“Raise your head. There's work to be done.”
“Of course my Lord.”
Erres walked past Farra in a slow gait, his eyes fixated on Raom's keep lying at the end of the center road. The soldiers Farra assembled stepped aside as Erres neared them, including Estelle who shut her eyes and bowed.
“Valen, I'll leave purging the rabble to you. Farra, attend me.” The young lord called back. Without hesitation, Farra turned to Valen, extending an outward hand. The finger of a black gauntlet that dwarfed Farra touched to her palm, followed by a transfusion of energy flowing through her body and lighting all her embedded runes with a brilliant and lucent glow. Both the teacher and student nodded to one another, a moment they had long waited for was now at hand. Farra turned with a quick step, catching the pace of Erres and following at his side. She spared no moment to gaze to the other soldiers. In her stead, Valen turned to Farra's troop, towering like a monument in the middle of the plaza.
“She gave you your orders. Abide by her will, it still is your course. Be wary not to stray in the path of my spells, not all are so merciful as the last.” Valen turned. Within the giant's helmet there was an uncanny abyss. As he turned, all the soldiers could feel and imagine a piercing red gleam from within it, searching for its prey. “I will take some measure of care in not killing those who realize their folly. But punishment must be doled.” He turned, speaking to none in particular when he drew the titanic blade forth, gripping it with both hands and filling its edge with an ephemeral glow.
Farra and Erres walked forward together, hearing a deafening crash followed by the sound of debris scattering behind them. A band of beast soldiers then approached them from a narrow alley between two buildings.
“The left passageway.”
Before Farra finished her words, Erres already unsheathed his blade, tossing the scabbard to the ground and letting forth an arcing swing. A buffet of fire swallowed the alley, engulfing the soldiers in flames and melting the walls of the stone structures.
“You need not exert yourself for such trifling individuals my Lord.”
“The strife helps my fury flow.”
“Then allow me to be the cause of it.” Farra unfolded her arms and drew her blade, plunging at an empty space. An agonizing scream filled the air as a soldier that blended into his surroundings came into view. His wide and shocked eyes revealed themselves before Farra pulled the blade from his body, letting it slump the ground. The young lord and his retainer both spilled magical dust across their weapons, imbuing the runes inscribed on them with an unmistakable glow that gave their blades' metal life.
Pack after pack of soldiers continued to rush at Erres and Farra, having each of their actions countered before any had the opportunity to react. Blazes of fire adorned the ground. Farra's singular blade whipped forth with ferocity akin to a lashing viper. But the speed and force with which the blade descended upon its victims was far more violent. Farra's indigo eyes were sharp and cold as her sword sliced through the bodies of man and beast. The tip gouged trained soldiers at the slightest opening. Just as she was once helpless when younger, these soldiers were now helpless before her. However, they lacked the sense to flee her blade, before even counting her Lord's fury.
Erres' blade swept through the air. The raging blazes let loose by every swing warded off soldiers from approaching all at once. Where the flames left an opening, Erres' own blade and might lied in waiting, hacking the bodies of soldiers in half with no regards for their armor. One soldier dashed close, attempting to impale the young lord from behind. Erres turned the slightest amount, allocating his spare hand to let loose a violent explosion, negating the momentum of the approaching soldier and scorching him beyond recognition.
Unbridled flames decorated the roads littered with the bodies of Raom's soldiers. Around the domain various buildings crumbled and succumbed to different unyielding fires as Valen could be seen between the shorter buildings causing havoc. Cracks of lightning and entire buildings being upended mixed with the screams of soldiers in the distance.
“Their helplessness is unsightly for soldiers, they are poorly trained and need to be drilled properly.” Farra turned, speaking to Erres after more oncoming soldiers ceased their assault, instead stopping in their tracks upon witnessing the number of their comrades' strewn throughout the road and the tireless flames continuing to consume their corpses.
Erres gave no attention to the fallen soldiers, no indication he had heard Farra's words as he continued onward toward the structure at the end of the road.
“If we are to confront the darkness my Lord, then we will need to assemble talent beyond that of these savages. They would prove no better than distractions and fodder.”
“Right you are. After taking care of bigger distractions we can see to that.”
Farra nodded, stepping closer to the young lord's side before continuing a straight path, pulling her hood back from covering her head.
“Lord Erres. I understand that in this moment you have but one objective. I only ask two things. That you not let your fury control you, but only provide you your immense might. And that for every bit of rotten ilk there is in this world, understand that we, your loyal soldiers, stand by you.”
A breath could be heard escaping from Erres' helmet as he gripped his blade tight, stretching his neck and arms. “Don't fret Farra. Once I bury this I can be every bit of the Lord that you deserve and wish to follow. I haven't forgotten my dream for a better future for these lands.”
The feirin smiled. “Regardless if you have or not, I will serve and help remind you my Lord.”
The entrance to the coliseum was marked by a single blood-marked banner that rose against the structure's stone frame, crowned with the skull of a large creature. Within the passage stood a familiar wolf-like beast, awaiting the two. Unlike the padded armor or plates so many of Raom's soldiers wore, this individual wore a modest black tunic despite all the conflict.
“Lord Erres, Farra, cease the needless slaughter and tell us what you came here for. This is madness regardless of your reason.” Sievin stepped back as the two continued approaching. Farra turned her head with a glare, Erres not even offering a glance.
“We are here to kill Raom, Sievin. Stay out of our way or you will be another to fall. The soldiers here have been found wanting, and you too very well might be. They are unfit to call themselves soldiers of the War Faction. I will be acting as the arbitrator for this duel of Lords.”
Sievin remained frozen as Farra spoke, as they disregarded the officer and walked past him. He was not here to fight, nor could he stand up to these two. The intent they brought with them was nonnegotiable. He turned as they passed him, trying to find a common ground once more.
“That sort of excessive bloodshed is far beyond beneficial for any of us. There are innocent soldiers, you can't just lump them all—“
Farra stopped and turned momentarily, Erres halting for her.
“The time for innocence and complying is past. Our laws have been broken in this domain, you are all complicit in the atrocities taking place here. If you believe there are lives worth saving, then go and reason with Lord Valen and my warriors. Raom's life and any defending him is forfeit.” With her last word, Farra turned back forward and they continued inside the hold.
The ceilings within the hold were grand and rose high, with walls spanning a great length from one another lined with torches. Along the walls were racks of several weapons, ones that only a mighty or larger soldier could possibly be comfortable wielding properly. The halls were void of other soldiers, both the Lord and feirin's steps echoing throughout. Despite the floor being fashioned of stone, it was sullen with layers of dirt. From the rounding halls several archways came into view, illuminated by a mixture of light from both torches and the moon itself. The roof of the structure was open, letting light shine down and illuminate the center part of the hold.
Against a rounded wall was a massive throne, fashioned from various materials including stone, bone, and dirt. Upon it sat a behemoth exceeding even Valen's height, a gigantic cleaver-like blade to match his height by his side. Atop the behemoth's head extended two large and pointed horns. He had a dark body and mane, and was clad in thick metal plates where it would not restrict his movement. He rose from the throne with a booming hoof stomp, picking his cleaver up and facing the two approaching, only to let out a roar of laughter.
“Erres.” Dust blew from the ground at Raom's breath. “Are you truly your father's son? Your thirst for vengeance. Your lust for fighting. You take after me more than that weakling. Be proud of it.” His bushy tail whipped side to side, scraping up chunks of dirt. “Look at you, having abandoned your calls for efficiency and unity, causing havoc in my domain. You are to be a bloodstained leader.”
“To expect having hands free of bloodshed is nothing more than naivety. I'll spill all the blood needed to secure the War Faction's future in these lands. Including yours Raom. Farra will be our arbitrator for this duel.”
“Duel? You are a fool just like your father then, you know nothing in the way of war. But I will accept your mistaken opportunity, and deal with your lackey after.”
Farra stepped back, moving back to the archway with a small squat, before she sprung and jumped up to the second floor of the coliseum. She glanced down the shadowy and soiled hallway, looking for any sorts of entrances or oddities before turning back and looking over the arena.
“Commence as you will, any who seek to interrupt I will kill. If a blow comes my way I will not hesitate to retaliate.” Farra spoke with disregard for any sort of titles. It was her Lord's wish for a proper duel, for proper vengeance. The two lords gazed at one another, the red glow within Erres' armor remaining eerily restrained, while Raom gazed downward, comparing the size of his cleaver's edge to his opponent's height.
“After you will be that feirin. And then as the rallying cry for your War Faction falls, my voice will remain.”
Raom lunged forward, turning his blade sideways and bringing it down with both hands. A black blade met the cleaver, holding its position as a torrent of violent flames sprayed and began eating into the cleaver's edge, melting it down its center. The blades struggled against one another, Erres' blade gradually cutting farther and farther through until Raom pulled back. The minotaur stomped backward, Erres dashing forward and swinging to deliver a fiery slash to the stomach. As Erres' sword arced upward, he shifted a hand from his blade to grab and reduce the impact of a thick brown tail lashing at him from the side, tightening his grip and letting loose a volatile burst of flame before he flung through the air and crashed into an archway.
“Your lord is a bothersome pest.” Roam turned, his eyes crossing Farra's while he glanced down to inspect his blistering tail.
“You seem to lack the understanding of what this battle entails.” Farra kept her hands folded as she looked down at Raom. “If you continue taking such poor trades of blows, then defeat is inevitable for you.”
“Arrogant as your lord, are you?” He snorted in retort, the air blowing against Farra's regalia. Raom lifted his cleaver into the air, slamming it vertically into the ground with a deafening crack, causing a fissure of stone to erupt toward the damaged archway. Erres gripped his sword, diving from the path of the erupting stone with a roll. For all his size, Raom dashed forward with monstrous speed, unleashing a flurry of swipes. Erres' response were glancing strikes, redirecting the momentum of each clash with the blade so the minotaur’s consecutive slash took a moment longer. As the cleaver was eventually propelled overhead, Erres held his hand out and let a bolt of flame loose. It tore into Raom's chest plate, fanning along it and singing the minotaur's exposed skin.
Raom reeled back and slammed his weapon downward, Erres sidestepping the edge and dashing forward. Raom let go of his cleaver, pulling his hand back before the flames spewing from Erres armor scorched it. “A flaming mongrel.” Raom roared, clenching his fist and dodging an arcing slash in his retreat, then doubling forward and launching a punch. Erres left one hand on his blade, his armor glowing more crimson as his fist made contact with Raom's own. The forces negated one another, but as Erres recovered control of his blade, Raom came too soon with his other fist, delivering a swift second strike that launched the young lord back across the ground.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
The monster shook his hand that collided with Erres, blood splattering forth, not from smacking the metal of Erres' gauntlet, but from a scorching heat that effused at the time of contact. “A shell of dangerous armor. I'll just break the weakling inside then.” He picked up his cleaver, his muscles tensing as he lifted it overhead, tearing the weapon into two smaller, crude pieces. “A human's limits are trifling. Your father broke with such little effort once he was outmatched.”
Lowering to the ground, Raom sprinted forward in a steel whirlwind. Erres rose, recovering to his feet as the onslaught closed in. He deflected one cleaver, sliding his blade down to block the second. Raom pulled the first edge back, towering over Erres to an extent such he began a followup strike from the side that reached behind the young lord. He had no choice, Erres ducked the blow that would connect with his shoulders, then wrenching his blade from Raom's ensuing attempt to disarm the elongated sword. Raom swiftly pulled both cleavers overhead, bringing them back down in an attempt to crush Erres before the latter could recover from his crouching. The young lord used his blade to shield himself, digging into the ground and beginning to crater into it once the softer dirt gave way. The blades shook. If Raom released the pressure of one blade for an attempt at a side swipe, Erres despite being so small in comparison, could still overpower one edge and react.
Raom grunted, “I'll see you writhe as pathetic as your father did you tenacious fool.” The tail came again, lashing at Erres' body. The force from Raom's pressing blades kept the young lord stiff in the ground, taking each lashing with and hardly budging. Each blunting impact caused Erres' stance to bend bit by bit. What began a stalemate turned into a trapping for the young lord, struggling against the might of the minotaur and taking the repeated brutal blows to the side which his armor did little to absorb.
Farra looked from a distance on the other side of the coliseum. She took a breath. Despite her unrivaled desire to spring forth to her lord's aid, she knew that this was a duel not for the sake of strategy, but Erres' own honor and satisfaction. The sight pained her, but she kept her face neutral. She could determine the amount of trouble Erres faced with each movement using her sight. And she had the power to intervene if needed. Yet still, her hardened nerves twitched. She could not intervene regardless, for the fabric of Erres' being depended on a lone victory here without interference to aid him. Farra had little in the way of grudges or desire for vengeance, even counting her embarrassments and defeats. She had come to understand those emotions solely through others.
She strove to better herself for the sake of her Lord, to become the proper weapon Erres' required. But in this instance, she was a weapon that Erres refused to draw. An armament that upon being called upon, Erres' victory would be assured, but the vengeance he desired from this conflict would be lost. So Farra stood, counting the lashings, periodically scanning about for any possible intruders. Finally, the painful sight stopped, but not in a way she hoped. Erres' stance wavered enough to where Raom pulled one blade, delivering a violent swipe to the side that sent Erres tumbling against the ground and back into a wall with a crash that rocked the structure's foundations.
Raom stood in a victorious moment, grinning and satisfied with the result as he stepped over to where Farra was perched. Farra's neutral expression briefly wavered into one of disgust as the minotaur's glee came into her eyes' view.
“Your lord was mightier than his father I'll give him that. But he's still a wretched and weak human.” Raom spoke with a measure of hubris and satisfaction in his triumphant sequence. “I've heard much of you. You're not everything I was expecting or prefer, but your ruthlessness in your pursuits is admirable.” Raom let out a grunt, one reeking of laughter and approval. “Your strength should be with me. You are a proper beast that should be treated like a matriarch among them, and we shall see you to bear my pups.”
Farra's annoyance was written across her face, but Raom seemed either unaware or uncaring for such signals. “My strength is contingent upon magic. Something your domain has little concept of. And if you laud strength, then I should find it unfitting to serve someone weaker than I when I am at my best. I am Lord Erres' blade, the respect and ends he strives for are something that bring out my abilities. You lack any such qualities, you should consider yourself fortunate he has decided against your swift demise.” Farra gazed back down, looking past Raom and over the arena when another snort came.
“Prideful you are. It'll be all the better when I snap the back of that fool. Then I'll have the joy of beating you into submission and breaking you into my mate.” Raom's eyes gleamed with a streak of sadism, the roaring under his breath becoming more uncontrolled.
“If that is your desire, might you forget your belief of being able to best me in combat. First you need to best my Lord when he uses his proper strength. However lamentable it may be, you too are a lord are you not? Or am I mistaken and this is the extent of your capabilities?” Farra pulled one hand from her robes, pointing past and to where Erres crashed into. From the ruined stone emerged Erres, a ferocious red gale swirling about him, a furious fiery light pouring from the segments in his armor.
“If that was your true strength you put on display, I might suggest rethinking your strategies. For every bit of savagery you show in combat, Lord Erres is far closer to a ruthless animal.” Farra smiled, the minotaur leaving with a growl to approach his opponent once more.
“You've only inconvenienced my fist and blade so far Erres, we'll see what good Belthemot's blessing does you.” Raom let out a roar echoing throughout the darkness as he readied his halved cleavers.
Farra shifted from her perch when Erres blitzed forward, letting his blade forth in an unyielding blow. His eyes shined crimson, filled with murder. Raom caught the black-flame ornamented blade with one cleaver, extending his second blade when the first began to crack under Erres' fury.
“I'm going to kill you.” Erres muttered, a scarlet whirlwind around him composed of both divine blessing and his own flame. Flames seeped from the openings of his armor like exhaust. The young lord let out a scream and surged with force, shattering the second cleaver and launching Raom through the archway's pillars and into the coliseum's darkened halls, the structure destabilizing and beginning to crumble on top of the minotaur.
Farra moved along the second floor of the coliseum to ensure avoiding being caught in any collateral destruction. She examined her surroundings, in particular keeping fixated toward a high parting in the coliseum acting as a window to the structure. “Come out, I will not protect you from being caught in my Lord's fury, and if you intervene I'll have your life coward.”
The familiar wolf-beast jumped down, approaching the feirin slowly. “I have come to simply observe. There is nothing I can do to intervene if it's against your wishes.” Sievin spoke in a conciliatory tone. “I have done what I can outside, the dead are numerous, and Lord Valen only let me live for what reason I cannot imagine.”
“All things considered, you are a trusted orator of this domain. Numerous, but not all are dead, we will find use in your service.” Farra turned back toward the ensuing battle, Erres winding up a spiraling cyclone of flame along his blade, swinging and launching it into the hall, enveloping the previously darkened halls in a rage of fire. Erres dived in after the flames, the crash of stone breaking coming from the floor below Farra, the floor beneath her beginning to quake.
Within the blazing hallway, even Raom's tough hide began to blister from the sweltering heat. He grabbed a large halberd from a weapon rack, beginning a wide swing toward the pursuing Erres. The head of the halberd came toward the young lord's body, countered by Erres simply holding his blade up, emitting from it a stream of fire negating the force of the swing. Without hesitation Raom pulled forth two more weapons from the racks, one axe and one sword. Before the pole of the halberd reached the ground, an axe swing came toward Erres from one side, the sword approaching a direction as to ensure Erres' blade being occupied.
“It's futile.” Erres swung his blade only halfway, cutting through the sword quick enough to dodge the axe swing by continuing forward. The black blade plunged toward the minotaur's abdomen, a furious roar filling the halls. Before the blade could dig deeper, in a grand show of instinct, Raom batted Erres away with no regard for the flames exuding from the armor coming to scorch his hand, Erres well prepared for such a maneuver, sliding back along the stone flooring on his feet.
The young lord stabbed his blade into the flooring to slow his momentum quicker, dashing back into the fray as Raom recovered. The next weapon the minotaur reached for was a gargantuan mace, but before he could grab hold and swing, Erres blitzed him with a fervid fury, a crackle of explosions left in his path as he rammed Raom into the wall, Erres' blade colliding with and attempting to cut through the mace's handle. Raom drive the weight of the weapon downward in an effort to crush the zealous Erres. From the black-armored lord, a glow of tempestuous flame came, exploding outward.
“Come. Before you are swallowed by the rubble.” Farra leaped up to the same crevice through which Sievin had entered. She stood, overlooking the blazing structures illuminating the dark below. An explosion came, and in a eruption of fire and stone, an entire side of the coliseum was blown outward. With the wall’s destruction came Raom, flying back. The minotaur tumbled back until a stone building caught his body, Erres himself emerging and treading forward across burning ground.
The pillars supporting the second floor began to crumble as flames devoured more and more stone. Farra jumped to the nearest building, continuing to the observe the battle as the a side of Raom's keep crumbled behind her.
A bloodied Raom climbed to his feet, the wound from his stomach beginning to gush blood. The minotaur arched his head into the air, letting loose a savage roar that drained the air around him. The very ground began to shake, Farra momentarily loosing her footing on the building as flames along the ground extinguished.
“To think, a human, even if empowered by such divinity, could drive me back. Come then Erres. Let all here bear witness to whether it is Belthemot's might or my own that is supreme.” Raom clenched a fist, driving it down through a stone building beside him, carving with his hands a crude stone blade befitting his size. “Even with all your resources, the might of a minotaur will triumph.” Raom charged forward, bringing his crude blade down onto Erres. The young lord's blade met its stone foe, attempting to grind through the stone blade. The width from which it was shaped halted the cutting factor of Erres' blade, but not his strength. Raom stepped back and to the side, jerking his stone weapon back, treating it as a shield and leading the momentum of Erres' strike astray.
Raom let go of the shield, lowering his shoulder and catapulting into Erres, striking him with one fist, following with a slower second punch. Erres managed to pull his blade back in time, skinning Raom's fist as he continued past the blade, the fist succeeding in knocking its opponent back along the ground. Raom lowered his shoulder, charging after and ripping another stone armament from the ground. He handled the weapon like a wall, bashing it against Erres' blade and disarming him.
“As careless as your father.” Raom lowered a fist moving to strike Erres.
“My father was a weakling.” Erres' crimson eyes swirled with his fiery vengeance, catching Raom's punch even with a smaller hand. “But as a lord of those weak, it falls to me triumph.” Erres' black gauntlet swirled, commanding both a raging fire and Belthemot's scarlet blessing. “I will overcome every opponent, every battle, to see Belthemot's War Faction persist in these damned lands. You're nothing but a traitor, and your lack of a blessing shows it. I don't need my blade to bring you down.” Erres clenched his other gauntlet into a fist, bringing it forth and striking against Raom's gut, fire spilling on Raom's body as Erres shoved the minotaur back, making no move for his sword and dashing into Raom immediately. A jet of scorching fire came with the young lord, delivering a flaming strike that sent Raom crashing back in a torrent of fire.
Raom collided with a building, his thick skin charred beyond any feeling as rubble collapsed onto his body. The previous strike left him short of air, and the surrounding flames only made it harder to breathe. He opened an eye, unable to move as the remaining lingering embers stung his body, the impact of the building having shattered both his arms. The flames cleared, revealing Erres, wielding his blade once again.
“You...you're stronger than I had hoped. A mere human.” Raom tried to lift his body, a bolt of flame putting him back down. He continued to speak despite being brought down once more. “Fighting you was a joy, but tell me Erres, what hope do you have for a War Faction without fighting or vengeance. There will be no peace, regardless of who takes the mantle of Warlord, ever. With me—“ Erres plunged his sword into the minotaur's chest, sliding it further and further, tearing through the seared skin and tough body, before twisting his blade. “Your memory of your father dies with me, Conqueror.” The black blade lit aflame, scorching what remained of Raom's vitality from the inside, the minotaur's jagged teeth clenching in agony before his body became still, eyes shutting as his head slumped.
Erres stood, his greaves digging into the body, twisting his blade once more before finally ripping it from Raom. The flames and red wind faded from Erres, the soft red glow from within his armor returning. He stood still, one hand gripping his blood-soaked sword. He gazed down to the face of his enemy, who now rest in an eternal slumber, a target of his unbridled hatred and antagonist to his cause. At last, his father was avenged. All that remained was the matter of what next, where next to turn his fury. The enemies were obvious, but this monster of a creature was the one that set his life awry.
The sound of light and quick steps came, Farra running to her lord's side, jumping on top of the minotaur without care.
“My Lord. You've done it.” Farra spoke quiet, moving to Erres side. Her lord stood silent, gradually lowering his bloody blade.
“I have. My desire for vengeance has finally been fulfilled, and with it I will accept inheriting my father's title of Conqueror. Still, my hatred for this fool persisted so long, it has unmistakably chained me even as I endeavored in other pursuits. And bound both my fury and desire.”
Farra flung herself into Erres side, taking hold of his open hand and squeezing tight.
“It matters not my Lord. You not only did this for yourself, but what was necessary for the perseverance of our faction. Even if this act was full of your unbridled rage, you knew it to benefit us all the same.”
“I suppose you're right in that sense.”
Farra bowed her head, keeping close to Erres.
“I and Lord Valen, we will both stand by your side regardless of the circumstance Lord Erres. Until your fury and indignation returns in full, your soldiers will represent the fullest of your will. You have inspired us, it is our duty to help our Lord when he may waver in his resolve. I promise.”
More footsteps came behind them, Farra keeping hold of her Erres' hand all the same, turning her head to acknowledge the oncoming presences. Among them was Lord Valen, the troop she had brought, Sievin, and a handful of Raom's soldiers whose lives had been spared.
Estelle bowed her head into a kneel, all other soldiers following suit, leaving only Valen remaining standing and speaking aloud.
“As comes the end of one, so comes the opportunity for another. This moon, a lord has a fallen.”