Chapter 2 A scream ended the savage slaughter as the remaining demon fell to the floor in two. The hairless warrior swung his Shuriko to remove it of any blood, and at last sheathed his sword. He was dressed in eastern armor from his descendants as was his sword. “Excellent.” he said simply. In his hand a flame was kindled, and he threw it on the ground beside him.
“Good job Assasins, now lets get out.” he called out. From the shadows emerged his force, a trained group of infiltrators to remove command from any demon forces that may prove difficult to destroy without their leader. They moved swiftly around the now busy compound, jumping form building to building and avoiding any detection under the moonless night. He had three of his men spread around the compound and all at once fire again was lit. They all then merged into a single group again at the only way out of the fortified area. Crude yet effective walls would prevent anyone or anything from entering or exiting, the only exception were gates which the infiltrators now had under their control. Yells and screams erupted as demon and man alike inside realized their base was quickly becoming a meal for the fire to lick and consume. The gates were swung open, and they began to pour out quickly. A cry was cut off from one demon and he fell to the ground, and more followed. They were demons behind them stood in amazed terror as their kin now fell to unseen swords, and they dared not step out from the wall’s perimeter. A figure appeared before them, several yards ahead and close enough for their torches to illuminate well. The man before them smiled. “My name is Thasador. Be sure to tell your masters when you meet them in hell!” he grinned. They expected him to make a move, however he merely stood there with his arms crossed. They sized up their courage and sprinted at him, and were savagely cut down before they could ever get a hand on him. More and more demon kin poured out, mixed with men who had betrayed their own kind. Thasador joined the massacre and with every swing of his sword he smote one more demon. The night wore on as the destroyed all those flowing out of the base.
“The demon compound has been infiltrated and those within it killed.” Thasador reported to the tall black haired figure. “Good job. Take a day or two to rest, we have a problem at the Mouth of Hell.” spoke the Imperator. Thasador gave him an inquisitive look. “Jetrall arrived while you were at your raid, the Gates have fallen to the control of a massive demon host. “
“Then I must go now before they get comfortable! The barriers won’t last that long, we have to attack now, shouldn’t we my lord?” he asked. “Jetrall was found on his way here, Carloseus found him and decided to take his Slayers to confront the demon army.”
A dark chill ran up Thasador’s back. It froze his entire body and he felt again what death must feel. He did not question what the leader of Silvers forces had just said, Carloseus was capable and known for such decisions. He has bitten too much this time. He can’t possibly hope to defeat Hell itself can he? Thasador thought. Then it hit him. Carloseus had no intention of defeating the army. He had run out to confront the evil to buy time. “I must depart now.” said Thasador.
“If you depart now, you will arrive too late. It is 4 days at least from here to the Gates, and even if you did get there in time you wouldn’t be too much of a help.” replied Elfen. “Am I to wait for his death?!” exploded Thasador. Never had he yelled at any superior in his career under Silver’s Order. He quickly realized his mistake. “My lord, I apologize.” he said bowing. “I understand your frustration Thasador. Rise.” said Elfen. “We are working on reopening a portal to the Gates. It will be a full day before the portal is opened, so rest and ready your men. We will send in Darkjay, Acidreign, and yourself. Your legions are to be ready by tonight, so go and rest. That is all.” he concluded. With a turn the right hand of Silver dismissed himself and the leader of Assasins. Thasador raced out of the hall, and joined his legion outside. He quickly told them of the situation, and then left to his quarters. Walking in he threw his green tinted armor to the side along with it his sword. His wife was wakened by the commotion, and met him just as he entered the room. Her playful smile vanished when she noticed his stern resolve.
“What is it that bothers you?” she asked. He quickly told her what he knew. “That’s terrible! Why would he do that?” she asked. He merely looked at her, she knew Carloseus well enough to know. He was almost a part of their family, as if a brother to them and an uncle to their children. “What will you do?” she asked. “We will leave tonight to his aid, I just hope…” he looked away. He dared not think of his friend dead and unable to be brought back. Allison wrapped her arms around him knowingly and with understanding. He held her for support and warmth to push away evil and sad thoughts. He then let go of her to rest, emptying his mind of all thoughts he quickly found the bliss of sleep and the rest his body would need for what had to be done after he woke from his rest. Allison closed the door to their bedroom, and began the task of cleaning and readying his armor and Shuriko.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
-Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's First Law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only, truth.
Chapter 1 The sun began to set under the far western mountains, transforming the sky above them from blue to red, yellow, and finally black. Though the darkness of night began to swallow the land, there was still daylight left, enough for the eyes gazing leader of Slayers to see. Then again, he could see clearly what night hid from others.
He sighed. Apparently another false prediction. He had felt demon activity approaching here a week before, and two days of searching revealed no sign of their evil nor was this area or direction convenient for the horrid creations from Hell. Not only this, a conflict within him had been weighing down on him for quite some time now. He fought the feeling and began arguing with himself, the two sides of him were again locked in a battle of words inside his mind. Why? Because I'm a warrior. You deserve it do you not? I may deserve, but I cannot have it. Not with peace of mind. You make no sense. I never said I did. Then why must we argue? Do it! I cannot. Why must you torture yourself? Because there is no other option. Is that your reasoning? Yes. He gripped the handles, a collected mixture of anger, grief, frustration and sadness suddenly swamping him. He felt the air around him become hot and stuffy, making him slightly claustrophobic. As he tightened his hold on the colossal weapons the feeling slowly subsided, he felt beads of sweat pour down his face.
"Sir?" asked his friend and follower. "Fudlow! How long have you been standing there?" asked the commander. He noticed the mage at attention, "at ease". "Not long sir," .lied the spellcaster. His eyes betrayed him however, he'd been standing a half hour before the leader had shown even one sign of recognition. "What would you like, or did you find something?" Carloseus asked. "We have detected something, though not demonic. We sensed a figure moving swiftly westward, in the direction to the Citadel." "Do we know what it is?" "From what we got, human, but at the speed it is traveling its too fast to be on foot though not fast enough to be on horseback."
"Can we still intercept it?" "We can intercept it, but we will have to move at a considerable speed to reach it quickly," "Ready the men, I'll get Nattenshi." Fudlow took his leave and headed down the hill to alert the seven men awaiting word from their commander. Carloseus strapped his swords on his back, and put two fingers to his forehead. He scanned the area around him until he felt Nattenshi's presence. He homed in on it, and materialized with his back to her. "We need to move-" he was cut off by her scream.
"Don't do that! You scared me!" she yelled. She picked up several herbs and grasses she had been gathering. The robes she wore were of the finest make, runes and enchantments were placed on it, buffers that allowed her to better channel the elemental energies. Her eyes were slightly pulled, but that did not hide the beauty of them. She was of eastern decent and was tremendously learned, able to speak several languages without much trouble. Her long black hair flew in the air as she turned around and gave him an angry stare.
"Lets go, we don't have much time." he put his hand around her arm, and they appeared in the middle of the rest of their companions. The fire had been put out, and their equipment packed on their horses. Nattenshi mounted her horse first and looked at everyone with such distaste they dared not follow. A line of fire traced her robes followed by a wind which blew the direction they were headed.
"Ferret, go ahead. Jarhead, you protect the back. Nattenshi," she glanced at him in a somewhat less irritated manner, "you at center, Fudlow you on right of column and I'll stay on left. Adorg, you and Sabrek behind Nattenshi, Ajax, Caliban, and Sarcon ahead of her. Now lets ride!" he yelled, his mount reared back tossing its front hooves into the air and neighed loudly. They took off, alligning themselves to orders as the commander had stated.
They rode hard, the miles burned behind them as the ten sped forward. As they approached, Carloseus reached out with his mind and found the entity they were tracking. From what he could gather, it was a large man, and his presence was familiar. One of the Silver Order, he thought. Closer more they came to the point of intersection, and the Baron of Slayers knew who this traveler was. Now he would have to learn what exactly what was happening, and what the runner was doing so far away from his post. The band of warriors reached the interception point, and all dismounted and waited. He looked at the people around him, Jarhead was a tall man with short dark hair, he was the most athletic concerning sports and other such competitions, A large sword he wore at his waist as well as a strong steel shield on his back. Ferret's weapon was a large champion sword, he kept a sack of contraptions imbued with magic to channel his energies through them. He had only to scatter them and feed them energy and from them shot lightning. Caliban wore light armor, most of his body covered with hardened leather and a bow around his torso. Adorg and Saber were both of dark hair, and each had a shield and sword. Ajax had on his back a massive axe, his barbarian heritage was rich in his manners, appearance, and his fighting style, all of which Carloseus had grown up in.Mjin wore plain armor as most of the others, a mace at his side, and a shield on his back. Sarcon was the newest of the bunch, but so far he showed much promise in battle. He learned quickly and was exceptional with any weapon at hand. He too chose the sword above other weapons as well as an alternative pair of smaller swords in case he was forced to change fighting style. The large traveler then came into sight and quickened his pace as he saw them.
"Hail Jetrall!" announced Carloseus as Jetrall drew to mere yards away. The barbarian slowed conciderably and began catching his breath before he spoke. "My..my Lord. The gates are overun! The spawns of Hell-" "Jetrall, my friend. Slow down." Carloseus was handed a skin of water, which he passed to the winded and apparently exhausted runner. "Drink." he said. Jetrall took a long gulp and wiped water flowing down his chin with a simple rub of his hand. The leader of Slayers then noticed that the hand was burnt, both where. not extremely, but enough to scar. "Give me your hands," he said reaching out. Jetrall pulled them back as if Carloseus had just offered him poison.
"No. It is my burden. I will live with the pain it causes me, as it slowly heals back the way it was. No, there are more urgent things. Carloseus, the gates have fallen. A massive host of demons has filled the passage and they took our fortification in mere days. Sir, the Gates are lost." he concluded. "What happened? Why has there been no word of this before? I cannot believe the Captain stared at an attacking army without sending a messenger." asked the leader. Jetrall recounted everything he remembered as they focused their attention on him. "The first day we lay eyes on the host we sent a messenger, however the night before I fled the captain was deeply disturbed. I imagine that he recieved news about the messenger, and perhaps that is why he had me become messenger: to ensure the message is sent." Carloseus did not need much time to arrive at a decision. He was used to hasty and difficult decision-making, but what he now planned was almost suicide. "Jetrall, how long is it from here to the Gates?" he asked. "It is a day's ride from her-.....NO! You cannot go alone!" Jetrall exclaimed. The commander of Slayers planned on confronting the invading demons. Carloseus placed his hand on the barbarian's chest, filling him with a power and energy he had never known.
"You are to continue in haste to the Citadel, and warn them. Ask Elfen to send more men, we will need them as soon as we can get them. We will go and stand up to them, and on your shoulders we place our fates." he said gravely. "My lord! It is a week journey from the Citadel to the Gates. You cannot push them back, it is madness!" Jetrall pleaded. Suddenly the man before him grew in size, he became slightly taller and his form bulkened. "Madness? We are Slayers! Jetrall, you forget who I am, what Slayers is! No, we WILL hold the line and may death come quick to those who stand before us because death will come nonetheless." spoke the man now equally as tall as he though not as large in size. Jetrall did not answer. He only looked straight into the eyes of a different man before him. Though he was the same person, and the same mind, this was a side of the Carloseus Jetrall had not yet known. The Slayers stood silent for Carloseus very rarely assume this presence before others.
"Whatever I can do to hold them off for a few more days, hours, even minutes, I will do." he turned to his own crew. "Those of you who do not want to go, you may leave with him. I will not hold it against you." he said, but they did not move. "Jetrall, you may take Nattenshi's horse, Nattenshi you ride with me. Our horses will arrive there a while after yourself. Take courage my friend, and hope. It is not easy doing the work of the world." Nattenshi mounted behind Carloseus and they as they all got ready for their ride to the Gates. "Hail Silver!" Carloseus saluted Jetrall. "And may he be with us in this most evil of times." he said under his breathe. With that, he pushed forward, and the armored horse burst ahead as the others followed. Jetrall slowly mounted, and forced himself to begin riding the opposite direction. He slowly drew at a fast pace, the beast beneath him traveling at a much faster rate than that of normal horses. He disgusted himself, a deserter. Twice he was forced to abandon people he had grown to love in times he could help them, until the words of the the Baron he heard in his mind. "Take courage my friend, it is not easy doing the work of the world." he had said. Indeed it wasn't, which made him wonder what Carloseus may have meant by that. He knew enough about the leader to know there was more to those words than what he said. He adjusted his mind, this was no time to dwell in sorrows or cryptic words. He extended a slightly scorched hand and placed it on the mane of the horse. He concentrated, and to it he passed most of the energy given to him by the Baron as well as all ot the energy he had of his own. He would need little to stay on the bolting steed now, he was traveling at a much faster speed than he ever thought possible. The winds, he noticed, were working in his favor as they carried them faster.
"Alright my friends, everyone get ready." said Carloseus. before them was a ravine teeming with life. Water flowed through in small creeks down into the ravine and out into the sea. They stared down into it for a few seconds more before dismounting and preparing their gear. the horses were left only with their saddles, and each of their masters forced it to leave. The steeds would make their way to the safe walls of the Silver Citadel, where they would be given shelter and potentially a new master if they could not hold back the forces of evil. Armor was tightened, potions placed in belts, and they looked at each other. They were Slayers, there could be no weakness displayed, not even for Nattenshi. After several minutes of waiting, Carloseus assured they were ready, and walked forward with his hand out before him. It glowed white as he walked, and they followed with their weapons ready. Ripples radiated around the glowing hand as he weakened the barrier between Sanctuary and that of Hell. Precautionary measures, the forces of man had been able to place a transition plane between their home and that of the Three Prime Evils at certain areas.
"Permissum nos in' he said, and their surroundings melted away to a desolate wasteland. Ahead was now a collection of buildings and a great gate. And just as Jetrall had said there was an endless sea of the wretched monsters of all sizes and shapes. Some were even of breeds even Carloseus had never laid eyes on. "Slayers, lets send this evil back to the pit!" He yelled, and made for the settlement. They followed, forming the line with him at the center. Their host had noticed them, and prepared for them. A seeming slaughter, they would put a quick end to these underestimating weakling humans. One large Urdar stepped forward, the apparent captain of the rest by how they feared him. He placed himself at center, he would be the one to taste the over-eager leader of the approaching fighters. He laughed, it would be too easy. "Slayers! Release the Beast!" the commander roared. White light replaced their eyes in amazing brilliance, and their bodies grew slightly in size. Even Natts, a female mage, became taller and stronger. The bulking giant stood his ground and raised his mighty club. He would crush the resistance before it began, A second later his mind registered a pain originating from his gut. He looked down to see Carloseus had sunk a huge sword in him and a smile from the young man before he turned it and slashed his enemy upwards and spilling open the belonging of its body. Blood showered around Carloseus, a small barrier around him kept him clean and fresh. He jumped to the next unlucky wretch, by this time the others behind him began engaging in battle as well. Steel clashed and ripped as they tore through the line, blood was shed readily and in considerable amounts though not one drop from new invading force. Savage snarls escaped the fighters, grunts and loud breathing from Fudlow and Nattenshi as they blasted one after another demon. They both wore robes, although Fudlow wore a light yet amazingly strong plate around his chest. Arrows whistled around all of them as Caliban shot down one after another with an uncanny aim and skill of his bow. The forces of hell were unable to slow their momentum as their new enemy cleared the infestation. Carloseus ran over to a demon and lopted its head off and moved on. The savage smile on his face was the last sight of another followed by the swing of his sword.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
-Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's First Law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only, truth.
Seems lots of people have been asking/interest in the novel so here is your first taste of what will one day be the novel.
i guess it could be views as the novel equivalent of a Beta test?
Excerpt (from the Prologue)
................................................
The captain judged his enemy, and a moment later smote the inferior demon with a swing of his sword. He bashed a demonkin with his sheild and brought down a skeletal warrior with the cold steel blade he held at hand. Around him the fortress was falling to the control of invaders, the hell spawns were overtaking the guard.
"Pull back!" he yelled. They would have to surrender the fortified settlement to the minions of evil. Slowly his men pulled back to the largest and most reinforced building there. They backed into the Barracks and entered it single file backwards. The host before them pushed them fanatically, forcing them to retreat and almost breaking their line.
When at last the captain, who was last to back into the Barracks entrance, entered the doors were shut and a makeshift reinforcement was set up behind the doors. Now inside, the wounded tended to their inflictions and the healthy helped. Low spells of healing and restoration were being cast around the hall, and others were passing food around. The captain looked down to find an arrow protruding from his side, just barely missing any organ. He pulled out the foreign object slowly now that pain was registering, the sweat on his brow grew thick and began to make their way down his face as he held his breath. When at last the arrowhead was removed he sealed the wound and healed the inside, throwing the shaft aside. He breathed deeply, now relieved of the pain. A look around and he noticed there were enough to make another stand. They would have to make a stand, but at least he had enough men to probably last long enough to get a messenger out.
He stood up proudly, and tended to the wounded. His powers were higher than any other there, save for a barbarian, a renown warrior within Silver's Order. The warrior was a barbarian from the northlands, he was born in Harrogath and his family is directly descended from the great Bul Kathos himself. In one hand he carried a large doubled sided axe, and wore large sharpened armor as various trinkets dangled from where they could. Skulls, bones, and other such curiousities hung from him, adding to his already intimidating presence. He was large, a tall and powerful man with a healthy lust for blood as all barbarian warriors were. Despite his largeness, he was uncannily fast and agile, Yes, he will have to do it. thought the captain. He was of slightly higher rank than the bulking man who now assisted others at the end of the Barracks. Would the captain fight the barbarian, he would be torn in two by hands, not the menacing weapon he carried with him.
The captain turned his attention to the wounded, and slowly most of the men were fully healed and ready for battle. He breathed deeply and gathered his authority as the leader. Not a minute later the sitting barbarian heard his name being called behind him. He turned his head to see the captain standing tall and powerfully before him. The barbarian rose and stood tall and proud, and saluted the captain who now stared directly at the axemaster's upper torso.
"Yes sir," spoke the bulking man.
"At ease." said the captain as he returned the salute. The figure before him relaxed, but even now he towered over him. "I am preparing a stand. We will break out of here from the northern wall of this barracks and fight our way to the clear. Then a messenger will run from here until he contacts another of our brethren. We need the message to get to the Citadel, our Lord Silver will know what to do."
"I will assure the messenger leaves safely."
"I wasn't finished yet. Jetrall, you will be the messenger. You are the strongest here, in any case you are ambushed. You are also the fastest, none of these men can tavel as fast or as long as you. I want you to sound the alarms. If reinforcements don't come soon, these gates and its barriers will be lost and the forces of Hell will scatter accross our world." he ended. He stared into the barbarian's face, noticing the subtle changes in his expression. He wished not to go, to stand and fight and even die beside all these men he had come to call friends. He wished to fight and prolong their lives even just a bit longer, to fall honorably now and not desert them in this time of need. Their final hour now approached and he was now being sent to run away and leave his comrades behind.
"I....I will do..as you wish, Captain. I hope only that your effort not be in vain." he spoke in a strong yet low voice. It had almost broken, but he had resisted. "My friend, I hope the same." he said.
They shook hands, Jetrall's hand swallowing the captains. The captain saluted him, in honor, and left turned around to his men. Air filled his lungs as he prepared for a speech when the doors were blasted open. A boulder of fire rolled in and men jumped from its way. Flame licked the doors and funiture, climbing up the posts and walls onto the ceiling. The captain stood stunned as the boulder edged towards him, and two massive hands tossed him aside. As he fell he twisted to see who had saved him, only to see Jetrall braced with his hands out. Before he could even scream the captain witnessed a feat that should have been impossible. Boulder collided with the man....and stopped. A heavy grunt escapped them barbarian, and he heaved it back the way it came to crush the infestation of demons that followed it in.
"Now! We must go now!" yelled Jetrall breathing heavily. He rushed forward and placed several tables and chairs in the way as the others ran to the northern side of the hall.
The captain concentrated several seconds, long enough to cause a blast of his own to blow up the obstacle in his way. The men rushed out and met the confused monsters, Jetrall abandoned the makeshift barrier to join the others as his efforts were torn down. The spawns of Hell closed in around them, but the forces of Silver pushed them back as they struggled to reach the clear.
"Go now! Jetrall!" yelled the captain over the chaos of war. Jetrall nodded and beheaded three demons before him before he rushed out of the fray. He did not think, he did not hesitate. He dashed with all the speed he had out of the ravine in which the gates were situated and did not look back. The captain observed the barbarian take off and reach the clear. With peace he turned to smite another demon. The struggle began swaying, in the demonic host's favor.
The captain yelled a mighty cry, and for a moment the men almost pushed the army back. He rose his sword high above his head and brought it down on another, Then the captain stopped. He stood stunned,wondering what was going on. His reflexes were slow now, his mind in fog. he glanced down to see a black feathered arrow sticking out of the right of his torso. He rocked, and fell to his knees. Beside him another fell to the ground lifeless. He caught his breath again, and fought death with all his will as he stood up and resumed the fight. The men around him noticed his predicament and fought harder, inspired by his will. The captain turned to see his men, and searched the scene to find his would be hunter. He found four man-like demons wielding different weapons. One held a staff, another a sword, the third a massive hammer, and the last a large bow. The captain raised his hand to launch a projectile of fire at each, only to be rewarded another arrow.
The distant sound of struggle was suddenly interrupted by a united cry of pain and frustration, and all went quiet behind the caped warrior upon who's face a tear rolled down.
I will edit/add more as it comes in. I want to keep this thread clean of spam and pointlessness, any discussion of the novel can be done here.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
-Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's First Law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only, truth.
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A scream ended the savage slaughter as the remaining demon fell to the floor in two. The hairless warrior swung his Shuriko to remove it of any blood, and at last sheathed his sword. He was dressed in eastern armor from his descendants as was his sword.
“Excellent.” he said simply. In his hand a flame was kindled, and he threw it on the ground beside him.
“Good job Assasins, now lets get out.” he called out. From the shadows emerged his force, a trained group of infiltrators to remove command from any demon forces that may prove difficult to destroy without their leader. They moved swiftly around the now busy compound, jumping form building to building and avoiding any detection under the moonless night. He had three of his men spread around the compound and all at once fire again was lit. They all then merged into a single group again at the only way out of the fortified area. Crude yet effective walls would prevent anyone or anything from entering or exiting, the only exception were gates which the infiltrators now had under their control.
Yells and screams erupted as demon and man alike inside realized their base was quickly becoming a meal for the fire to lick and consume. The gates were swung open, and they began to pour out quickly. A cry was cut off from one demon and he fell to the ground, and more followed. They were demons behind them stood in amazed terror as their kin now fell to unseen swords, and they dared not step out from the wall’s perimeter. A figure appeared before them, several yards ahead and close enough for their torches to illuminate well. The man before them smiled.
“My name is Thasador. Be sure to tell your masters when you meet them in hell!” he grinned. They expected him to make a move, however he merely stood there with his arms crossed.
They sized up their courage and sprinted at him, and were savagely cut down before they could ever get a hand on him. More and more demon kin poured out, mixed with men who had betrayed their own kind. Thasador joined the massacre and with every swing of his sword he smote one more demon. The night wore on as the destroyed all those flowing out of the base.
“Good job. Take a day or two to rest, we have a problem at the Mouth of Hell.” spoke the Imperator. Thasador gave him an inquisitive look.
“Jetrall arrived while you were at your raid, the Gates have fallen to the control of a massive demon host. “
“Then I must go now before they get comfortable! The barriers won’t last that long, we have to attack now, shouldn’t we my lord?” he asked.
“Jetrall was found on his way here, Carloseus found him and decided to take his Slayers to confront the demon army.”
A dark chill ran up Thasador’s back. It froze his entire body and he felt again what death must feel. He did not question what the leader of Silvers forces had just said, Carloseus was capable and known for such decisions. He has bitten too much this time. He can’t possibly hope to defeat Hell itself can he? Thasador thought. Then it hit him. Carloseus had no intention of defeating the army. He had run out to confront the evil to buy time.
“I must depart now.” said Thasador.
“If you depart now, you will arrive too late. It is 4 days at least from here to the Gates, and even if you did get there in time you wouldn’t be too much of a help.” replied Elfen.
“Am I to wait for his death?!” exploded Thasador. Never had he yelled at any superior in his career under Silver’s Order. He quickly realized his mistake. “My lord, I apologize.” he said bowing.
“I understand your frustration Thasador. Rise.” said Elfen. “We are working on reopening a portal to the Gates. It will be a full day before the portal is opened, so rest and ready your men. We will send in Darkjay, Acidreign, and yourself. Your legions are to be ready by tonight, so go and rest. That is all.” he concluded. With a turn the right hand of Silver dismissed himself and the leader of Assasins.
Thasador raced out of the hall, and joined his legion outside. He quickly told them of the situation, and then left to his quarters. Walking in he threw his green tinted armor to the side along with it his sword. His wife was wakened by the commotion, and met him just as he entered the room. Her playful smile vanished when she noticed his stern resolve.
“What is it that bothers you?” she asked. He quickly told her what he knew.
“That’s terrible! Why would he do that?” she asked. He merely looked at her, she knew Carloseus well enough to know. He was almost a part of their family, as if a brother to them and an uncle to their children.
“What will you do?” she asked.
“We will leave tonight to his aid, I just hope…” he looked away. He dared not think of his friend dead and unable to be brought back.
Allison wrapped her arms around him knowingly and with understanding. He held her for support and warmth to push away evil and sad thoughts. He then let go of her to rest, emptying his mind of all thoughts he quickly found the bliss of sleep and the rest his body would need for what had to be done after he woke from his rest. Allison closed the door to their bedroom, and began the task of cleaning and readying his armor and Shuriko.
The sun began to set under the far western mountains, transforming the sky above them from blue to red, yellow, and finally black. Though the darkness of night began to swallow the land, there was still daylight left, enough for the eyes gazing leader of Slayers to see. Then again, he could see clearly what night hid from others.
He sighed. Apparently another false prediction. He had felt demon activity approaching here a week before, and two days of searching revealed no sign of their evil nor was this area or direction convenient for the horrid creations from Hell. Not only this, a conflict within him had been weighing down on him for quite some time now. He fought the feeling and began arguing with himself, the two sides of him were again locked in a battle of words inside his mind.
Why?
Because I'm a warrior.
You deserve it do you not?
I may deserve, but I cannot have it. Not with peace of mind.
You make no sense.
I never said I did.
Then why must we argue? Do it!
I cannot.
Why must you torture yourself?
Because there is no other option.
Is that your reasoning?
Yes.
He gripped the handles, a collected mixture of anger, grief, frustration and sadness suddenly swamping him. He felt the air around him become hot and stuffy, making him slightly claustrophobic. As he tightened his hold on the colossal weapons the feeling slowly subsided, he felt beads of sweat pour down his face.
"Sir?" asked his friend and follower.
"Fudlow! How long have you been standing there?" asked the commander. He noticed the mage at attention, "at ease".
"Not long sir," .lied the spellcaster. His eyes betrayed him however, he'd been standing a half hour before the leader had shown even one sign of recognition.
"What would you like, or did you find something?" Carloseus asked.
"We have detected something, though not demonic. We sensed a figure moving swiftly westward, in the direction to the Citadel."
"Do we know what it is?"
"From what we got, human, but at the speed it is traveling its too fast to be on foot though not fast enough to be on horseback."
"Can we still intercept it?"
"We can intercept it, but we will have to move at a considerable speed to reach it quickly,"
"Ready the men, I'll get Nattenshi."
Fudlow took his leave and headed down the hill to alert the seven men awaiting word from their commander. Carloseus strapped his swords on his back, and put two fingers to his forehead. He scanned the area around him until he felt Nattenshi's presence. He homed in on it, and materialized with his back to her.
"We need to move-" he was cut off by her scream.
"Don't do that! You scared me!" she yelled. She picked up several herbs and grasses she had been gathering. The robes she wore were of the finest make, runes and enchantments were placed on it, buffers that allowed her to better channel the elemental energies. Her eyes were slightly pulled, but that did not hide the beauty of them. She was of eastern decent and was tremendously learned, able to speak several languages without much trouble. Her long black hair flew in the air as she turned around and gave him an angry stare.
"Lets go, we don't have much time." he put his hand around her arm, and they appeared in the middle of the rest of their companions. The fire had been put out, and their equipment packed on their horses.
Nattenshi mounted her horse first and looked at everyone with such distaste they dared not follow. A line of fire traced her robes followed by a wind which blew the direction they were headed.
"Ferret, go ahead. Jarhead, you protect the back. Nattenshi," she glanced at him in a somewhat less irritated manner, "you at center, Fudlow you on right of column and I'll stay on left. Adorg, you and Sabrek behind Nattenshi, Ajax, Caliban, and Sarcon ahead of her. Now lets ride!" he yelled, his mount reared back tossing its front hooves into the air and neighed loudly. They took off, alligning themselves to orders as the commander had stated.
They rode hard, the miles burned behind them as the ten sped forward. As they approached, Carloseus reached out with his mind and found the entity they were tracking. From what he could gather, it was a large man, and his presence was familiar. One of the Silver Order, he thought. Closer more they came to the point of intersection, and the Baron of Slayers knew who this traveler was. Now he would have to learn what exactly what was happening, and what the runner was doing so far away from his post.
The band of warriors reached the interception point, and all dismounted and waited. He looked at the people around him, Jarhead was a tall man with short dark hair, he was the most athletic concerning sports and other such competitions, A large sword he wore at his waist as well as a strong steel shield on his back. Ferret's weapon was a large champion sword, he kept a sack of contraptions imbued with magic to channel his energies through them. He had only to scatter them and feed them energy and from them shot lightning. Caliban wore light armor, most of his body covered with hardened leather and a bow around his torso. Adorg and Saber were both of dark hair, and each had a shield and sword. Ajax had on his back a massive axe, his barbarian heritage was rich in his manners, appearance, and his fighting style, all of which Carloseus had grown up in.Mjin wore plain armor as most of the others, a mace at his side, and a shield on his back. Sarcon was the newest of the bunch, but so far he showed much promise in battle. He learned quickly and was exceptional with any weapon at hand. He too chose the sword above other weapons as well as an alternative pair of smaller swords in case he was forced to change fighting style. The large traveler then came into sight and quickened his pace as he saw them.
"Hail Jetrall!" announced Carloseus as Jetrall drew to mere yards away. The barbarian slowed conciderably and began catching his breath before he spoke.
"My..my Lord. The gates are overun! The spawns of Hell-"
"Jetrall, my friend. Slow down." Carloseus was handed a skin of water, which he passed to the winded and apparently exhausted runner. "Drink." he said. Jetrall took a long gulp and wiped water flowing down his chin with a simple rub of his hand. The leader of Slayers then noticed that the hand was burnt, both where. not extremely, but enough to scar.
"Give me your hands," he said reaching out. Jetrall pulled them back as if Carloseus had just offered him poison.
"No. It is my burden. I will live with the pain it causes me, as it slowly heals back the way it was. No, there are more urgent things. Carloseus, the gates have fallen. A massive host of demons has filled the passage and they took our fortification in mere days. Sir, the Gates are lost." he concluded.
"What happened? Why has there been no word of this before? I cannot believe the Captain stared at an attacking army without sending a messenger." asked the leader.
Jetrall recounted everything he remembered as they focused their attention on him. "The first day we lay eyes on the host we sent a messenger, however the night before I fled the captain was deeply disturbed. I imagine that he recieved news about the messenger, and perhaps that is why he had me become messenger: to ensure the message is sent."
Carloseus did not need much time to arrive at a decision. He was used to hasty and difficult decision-making, but what he now planned was almost suicide. "Jetrall, how long is it from here to the Gates?" he asked.
"It is a day's ride from her-.....NO! You cannot go alone!" Jetrall exclaimed. The commander of Slayers planned on confronting the invading demons. Carloseus placed his hand on the barbarian's chest, filling him with a power and energy he had never known.
"You are to continue in haste to the Citadel, and warn them. Ask Elfen to send more men, we will need them as soon as we can get them. We will go and stand up to them, and on your shoulders we place our fates." he said gravely.
"My lord! It is a week journey from the Citadel to the Gates. You cannot push them back, it is madness!" Jetrall pleaded. Suddenly the man before him grew in size, he became slightly taller and his form bulkened.
"Madness? We are Slayers! Jetrall, you forget who I am, what Slayers is! No, we WILL hold the line and may death come quick to those who stand before us because death will come nonetheless." spoke the man now equally as tall as he though not as large in size. Jetrall did not answer. He only looked straight into the eyes of a different man before him. Though he was the same person, and the same mind, this was a side of the Carloseus Jetrall had not yet known. The Slayers stood silent for Carloseus very rarely assume this presence before others.
"Whatever I can do to hold them off for a few more days, hours, even minutes, I will do." he turned to his own crew. "Those of you who do not want to go, you may leave with him. I will not hold it against you." he said, but they did not move.
"Jetrall, you may take Nattenshi's horse, Nattenshi you ride with me. Our horses will arrive there a while after yourself. Take courage my friend, and hope. It is not easy doing the work of the world." Nattenshi mounted behind Carloseus and they as they all got ready for their ride to the Gates.
"Hail Silver!" Carloseus saluted Jetrall. "And may he be with us in this most evil of times." he said under his breathe. With that, he pushed forward, and the armored horse burst ahead as the others followed. Jetrall slowly mounted, and forced himself to begin riding the opposite direction. He slowly drew at a fast pace, the beast beneath him traveling at a much faster rate than that of normal horses.
He disgusted himself, a deserter. Twice he was forced to abandon people he had grown to love in times he could help them, until the words of the the Baron he heard in his mind.
"Take courage my friend, it is not easy doing the work of the world." he had said. Indeed it wasn't, which made him wonder what Carloseus may have meant by that. He knew enough about the leader to know there was more to those words than what he said. He adjusted his mind, this was no time to dwell in sorrows or cryptic words. He extended a slightly scorched hand and placed it on the mane of the horse. He concentrated, and to it he passed most of the energy given to him by the Baron as well as all ot the energy he had of his own. He would need little to stay on the bolting steed now, he was traveling at a much faster speed than he ever thought possible. The winds, he noticed, were working in his favor as they carried them faster.
Armor was tightened, potions placed in belts, and they looked at each other. They were Slayers, there could be no weakness displayed, not even for Nattenshi. After several minutes of waiting, Carloseus assured they were ready, and walked forward with his hand out before him. It glowed white as he walked, and they followed with their weapons ready. Ripples radiated around the glowing hand as he weakened the barrier between Sanctuary and that of Hell. Precautionary measures, the forces of man had been able to place a transition plane between their home and that of the Three Prime Evils at certain areas.
"Permissum nos in' he said, and their surroundings melted away to a desolate wasteland. Ahead was now a collection of buildings and a great gate. And just as Jetrall had said there was an endless sea of the wretched monsters of all sizes and shapes. Some were even of breeds even Carloseus had never laid eyes on.
"Slayers, lets send this evil back to the pit!" He yelled, and made for the settlement. They followed, forming the line with him at the center. Their host had noticed them, and prepared for them. A seeming slaughter, they would put a quick end to these underestimating weakling humans. One large Urdar stepped forward, the apparent captain of the rest by how they feared him. He placed himself at center, he would be the one to taste the over-eager leader of the approaching fighters. He laughed, it would be too easy.
"Slayers! Release the Beast!" the commander roared. White light replaced their eyes in amazing brilliance, and their bodies grew slightly in size. Even Natts, a female mage, became taller and stronger. The bulking giant stood his ground and raised his mighty club. He would crush the resistance before it began, A second later his mind registered a pain originating from his gut. He looked down to see Carloseus had sunk a huge sword in him and a smile from the young man before he turned it and slashed his enemy upwards and spilling open the belonging of its body. Blood showered around Carloseus, a small barrier around him kept him clean and fresh. He jumped to the next unlucky wretch, by this time the others behind him began engaging in battle as well.
Steel clashed and ripped as they tore through the line, blood was shed readily and in considerable amounts though not one drop from new invading force. Savage snarls escaped the fighters, grunts and loud breathing from Fudlow and Nattenshi as they blasted one after another demon. They both wore robes, although Fudlow wore a light yet amazingly strong plate around his chest. Arrows whistled around all of them as Caliban shot down one after another with an uncanny aim and skill of his bow. The forces of hell were unable to slow their momentum as their new enemy cleared the infestation. Carloseus ran over to a demon and lopted its head off and moved on. The savage smile on his face was the last sight of another followed by the swing of his sword.
i guess it could be views as the novel equivalent of a Beta test?
Excerpt (from the Prologue)
................................................
The captain judged his enemy, and a moment later smote the inferior demon with a swing of his sword. He bashed a demonkin with his sheild and brought down a skeletal warrior with the cold steel blade he held at hand. Around him the fortress was falling to the control of invaders, the hell spawns were overtaking the guard.
"Pull back!" he yelled. They would have to surrender the fortified settlement to the minions of evil. Slowly his men pulled back to the largest and most reinforced building there. They backed into the Barracks and entered it single file backwards. The host before them pushed them fanatically, forcing them to retreat and almost breaking their line.
When at last the captain, who was last to back into the Barracks entrance, entered the doors were shut and a makeshift reinforcement was set up behind the doors. Now inside, the wounded tended to their inflictions and the healthy helped. Low spells of healing and restoration were being cast around the hall, and others were passing food around. The captain looked down to find an arrow protruding from his side, just barely missing any organ. He pulled out the foreign object slowly now that pain was registering, the sweat on his brow grew thick and began to make their way down his face as he held his breath. When at last the arrowhead was removed he sealed the wound and healed the inside, throwing the shaft aside. He breathed deeply, now relieved of the pain. A look around and he noticed there were enough to make another stand. They would have to make a stand, but at least he had enough men to probably last long enough to get a messenger out.
He stood up proudly, and tended to the wounded. His powers were higher than any other there, save for a barbarian, a renown warrior within Silver's Order. The warrior was a barbarian from the northlands, he was born in Harrogath and his family is directly descended from the great Bul Kathos himself. In one hand he carried a large doubled sided axe, and wore large sharpened armor as various trinkets dangled from where they could. Skulls, bones, and other such curiousities hung from him, adding to his already intimidating presence. He was large, a tall and powerful man with a healthy lust for blood as all barbarian warriors were. Despite his largeness, he was uncannily fast and agile, Yes, he will have to do it. thought the captain. He was of slightly higher rank than the bulking man who now assisted others at the end of the Barracks. Would the captain fight the barbarian, he would be torn in two by hands, not the menacing weapon he carried with him.
The captain turned his attention to the wounded, and slowly most of the men were fully healed and ready for battle. He breathed deeply and gathered his authority as the leader. Not a minute later the sitting barbarian heard his name being called behind him. He turned his head to see the captain standing tall and powerfully before him. The barbarian rose and stood tall and proud, and saluted the captain who now stared directly at the axemaster's upper torso.
"Yes sir," spoke the bulking man.
"At ease." said the captain as he returned the salute. The figure before him relaxed, but even now he towered over him. "I am preparing a stand. We will break out of here from the northern wall of this barracks and fight our way to the clear. Then a messenger will run from here until he contacts another of our brethren. We need the message to get to the Citadel, our Lord Silver will know what to do."
"I will assure the messenger leaves safely."
"I wasn't finished yet. Jetrall, you will be the messenger. You are the strongest here, in any case you are ambushed. You are also the fastest, none of these men can tavel as fast or as long as you. I want you to sound the alarms. If reinforcements don't come soon, these gates and its barriers will be lost and the forces of Hell will scatter accross our world." he ended. He stared into the barbarian's face, noticing the subtle changes in his expression. He wished not to go, to stand and fight and even die beside all these men he had come to call friends. He wished to fight and prolong their lives even just a bit longer, to fall honorably now and not desert them in this time of need. Their final hour now approached and he was now being sent to run away and leave his comrades behind.
"I....I will do..as you wish, Captain. I hope only that your effort not be in vain." he spoke in a strong yet low voice. It had almost broken, but he had resisted.
"My friend, I hope the same." he said.
They shook hands, Jetrall's hand swallowing the captains. The captain saluted him, in honor, and left turned around to his men. Air filled his lungs as he prepared for a speech when the doors were blasted open. A boulder of fire rolled in and men jumped from its way. Flame licked the doors and funiture, climbing up the posts and walls onto the ceiling. The captain stood stunned as the boulder edged towards him, and two massive hands tossed him aside. As he fell he twisted to see who had saved him, only to see Jetrall braced with his hands out. Before he could even scream the captain witnessed a feat that should have been impossible. Boulder collided with the man....and stopped. A heavy grunt escapped them barbarian, and he heaved it back the way it came to crush the infestation of demons that followed it in.
"Now! We must go now!" yelled Jetrall breathing heavily. He rushed forward and placed several tables and chairs in the way as the others ran to the northern side of the hall.
The captain concentrated several seconds, long enough to cause a blast of his own to blow up the obstacle in his way. The men rushed out and met the confused monsters, Jetrall abandoned the makeshift barrier to join the others as his efforts were torn down. The spawns of Hell closed in around them, but the forces of Silver pushed them back as they struggled to reach the clear.
"Go now! Jetrall!" yelled the captain over the chaos of war. Jetrall nodded and beheaded three demons before him before he rushed out of the fray. He did not think, he did not hesitate. He dashed with all the speed he had out of the ravine in which the gates were situated and did not look back. The captain observed the barbarian take off and reach the clear. With peace he turned to smite another demon. The struggle began swaying, in the demonic host's favor.
The captain yelled a mighty cry, and for a moment the men almost pushed the army back. He rose his sword high above his head and brought it down on another, Then the captain stopped. He stood stunned,wondering what was going on. His reflexes were slow now, his mind in fog. he glanced down to see a black feathered arrow sticking out of the right of his torso. He rocked, and fell to his knees. Beside him another fell to the ground lifeless. He caught his breath again, and fought death with all his will as he stood up and resumed the fight. The men around him noticed his predicament and fought harder, inspired by his will. The captain turned to see his men, and searched the scene to find his would be hunter. He found four man-like demons wielding different weapons. One held a staff, another a sword, the third a massive hammer, and the last a large bow. The captain raised his hand to launch a projectile of fire at each, only to be rewarded another arrow.
The distant sound of struggle was suddenly interrupted by a united cry of pain and frustration, and all went quiet behind the caped warrior upon who's face a tear rolled down.
I will edit/add more as it comes in. I want to keep this thread clean of spam and pointlessness, any discussion of the novel can be done here.