Dragon's Archon - Ch. 21 - Standing in Flames - Alpha (Patreon)

By the time we exited the tower, the sun had passed the horizon. Darkness provided us with the cover we needed. I unclasped my hammer and led the group into the shadowy  wilderness. Once we reached our position, we waited for a few minutes to ensure we weren’t being followed.

With no one in sight, I raised the three guards with my death magic. I ordered them to safeguard Ophelia and Cartha with their lives and to follow any orders they gave. I wasn’t sure if that later command would work before I issued it, but when they groaned in compliance, I felt better about leaving my allies under their protection.

“Be safe,” I whispered to the sorceress and huntress. “Wait until you see the flames and the Butcher’s men leave. If they don’t take the bait, pull back and wait for me at the tower. I don’t want you two needlessly risking your lives. I can deal with any blowback from the princess.”

“Got it,” Cartha said. She took one step away and stopped. “And… uh… you be safe too.”

Even though she said it without looking at me, I knew she meant it. I rounded my way to where I’d left the terror scrofas. It wasn’t hard to find.

I followed my nose to the smell of decay. Thousands of insects crawled across the carcass, chomping away at the rotting flesh. I poured my magic into the beast and rose it from the ground. Once it was stable, I commanded it to follow me.

The more I used my Death Magic to raise minions, the more I had to reserve it. I could feel there was an eventual cap, but I was so far from it, I wasn't concerned. I was intrigued to see how many I could hold at one point. Hundreds? Thousands? Millions? It felt exciting to contemplate while I trudged through the thick brush.

“Master?” Malice asked, her voice elated.

“Yeah?” I replied.

“I just want to say that my body is lit with anticipation.”

“Why’s that?” I asked, knowing well by now what she was likely to say.

“The night’s harvest approaches! So many souls will be claimed through the destruction of Liberty's Bay. You will reap the weak. Their useless lives converted into essence to fuel your will. Through their deaths, you will grow in power. Coming ever closer to reaching your goal. Seeing such a sight at the foundation of your glory is truly a once in a lifetime event. I’m overwhelmed with joy to share it with you.”

“That would be super cute if it wasn’t so macabre,” I chuckled. “But I’m glad to have you with me, Malice. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have gotten this far together.”

My armor shivered, and I felt the warmth of metallic lips caress my cheek as I ran forward. The time for stealth was over. With the terror scrofas at my back, it might as well have been a tyrannosaurus rex, and I was the jeep it was chasing. Each gallop of its thick legs and wide body shook the trees, snapped twigs, and reverberated the ground.

When I reached the first field, finding a group of guards investigating the noise didn’t surprise me. They all gasped in fear as I burst through the shadows. Their weapons bounced off my armor as I barreled through them like bowling pins.

I slid to a halt. As I turned, I shouldered my weapon and pointed at the bodies that scrambled from the ground. “Kill them all!” I shouted.

The the towering beast of tooth and claw burst through the treeline like a wrecking ball. It speared the closest soldier on its horns. The man seized as blood dripped from his mouth. His eyes darted side to side as if still trying to process what was happening. They didn’t stop moving until the animal tore him in two with its thick claws.

The remaining soldiers screamed in terror. The monster pounced on the next one, ripping his flesh into meaty chunks, painting its head in red. Two brave men swiped their swords at its hind legs. Their weapons effortlessly slipped through the decayed flesh before scraping the bone.

But the creature seemed unaffected. It bucked its back legs sending the soldiers airborne. After spinning in place, it lowered its head and darted toward both men. It pierced one and batted the other to the ground. Muffled cries for help shouted in the air as the terror scrofas mauling them with its claws and teeth. By the time it finished, twisted intestines dangled from its horns like a grisly crown. The two men left dropped their weapons and sprinted into the brush.

“Go after them,” I said, pointing to the men. “We can’t leave any alive. Come back when you’re finished.”

My minion raced into the surrounding forest. Yells and snapping wood echoed nearby for a few seconds. The silence that followed felt unnatural, as if all the creatures of the forest were terrified of what we’d just done. As my gauntlet absorbed the souls, I surveyed my surroundings.

The field was wider than a football field, but just as long. The xyrol plants that inhabited the area stood up to my chest. Their long green stalks gave them their height. But it was the red-and-orange glistening buds that were their defining feature.

After I snapped one off its base, I twisted it in my hand. I hesitated to take a big whiff of it, not knowing if my immunity to disease and poison also made me immune to drugs, and this was not the time to test that theory. A sudden realization hit me that I planned on burning the field. I wasn’t a drug connoisseur, but I was familiar with the effects of secondhand smoke.

Nothing I can do about that now, I guess, I thought.

When the terror scofas returned to my side, I pushed the thought to the side and marched forward. Once we got halfway through the field, I heard shouts from men off into the distance.

“Must be more guards coming to investigate the noise,” I said.

“You and your beast are anything but subtle, master,” Malice said with a hint of smile in her voice.

“There are supposed to be multiple fields. If they’re coming from that way then, they must be further inland. I don’t want to start the burn until we reach the furthest.”

“With me,” I commanded as I worked up to a jog. I readied my hammer as the shouting got closer. With my eyes fully dilated, I saw my foes before they saw me.

I pulled my hammer back and swung. The head exploded in a showering mist as I cleaved it through a tree. I spun, tripping the next foe. As my hammer followed through the momentum, I brought it down on the soldier’s back. A thick crunch popped into the surroundings.

Something glanced off my shoulder. I turned and spotted four archers off into the distance. They rained arrows on me as I instinctively raised my forearm to protect the eye slit of my helmet.

With but a subconscious thought, I directed the terror scrofas at them. They lowered their bows and screamed as it charged after them. I didn’t need to watch the carnage to know my minion had executed his order. Hearing the archers’ ghastly wails was enough.

The final men shouted as they sprinted at me with spears in hand. I twisted my torso as I swung, the metal tips of their weapons sparked off of my plate. Both bodies flipped head over feet as my hammer connected. Their bodies folded motionlessly in half once they hit the ground. I spun on my heel when I heard a horn below further inland. The alarm from Liberty’s Bay followed soon after.

“So much for waiting,” I said.

“Liberty Bay’s forces will no doubt be on their way, master,” Malice said. “We must press on.”

As the swirling wind of the souls twisted their way into my gauntlet, I sprinted through the row of jungle that separated the fields. I found the terror scrofas surrounded by a group of soldiers. Even in the distance, the beast’s large size made it easy to spot them.

Several archers shot rope arrows into the beast, piercing its remaining thick hide. Four groups grabbed the ends, sliding in the ground as they struggled to pull it to the ground. A half-plated man, wielding a metal-and-wooden shield, directed the others with skill while he held the animal’s attention. The soldiers were so preoccupied with the threat in front of them that they didn’t hear me coming.

The leader turned as I stormed their position. He raised his shield just in time for my hammer to shatter through it. The head of my weapon continued forward, caving the man’s face inward. His lower jaw remained the only reminder of the man he was.

I turned my focus to the archers. They struggled to nock their arrows as I raced forward. Each swing silenced their cries of fear, replacing them with the cracks of shattered bones. With those threats dealt with, I engaged the remaining soldiers.

Once a few of the men dropped the ropes, the terror scrofas swung the remainder in the air like kites. It caught one in its claws and clamped onto his skull. Even with the metal helmet, it popped like a watermelon, splashing brain matter as it chomped.

With their leader and allies dead, the remaining men scrambled to their feet and rushed away. But I wasn’t about to let anyone escape. I dropped my hammer and extended both hands. With as much force as I could muster, I sprayed fire and liquid earth from my hands. It arched through the air and clung to their bodies.

They shrilled and tumbled over as the heat cooked them in their armor. I picked up my weapon and navigated to each one still alive. With an overhead slam, I put them out of their misery, absorbing their soul in the process. In just a few minutes, the number of souls I had claimed for my goddess nearly tripled and the night still had a long way to go.

When I turned around, I watched the fire spread through the field. The plants almost seemed incendiary by how quickly the flames consumed them. I waited until the entire field burned.

I didn’t pause my breathing. Instead, I breathed deep, waiting for any sign that it would effect me. When I felt nothing but the heat, I smiled.

I directed the terror scrofas beyond the field before it too became a walking inferno. Without concern, I marched through the fire, retrieving my hammer along the way. While I could feel that I was surrounded by something hot, Malice’s Fire Resistance protected me as I proceeded to the final field.

As I assumed, there were no more soldiers, only more red-and-yellow flowers. I set the field on fire with more Magma Spray before returning to the first field and repeating the ability. It was there I waited. I glanced to my side, to ensure I could see my minion waiting for me in the brush. Should I need its help, I wanted it to be ready.

The roaring fire made it difficult to hear. Each pop of a bug, pulled my attention. I knew the Butcher and his army were coming. But the wait drudged on, making it unbearable.

I became anxious, wanting for this to be over, to prove I was the better. Deep down, I knew this would be a test. One of strength and conviction. This would be my moment to show that I was here to stay. That this was the beginning of my conquest and the story of the Blackthorn. That’s why when I saw his army halt at the edge of the burning field, I smiled.

I tightened my grip around my hammer and readied myself. Each passing second, more soldiers lined up along the treeline. The flames reflected in their armor and weapons, dancing in the night.

A high-pitched whistle signaled for the gathered guards to part. Three men rode up on trisons. Two were fully adorned in a hodgepodge of plate armor that looked like the pieces had been stolen from various dead soldiers. The Butcher sat in the middle, shouldering his cleaver.

With a wave of my hand I vanquished the fire. I wanted them close.

The Butcher laughed as he looked down at me. “Why am I not surprised? I told them they shouldn’t trust you. You and that snake-haired bitch of a princess. Ever since you both showed up, you’ve done nothing but make a mess of things. But I can’t fault them. Lady Florence… Venom… both of them built this small shithole and are too scared to let it go. They probably thought the only way of getting out of this safely was to make a deal with you. One they hoped you would honor. Because deep down they and I know the truth.”

“What’s that?” I asked with my deep brooding voice.

The Butcher smiled wildly. “That you’re a killer. Just like me. It’s why I brought all of my men here. I came here for a good scrap. Not any scrap. Oh no, I came here for a proper fight. The ones that only the survivors live to tell about.”

The Butcher raised his weapon and pointed it at me. “And for that, Sir Blackthorn, I genuinely thank you. For you will be the one to grant me my legend as I cut you down. I will no longer be just the Butcher. I will become the Butcher of the Blackthorn.”

The army marched as their leader led them forward.

However, the Butcher raised his hand, halting their advance as my chuckle built into a howling laugh. “You… believe you’re going to survive this?”

“You’re more insane than I am if you think otherwise,” The Butcher growled. “You’re surrounded by thirty Swordsmen, twenty Archers, and three Slayers including me. You are alone in the middle of the field, behind enemy lines. There’s only one man I know of that could survive something like that and you are not him.”

I tilted my head at the sudden revelation. I focused intently on the three men riding the beasts in front of me.

Name: ???

Class: Slayer

Race: Cowkin

Name: The Butcher

Class: Slayer

Race: Half Dwarf Half Human

Name: ???

Class: Monster

Race: Lizardkin

So they are Slayers, I thought. But I’m more intrigued by the other morsel, the Butcher gave. “Who is such a man who could defeat that?” I asked.

“Quit stalling!” The Butcher spat. “Raise your weapon, and fight!”

I readied my weapon. “Fine, but just know you overestimate yourself, Butcher. I’m not surrounded by fifty-three soldiers. I’m surrounded by fifty-three dead men.”

The Butcher snarled and charged. “The person who brings me his head gets ten thousand gold!”

I sprinted forward and activated my Aura of Malice. Each of the trisons hastened toward me, their riders brandishing their weapons. They raced shoulder to shoulder, leaving me only one place to go. I slammed my hammer to my back just before I jumped.

With my arms spread wide, I tackled each of the men off their mounts. We slammed into the ground with a heavy thud before the Butcher sent me airborn with a kick. I rolled into the air and slid in the earth, clawing at the ground to stop my momentum.

The shouting army that raced toward me, pulled my attention behind me. I spun, spraying my Magma Spray in a circle. The first line of advance fell to the ground, clutching their smoldering faces and bodies. Those behind them stumbled over their fallen comrades, giving me a moment to breathe. I called my minion into the fray, concentrating on the archers that stood idle waiting for a moment to shoot. This split the attention of the backline who halted, allowing me to press forward.

I gripped my hammer and lunged into the crowd. I swung as hard and as fast as I could muster. Each blow sent a handful of men airborne and littered the ground with their body parts.

As the bodies piled and the soldiers scampered to escape, I let out a barbaric shout as I pressed my advantage. I swung one handed, splattering a man’s head into his chest. On the backhand, I severed his comrades leg from his body.

“Yes, master, yes!” Malice shouted with glee. “Kill! Kill them all!”

A lone soldier stood in fear, shaking his head as I ran toward him. I palmed his head, sucking the life out of him while I swung my weapon. The unlucky soul to catch the head of my hammer flipped backward over the crowd, opening me up to three more dead men.

I dropped the body in my hand, gripped my handle, and swung around me. Each of the bodies smashed into each other before throwing them into a group of soldiers. I jumped into the air and slammed as hard as I could into the group. A wave of blood splashed over the front of me.

My vision turned red. I paid no mind to the clank of blades, spears, and arrows that glanced off my armor. Nothing could pierce Malice, leaving me to my bloodlust. My whole body lit aflame as I swung again and again. The screams of the dead and wounded fed my need to silence them. They were the monsters that I was cleansing this world of.

As I rushed toward my next victim, a chain wrapped around my neck and pulled me off my feet. More pissed than hurt, I quickly rolled over and lunged the other direction. A Slayer held the end of the chain whip.

I grabbed the middle of it and triggered the Magma Spray in my hand. It melted through the steel as I dashed toward him. He dropped the weapon and pulled two daggers just in time to meet the swing of my hammer. The blow glanced off him and he slid backward. When the dust settled, he stood wide eyed, staring at his fractured and bleeding hands.

“Impressive,” I said. “That blow would have killed your compatriots.” I raced forward. “But it was a mistake to try to parry my strength!”

The man screamed as I swung my hammer overhead. His neck snapped backward before his body buckled.

“Cassius!” a voice called out. When I turned around, the other Slayer charged forward wielding a flail and a shield. I dodged the first swing, only to have the spiked ball rotate back around and connect with my helmet. The blow rang my bell.

I lept backward and tried to shake it off, but my foe was relentless. He swung wildly, too fast for me to catch him off guard. I sprayed my magma at him, only to have it slide off his shield as he pushed forward.

With repeated blows, he swung overhead. They smacked into my helmet, blurring my vision.

“Master, you have to do something!” Malice shouted. “I’m growing weak!”

“I’m fucking trying!” I shouted.

In a last ditch effort, I dropped my hammer and grabbed the shield. I kicked him as I jerked it away. He fell back as I threw it away, but continued charging forward, swinging like a madman.

I rushed toward him, and speared him to the ground. We rolled around in the viscera of the battlefield, a mix of blood and mud covered us. Our metal armor clanked as we scraped against each other, fighting for leverage.

After I landed a few punches, he turned, exposing his back. I jumped on top of him, wrapping my arms around his neck. He grunted as I squeezed as hard as I could.

I jerked and twisted. His helmet caved before I felt his jaw and neck shatter.  His body slumped to the ground, giving me a moment to breathe. I wanted to collect myself, but the screams echoing from every direction reminded me I was on a battlefield.

I rolled and pushed myself to my feet. I felt a sudden surge of Dark Magic free from my capacity. When I glanced to my right, the Butcher stood on top of the terror scrofas panting and bloody. We locked eyes. He pulled his blade from the now dead corpse as I retrieved my hammer.

We were all that was left. The only souls still alive were the ones screaming for their mothers. I ignored that noise to give my rival my full attention.

Only one of his arms was working. The other hung lifelessly from his shoulder. His face and eye bled from a fresh wound. Judging by the claw marks, I assumed it was a final parting gift from my minion.

“I’m rightly messed up,” The Butcher said, spitting before laughing. “And you don’t look like you have a scratch on you. Figures. Seems like you weren’t alone after all.”

“That was your first mistake,” I said, squaring off. “I could have brought more, but I figured you’d want a fair fight.”

“I asked you for a proper fight and you gave me one. I’ll give you that.”

“You’re done Butcher. Throw down your weapon and I’ll grant you a merciful death.”

“Oh, we both know that ain’t happening. I’m still breathing, so I’m not done yet. Let’s see what this bastard cooked up.”

The Butcher pulled out a vial from a bag on his belt. He popped the top and downed the contents. The open wounds on his body sealed shut, and his arm popped into place. He rotated his shoulder and stood, cracking his neck.

“Ah, that feels much better. I’ll give it to Venom. He makes one hell of a potion.” The Butcher raised his blade. “Now, it’s about time we—”

The half-dwarf groaned. He gripped his stomach as it gurgled. As he covered his mouth, black ichor spewed between his fingers. A darkness spread through his veins, covering his whole body.

“What is this?” the Butcher groaned, his voice completely distorted and deep. “What’s happening to me?”

The muscles along the half-dwarf’s arms pulsed; his veins expanded. Each appendage grew at an alarming rate, doubling with each heartbeat. He buckled forward onto his hands and knees as his flesh tore like fabric.

By the time the transformation finished, he was no longer a man. He was an amalgamation of raw flesh and thick twisted muscle. Small tufts of hair and his torn clothes were the only remains of who he once was. A brooding growl echoed through its animalistic pants..

I’d seen this movie before and charged forward. I shot my Magma Spray as I pulled my hammer back. The beast squealed and swung its giant arm. It was fast for its size, too fast. It sent me tumbling through the air before slamming into the ground.

By the time I stood up, the Butcher pushed itself up to its feet, stumbling backward as its smaller legs tried to compensate with its overdeveloped torso. It leaned forward like a gorilla before letting out a harrowing squeal.

We hurtled toward each other. I let out a bloodcurdling shout as I pulled my hammer back. When I swung, the behemoth caught the head and swung me around. I flew until I collided with the top of a tree. I tumbled to the ground, snapping branches as I fell. When I hit the ground, I scrambled to my feet, only to see the beast descending above me.

I jumped out of the way as its massive fists left a crater behind me. With a spinning swing, my hammer collided into the beast’s side. I felt a crunch. It howled, gripping the wound. I dashed forward, slamming the head into its chest.

Its giant claws gripped around my weapon and tore it from my hands. It slammed the hammer down as it swung with its massive arm, throwing me backward. I rolled into the base of a massive tree.

My foe charged forward, galloping on its massive forearms. I caught one of its arms and swung it around, backing it into the tree. I threw a quick combination in its abdomen. The shockwaves of my blows shook the surrounding canopy.

But the hulking mass of muscle seemed almost unaffected. It grabbed me in its large hands and rammed me headfirst into the trunk. Wooden shrapnel exploded into my helmet before it tossed me back into the air.

My eyes watered and my ears rang as I hit the ground, sliding to a halt. The beast’s roar kept me mobile. I triggered my Ground Detection, giving me additional information on the incoming threat. After shaking my head, I jumped to my feet. I sprinted forward, picking up my weapon along the way.

As the Butcher raised its massive arms, I jumped into its just, plowing my hammer into its chest. My momentum pushed it tumbling backward. It howled as I swung it over and over. It wrapped its hands around me and tossed me to the ground. I tumbled over and over until the thick pile of dead bodies stopped me.

I pushed myself up to my feet as the beast touched its bloodied and bruised chest. Its muscles bulged even larger as it let out a horrific shout. It doubled in size before hurtling toward me with deadly intent.

It caught me mid swing before plunging me into the ground. It dragged me until my back and shoulders felt like it was on fire. Dirt and blood spilled through my armor, clouding my vision. I couldn’t see where I was. But from the sickening feeling in my stomach and loss of my Ground Detection, I knew I was airborne again.

The pain that followed was indescribable. The beast crushed me in its grip while pummeling over and over into the earth. The pounding blows crushed my flesh and bones. I felt Malice’s armored body pierce me as my body struggled to repair the damage.

“Master, please, fight back!” Malice shouted.

Just like before, Malice’s cries fueled my hate. She was a part of me and I was failing her. But I needed help. I couldn’t save us while getting pressed into the earth. If I didn’t do anything, I was going to join the dead around me.

The dead around me! I thought.

I gritted my bloody teeth as I raised my arms to shield myself from the blows. With my Ground Detection, I felt the corpses that littered the field. I spread my Death Magic from my body, activating every minion that I could sense with my spells. When they all activated, I targeted them all to the same threat.

When the blows suddenly stopped, I knew it worked. As I lowered my arms and my vision returned, I saw my living army of the dead crawling over the Butcher like ants. They frantically bit and clawed at its flesh. The beast did well killing them in waves, but it didn’t matter. My goal wasn’t to kill it with them, I just needed to buy myself time.

I spilled my Magma Spray around me, filling the divot. As I rose from the burning rock, I manipulated it into a new hammer. Its handle was longer; its head colossal. It was a weapon better scaled to my frame and mass. And more fitting for the giant I fought.

“Now I’m going to crush every bone if your fucking body!” I spat.

I sprinted forward, holding my weapon low. The Butcher noticed me and raced to meet me head on, flinging my minions in its stride. I met its swing with all the strength I had left. The bound muscle in its arm tore, and the bone snapped.

The Butcher reared back before it came down on, only to have the wounded appendage fold like paper. I swung again at the same arm. The flesh tore at the forearm, creating a small lack of blood on the ground. My minions attacked his wound, unrelenting in their assault. The creature rolled on the ground crushing them, trying to get them off.

With it distracted, I aimed for its other arm. This time I collided with its shoulder, knocking it loose from its socket. Its body tumbled to the earth.

With its head back to my level, I took aim and lept. The Butcher’s head splattered under my force. A final groan was all that remained. As I claimed my final soul of the battle, I let out a sigh of relief.

“You did it, master!” Malice shouted with glee. “You did it!”

“Your screams were genuine this time weren’t they?” I asked.

“Yeah… You had me worried. But you persevered like I knew you would.”

“Yeah… it wasn’t looking good.” I sighed. “Thanks Malice. You helped pull me back.”

“Of course, master. I’ll always be here for you.”

Soreness radiated through my entire body. I took deep breaths, allowing my Relentless ability to heal my body as I scanned the battlefield. Everything that wasn’t painted in blood was charred black from the fire. My minions shambled in place, waiting for their next order. I used my foot to prod the Butcher’s corpse.

“What the hell did he turn into?” I asked. “What was that stuff he drank beforehand?”

“I don’t know,” Malice said. “But whatever it was, it wasn’t good.”

As I examined the body, the hair on the back of my neck stood up. Someone was watching me. I spun and scoured the surroundings.

“What is it, master?” Malice asked.

“I don’t know,” I said, squinting. I caught the glimpse of a masked shadow moving in the distance. “Venom!”

As I raced to follow, I felt my Death Magic return to me. It raised by one soul and then another. My stomach sank when I turned and realized it wasn’t an additional threat in the field.

“The girls!”