CHAPTER EIGHT

Kogan Keep, Koga

12th Month, 23rd Day, 24th Year, The Quiet Age

“Scattered Retreat!” Ilan quickly yelled at Sir Montague and the knight obliged immediately. The two hundred remaining soldiers broke rank and proceeded to flee in several different directions all at once. “Seriously? Do you think I’m just going to let them go?” The demon replied playfully before barking his own orders to an Imp who was on a mount nearby. “Chase after the cavalry and cut them down. Don’t let a single one of the soldier’s escape.”

“I will do as you command, Demon Lord Kharzin.”

“Good. Now get going.” Kharzin stated dismissively and the Imp rode off on its hell hound after the fleeing unit.

Ilan listened to their conversation and involuntarily let out a sigh when he heard the title of the monster that had just arrived. “So…you’re a demon lord?”

“Correct! Ten points for the man who’s slowly catching on! I would complement your perceptiveness if that idiot didn’t just spell it out for you.”

Ilan ignored the insult and continued, “The Imp said your name was Kharzin. You wouldn’t happen to be related to Kharzaram; the demon lord of pride, would you?”

“You mean daddy-dearest? Well, DUH."

"How did you become a demon lord?"

"You humans seem to think that you’re the only ones prepared for the death of a person of great importance. The fact of the matter is demon society is just as, if not more, advanced than anything you stupid weaklings could ever come up with. Believe it or not, we demons have our own dynasties and hierarchies that determine the members of our ruling elite. My father’s domain was passed to me after you killed him twenty years ago. I Kharzin, his first son, have inherited all of his lands and titles. I’m the new pride demon now!” The monster evilly cackled while beaming with pleasure.

“So is that why you’re here? For revenge?” Ilan asked.

“Are you kidding me? Do I look like the sort of person to give two shits about my father? I couldn’t care less about something as utterly insignificant as revenge. I’m just following orders, understand? In actuality, I suppose I should probably be thanking you for getting rid of Kharzaram. My father cared only for our families’ survival and our domain was far too weak to do what was necessary, but that’s not the case anymore. My subjects will not live meaningless lives draped in anguish ever again, even if I have to bend the knee to another to accomplish my goals.”

Ilan’s brow furrowed when he heard this and he paused for a second before continuing, “A demon lord as strong as yourself has truly bowed his head to another? Who has the power to make you abandon your wicked hubris and follow the orders of another instead? And why do they want me dead so badly?”

“Come on human, even a human as dumb as you has got to know the answer to that one.”

Ilan’s eyes widened in fear for the first time in years. After hearing that, he struggled to compose himself and could barely keep calm as he addressed the demon lord. “Impossible…. That monster has been trapped for thousands of years. Are you saying it’s returned?”

Kharzin’s smile grew even wider and Ilan grit his teeth in response. ‘It can’t be,’ He thought to himself before an even more depressing thought entered his head ‘Is this the beginning of the end?’

“I love how you worms kill one Demon Lord and think you’ve won the entire war. Humans are just so easy to manipulate. I mean, we obviously let you kill the demon lord on purpose.”

“Why?”

“Simple. The answer was to unite us. A race as short-lived as yours should realize by know that grudges and schemes can transcend generations. Many of the demi-human races throughout the Forsaken Realm remained out of my master’s control until recently. We took care of the problem by forcing the united army of mankind to attack a specific region during the second offensive. You should remember what I’m talking about. After all, you were there weren’t you? Does The Slaughter of Yuger Canyon ring any bells?”

“That was a terrible day. I never approved of what was done there.”

“A goody-two-shoes like you would say something predictable like that, but does it really matter? I mean, that doesn’t change the fact that 100,000 innocent lives were snuffed out for no apparent reason besides lack of trust. Just the idea that demi-humans could possibly be helping us caused you humans to do some pretty evil stuff even though they were completely neutral, and that’s coming from a demon lord. Seriously, all we had to do was make the surrounding regions practically impregnable and you idiots attacked exactly where we wanted you to. Your people mercilessly slaughtered all of the non-combatants in the area that they came across, effectively creating a generation of loyal monstrous reinforcements who strive only for vengeance and human flesh. Pretty sneaky eh?”

“So now you work for someone who used your father and the lives of others like pawns?”

“Ouch. Truth be told, I just don’t see it that way. My father only had himself to blame for being so weak-minded. He may have been content with being a pawn, but I won’t stop until I’m the most important piece on the game board.”

“Please. You’re clearly more upset than you’re letting on. I can also promise that someone like you will never be of any importance to a person like that.”

Ilan’s words caused Kharzin to visibly twitch in anger, but the demon lord quickly composed himself and grit his pointed teeth. “It really doesn’t matter if you accept it or not. Also, your inability to see that doesn’t change the reality that is playing out in front of us. I don’t want to burst your bubble, but this nonsense has dragged on for a while and it’s getting pretty boring. What do you say we finish this?” The Demon Lord said while taking a large step towards Ilan, swinging his weapon back and forth menacingly.

“Agreed. Based off what you have just told me, time is now of the essence. I don’t want to keep you any longer than needed, either. The province of Koga has things to do. Let’s finish this.” Ilan bravely replied and pulled out his sword from behind him with his left arm.

“How polite of you. That’s exactly what I expected from such a gracious host!” Kharzin cackled as he took up his own fighting stance and rushed the human.

∞

I weaved through the trees as fast as I could, jumping over logs and cutting through underbrush in an attempt to lose my pursuers. I came to a tiny stream that must have branched off of the Violet River nearby and decided to cross it in case the enemy was tracking me. I kept running until I could see a giant oak tree coming up in front of me. I circled around it and threw myself against the trunk while getting as low as possible. I peeked around the tree and looked down the path that I had ran down. I watched silently for a few moments and began to hope that I had lost the monsters chasing me when I heard someone coming through the bushes.

A trio of Grells with spears came into view around the stream I had just passed. One of the Grells stopped at the bank and shouted back at his comrades before sticking his nose skyward. The Grell sniffed at the air for a bit before shouting again and pointing directly at my hiding place. ‘Can they smell me?’ I pondered as I got back to my feet to break back into my run. A twig cracked under my boot from my weight and the Grells all turned towards me. The three monsters and I stared at each other briefly before all of our instincts kicked in.

I hustled as fast as I could but the Grells chased after me. The little buggers were so small and agile that the tight spaces between the trees were the perfect hunting ground for them. They moved through the woods twice as fast as I could with ease and it didn’t take long for them to funnel me into a perfect dead-end against a small cliff. I grabbed the rock face and attempted to climb the cliff when I felt something sharp strike me in the back. I fell from the rock and smacked into the ground, knocking the breath from my lungs.

I grasped at my back and realized I had been hit with a spear that was now protruding out of my lower back. Blood leaked from the wound which left a dark red stain on the back of my tunic. My vision started to blur and I leaned on Shadow for support. I tried to check the area where I was injured with my hand and found my palm full of blood when I took it away. I was bleeding pretty badly. The dog looked up at me with a sad look in its eyes like it could tell that I was seriously hurt. Shadow slowly licked at my wound and whined softly. I rubbed the fur between his ears as the Grells got closer.

As they approached Shadow’s growling continued to get louder and he stepped in front of me. The closest Grell finally attacked and Shadow leapt into action, tackling the monster to the ground before ripping into its throat with his fangs. Black monster blood and gore sprayed out of the gaping open wound and the Grell went limp after struggling for a few seconds. One of the other Grells lunged at Shadow and stabbed him in the side in an attempt to get it off of their comrade.

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Shadow yelped and retreated a few steps to check out its injury before going back to circling his enemies. The Grells barked something to each other and then immediately separated to surround Shadow. The hellhound paused and waited until the Grells were on opposite sides of him. This time, Shadow struck first and sliced the front-facing Grell’s spear in half with his claws. The Grell stumbled backwards, and Shadow pounced on the now unarmed monster. Upon seeing this, the other Grell snarled and instead turned its weapon towards me. It closed the distance between us in an instant and raised a stone spear over its head to finish me.

I thought about my family as the monster prepared to strike. Images flashed through my head of all of my previous adventures around the keep, dinners with my family, my classes with Helene and sparing training. I thought about Sir Ribvan, Sir Pellas and Sir Ferris who all helped take care of me. I pictured the faces of my brothers and tried to envision my mother. I thought about how I would never get to travel the continent or do any of the things I wanted to. A dark foreboding came to me and I realized that I was actually worried for the first time about my father. The Grell let out a war-cry and was about to swing its spear down on top of me when someone shouted “Water Magic: Bubble Arrow” from a thicket on the other side of the field. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something fly at the monster extremely fast. It hit the Grell smack in the middle of the forehead just as the spear was about to rip into my midsection. Its body jerked in an unnatural motion before it fell to the ground lifelessly. I watched as the shadowy figure that was spying on us from the sky flew back to the keep as I finally lost consciousness.

∞

The two commanders exchanged ferocious blow after blow in what appeared to be a stale-mate in strength but Ilan knew that he couldn’t keep this up forever. His stump throbbed and he was getting so weak that he thought that he might have been poisoned but the dripping sound of his blood kept him alert for now.

“Is this really all that you’ve got, human? Where are those skills you used to kill my father Khazarim? I have to say, using wind magic to imitate your old abilities is pretty sneaky. I didn’t think it was possible, but you really can’t wield spirit magic anymore can you?”

“I’d pretend to be surprised but I’m guessing our mutual friend must have told you about that along with our battle strategy.”

“Oh, so you’ve figured it out, eh? I guess that’s to be expected from someone of your caliber. Otherwise my master wouldn’t need to be so wary of you, would he? But still, to figure out we’ve got a man on the inside so soon speaks to your so-called intelligence. Who knew that getting to be the one to end your insignificant life would be such a privilege? When I return, I’ve got to thank my master for allowing me to have such an honor.”

“I mean, it was pretty obvious. Even the best battle plans aren’t perfect. The fact that you been able to ascertain all of our movements perfectly was a major tip off. Don’t get me wrong, you’re a good strategist, perhaps even a great one, but nobody is that good. The only way to get results like that is with inside help.

“Very wise, and 100% correct. But does that help you right now?”

“Huh. Your right, it doesn’t. Enough talking. Let’s finish this.”

“Agreed. Shall we?” Kharzin said with a smile before rushing at Ilan with his sword raised.

Ilan managed to deflect the strike but the force still propelled him backwards. He tried to catch his breath quickly while Kharzin approached. Ilan looked towards the edge of the battlefield and could see Sir Montague attempting to break through the enemy to escape. There was a final clash before the cavalry managed to smash past the last line of monsters and started to flee in several directions. The cavalry blew a war horn in a specific sequence as a signal of failure that the various keep commanders would be able to hear even from here. With that they would understand what had just transpired and would give the necessary orders to abandon the town. Kogan Keep may fall, but the Kogans in town still had a chance. Our future, no, humanity’s future, depends on some of us surviving and escaping this nightmare. A sense of relief washed over him momentarily and Ilan couldn’t help but chuckle softly to himself. A smile came to his lips for a moment, and Ilan slowly turned back to his opponent. The evil look was gone from Kharzin's face and he looked visibly frustrated. The fact that a one-armed man was getting the better of him really seemed to piss him off. Now that the cavalry actually had a chance of getting away, Kharzin couldn’t contain his emotions any longer.

“That stupid Gnoll. Can’t these idiots do anything? We’ll I guess it’s just like what father used to tell me. If you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself.”

“Oh and you think I’ll let you? You know you still have to deal with me first, right?”

“Don’t rock the boat yet, human. We’ve only just got started.”

The two again exchanged a flurry of attacks and Ilan managed to land a glancing blow before separating. Ilan waited for the counter as Kharzin had previously done in their fight, but the demon lord just stood there motionless.

Suddenly the demon lord grabbed the back of its skull like it was in horrific pain. Kharzin dropped to his knees and started shouting incoherent nonsense.

“No……Please…...I can beat him……. without it…….I would never…. you're right…..no my master…..It will not happen again……I will do……as you command.”

The strange display of behavior in front of him bothered Ilan to no end. He wasn’t sure what would be coming next, but he would be ready for whatever it was that the demon lord threw at him. Kharzin stopped shouting after a while and removed his hand from his head, indicating that whatever was happening to him had stopped as suddenly as it had arrived.

He cackled out loud before yelling out to Ilan, “I’m sorry for having to cut our fun short, but it seems that my master wants you taken care of immediately. Take solace in the fact that you are quite strong for a human, but this unfortunately is the end of you.” Ilan was going to say something back but he could sense a strange energy coming from within Kharzin and decided to switch to a defensive stance.

Kharzin slowly lifted his hand and made a fist while speaking an incantation that Ilan was unfamiliar with. “Banishment: Void Prison.” A dark circle appeared around Ilan’s feet. He tried to get out of the way but he couldn’t quite move fast enough. An immense glowing wave of black light shot out from the dark spot underneath him, piercing the sky and swallowed Ilan whole. The wave of light slowly diminished until it vanished completely. A large crater was all that remained of the spot that the spell had hit and Ilan was gone. ‘Just like the master planned,’ Kharzin thought to himself before turning towards the Imp who waited behind him. “Tell the traitor he’s done an excellent job. My master would like to see him immediately. After I want you to collect the corpses and give them to the soul harvester. Make sure the bodies go to the right place afterwards.”

∞

When Rhodin woke up he was still disoriented but he could tell that he was being carried somewhere. He tried to look around but his right eye was so swollen shut it refused to listen to him. “Water…” He muttered with what was left of his strength and whoever had been carrying him stopped. “So you’re still with us, eh? That was quite a fall you took.” The voice sounded friendly, but Rhodin couldn’t place it. He slowly turned his injured body over so he could look at whoever was talking with his one good eye. A man with dark brown hair and the robes of a mage was standing next to him.

“Please, Rhodin’s had a hundred injuries worse than this one. He may not look it but he’s a tough son of a bitch. He’ll be fine.” Again Rhodin glanced around him before finding Harston on his other side. He could make out Wekkes and Briggs next to him and they were attempted to bandage a badly injured Niko. Rhodin groaned before jumping into the conversation himself, “I haven’t felt this bad since that night we broke into the cellar and drank that entire barrel of Beet Vodka.”

“You never could hold your booze very well.”

“Oh and your one to talk. I’m pretty sure you were the one who passed out. We would have gotten into a load of trouble if I hadn’t carried you out of there.”

“Why do you think I’m carrying you now? This makes us even.” Harston said with a smile.

Rhodin tried to laugh but it hurt internally and he ended up twisting his face into a grimace. “Enough of the pleasantries, you we’re never any good at them anyway. Who’s this and where is everybody? Is Niko doing OK?”

Harston paused for a second before continuing. “Niko is on the brink of life and death. His left arm is mangled beyond repair and he’s bleeding badly. We’ve been trying to apply first aid to him but nothing is working.”

“Briggs, screw the bandages. Try to look around for some Azaelia herbs! It’s the only thing that will help him if he’s that far gone! Hurry!”

“Grr.” Briggs replied before sauntering off to find the herbs.

“Next, the man who helped me carry you out here is the head mage of Koga, Brian Feldspur. He’s an earth type who was working under Ilan. He caught us as we we’re thrown from the tower with some sort of binding spell. He’s the reason we are all still alive.”

“Well sort of. I can manipulate rock, so I used an earth wall spell to prevent you from falling. Unfortunately, you still smacked into my wall with quite a bit of force and I couldn’t stop the debris from wiping out my entire squad.”

“After that, the ground collapsed underneath of us from the tower falling. We’re lucky the keep was built on top of an abandoned mine. We landed in an old tunnel and after making some make-shift stretchers, followed it upwards to the surface. We emerged about a kilometer deep into The Great Forest.”

“I’m sorry for your loss and I thank you for saving me, Brian. I don’t want to come off as rude, but what we’re you doing at the tower anyway?”

“We were initially deployed to trebuchets but got moved when the battle began, which struck me as odd. When Pellas sent the order for several teams to try and re-establish control of the trebuchet, I decided to leave my position as well. My squad managed to arrive just as the tower exploded. It was just unfortunate timing.”

“What direction did you come from? Did you pass through the town square?”

“We initially we’re guarding the back wall and had been trying to oversee the evacuation process when the fighting started, but a call for extra reinforcements to help Sir Ferris came from the front. We we’re on our way there when a runner from command gave us the order to divert and come help you instead. We did pass through the square and I could tell a great struggle had taken place there. The ground was littered with the corpses of dead soldiers and ghouls.”

“You went through the square? Did you see a man with a golden helmet lying amongst the deceased?”

“No, I don’t think so. I didn’t take a great look though, for obvious reasons.”

“Well there’s a chance Beck could have survived then. Where’s Elgar and the rest of the squad?”

Harston refused to make eye contact with me and Rhodin knew that they had left this world behind. Rhodin didn’t want to ask the next question but something internally had forced him to do it.

“How many survivors?”

“Besides the people who evacuated early, you’re looking at all of them. As of right now, it’s just the six of us.”

¤ ¤ ¤