Chapter 21 – The Grand Experiment, Part 1

Vard glanced at Sir Kyr, who crouched off to his right, partially hiding behind a birch as he stared ahead, then at Argus Vyle, confidently standing with his broadsword already drawn on his left. Spread out around and behind them were the rest of Argus Vyle’s dozen men, their expressions icily calm and composed. When they had approached the cabin, they had dismounted from their horses, staking them a short distance away as in the cramped conditions of the valley it would have proven difficult to fight on horseback, should it come to bloodshed. Now, they all crouched along the very edge of the forest.

A few feet in front of them, the trees abruptly stopped, as if an invisible wall prevented them from growing further in that direction. Lichen and short grass covered the rock-strewn ground that stretched before them, leading into a narrow valley between two towering cliffs – the base of the twin fangs – where a small, dilapidated cabin stood. There was movement visible through the cabin’s half-open door, but it was too far away to be made out distinctly by Vard. Instead, he turned to Sir Kyr.

“Are they in there?” he asked in a hushed tone, half-afraid that whoever was in the cabin could overhear him, no matter how ridiculous the notion was.

“Yes,” Sir Kyr said curtly. “The twins are there, as are their kidnappers.”

“Do they know that we are here?” Argus Vyle asked, hand clenched tightly on his sword’s hilt.

Sir Kyr sighed, and his shoulders slumped a little bit, as if a heavy weight had just been removed from them. “Undoubtedly.”

Vard blinked in surprise. “Then, surely this must be a trap. We would be fools to approach without further planning.”

“I have no doubt that it’s a trap. In all likelihood, quite a deadly one,” Argus Vyle said, as casually as if discussing what he had for supper the evening before. “But that’s the brilliant thing about traps: if you know one is there, then you can spring it against the trapper, rather than the other way around.”

“We will have to be on our guard,” Sir Kyr said calmly. “At my command, we’ll move forward, announce ourselves to the kidnappers. We will try to negotiate, then fight to save the twins if reasoning fails.”

“Why did I agree to come along?” Vard wondered aloud. There was no response from the others, not that he had truly expected one.

Sir Kyr gestured with the flick of his hand, and they moved forward, walking beyond the forest and into the valley. They approached the cabin in dead silence, stopping a few paces short of the open door, then waited for a response from its occupants. They heard the thin, reedy voice of an elderly man say, “Ah, Sir Kyr. It gives me great pleasure to see you again, after all this time.”

The fur along Sir Kyr’s head stood on end, and a low, deep growl, like the shaking of a mountain, emerged from his throat between clenched fangs. “Doctor Aldus Phlegm,” the knight spat. “I shouldn’t be too surprised to see you here; I had guessed that someone as morally corrupt as yourself would jump at the chance to murder innocent children for the Master. I suppose I should be happy to see that my estimation of your character was correct.”

“As pointlessly gallant and arrogantly eager to judge others as always, Sir Kyr,” the voice returned, lilting and smug, the utter confidence its owner possessed oozing through every word. “And, just as before, you fail to grasp the full picture. My agreement with the Master is a working arrangement, one that benefits us both. A threat to his plans shall be removed, and in exchange, I receive new acolytes to help further my own goals.”

Sir Kyr drew his sword and its twin sword-breaker, the soft hiss as they slid from their scabbards sending chills down Vard’s spine. “Hand over the twins,” he demanded angrily.

Ignoring Sir Kyr, Aldus Phlegm continued, “Of course, I only need to keep one of the twins as an assistant. To keep both would be inefficient. I’ve often wondered if there is a biological component to hemomancy, an aberration in the brain or additional organ somewhere in the body which makes it possible for one to control blood with a thought. I’ve never had another hemomancer to dissect, however, before now. The next question, of course, is which should I keep? The one with the raw talent or strength, or the one with the existing knowledge and understanding?”

Vard, unable to contain himself any longer, shouted, “If you dare to harm either of the twins-”

“-you will not take a step closer,” Aldus Phlegm said, his voice becoming cold and manipulative in an instant. “If you do, I will have Sangue snap their necks, hear and now. A single twist, and their lives end. You surely wouldn’t want that, would you?”

Sir Kyr and Argus Vyle locked gazes for a moment, then Argus Vyle gave a quick nod to his men, and they all hesitantly fell back a step, spreading out in a rough arc to surround the cabin. Vard opened his mouth to protest that they shouldn’t give up so easily, but a look from Sir Ky made him reconsider, and he waited to see what the knight would do next.

“Ever the intelligent mongrel you were, Sir Kyr,” Aldus said mockingly. “The greatest of my creations, the closest I have ever come to a true new man. Shame that you proved so recalcitrant.”

“I am my own man, Aldus,” Sir Kyr said. “You didn’t make me, and you never controlled me.”

“Unfortunately, you are correct,” Aldus said. “Which was why I had to improve on your design.”

“What…,” Sir Kyr began to say, before there was a set of low growls which came from the entrance to the valley, behind them. Their group all turned to see a pair of beast-men, akin to Sir Kyr, but even larger and more physically imposing. One had the head and tusks of a boar, which slobbered as he bellowed angrily at them. The other possessed the face and claws of a bear, its beady black eyes staring at them with obvious malevolence. Both towered above everyone else present, almost twice as tall as a normal human, a twisted mixture of muscle and bone that, while still copying the shape of an ordinary human, was clearly unnatural.

“It took many attempts to create something that had the basic intelligence required to follow orders, yet lacked the motivation to question those same orders,” Aldus informed them, sounding like he was delivering a particularly boring lecture to a disinterested classroom. “These two, however, are both experiments that I am quite proud of. Don’t bother reasoning or pleading with them. They have been commanded to kill you all.” The door to the cabin slammed shut with an ominous finality.

“So, this is the trap?” Vard asked.

“Aye,” Sir Kyr said. “He was merely talking to delay us, to give his thralls time to encircle us and attack from behind.”

Vard rubbed at his forehead with the back of his hand. “I fail to see how we can turn this situation to our advantage.”

“Do you have a plan of attack?” Argus Vyle asked.

“We fight them, and kill them,” Sir Kyr said. “As simple as that.”

“Oh, as simple as that?” Vard repeated. “Need I remind you that I possess no weapons, and am utterly untrained in the art of warfare besides? What do you want me to do?”

Sir Kyr held up one of his blades before Vard’s chest, as if to prevent him from moving forward. “Stay out of their reach. I will deal with Phlegem’s newest abominations.”

The two lumbering behemoths had by this point cut the distance between themselves and Vyle’s men nearly in half and drew even closer with each passing moment. Their sheer size and bulk prevented them from moving quickly, but it was evident from their stature that they more than made up for their lack of mobility with raw power. Vyle’s men, most of whom wielded spears, surrounded the twin giants, trying to prevent them from moving closer by threatening and prodding at them. The giants ignored the bandits’ weapons, their bestial eyes locked on Sir Kyr, the evident target of their wrath.

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“Now!” Argus Vyle bellowed, and his men closed their ring around the giants, stabbing forward with their spears and blades from nearly every angle. Their weapons proved to be of little use against the giants, glancing off their skin or at most mildly scratching them. The giants ignored the barrage of assaults and continued their steady plodding towards Sir Kyr.

“They’re tough,” Vyle said, a sheen of sweat evident on his brow as he danced back and forth, lashing at the twin behemoths. “But they aren’t invincible. Keep hitting them, men!”

One of his men, spurred on by the command, darted forward and buried his spear in the side of the bear creature. This finally got a reaction from the abomination, which turned with surprising speed and lashed out with one of its claws, striking the unfortunate bandit across the back of the face. The blow was powerful enough to send him flying against the cliff face, which he hit with a sickening cracking sound, before collapsing in a pile. He had died before he had even struck the cliff.

“Fall back! Fall back!” Vyle called as his men scrambled to get out of the lumbering behemoths’ way. “We can’t hurt them in close quarters.”

“Then we will have to injure them from a distance,” Sir Kyr responded. “Do any of your men carry bows or crossbows?”

“A couple,” Vyle responded. “I myself have a crossbow, of course. But-”

“Then prepare to use them,” Sir Kyr said. “I will keep them occupied until then.”

“Sir Kyr, there are two of them, and they are each at least twice your size!” Vard protested. “They’re slow. If you run, you could easily escape them.”

“I won’t run,” Sir Kyr responded. “Never from Aldus, or any of his creations.”

“You know that’s what he expects of you,” Vyle said.

Sir Kyr nodded once. “It’s the only way I see to rescue the twins.”

Without waiting for a further response from either of them, Sir Kyr dashed forward, sword outheld in each hand, racing towards the twin giants. The boar abomination swiped clumsily at him with a meaty hand, but Sir Kyr with his unnatural grace leaned backwards and slid across the rocky surface of the valley, passing beneath the creature’s swing and lashing out with his blades to slice both creatures across their calves. As he slid to a stop and stood upright once more, the abominations bellowed angrily in pain and turned slowly to confront him.

“If you are supposed to be Phlegm’s new masterworks, that I must say that I am quite unimpressed,” Sir Kyr mocked. “You have yet to land a blow on me, and I have injured you both.”

With an angry grunt, the bear-headed creature brought its claws together, as if to crush Sir Kyr’s head between them. The knight danced lithely to the side, then struck the beast across the arm, wounding it but not cutting fully through the limb as he had hoped. He panted with the effort of the blow, barely avoiding the creature’s next strike aimed at crushing his torso.

As Sir Kyr danced back outside the reach of the bear creature, he noticed out of the corner of his eye the boar creature slowly moving to his left, trying to maneuver to take him by surprise and attack him from behind. It appears you can think, after all, Sir Kyr mused. Spinning lightly on the heel of his foot to face the oncoming boar creature directly, he struck at it with each of his blades, the swords hitting the veritable wall of flesh that was the creature’s body and having no noticeable effect. The boar creature then punched Sir Kyr in the chest, sending him sprawling in the rocks. Only his own enhanced physique prevented the blow from shattering his every rib, but as it was, he was still left dazed and aching. The boar abomination lifted its foot, planning to squash Sir Kyr’s head beneath it, but he rolled to the side at the last moment.

As this was occurring, Vyle’s men, who had been frantically drawing and preparing their bows, released them with a loud twanging sound. In unison a full half-dozen arrows hit the boar creature in the back. With a bellow it spun to face them, ignoring Sir Kyr for the moment as it stomped towards the bandits, who hastily fled as fast as they could from the approach giants. Sir Kyr, for the moment ignored, sprung back to his feet. He clutched a hand to his wounded size, wheezing as he worked to desperately formulate a plan for how they could possibly overcome these abominations.

They’re too tough, too physically dense. Wounds that would prove mortal for other creatures hardly scratch them, he thought, his mind working frantically. Yet all living things possess a weakness. I simply need to look elsewhere to find it…

He studied the creatures intently, time seeming to slow to a crawl, the air filled with the shouts of Vyle and his men. He looked at the abominations with a mixture of fear and respect. It’s impossible. They’re a mixture of men and beast, too powerful to be stopped. If only-

“Stay out of their eyesight!” Vard called as he ran as best he could alongside the bandits. “If they can’t see you, they won’t hit you! If you do see their eyes, aim for them!”

“Quiet, bard!” Vyle snapped. “You’ll only distract my men!”

“No, wait!” Sir Kyr said. “Do what he says!” Vyle shot a look at Sir Kyr, then, after a moment of hesitation, echoed Sir Kyr’s command. The eyes, Sir Kyr thought, his ears standing upright atop his head. Vard, you’re a genius. Their flesh might be invulnerable, but their eyes are the same as ours.

Invigorated by this realization, Sir Kyr took advantage of the boar creature facing away from him to return his blades to their scabbards, then sprint towards the abomination and leap into the air. He fully extended his claws from his hands and feet, latching onto the monster’s back like a great wall. The thing roared in pain and tried to swat at him but was unable to reach him, positioned as he was. Sir Kyr swiftly scaled the creature’s back, until he was perched along its shoulder just beside its head. The boar monster twisted its neck to look at him, which was exactly what Sir Kyr wanted it to do.

With a quick extension of his claws and a slash of his hand, he tore out both its eyes. The creature shrieked in pain, stumbling backwards and falling to the ground with a loud crash. While it struggled, Sir Kyr closed his own eyes, saying quietly, “I’m so sorry for what Phlegm did to you, and for what I must now do,” before drawing his sword once more and with a single clean stroke cutting its throat. The creature thrashed about, gurgling to itself as blood leaked from its neck, but its movements grew weaker and weaker, until it finally fell still. Sir Kyr, kneeling next to the fallen creature, rested for a moment, his entire body still aching from the earlier blow.

“Kyr!” Vyle and Vard shouted at the same time. “Behind you!”

Sir Kyr’s head snapped up and he looked back over his shoulder to see the bear creature towering over him. He stood up unsteadily, but before he could escape, the great beast grabbed him and, lifting him easily, held him against its chest, crushing him against itself with its tremendous strength. Sir Kyr tried to gasp, to draw any air into his crushed lungs, but found himself powerless against the creature’s strength.

Vyle shouted something to his men that Sir Kyr didn’t catch, and a hail of arrows and crossbow quarrels struck the creature from every direction, hitting its arms, back, and head. The creature thrashed about, roaring in pain, but did not loosen its grip on Sir Kyr. Vyle, holding a crossbow of his own, took careful aim, and, as the creature reared back its head to roar once more, fired a quarrel that went through the creature’s open mouth, striking it in the rear of the throat and going clear into its brain. Instantly the behemoth’s arms went slack, letting a nearly unconscious Sir Kyr fall free as the beast tottered then fell to the ground besides its fallen comrade.

A concerned Vard and jubilant Vyle helped Sir Kyr back to his feet, as the injured knight clutched his side, panting. “Are you well?” Vard asked.

“Well enough to save the twins,” Sir Kyr said. “Don’t concern yourself with me.”

“I consider this a great victory,” Argus Vyle said, slapping Sir Kyr on the back, making the knight wince with pain. “Two powerful monsters, the stuff of myth, slain!”

“Aye, but at what cost?” Sir Kyr said, his gaze lingering on the bodies of the fallen giants. “Beneath the flesh of those monsters, as you called them, there were two people, caught up in a madman’s dream against their will. Not to mention your own man, who died to help us slay these poor things. But we have other matters to concern ourselves with: rescuing the twins.”

“The problem is that Phlegm, and most likely his daughter, are still hiding in that cabin, and the only entrance is that singular door. Having to be bottled up walking through that would put us at a disadvantage,” Vyle said. “We could easily get a fire going if you wanted, burn the place down.”

Sir Kyr shook his head. “No, the risk to the twins is too great.”

“And besides, I think we’ve all had our fill of burning buildings,” Vard said, crossing his arms as he did so.

“Then what do you suggest?” Vyle asked.

Sir Kyr walked over to the closed door to the cabin. “The direct approach.” Slamming against the door with his shoulder and smashing it fully open, he charged into the cabin interior, seeing the bloody stains and tools and immediately fearing the worst. As his eyes adjusted to the dim of the cabin, he saw Aldus Phlegm standing besides Zaphyr and Zull, a scalpel in his hand held against the edge of Zaphyr’s throat.

“Sir Kyr,” Aldus said. Sir Kyr noticed there was a note of genuine surprise in my voice. “Which means, of course, that both of my hybrids must have been slain. A shame. I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised. You are Sir Kyr; you were always the toughest, most intelligent, and most competent of my creations. A nearly flawless creation. But not totally flawless. So, so disloyal. Where did I go wrong with making you?”

“You did not make me,” Sir Kyr insisted. “You twisted me, corrupted me into something unnatural.”

“I suppose that depends on your point of view,” Aldus said coolly, his pince-nez reflecting the light coming through the open cabin door, hiding his eyes. “Regardless of the outcome of today, the research gathered will prove invaluable in improving the next batch of experiments.”

“You’re insane, Aldus, if you think you still hold the power here,” Sir Kyr said. “There are a dozen men standing outside this cabin, ready to kill you should you harm either of these children. Should you choose to fight us, there is no version of this battle where you walk away from here alive. If you want to live, then surrender now and free the twins.”

Aldus Phlegm smiled, and Sir Kyr instinctively felt a ripple of fear run through him. “I don’t think so, brave knight. You see, there is one small element that you have forgotten.”

“What-” Sir Kyr began to say before he was hit in the side of the head with a blow so powerful it sent him reeling to the side, clutching at his temples. From somewhere outside his field of vision, he heard a bout of high-pitched, oddly bird-like, maniacal laughter.

With a sniff and quick adjustment of his pince-nez, Aldus said, “This experiment is only beginning.”