//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: Realms of Magic: The Realm of the Gryphons // by TheEighthDayofNight //------------------------------// Kathranis slammed the hilt of his sword into an orc’s head, then spun on his heel to kick another one in the chest. The crunch of bone echoed in his thoughts as the bulky orc fell back, clutching at his shattered nose. Kathranis was given no time to breathe, however, as another opponent rushed mindlessly to take the orc’s place. Kathranis winced as he batted aside an elvish sword, wielded by a maiden that looked half his age. Her eyes were glazed over and vacant, and her war cries were mindless as she slashed at him. Kathranis batted aside another attack, then used his off-hand blade to slash her wrist. The sword dropped from the maiden’s hand, but her attack didn’t stop, didn’t even slow. She lunged at him with her arms outstretched. Kathranis slipped away from the pin, slapping her arms with the flats of his swords. No amount of pain seemed to deter the elf, not when his slaps turned to punches, and not when those punches turned to deep cuts on non-essential body parts. It hurt Kathranis’ heart to cut her down, but he had to be elsewhere, assisting in the evacuation of the city. He couldn’t waste time on one woman, no matter how much he wanted to. As she lunged at him again, Kathranis made it quick, taking the head from her shoulders. Her body collapsed to the ground, and twitched as blood poured from her many wounds. A pool formed around the body, but Kathranis ignored it as a call went up. “Fall back! We cannot hold them here!” As the voice spoke, a flood of orcs, goblins, and even a few elves sprinted headlong around the corner of a burning building. As soon as they spotted Kathranis, they screeched in an ungodly racket, and they ran at him. Kathranis turned on his heel and fled after his retreating brethren, but for some reason, as fast as he ran, his elvish brothers and sisters only seemed to get farther away, while his pursuers, especially the haunted looking elves, got ever closer. Eventually, Kathranis was forced to turn and fight, but this time, there was no hesitation. His blades flashed again and again until they were so covered with blood that they stopped reflecting the firelight. His arms grew heavy, though he could scarcely tell if that was because of exhaustion, or the sheer weight of the blood that coated his swords. He managed to break away from a trio of elves that reached for him with clawing talons for hands, and he spat a curse as he turned and fled once more. Again, the mind-controlled creatures stayed on his heels, but this time, Kathranis managed to gain a bit of distance. As he passed through an intersection, Kathranis spotted a small girl crying in the center of the cobblestone. Why she was there, instead of with the rest of the evacuees, he didn’t know, but he didn’t have time to play a guessing game. Kathranis quickly altered his direction, and sprinted toward the tiny elf, sheathing one sword as he ran. She continued to cry, but didn’t shy away from him as he came to a stop and crouched down, offering a warm smile and a bloodied hand. “Come now little one, we must be away from this place, it isn’t safe.” “I can’t find my mommy!” the small child wailed. Kathranis was grimly aware of the chances that the girl’s parents were still alive, but he could do nothing but offer comfort and the slightest trace of hope. “I’ll help you find them once we’re safe,” he said, glancing back to the approaching elves. The girl looked at him with tear filled eyes. A hint of fear flashed through her face and she started to back away. Kathranis removed his helmet and tried to widen his smile. “It’s alright little one, I won’t hurt you, but if we don’t move, people that can hurt you will come.” The girl sniffled and began to reach out her hand, but a noise caught Kathranis’ attention. He spun around to find three figures rapidly approaching. Two of the beings were crazed elves, their throats shrieking with an ungodly noise, while a bulbous-headed creature, no doubt their new master, seemed to grin at him with it’s tentacled face. Kathranis snatched up his discarded helmet and threw it at the first elf, then drew a knife and prepared to throw it at the second. The second elf tackled him and began to wrap his hands around Kathranis’ throat. The first elf, momentarily stunned by the helmet, joined in, pinning Kathranis’ sword arm. As he tried to stab at the strangling elf, Kathranis caught a glimpse of the little girl running away. Kathranis’ knife scraped against the strangling elf’s arm, but on his second swing, it plunged into the elf’s ribs. The strangling elf howled in pain and fell back, giving Kathranis a free hand and a fresh breath. He swung his fist into the pinning elf’s face, breaking his nose with a loud crunch. As the pinning elf fell away, Kathranis tried to roll to his feet, only to let out a shout of pain as a knife blade plunged into his thigh. The strangling elf made his return with a shout of rage as he crawled up Kathranis’ body, again wrapping his hands around Kathranis’ throat. This time, however, he was not content to simply strangle Kathranis, and instead the elf slammed Kathranis’ head into the flagstones. Kathranis saw stars, both from the concussion, as well as his increasingly short breath. He managed to blink his way to clarity, and he saw only hate in the eyes of the elf tearing the breath from his lungs. Kathranis felt tears in his eyes as he ever so gently placed his hands on either side of the strangling elf’s. Then he began to apply pressure, slowly twisting the elf’s neck. The whole while, Kathranis did his best to whisper apologies, and to give his forgiveness to his controlled brethren. If the other elf heard him, he didn’t know, but all pressure disappeared from Kathranis’ neck as, with a sudden twist, a loud snap echoed in his ears. The elf dropped to the side, and Kathranis managed to roll over in time to see the mind flayer scoop up the little girl. Before he could make any move to stop the creature, before he could even speak, a tentacle plunged into the girl’s head, rendering her lifeless as the mind flayer sucked her brains out. Kathranis shut his eyes, couldn’t bear to watch. He got to his feet shakily, scooping up his fallen sword with one hand, while drawing the other in his off-hand. Kathranis stalked blindly toward the brain eating monster, and he vaguely heard it shriek, launching a psychic attack against the elf. The white-noise meant to scramble his thoughts and open him up to intrusion was brushed away by the wards painted over Kathranis’ skin, freshly tattooed mere days ago by the last Archmage of the besieged city. The elder elf was long dead, but his craft lived on in Kathranis’ flesh, and the young elf began to sing as his blades removed the mind flayer’s head from his body. The tattoos hidden beneath his chainmail began to glow as he sang a song of grief, of heartbreak. He had sung the song many times in the past days as he watched his brothers and sisters fall under the relentless assault of their enemies. Just like every other time, spells began to flow forth, spilling their power into the air. Kathranis sheathed his blades and crouched down, gently scooping up the dead girl. A fireball incinerated a trio of goblins that had been sneaking in the shadows of a still-standing home, while a bolt of frost lanced through the elf Kathranis had left alive with a broken nose. Just before the spell of silence settled, Kathranis vaguely heard someone calling his name, then he heard nothing. A small bubble formed around him, and an arrow ricocheted off it, spiraling to the ground. Kathranis felt a clap of thunder as a lightning bolt split the sky. Rain began to fall, mingling with his tears as he cradled the little girl in his arms. Water mixed with sweat and blood, pooling between the flagstones of the street. A shadow fell over Kathranis as he cried. A voice filled to the brim with contempt snorted at his back. “I expected more from your breed human. Your kin show some prowess, but you seem just as emotionally weak as the rest of the lower races. How pathetic.” Kathranis felt the tears on his cheeks start to dry as rage filled his mind. How dare anyone mock his grief? How dare they judge him, not knowing what his people had suffered? He began to see red, but he carefully set the girl down, brushing her blonde hair to cover the hole in her head. With a feral war cry, Kathranis drew and threw one of his daggers in one smooth turning motion. The blade disappeared into a wall of shadow, but he couldn’t track it farther than that. A bolt of dark blue energy lanced out at him, blowing him backward before he could dodge. Kathranis heard an ugly crunch in his leg as he landed awkwardly, but he didn’t let the injury deter him. Kathranis drew his swords and stood off against the creature, favoring his unbroken leg. Mired in shadow, he couldn’t get a good look at the creature, only that it stood on two legs, was at least a head taller than he was and had green snake-like eyes. As it grinned at him, Kathranis also noticed razor sharp teeth. “You truly are pathetic if you believe your puny knives can hurt me human. I am a goddess!” Kathranis took a deep breath, then, gritting his teeth, he charged forward. He did his best to compensate for his lame leg, but closing the distance between himself and the shadowy figure was slow, and painful. Surprisingly, the figure let him close in, only lashing out when he had properly set his feet to strike. A long twisted black blade scraped against his scimitars. Kathranis winced as sparks danced on his face, but the burst of light gave him the faintest of glimpses at the figure. It had an odd face, almost horse like, but the muzzle was shorter, and much smoother, while the eyes faced forward. The only thing about the surface of the creature that Kathranis knew for sure was that the creature was black, but whether he was looking at its skin, fur, or armor, he couldn’t tell. Kathranis shoved his weight to the left, causing the blade lock to break, and with his shorter swords, he was able to offer a light jab at the creature’s belly. The tip of his scimitar scratched against something hard, and the creature’s eyes blazed with fury. “I don’t think so weakling.” The longsword came around toward his neck, and Kathranis was forced to duck, just in time for a black fist to slam into his jaw. Kathranis’ head snapped back, but before he could fall, a hand grabbed the collar of his armor and yanked him forward. He closed his eyes and prepared for a headbutt, only to be thrown for a whirl when a warm pair of lips pressed against his. Kathranis opened his eyes to find the figure pressing herself up against him. A firm hand held the back of his head, while the other traced circles on his chest. Despite being so close, he still couldn’t tell what exactly the creature looked like. The creature pulled away and smiled at him. “Hmm, not terrible, but you have plenty of room for improvement if you are to be my servant.” She shrugged and looked him up and down with hungry eyes. “At least you aren’t nearly as feeble as I thought.” Kathranis blinked stupidly at her, then managed to dredge up enough mental power to draw a knife from his belt. The hand on his chest grabbed his wrist before he could plunge the blade into the creature, and she chuckled. “Yes, not terrible at all. Some cunning, a fair bit of combat prowess, not bad. Not bad at all little human.” She touched a hand to Kathranis’ forehead, and smiled. “Sleep mortal. I think I can find use for you after all.” A wall of black swamped Kathranis’ vision, and the elf felt all of his pain fade into nothingness. He quickly followed. Then he was somewhere else. Kathranis slowly awakened, the fog of a dreamless sleep clinging fresh to his mind. As he blinked gunk from his eyes, he tried to remember… something. He didn’t know what, but he felt as if something had happened, something significant. Then like it had never been there, the sensation vanished. Kathranis stared at the dark ceiling with a small frown on his face. He felt something chewing on one of his toes, and glanced down to find Secil gnawing on his foot. ‘What are you doing?’ Kathranis called mentally. ‘Making sure you were actually awake,’ Secil replied cheerfully as he nibbled. ‘I felt you beginning to stir, but I wasn’t entirely sure if this was another fluke or not. I am quite glad to find it not so.’ Kathranis snorted. ‘I’m glad you care. How long was I out?’ ‘A few days,’ Secil said. ‘You’ve been here the entire time.’ ‘Here being?’ ‘The castle in Stonepeak or whatever. I wasn’t really paying attention.’ “Glad to know a few days hasn’t changed your laziness,” Kathranis muttered. He began to sit up, only to gasp as pain raced up his leg. Kathranis propped himself up on his elbows and looked down to find his left leg wrapped in a thick bandage, with a pair of splints running from his ankle to his crotch. The elf looked to Secil. “What’s all this?” Kathranis asked. The cat settled on Kathranis’ good leg and began licking his front paw. ‘A couple things actually,’ Secil said. ‘A bit of polluted magic from that axe that nicked your thigh mixed with some of the magic in your tattoos and then a bit of our psychic link.’ He extended one of his hind legs, showing a similar splint. ‘Unlike where I would die if you did, your bones broke because my leg was already broken.’ He nodded toward Kathranis’ leg. ‘Some gryphon clerics and pony mages gave it all a once over. Once they purged the dark magic from your wound, your tattoo healed, and the loop between us ended. We should both be fully mobile in a week or so.’ Kathranis grunted and flopped back onto his pillow. With his senses largely free of his sleeping state, Kathranis looked around at his surroundings. He was lying in a long room filled with empty beds on one side, while tall windows let moonlight stream in from outside on the opposite wall. Humanoid forms lay quietly in some of the beds, their chests rising and falling with the rhythm of someone asleep. Kathranis made a mental note to stop speaking to Secil aloud. ‘In case you were wondering,’ Secil thought with a yawn, ‘your brother has your weapons and armor. They were in bad shape when we got here, and he took them for repairs. The elvish way, if that matters to you.’ Kathranis shrugged. ‘Only because my kin know how to repair my things the right way. I’m sure the gryphons have capable armorsmiths if push comes to shove.’ He sighed and rubbed his face. ‘Now, you mentioned pony mages? Who, or what are they?’ ‘Gryphons without the beaks and with magic,’ Secil replied. ‘Some have horns, some have wings, and I saw one without either. I don’t know why they’re here. I haven’t been able to do much spying with this stupid leg.’ The cat growled and he clawed at the bed. ‘When I get my paws on that orc I’m going to tear his eyes out and then I’m going to eat them. He’s lucky he didn’t ruin my leg permanently, or nothing would stop me from tracking him down and tearing out his smelly, ugly, wretched half breed throat.’ Kathranis grunted in agreement to the cat’s words. The remnants of whatever he had been experiencing when he had still been asleep clung to his mind, and though they too tried to fade, Kathranis didn’t let them. His mind was working hard to come to a realization, but he couldn’t quite figure out what that realization was. ‘Are you alright?’ Secil asked. Kathranis blinked and found the cat sitting on his chest, staring at him with his glowing cat eyes. Kathranis stared at the cat for a moment, then reached out a hand, scratching at Secil’s ears. The cat purred and settled onto Kathranis’ chest, while the elf went back to staring at the ceiling. After a few more moments of thought, he finally realized what he had been in before he had woken up, and that fact confused him even more. ‘I… I think I had a nightmare,’ Kathranis said mentally. Secil’s purring dimmed slightly. ‘You don’t have nightmares. Was it the old one? With Huron getting shot?’ Kathranis shook his head. ‘No, this was something new, but…’ His brow furrowed. ‘The strangest part is that I can’t remember what happened.’ Secil sighed and his purrs returned in full force. ‘Then I wouldn’t worry Kathranis. Fordred ran a test on your tattoos, and everything is still working. Nobody can look in your mind. Maybe it’s just some left over magic from your wound, or maybe it was just because you got hurt, who knows? If it happens again, then worry, otherwise, sleep it off. See how you feel in the morning.’ Kathranis continued staring at the ceiling for a few more moments, then sighed and nodded. ‘That sounds like a good idea, and you’re probably right. It can’t have been that bad if I can’t remember what it was about.’ ‘Exactly,’ Secil purred. ‘Now rest up. I can already feel in my bones that tomorrow is going to be busy, so you’re going to want more sleep. I know I do.’ Kathranis snorted. ‘Of course you do. Good night Secil.’