With each step the commander took, it was as if some cry for help or growl of some creature of chaos echoed. He was like a conductor, whose movements dictated every note of that attack in a macabre symphony. It spread the shades of gray through the sky, removing all the brightness that a city bathed by the sun of the god of life should have. The beauty of the place became attractive only for that commander.
Crossing the cobblestone streets with slow and deliberate steps, the armor subject was a cruel contrast to the chaos around him. Creatures of chaos, their most perverse creation, advanced through the alleys, destroying everything in their path. Men and women shouted as they tried to flee, but the destruction was relentless.
He stopped in front of a central square, where a statue of a powerful man stood majestically. The smile of the commander was hidden by the metal mask he wore, but his eyes shone with a mixture of fun and contempt.
"Is this the god you worship?" his voice echoed through space, amplified by magic "let's see if he appears to save you."
Raising a hand, he invoked a wave of dark energy that spread like a tidal wave, knocking the statue down and making pieces of it fly in all directions. The creatures howled in response, as if they were celebrating the desecration.
"No!" shouted a gentleman before the broken pieces.
The nearby humans looked at the scene with horror and distress. Hope seemed to be shattered by the statue.
"Sir" a hesitant voice called him from behind.
He turned slowly to find one of his subordinates, a distorted being with membranous wings and gray skin. The creature bowed his head in submission.
"The central temple has been taken. The priests and survivors are surrounded. But we did not find the runaway boy."
"Excellent. Be sure to keep the place intact, but avoid them escape" replied the commander coldly, "As for the boy, continue looking for him. He must not have gone very far."
He turned his gaze to destruction, still appreciating his mastery work. Even looking at the sky to see if someone would come to the rescue that city, he saw nothing but smoke.
"Perhaps you were also abandoned by your god."
"Sir, it seems that there is someone at the entrance of the city."
The masked eyes turned to the subordinates, calmly and without any sign of surprise. He just waved his hand in the air, answering them:
"Receive with the best welcome. Do not hesitate to use maximum strength."
The subordinate lowered their head before withdrawing with orders. Turning to the central square, the subject walked through the debris of the statue and turned to sit on what remained of the god's representation. He took off his helmet and crossed his legs, facing the entrance silently.
At any time... just wait.
(...)
Yvaine and Mikhal went down the hill quickly, moving through the shadows of the outer buildings of Solastera. The smell of smoke and the sound of screams became more intense as they approached, as well as the presence of monsters that felt their smells and were on alert.
The creatures were grotesque, with elongated limbs and deformed torsos, covered by a kind of black carapace. Their eyes shone bright red, and low grunts echoed in sync, as if they were part of a single mind. Their movements were agile, almost too fluid for their deformed bodies.
"Do you really think we will make a difference here?" Mikhal whispered to Yvaine.
She did not answer immediately. Her starry eyes scanned the surroundings, looking for patterns among the creatures of chaos that moved through the city. She had said that they could make a difference before, only not to take away the hope of her master. However, the situation was quite different.
"We can't save everyone" she recalled "If we can scare these monsters away, and keep a certain security until someone arrives, it will be enough."
"Until someone arrives... Why do I have the impression that this someone would not be ourselves?"
Yvaine swallowed it dry and preferred to ignore the comment, and just watched around collecting as much information as she could.
"It's still day, I can't see the exact point where these monsters are gathered" she muttered at last, seeming to be annoyed by the situation.
"Looks like we'll have to go in the old way, then."
Mikhal did not wait for more, he invaded the entrance of the city attracting all attention to himself. Drawing his sword, he began to fight against the monsters that advanced on him. As expected, acted impulsively once again, forcing Yvaine to act in his guard and protect him from afar.
Despite being reckless, Mikhal could fight bravely enough to defeat the monsters as if they were weak for him. The movements were fluid, cutting the monsters and making them disappear in the smoke.
Upon entering the city, they were immediately surrounded by chaos. Grotesque creatures marched through the streets, chasing citizens as soldiers desperately tried to contain the invasion. Mikhal drew his sword, moving again to intercept a creature that was advancing on a woman and her daughter.
"Go!" he warned them, delivering another deadly blow to the monster.
"Ah... thank the gods! Finally we are saved!" exclaimed the woman, grabbing her daughter against her breast. Her eyes shone with tears of relief as she looked at Mikhal, who cleaned the dark blood from his blade "You came to save us... are sent from the gods, aren't you?"
Behind them, fallen bodies of other citizens still decorated the streets. The contrast was disturbing: the relieved smiles of the survivors contrasted with the empty eyes of the dead, many still in positions of escape or fight. Yvaine hesitated for a moment when she saw a child lying near a burnt toy, her heart clenching with the scene.
"Reorganize your ranks!" she ordered, her voice cutting through the chaos and creating a field of light around a group of wounded soldiers, temporarily protecting them while they retreated to a safer location. "Don't attack blindly. You need to protect the civilians first!"
The soldiers, visibly shaken by the devastation, began to regroup under her orders. Mikhal, without losing his pace, returned to face the creatures with deadly precision, keeping his attention on what was left of the civilians.
While Yvaine helped stabilize the defense, Mikhal noticed something strange. The chaos creatures weren't attacking randomly. They moved in groups, with some clearly focused on diverting attention from the soldiers while others deliberately wreaked havoc.
"What we have here... are not as irrational as I thought" he muttered, observing the creatures' movements.
"What?" Yvaine asked, while destroying another creature with a sphere of light.
"They have a pattern. They are leading us, forcing defense to specific areas" Mikhal pointed at the group of creatures that seemed to surround the soldiers, forcing them to retreat to more vulnerable places.
Yvaine frowned, feeling a shiver go through her spine. It was clear that this was not an ordinary attack. There was intelligence behind the creatures' actions.
"This is definitely Guyel's doing" she murmured "He's testing the city's defenses?"
Suddenly, a beast attacked Yvaine from behind, its claws cutting off her flesh and throwing her against a wall with force. Mikhal turned instinctively, about to raise his sword and block a blow. However, the creature quickly crouched and took advantage of a way in his stomach, where kicked Mikhal away as well.
Recovering from the impact, Yvaine gasped trying to reconcile the pain she felt and the urgency of fighting. Then she saw that the creature was completely different from the monsters she had faced so far.
"What..."
A loud roar echoed from the top of the hill. Yvaine's starry eyes rose and widened at the sight of the monstrous creature standing.
"Damn... it's a trap."
(...)
Cale watched the scene from the top of the hill with that strange feeling still. He could see from afar the spheres of Yvaine emerging from the entrance. From where Calwas he could feel the energy coming from her magic, which caused him a trembling inside by the curse of cowardice. Clenching his fists, Cale tried not to let himself be taken.
"It seems that they are managing the situation" Aries muttered to his side.
Raising the purple eyes to the subordinate, Cale had the impression that Aries was anxious. Considering he was a warrior, he probably wanted to be on the battlefield rather than being his personal guard. But before Cale could comment on anything, the two heard heavy footsteps.
From the sand, a huge figure emerged. His body covered with sand and radiating an infernal heat, the eyes shone with a cruel intelligence to locate two targets so close.
"Damn" Aries muttered as he stood in front of the master "It seems we've been discovered."
The creature stopped his walk, looking at them for a moment before releasing a roar that made the ground shake. Holding Cale's waist, Aries jumped back trying to gain distance. His green eyes looked for a hiding place, while keeping the creature's movements under observation.
"Should I try that skill with the big guy?" Cale pondered loudly.
"Don't even think about it! By the time you get there, he would have thrown you away."
Looking around, Cale held his breath when realized that he really had no escape. The monster seemed focused on them and used their size and strength to attack them and leave no room for against attacks. Aries could only retreat and block the attacks, while hiding Cale in his back.
If they continued like this, they would soon arrive at the entrance of the city, which also seemed to be in chaos.
If he could fight...
Cale's fingers turned to the dagger in his belt, under the cape. His body became tense and eager for action. If he defeated a creature of that size, would no longer be as cowardly as his curse makes it seem. Still, Cale could feel the chains making his muscles move uncontrollably, trembling subtly and weighing his legs, preventing him from moving.
Aries' hot hand was suddenly over that of Cale.
"Stay out of it."
"What do you..."
"Cut that! This is too much for you now" Aries tightened his waist and looked at Cale seriously "If you want to help, stay alive, boy."
Cale clenched his teeth, observing the moment when Aries released him and advanced against the creature. He knew his subordinate was strong, but also felt the creature was something different too.
Aries swung with his unsheathed sword, cutting the air with deadly precision. The creature, however, reacted quickly, using its massive claws to block the attack. The sound of impact echoed through the hill, followed by sparks when the blade met the tough resistance of the carapace.
The creature counter-attacked with surprising speed, forcing Aries to dodge to avoid being hit. He backed away, his green eyes glaring at the opponent.
"It won't be easy..." he muttered.
The battle continued, with both exchanging ferocious blows. Aries managed to hit a cut on the side of the creature, but it only infuriated it. The beast let out a deafening roar before casting a wave of heat that made the air around flicker. Aries was thrown backwards, landing awkwardly on the ground.
"Damn!" he muttered, rising quickly and wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Cale watched the scene with his heart racing. He wanted to help if it wasn't for the curse making him a cowardly worm. His fingers clenched the dagger more, knowing that he could not face alone when Aries was having difficulties.
The creature advanced again, preparing a blow that could be fatal. Aries raised his sword to block, but was pushed back by the overwhelming force of the attack. He fell to his knees, his breath heavy as blood dripped from a cut on his forehead.
Cale felt the despair increase.
"Aries!" he shouted, stepping forward but stopping when the creature turned its bright eyes to him.
The anger that Cale felt before his own futility already attracted the vitality of the creature to him. Unconscious and powerful, he needed to do absolutely nothing but feed the anger that burned in his veins. When the Purple Eyes stared at the monster, Cale could feel the vitality coming toward him with more force and weakening the monster.
Suddenly a burst of golden light lit the hill. The creature retreated, roaring in frustration as an elegant figure emerged from the light. Alinys Arkalis, with a radiant aura, held a sword that shone brightly.
"It seems I've arrived at the right time" she said, her gaze fixed on the creature before turning to the warrior. "Is this how you take care of your master, Aries?"
Aries snorted, getting up with difficulty.
"You were late."
Alinys did not respond, focusing on the creature that was already preparing to attack again.
"Cale, stay where you are. I'll take care of it."
She advanced with an impressive speed, her sword cutting the air and finding the weak point in the creature's shell. The monster roared in pain, trying to retaliate, but Alinys was quick and precise. In a few moves, she defeated the beast, which collapsed to the ground in a cloud of dust and heat.
This is how a heroine fought to protect her own.