Chapter 9
The Battle of Ravendale
As the group exited the dungeon and made their way to the courtyard, a small army clad in steel armor met them. A man on a black horse trotted up to them. He, unlike the others, donned an intimidating suit of black plate armor with gold inlays with a full faced helmet. A large claymore was slung across his back. The crest of Causperias was imprinted on his chest plate. He was Causperias’s general, and Thaddeus’s dearest friend, Sebastian Buxton.
The group of heroes stopped in front of the army as Thaddeus called out to the general, “Sebastian, thank the gods you are here.”
The man flipped up the face of his helmet and said, “Thaddeus, what has happened here? We came as soon as we heard.”
“We were attacked, Sebastian. None, except the lot you see here, survived,” said the King.
“Attacked by whom? What is going on Thaddeus?” Sebastian asked as he dismounted his horse.
“As hard as it is to believe, Hasbarie has returned. You may not believe me, but I tell you the truth. He sent his forces here to kill me, but as you can see, they have failed.”
Sebastian's face became expressionless. “By the gods, Thaddeus! I feared you to be dead. We are at your command. What are you orders?” asked Sebastian.
“Sebastian, I must depart for some time. I relinquish the Kingdom of Galdarath to you,” said the King.
Sebastian said apprehensively, “My King, I do not wish to hold the reigns of the kingdom. I do not possess the ability to lead Galdarath in such times. I wish to join the fight, by your side, as we have so many times before.”
“There is no negotiation involving this matter. I need you to rally the armies of Galdarath and fortify our kingdoms. You have lead Galdarath before, after my father died, and did so exceptionally well. Prepare our cities to defend themselves, and prepare our troops for war. Equip every able bodied man and provide whatever training you can. Dark times are on the horizon, and Galdarath must not fall to this evil.” He paused briefly to look into Sebastian’s eyes and continued. “Have all of the bodies before us laid to rest with a proper ceremony. Compensate their families for their losses. Try not to cause panic amongst the people, but do inform them of the threat we face. I know you will follow my orders, old friend. Time is short, I must take leave.”
“Yes, my King,” Sebastian said as he dropped to one knee and bowed before Thaddeus.
As Thaddeus and his new companions attempted to exit the courtyard, a man from the city came rushing through the gates.
“Thank goodness you are here! The city! It is under attack!” panted the out of breath man. "We need your help! The guards are being overrun!"
Thaddeus and Locmire exchanged a dreadful glance. The King turned to Sebastian and said, “To the city at once! Ravendale must not fall! We must defend the capital!”
Thaddeus and his companions, along with the army of Causperias, bolted from the castle grounds to save the capital city.
Horror filled their hearts upon seeing the ruthless assault on Ravendale. All throughout the streets the citizens were fleeing for their lives. Thousands of the Breathless filled the streets, striking down all defenseless villagers in their paths. The Breathless lashed out at the villagers as they ran by, frantically searching for safety. The guards tried their best to defend the city, but the numbers of the Breathless were too great. Dozens of the armor clad guards lay dead on the street. Upon every fallen body, the Breathless feasted on their warm flesh, tearing it away with their teeth
Thaddeus hoisted his axe into the air and roared, “Attack!” but before any of the men could advance, Caleb performed an act that caused all of them to freeze in their tracks. Caleb Hawks was rushing down the stone street, unarmed, right toward five of the Breathless who were trying to overthrow two inept guardsmen.
Thaddeus bellowed, “You fool! You rush to your death!”
Caleb did not hear him, or if he did, he did not heed his words. He was too focused on the enemies before him as he came barreling down upon them.
As soon as he came into range, Caleb launched himself into the air. Instantaneously, he transformed into an enormous purple panther. He pounced on two of the Breathless and tore at their throats with his long claws. The reanimated corpses fell lifeless before him. The other three turned on him, lashing out, but he evaded their attacks by leaping high into the air, transforming yet again. This time he took the form of an eagle. His two large talons sank deep into the flesh of the abominations, and he soared toward the clouds with them clutched in his grip. He was a few hundred feet above the ground when he released his hold on the creatures. He dove swiftly back to the ground, transforming once again. This time he turned into a golden lion. He swiped the remaining foe in front of him with his large powerful paw. The creature’s head flew off of its shoulders. As the other two Breathless came plummeting toward the ground he transformed, once again, into a massive gray wolf. When the falling attackers smacked onto the stone streets he finished them off with quick snaps of his teeth to their throats.
He turned back into his natural form, looking back at Thaddeus, who was still frozen in his tracks and said, “No need for weapons.” He transformed into a brown bear and tore through the streets, mauling anything that wasn't human.
Thaddeus looked at Locmire in amazement. Locmire returned his look with a slight grin.
“Attack!” yelled Thaddeus.
The King and his men flooded the streets, cutting through the overwhelming number of corpses. The battle had spread out through the entire city of Ravendale. It was chaos in the streets as defenseless villagers fled for their lives from Hasbarie’s pawns. The army of Causperias helped to even the odds against the Breathless. After much effort, Thaddeus and his companions finally battled their way to the town square.
“Thaddeus,” Locmire said in a loud voice as he cast fireball after fireball into the horde of dead bodies.
“Kind of busy right now, Wizard,” Thaddeus returned as he went to work with his giant axe.
“These creatures cannot appear by themselves. There has to be someone here in the city who is summoning them,” said the Master Wizard as he made a large sweeping arc with his staff, incinerating a group of attackers to his left.
Sebastian, who was covered in black blood, said, “You mean if we can find the person summoning these devils, we can put an end to this?”
“Precisely,” answered Locmire.
“Thaddeus!” Lot cried as he effortlessly sliced and diced his way through the Breathless with his short swords. “You, Sebastian, and the Wizard stay here and protect the town. I will take Red and River with me and search for the Summoner.”
“You do not give orders! I am the King!” roared Thaddeus as he dropped his axe and drew the swords from his hips. One of the Breathless was about to grab hold of him, but he kicked the creature back and thrust a sword through its soft skull.
“Thaddeus,” Locmire cried. “Let him go, we must work together.”
“Fine! Go!” yelled Thaddeus, swinging his swords in quick succession, sending rotten appendages flying through the air.
“Red! River! To me!” Lot ordered.
“Aye aye!” Red said as he sheathed one of his cutlasses and pulled out his pistol, producing a loud chain reaction of bangs that stopped six of the Breathless in their tracks.
River nodded her head to Lot as she muttered something under her breath and slammed the end of her staff hard into the ground before her, setting dozens of the Breathless ablaze.
As Lot, River, and Red left the square they saw Sebastian plowing forward with his shoulder down and claymore in front of him, charging an oncoming wave of attackers. He skewered the bodies of rotten flesh, collecting them on his sword like vegetables on a roasting stick. As soon as Sebastian passed by them, a large eagle came swooping down grabbing the Breathless, three and four at a time. Caleb would then fly them high into the clouds, release them, dive back down, and repeat the vicious cycle.
&n
bsp; Lot and his crew ran from the square, dodging several bodies falling from the sky. It was like being caught in a hail storm of rotten corpses. The trio fought their way through the village, keeping a keen eye out for anyone who looked out of place. They were met with great resistance on several occasions by attacking waves of Breathless, but they dispatched of them rather quickly. Red and River proved to be very capable warriors, but Lot's skill surpassed them both. He fought with a fierce passion that Red could only compare to that of his brother, Thaddeus. After dealing with a large mob of the walking dead, something caught River's eye.
“Lot! Look to your right! Behind that stone statue!” yelled River.
Lot turned his attention to a figure dressed in a black robe. He was neither fighting, nor was he fleeing. The dark figure stood calmly waving his arms in a circular motion and chanting something in an unknown tongue.
“Well blow me down! Thar da trouble maker be!” Red said as he started cutting his way through the droves of the Breathless, making his way toward the figure.
“That has to be him. Follow me!” Lot commanded.
Lot was casually slicing his way through Hasbarie's forces. He had almost come within striking distance of the Summoner, but the figure finally noticed that he had been spotted and began to run. The trio gave chase, following the Summoner through alleyways, around corners, and down body strewn streets. The mysterious man was fast, but they were gaining on him.
Lot yelled, “River! Push him between the two buildings on the right!”
River stopped, muttered something, and a large brown wave came erupting from her staff. The spell hit the side of a building and sent the structure tumbling down right in front of the fleeing man. He made a sharp right turn. He was heading the way Lot had intended for him to go.
Lot, River, and Red barreled down the alleyway behind the man when he suddenly turned back toward them. He saw them, stopped, started to run again, but stopped once more. He was in the town square, trapped like a fox in a cage. Thaddeus, Locmire, Sebastian, and Caleb had his escape route blocked. He had become cornered with no place to flee.
Thaddeus came rushing toward the man, dropping his swords in the process. He wrapped both of his hands in the man's robe, hoisted him into the air, and drove him into the nearby building, producing a loud thud as the Summoner's wind left his lungs. The mysterious man crumpled to the ground.
Lot drew his sword and placed it to the man’s neck, “Do not move, friend. Unless you seek death.”
“Arrr! He be a fast lil bugga. Man runnin like dat sure not wantin to be caught. Why ye be running lad?” asked the Pirate.
The man did not answer. He stared blankly at the heroes with his black soulless eyes.
“I will get answers from him!” Thaddeus said as he moved Lot aside.
He gripped the man by the throat and brought him to a standing position.
“You will answer me now! Who are you? What is your motive? What would possess you to come into my kingdom, perform such acts, and expect to live?” The King asked as he squeezed the man’s throat tightly.
The Summoner remained silent.
“Thaddeus,” said Locmire, as he put a hand on the King's shoulder, “this man has no inclination as to what he is doing. Look at his eyes. He is possessed, most likely by Hasbarie himself. He sees nothing. The only person occupying this man’s mind is the Dark Wizard.”
Thaddeus looked back and forth between Locmire and the black eyed man. Rage filled his heart. “Well then, if the one who delivers this message is not home, I shall deliver a message to the sender.” Thaddeus pulled the man close to his face and looked deep into his eyes. “Hasbarie! Why do you not come and face me yourself? Have you no guts, or are you a coward? You send your servants here! To my kingdom! Kill my wife! My friends! My citizens! I have heard your message loud and clear! I promise you this. . . I will find you just as my ancestors before me. I will destroy you, and this time it will be for good. You wanted a war. You now have one!”
Thaddeus finished his statement and ripped the sword from Lot’s hands. He raised it high in the air, but as he was bringing it down a plea for mercy came. The plea, surprisingly enough, did not come from the Summoner, but from someone in his group.
“Please! Don't! This man is not himself. He is possessed. You have no idea what it is like to act against your will. Taking this man's life will solve nothing!” River exclaimed.
“She is right,” Locmire added.
“And you know what it is like to act against your will, girl? Why don't you tell me what it is like then,” the King replied.
At that moment, the man pulled free from Thaddeus's grip and hovered several feet in the air. His body was rigid, with outstretched arms and drawn together feet. A loud voice boomed from inside of the marionette like man.
“Foolish boy! Do you think your empty threats intimidate me? You are nothing! You are nowhere near the man Ryker was, and I am nowhere near the man I was when he defeated me! I am ten times the man I was! I am now a god! Hear me boy. You will not succeed. You will fail! You and your companions' days are numbered. Today was just a taste of the power that I now possess. No one can stop me. Soon this pathetic land will belong to me. All of its inhabitants will bow to me or lose their souls forever, just as this body has! I give you all a choice, for I am not an unforgiving god. Change your allegiance, join me, and I will make you more powerful than you could ever imagine. I will make you immortal, just as I am. Kill the Wizard and all will be forgiven. The choice is in your hands. Death . . . or life, through me?”
For a moment all was silent. The heroes stood still, the loud voice of Hasbarie still echoed through the lands. It was Red, once again, who broke the silence.
“Taint never seen a god who thanks so high of em self. Most gods ought'en be a lil more humble. Sounds like dis un got some self-esteem issues,” Red chuckled.
“Fools! Your chance of salvation has eluded you. You shall not live to regret this decision,” Hasbarie boomed as his voice exploded with rage.
At that moment the floating man exploded, creating a concussive force that sent the group flying across the square. All Lot could see was a white light, and a loud ringing polluted his ears. His vision slowly started to come back into focus. He rolled onto his stomach, got to his knees, and saw Thaddeus doing the same. He got to his feet and looked around. The rest of his group lay unconscious in the street.
“You alright?” Lot asked Thaddeus.
“Fine. You?” Thaddeus asked.
“Never been better,” Lot replied.
Lot was taken aback by this civil conversation. These were the first non volatile words that he and his brother had ever exchanged.
“What in the gods' name?” Thaddeus called out.
Lot turned and looked behind him. The pieces of the Summoner that lay on the ground were starting to move. They came together like shards of metal to a magnet. The bloody pieces began to melt and flatten out. The mosaic of body parts suddenly went still. Thaddeus and Lot were now on their feet. Both of the warriors knew that something was amiss.
“Lot . . . now would be a good time to arm yourself,” Thaddeus called as he cautiously picked up his axe from the ground.
Lot looked around and found his sword; the other remained on his side. Both warriors readied their weapons and moved close to one another. A loud shriek came from the bloody mess on the ground. Following the shriek, an oversized cleaver that was attached to a large decaying arm came rising up from the ground. A hulking creature pulled itself out from the portal that the scattered remains had made. It was massive, at least fifteen feet tall. Bits of rotten flesh dripped from its body; maggots and worms fell from the giant and clopped to the ground. The beast's eyes were black as night. Large bloody teeth lined its abnormally large mouth. Its body was oddly misshapen with pieces of rope, acting as sutures, holding each limb together, including its head to its neck. It held the six foot long cleaver down to its side, reared back, and let out a roar directed to
ward the two brothers. It drew back the cleaver and charged.
Lot and Thaddeus jumped apart as the beast came crashing between them. They counterattacked immediately. Thaddeus swung his axe with all his might, but the creature raised the cleaver and blocked the blow, sending Thaddeus sprawling backwards. Thaddeus leaned out of the way, barely escaping a powerful counter strike. Lot made two large slices in the foes back, but all that his blades managed to do was send more maggots spiraling to the ground. It turned on him, swinging its large weapon, determined to cut Lot in half. Lot ducked the initial attack and quickly darted backwards as another swipe came crashing down, narrowly avoiding becoming dissected. The three combatants battled fiercely. The creature was attacking with lumbering, but calculated strikes. Lot and Thaddeus weaved in and out of the life or death battle, often evading the deadly strikes by the skin of their teeth. They sliced away at the creature, but their efforts were futile. Nothing seemed to stop, or even slow, the hulking beast. A well timed swing of Thaddeus's dragon bone axe did manage to remove the creatures left arm, yet it still raged on.
“Thaddeus, I am running out of fight. We have to end this. Look for a weak point!”
“What do you think I have been doing for the past five minutes,” Thaddeus replied sarcastically.
“For a rotten piece of flesh, this thing sure can take a beating. Any suggestions?” asked Lot as he avoided nearly being decapitated.
“Tear him limb from limb?” Thaddeus answered in a questioning manner.
“Sounds good. Shall we start with its other arm?” asked Lot.
Thaddeus nodded.
The two brothers went to work aiming all of their strikes at the rotting behemoth’s right arm. Finally, another strike of Thaddeus's axe removed the remaining upper extremity of the creature. The cleaver tinged loudly as it hit the ground. The armless foe gave out a blood curdling scream and ran forward toward Lot, slime spewing from its teeth. Lot met the abomination head on, rushing toward the being. When impact was imminent, he fell to his knees on the blood soaked ground. With his swords outstretched, Lot slid between the beast’s legs and lopped off both of the Frankenstein-like monsters feet above the ankles. The giant fell to the ground, but the fight had still not left from its body. The creature was trying to clamber up on its maggot infested stumps. Thaddeus came rushing in with another brutal blow of his axe, plunging it deep into the rotten skull of the fallen dark warrior. The tip of Lot’s blade came protruding through the front of the creature’s neck. His other blade landed hard on the side of its throat near a suture line. With a violent jerk of his right hand, and pull of his left, the large oval shaped head fell to the ground, freeing thousands of maggots and worms from their imprisonment. It was over. The creature was no more. Thaddeus and Lot both collapsed to the ground, exhausted from the battle. Both men were breathing heavily.
“Well,” panted Lot, “good thing there wasn't more of those walking around the city earlier.”
Thaddeus rose to his feet and loomed over Lot. “You fought well,” he said.
“As did you,” said Lot stretching out his hand for Thaddeus to help him up. The King considered him for a moment, but turned and walked away.
So much for brotherly love, thought Lot as he got to his feet and walked over to check on his other companions who were just now beginning to stir. Thaddeus helped Sebastian to his feet. Locmire knelt over River, who was lying on her back and propped up on her elbows. Caleb and Red stood over top of the fallen creature, admiring the horrific beauty of it. Other than a few minor bruises and scratches, it seemed that everyone would live.