GoCorral

Chapter 8 – Second Tries (Continued)

The seven adlishars raised their hands to their foreheads. Tereman’s limbs couldn’t move. Fortunately he was used to this feeling and knew the solution. He’d said his prayer to Zeus before they began their trick. His hands were already free. Sweeping his hands across his body he escaped their magical bonds.

Three adlishars advanced on Tereman. Upset that their trick failed they attacked from the left, front, and right. Tereman took the blows from the left and front on his shield. Silver swords dug into the oak wood, tearing splinters away. The adlishar on the right made it past Tereman’s own sword, but he caught the strike on his bracer.

More strikes came in from the left. Tereman blocked them with his shield. He struggled to simultaneously attack the adlishar on the right. It’s blade had slid along his bracer, putting it slightly off balance. Tereman managed a cut, but was rewarded with only a minor injury to the adlishar’s arm.

Tereman’s offense was an overextension of his own. The adlishar on his left struck low, making a gash in his left thigh. Tereman went down on his left knee. His shield took more blows from the enemies on his left and front. The one on his right stepped to circle behind Tereman. Outnumbered and outflanked would spell his doom.

Tereman called on Zeus, “Hear me, O Zeus. If I have ever defended your people, grant me strength. I offer you my foe’s blood.”

Divine power surged into Tereman’s body. He felt strong, powerful, and capable. His muscles were iron. His skin was steel. Tereman charged the adlishar pair on his left. He shoved the leftmost one with his shield, knocking it aside. Tereman’s sword slammed into the other adlishar’s midsection. The blade rolled along the creature’s invisible armor. Tereman focused on the weakness in the side. He pushed his blade in there. The magic cuirass cracked and his sword cut through to deliver a nasty wound to the adlishar.

Tereman tumbled to the ground behind the adlishars. He raised his shield quickly to defend himself and was glad he did so. In an instant a silver sword struck the wood, splintering it further. The adlishar on Tereman’s right had pivoted to attack while Tereman pushed past the other two. The one he’d shoved was getting up and moving to attack while the one he’d struck rolled away, injured but not defeated.

The closer adlishar used its force magic to pull at Tereman’s shield. He strained with his left arm, but couldn’t raise his shield to block an attack from the recovered enemy he’d shoved. It brought an outward diagonal slice at his right arm. With his sword, Tereman deflected the blow. The strain of trying to pull his shield into place made his deflection a weak attempt. The silver sword hit Tereman’s chest, denting his bronze cuirass.

Tereman offered another quick prayer to Zeus to empower his shield arm. He wrenched the shield loose from the adlishar’s magic. He pulled it in front of himself in time to block two more silver sword strikes. Tereman rushed into the closer one on his left, pushing it away from him with the shield. The one on his right slashed into Tereman’s right arm as he passed by. Every move with his sword arm stung.

The two adlishars smiled. With an injured dominant arm, the fight was over. Tereman could hold them off, but there was no longer any chance of victory. He could heal the wound with a prayer, but that would take time he didn’t have. He had to battle on and eventually he would lose.

But Tereman was not alone. He called to his friend, “Blendegad!”

Blendegad saw Tereman between him and three other adlishars. Two of them were up and fighting, the third rolled on the ground with a deep cut in its side. Two morecapable adlishars were behind Blendegad, rapidly approaching with malice and silver swords.

The two behind him would have to come before Tereman. Blendegad grabbed the silver sword from the dead adlishar at his feet as he rose. He turned while pouring life force into his right arm. He chucked the silver sword with his right arm at one of the adlishars advancing on him. His right arm was clumsy, but the life force made it powerful. The silver sword spun through the air and slammed into the adlishar hilt first. The armor caught the blow, but the extra force from Blendegad’s magic threw the creature back against the stone egg. Blendegad heard multiple bones crack with both impacts. That would do it.

Blendegad sweated and breathed heavily. He’d run out of excess life force. The final adlishar facing him kept its distance. Blendegad stayed facing it. If he turned to help Tereman he would expose his back to this one.

Blendegad heard Tereman grunting behind him. The sound of silver cutting into flesh. Another panicked cry, “Blendegad!” Blendegad slowly backed up til his back was against Tereman’s.

“I’m here,” Blendegad said.

“Any plans now?”

“Nothing except… Switch!”

The pair pivoted, switching which foes they were facing. Tereman looked at one adlishar while Blendegad faced down two.

Tereman risked his healing magic. “Hear me, O Zeus.” He was interrupted by the adlishar attacking. he blocked with his shield. He could manage one opponent with his shield for now. The wood was starting to splinter heavily. The frame would soon give out.

“If I have ever offered you sacrifice…” His shield thunked under another blow. “Heal my wounds. I shall give you…” Another gouge taken out of his shield. “…wine and lamb as soon as I am able!”

Tereman’s hands glowed. He kept his shield defending from the adlishar while his right hand passed over his injuries on his legs. With the legs done, he knelt to fully block his body with his shield. His left hand touched the injury on his right arm. Tereman’s wounds were closed, but healing them had exhausted him.

The adlishar pummeled his shield. It cracked and finally broke. Tereman cast it away. The silver sword in front of him looked unblemished, no pits or gouges in the edge despite the numerous blows and damage it had done to the shield. The flowing silver of the sword had always indicated its magical nature. Tereman was not surprised that it was undamaged from the exchange.

Tereman prepared to square off against the adlishar with just his own sword. It spun the silver sword with its wrist. Tereman took in a deep breath and let it out.

Their duel was canceled. Suddenly more adlishars appeared in the room. Similar to their appearance during the battle on the field outside. At one moment the room held the egg, Blendegad, Tereman, three standing adlishars, and five downed adlishars. The next moment four more adlishars. Then four more.

“We have no chance,” thought Tereman.

The water brought a spark to the surviving villagers. They were by no means energetic, but they were on their feet and ready to move. Galandir led them back towards the entrance they’d come through. Stenvall took up the rear position, urging the stragglers onwards.

Around half of the kidnapped villagers were dead. Four dozen men, women, children, adults, and elderly, all of them slain. Not just slain, but dissected. Sick experiments performed on mortals for some unholy purpose. The bodies weren’t even removed from the room. After dissection, the adlishars placed the wet corpses back in their cages around and on top of their family and neighbors. One body or person to a cage.

Galandir sickened at the thought. He knew there were monsters in the world. Creatures that enjoyed eating mortals. Others that enjoyed torture, living off a diet of fear and pain inflicted on their victims. But to see it in real life? It sent a shock to his core that he never could’ve expected or prepared himself for. Such unbridled evil in the world had to be stopped.

Sadly, he didn’t have the strength to stop it. The common adlishars were an opponent he could handle with favorable odds. That leader, Kardishan, was on another level entirely. Galandir’s creative battle sense was still developing. His sword mage style was still in its infancy without experience and knowledge from real battles.

Tracking back along the twists and turns to the exit. Galandir remembered it well enough. They passed the dead adlishar by the hallway door. Out the door into the open air. Galandir ushered the villagers out, pointing them up the hill towards Shalerton. Roughly fifty people poured through with Stenvall coming up behind.

Galandir looked back into the structure. He turned to Stenvall. “Tereman and Blendegad?”

“You want to die too? I’m not going back for them.”

Galandir sighed. What would a Dragon War Hero do? Would they go back? Or accept their limitations and escape to be a hero another day?

Luckily Galandir didn’t have to make a decision today.

The white robed adlishar with a green shawl around its shoulders appeared in front of Galandir and Stenvall. Kardishan. He stood between them and the villagers stumbling up the hill. His silver sword was in his right hand.

He spoke, “An interesting development. I didn’t expect you to return.”

“Why did you do that?” said Galandir. “Why did you do that to those people?”

“Information…” Kardishan leaned in as if whispering a secret. “…is everything.”

Galandir recoiled. The same phrase Forgeus and Tereman had used. How did this monster know that? It seemed to hear its thoughts as it slowly raised its silver sword up to its forehead. It tapped the hilt against its head and smiled.

“You can… You can read minds?” asked Galandir.

“The adlishar have many powers that the inhabitants do not. You will learn in time that resistance is useless. You will serve us and provide for us. Or you will die.”

Galandir said, “You… you… you…”

Stenvall said what Galandir could not. She charged with her spear. Kardishan swept her aside with a clock of force magic around his left arm. Stenvall stumbled to the side.

Galandir shouted, “Kindieron!” Flames shot down his sword, igniting it in sizzling red fire. Galandir swung the sword in front of himself while casting the spell once more, “Kindieron!” An arc of fire shot off his sword towards Kardishan. Another and another, Galandir fired blades of ash and flame through the air at the monster.

Kardishan deflected the first flame with his own sword. He brushed the next aside with the force magic sheath on his left arm. He ducked under the third and shuffled to the right to dodge the fourth. He stepped closer to Galandir.

The elven warrior unleashed a stream of flames at the adlishar. He grabbed his sword with both hands and channeled the whole of his body’s manage into a flamethrower of magic. An inferno blew towards Kardishan and enveloped him.

Stenvall moved to help but had to turn away due to the intense heat. Even looking at Galandir and Kardishan was difficult due to the intensity. She backed away. Behind her the villagers were screaming and running. Stenvall stole a glance to check if adlishars threatened the villagers. They were safe for now, but obviously terrified of the battle in front of them.