A wave of energy shot forth from Stenson's blade as he swiped it at the incoming beasts, even though they were still over twenty yards away.
Two of them stumbled to the ground, their front two legs cut off as some spell or attack connected, sending them tumbling end over end.
The other two beasts turned and angled toward Stenson.
One moment, the general was in his saddle. Next, the man jumped off, rolled, and came to stand on his feet.
The stallion moved to the right, and like he was attached to a string, Francis was pulled along as the mare stayed up with it. He twisted as best he could, wanting to see what would happen when man and beast collided. The rhino-kin lowered the tip of its horn, appearing to want to gore the one-armed man.
The impact of the first enemy reaching the older man sent a shockwave through the air as the sword came up, slicing through the creature's lowered head.
Instead of charging ahead with a trophy mounted to its horn, the creature's corpse slid along the ground, creating a fissure as the head toppled to the side.
Like a dancer, Stenson swiped and moved with a speed that seemed impossible for someone his age.
Could he be an elite skilled warrior? Maybe a master?
Francis yanked on the reins and hoping the horse would stop. It didn’t, and so he missed seeing the fight between the second rhino-kin and the general.
The horse was taking him back toward his camp and Francis tried to find a way to free himself from the mount that ignored his attempts to direct it.
Carefully putting the tip of the sword blade through the leather strap, Franc cut through it instantly. In a second, it became apparent how much the leather piece had done to keep him in the saddle.
One moment he was there, looking like he belonged in the cavalry. The next, Francis was tumbling to the ground, twisting and tossing the blade to the side, hoping not to kill himself upon hitting the ground.
Pain came as the wind was knocked free from his lungs, but nothing appeared damaged or broken.
Clambering to his feet and scanning the battlefield for his weapon, he spotted it, then ran toward it as a pair of knights collided with a rhino-kin nearby.
One warrior died immediately, but his lance hit the creature and drove deep.
The second knight had done something similar to Stenson’s move, leaping from his horse and landing atop the charging animal.
It started to slow down, and a moment later, the beast suddenly stood up. Its front leg came up to where the lance had impaled it, and that limb seemed to shift into a hand with tiny fingers that grabbed the weapon and pulled.
The knight who had been on its back tumbled off as the beastkin stood. Not missing a moment, he began swinging the sword in his hand, hacking at the side and leg of the easily ten-foot-tall monster.
Francis wanted to watch, but he could see that both beast and knight were far faster and stronger than him--being here, alone wasn’t going to help him learn anything besides how death felt again.
Racing to where Stenson had been, he saw the older man, who continued to move like water along rocks in a stream.
Nothing held him back. He flowed from side to side, blade out, each slice cutting down the animals that came near as if they were simply a stalk of grain before his harvesting tool.
If he had two arms… how powerful would he be?
That thought seemed stupid, yet Francis knew there was a reason his kingdom valued someone like Stenson. Even with one arm, he obviously had reached a high rank with a single weapon skill.
“FRANCIS!”
Turning to where his name had been called, he saw the blond-headed knight running toward him, covered in black blood and a piece of his armor missing from his left arm.
“Kels!”
In seconds, the Knight was there, breathing heavily and smiling. “You’re a fool for being here! You need to stick with me. These things are stronger than most of these men and far, far beyond you!”
All Francis could do was nod and then point to a charging beast about forty yards away, moving toward a trio of men who were trying to help one of their fallen brothers.
“Stay close but not too close!” Kels shouted.
Before he had finished shouting, the Knight was moving, his silver sword gleaming in the light of the sun, somehow still looking flawless even though it had slain many already.
Chasing after the man, Francis watched as the Knight intercepted the charging animal, moved to its side and cut a long gash that ran the length of its body.
Turning and standing, the beast roared, then lashed out with its left front leg, which Francis now realized was like a normal arm.
Dodging backward, Kels easily avoided the blow and stepped sideways—he didn’t miss the chance for a follow-up attack that drew blood again and left a significant cut in the beast's hide.
Armor covered its chest, yet on the side where bands of leather held it in place, it had no protection against the blond-haired knight.
Now that the leather had been cut, it no longer kept the armor tight, which only provided more places for his trainer to work.
Each step and attack from the beast had enough force to squash a man quickly, yet Kels didn’t allow that to happen, using his speed and skill to carve away flesh like a butcher.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Francis was enthralled, knowing that maybe a quarter of a minute had passed, yet the Knight had inflicted massive amounts of damage to the rhino-kin
When the animal fell, a leg gone and a sword finding its throat, Kels was far enough away from the black mist that erupted from inside the corpse.
“Don’t breathe that!” Kels shouted.
“That’s the disease spell, isn’t it?” Francis asked his trainer when he drew near.
“Yeah, some kind of death spell. Not all of them have it, but those who do can weaken or kill a man. Now then, where is…” Trailing off, the trainer scanned the battlefield, ignoring the pockets of fighting and studying the carnage that pressed toward the enemy lines. “There! We need to join him!”
Stenson had created a trail of bodies a hundred-plus yards ahead, where the general moved toward the enemy lines.
“How skilled is he?!” Francis called out.
Laughter came from his blond-haired instructor. “Not my place to say, but far better than me!”
Unsure if it was the sword, the older man’s skill, or something else, all Francis could consider was how powerful the man was and what a difference he was making.
If I can be like that… how many men and women could I save?
The pair raced forward, trying to catch up with Stenson, who now had a group of six warriors near him, all protecting his flank, though most did nothing beyond calling out the enemies or finishing off the ones left crippled by the one-armed monster.
“I’m here!” Kels called out when they got within shouting range.
Stenson turned once, spotted the pair, and frowned. “Keep him safe! We push for the line!” the general called out.
Without waiting for a response, Stenson turned and continued his path at an army that Francis finally really noticed.
Francis had seen it, but knowing they were only three hundred yards from the row of everything that lay beyond made his knees feel weak.
“Where… where did all the enemies go?” Francis asked.
“They pulled back,” Kels said, slowing down as he pointed at the figure emerging from the enemy line. “Looks like Stenson’s caught their attention.”
Francis saw the movement and the creature that stood out from the row of different beastkin. There were others like the ones they had just faced: cat-kin, wolf-kin, raven-kin, and even some snake-like creatures.
They all stood there, shouting and making noise, yet none moved as a cat-like creature moved through the smaller beastkin.
Stenson slowed down, and he glanced back at the group.
“Stay back… this is obviously not meant for any of you.”
None of the men protested. Each of them formed a circle around Kels and Francis, eyes scanning whatever might come their way as the general slowed his stride and moved toward the beast.
“It’s at least twelve feet tall!” Francis exclaimed.
Kels grunted as he bobbed his head in response to Francis’s outburst.
The jaguar-like head’s gleaming golden eyes were locked on the older man with a red sword. It moved with a grace that seemed uncanny for something of its size. Both arms were muscular, and the beast had black spots along its orange fur.
Each leg looked like a tree trunk, powerful muscles rippling with each step.
Unlike many they had faced, this one wore armor, but it looked nothing like the metal or leather Francis had seen. Something about it flowed, almost shimmering like liquid.
It carried a large sword in each hand, each blade easily five feet long.
“Can he win?” Francis asked.
“You'd better pray he can,” Kels replied. “That thing looks like it would eat me for a snack and spit me out. We knew they had some kind of elite-like fighters, as the kingdom of Shenzen had mentioned facing one. Still… I never expected to see one.”
The distance between Stenson and the jaguar beast slowly dwindled as man and beast moved toward the other, seeming oblivious to anything around them as neither took their eye off the other.
When only fifty yards remained, the creature roared, a high-pitched sound that sent a cold sensation through Francis’ mind, trying to overwhelm him.
[ Mental Resist Check Success ]
[ Mental Resist Skill Increased - 23 ]
None of the men reacted either, to Francis’ surprise, he saw the beastkin grin.
That thing wanted to see if it could intimidate us…
It charged at Stenson, one sword high and the other low, body slightly bent as it almost seemed to glide across the packed soil.
The general set himself, and his red sword appeared to glow, vibrating with power.
One moment, the creature was moving toward the general. The next both were a blur, swords causing sparks, and no matter how fast Francis blinked, he couldn’t follow a single strike.
The pair was like a tornado, spinning and moving, sending dirt up with each of their movements.
The sounds of metal on metal came at such a pace that it was almost like a bee buzzing in one's ear.
This… is true power right here.
After about thirty seconds, the pair separated and pulled about twenty yards apart. Each of them took deep breaths, blood running down both fighters.
Stenson appeared to be struggling to stand, using the sword for stability—its red glow appeared dimmer.
The left sword of the elite was cracked, a foot of metal missing from the top, and it made a weird angle at the part of the blade that was no longer there. It, too, had blood coming from both legs and a spot on its chest.
Kels started to move forward.
“Don’t!” Stenson’s shout carried authority, but the tone was weaker than it was before. Blood trickled down his scalp, the brown hair matted against his head.
“What… what happened? I couldn’t see any of it.” Francis said.
“I only saw a few things,” Kels replied. “Each of them used skills, and any of those attacks would have killed me instantly. Their strength is that high… I’m afraid–”
It was at that moment that the older man dropped to a knee.
Without hesitating, the elite moved, a trail of dust rising as it did so, weapons moving so fast they vanished.
That red blade of Stenson blurred, and an explosion occurred when the two collided.
Sword fragments rained out nearby, falling all over the area, yet as they fell, so did the head that had sat upon Stenson’s shoulder
The left arm was missing on the elite, gone completely.
Howling in pain, the beast bent down and stuck its right sword into the dirt. Then, picking up the general's head, claws digging into the face, it triumphantly shook the grisly trophy in the air.
Roars erupted from the army Francis had hoped the army would defeat.
Without waiting, the beast put the head in its maw, chomping and chewing, it then grabbed its sword and turned toward them, blood running down its orange fur as it consumed its trophy.
“Crap!”
Those were the only words Francis got out.
***
The sound of the morning bell jarred Francis from his bed.
"It's earlier than usual," Michael grunted as he sat up. Their room was mostly in shadows because of the lack of light. "What gives?"
Touching his neck, Francis had the memory of what had happened flood his mind. Unable to help himself, he leaned over the bed, emptying his stomach of the bile inside.
“Oh hell no, don’t tell me you’re sick! I don’t want to deal with that!”
Wiping his mouth, Francis shook his head at his older brother. “No… just… I’m not sure. I… I feel fine now,” he replied. “I… I couldn’t help it.” He could see his brother frowning in the dim light. The pain that radiated through his body was far more overwhelming than it had been in the previous times of waking up.
“You sure?” Michael asked. “I’m really not wanting Phillip to make me suffer because you’re in here playing sick.”
“I’m fine… really,” Francis said. “Let’s get dressed. I’ll clean this up later. You and I both know we don’t want to be the last ones out there.”
As he got dressed, he needed to see what might have changed.
[ Status ]
Francis Lancaster
Age 17
Strength: 14
Endurance: 17
Agility: 13
Wisdom: 13
Perception: 11
Magic: 10
Skills
Swordsmanship (Common) – 26 Proficient
Shield Use (Common) - 17 Novice
Tracking (Uncommon) - 11 Basic
Stealth (Uncommon) - 11 Novice
Traps (Uncommon) - 3 Basic
Rock Throwing (Common) - 7 Basic
Mental Resist (Uncommon) - 22 Novice
Blood of the Undying ( Unknown )- 100+ Sage
Fast Learner (Epic) - 1 Basic (Locked)
Mace (Common) - 6 Novice
Horseback Riding (Common)- 8 Basic
Horseback Handling (Uncommon) - 6 Basic