Daniel barked before bounding past her.
She followed him, using her Dunamis to enhance her body with speed and strength to keep up. As he moved, he unleashed powerful beams of white fire, that ripped right through some of the larger demons as though they were made of paper. Holy crap, Katrina thought. Unfamiliar with that particular ability.
Daniel skidded to a halt again, this time right next to Robert. Who turned toward them, looking very much like a real warrior, Katrina thought.
“Hey, guys!” Robert greeted, wrenching his hands into the air, unleashing his Dunamis into the body of a flying demon, tearing its wings from its body, and sending it wailing to the teeming ground below.
“Rob.” Daniel nodded, “I need you to help me get to the forest.”
Avria approached from the other side of Robert, her face, cloak and armor coated in a black, viscus fluid. “The western breach is looking very bad right now.” She said, her voice laced with tension.
“That’s why we need to close the gate.” Daniel said, placing his hand on Robert’s shoulder. “You said you could get us there fast, right?”
Robert nodded, his eyes turning toward Katrina. “All of us, right?”
“No.” Katrina shook her head. “I need to keep this wall up, and keep those demons from breaking through.”
“We’re going to need more than just the two of us, Kat.” Daniel shot back. “We don’t know what we’re going to find over there.”
“I can go, in her stead.” Avria said, walking up to Daniel and Robert. “My abilities are now similar to yours, and Katrina can remain here, to keep the wall up.”
Daniel turned to Katrina, his gaze speaking volumes to her. “I’ll be fine, Dan. You guys need to get your asses moving though. Every second we sit around talking about this, we’re putting people’s lives at risk.”
“Right.” Robert said, taking a deep breath and placing his good hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “Avria, you kind of know what to expect. Dan? Hold on, bro. This is going to feel a little weird.”
Katrina watched as the three of them shimmered and disappeared into thin air. And an immense weight descended on her shoulders at that moment. Ok, Kat. It’s up to you to keep this wall up, she thought. Don’t fuck it up. She turned to see the number of larger demons that were still littering the field. Most of the ones close enough to do damage were already dead. We really put in some work, she thought, before seeing a group of them heading straight for one of the breaches. “Shit…” She cursed. “Here we go.”