A King's Legacy
Chapter 7: Outmatched
Stahl leapt across the courtyard of the Aschefell estate, swords bearing down with precision while his brother went on the defensive. Amboss gripped his hammer tightly and swung it forward from below, meeting his brother's force with a mighty clash of steel, successfully repelling his lunge. As Stahl's paws had barely touched the ground, his brother was already swinging the bone-crushing tool at the younger wolf's ribs. Aster managed to easily catch it with his shield without losing his balance.
Supporting another fighter from a distance was the focus of Aster's final week in the wolf's den. He had actually gotten the hang of it pretty quickly, but a badly angled assist could still knock him down for a moment. Stahl had solely remained on the offensive the past two days, leaving Aster to catch every attack launched his way from a good distance behind him. At first the wolf was worried he was pushing the human too far, but Aster surpassed even his own expectations with the results by the second day. Aster had grown in more ways than one in those five weeks, but the time for only training was coming to an end.
Stahl rushed again, and this time Amboss took a slight step forward and raised his arms, bracing himself for a heavy cleave downwards with the full brunt of his weight. Aster hated to block these particular hammer strikes, they made his bones vibrate with the jarring bluntness when it collided down on his shield, but he had gotten a lot better at spreading around the backlash from his skill. How quickly, and when he should adjust his arms, footing, or stance, and how accurately he could brace himself could be the difference between life or death in a real battle for anyone he was supposed to be guarding. Aster wasn't even sure if he was comfortable accepting that level of trust or such a heavy weight, but he never stopped giving it his all to protect the wolf.
Aster dropped a shield right in front of the hammer, stopping the older brother from ever being able to finish his downward swing, a technique he had picked up with Stahl's instruction to stop a heavy blow before it even had time to begin. Stahl didn't plan on wasting the opening, and closed in. Before he could secure the win, however, a certain young fox interrupted all of them by weakly jabbing Aster in the ribs with a short training staff.
"Mom wanted to talk to dad... Hey, does this mean you just lost?" Rust motioned down at the staff landing a hit, and before either Aster or Stahl could get a word out, the booming sound of Amboss's laughter echoed across the courtyard.
"Damn right it does! Failure to notice an opponent sneaking up on your defense is a valid loss! Nice support Rust!" The two opposing warriors wanted to argue, but there was really no way to dispute that without taking the victory away from the fox, so they just smiled at each other and shrugged it off while Amboss and Rust went off to talk with Rouge, who was patiently waiting beneath a nearby tree for her wolf. The young fox wasn't the only interruption that afternoon, however, as the sound of steady clapping shot through the air as a cloaked figure stepped out from behind his cover nearby, approaching the human. Aster couldn't see his face due to the hood being raised, but he wasn't afraid for some reason... In fact... The red trim on the black robe seemed incredibly familiar.
The cloaked beast stopped his applause, and dropped his hood after, speaking as he did so. "That was pretty impressive, my brother. You've grown strong I see." Aster's face lit up immediately when he recognized the panther beneath the robes as his brother, Cortist Venatus. The human didn't even hesitate to run towards the big cat, who reached his arms out wide, awaiting the embrace with a goofy grin that seemed to stretch for miles. He was not left waiting long, as Aster impacted himself against him at full speed, wrapping the mage in the tightest hug he could imagine. Cortist, who had a knack for getting too excited, picked the smaller human up in his embrace, and even managed half a spin before the pair crashed to the ground in anything but grace. Stahl hadn't expected to see such an emotional outburst from his usually well-mannered human friend, but Aster was smiling. He was laughing. That was something Stahl never got to see enough of.
"Corty! Why are you here? Sorry! That sounded bad, I'm happy you're here, but-" Aster was cut off by his older brother.
"Glad to see you haven't changed that much then, Hahaha! I know what you mean, my little brother. Officially, I'm on my way to help with the ceremony in three days. More importantly, I'm here now to see my brother... And help an old acquaintance with a request for magical assistance, but that's not what matters right now, come, tell me everything! I've heard through letters, but I want to hear it from you! I'm sorry it took me so long to get here, I've just been busy with a spell I had to complete before I could get cleared for the task." Aster was beaming with excitement, he couldn't wait to tell his brother all about everything! Well... Maybe not everything, but still, he had been waiting weeks for this moment! Stahl let out a small cough behind the pair.
"I think it's a good idea to stop here. We've covered a lot, and you've improved tremendously both offensively and defensively, Aster, so let's all just relax until the ceremony. We can pick back up after. I'm going to give you two some privacy to catch up, but I'll see you for dinner." The wolf gave a nod before making his departure, acknowledging the panther as his welcomed guest once more. Aster figured he could just take his brother to his room and talk like they used to, so that's exactly where the pair set off to.
Once they had settled in a bit and took a seat on the bed, Aster began filling his brother in on everything he had wanted to tell his best friend since The Selection. As he did so, he near completely skipped the extent of Straga's brutality, and found himself glossing over the full moon as well, but even still, the panther mage smiled on in amazement that his brother had finally stood up for himself. He was finally living. As Aster came to the end of his recount, Cortist was really welling up with emotion.
"You know, you really have changed. You've always been this open with me, but you're finally able to, and opening up to others now aren't you? I can tell, you seem softer in a way, like you can actually relax. Like you're finally allowed to feel things... You finally stopped looking at yourself as something simply placed in this world, and finally saw you are just as much alive as the rest of us. That you can belong among us... That you can fight beside us, just like we used to talk about right? Me, you, and Ta-..." The panther cut himself short, knowing that their brother was a sensitive subject. Aster remained quiet for a moment as the air between them quickly changed.
"I know that you dream of fighting beside me and Talan as brothers... And I would still like that too, but we both know he will never see me like that. Not again... Not since the last time he even used my name..." Aster trailed off, staring at nothing. Neither of them had wanted to revisit that night, but despite that, Aster found his fingers lightly tracing along the two scars beneath his eye. Cortist noticed, but stifled his words, changing the subject to happier matters once more.
"You know, your reveal couldn't have come at a better time... I'm engaged, brother, and I'll need YOU to be there for the wedding now! She's amazing, Aster! I can't wait for you to meet her, You will adore her! I was finally able to tell her about you and she was so mad! Hahaha! At me that is, for not telling her before... She's fine with the human brother part. She loves flowers, and her snowy fur always smells of lavender and lilac! She drives me wild, Aster. Truly." The big cat let out a happy sigh.
"That's amazing news brother! If you say you want me there, then I'll be at the wedding no matter what. That's a really wonderful way to feel about someone... And if anyone deserves that kind of happiness it's you, brother." Aster was truly happy for his brother's good news, but he was blushing a bit and avoiding eye contact at the mention of those types of feelings. Cortist noticed this, as a self-proclaimed, expert big brother such as himself would, and soon realized Aster was speaking from some personal experience. The mischievous cat was immediately grasping his brother by the hands and kneeling down in front of him with the most knowing smile ever as he stared the human directly in the eyes with a look that was brewing pure trouble.
"Wait... you... YOU FOUND A MATE TOO, DIDN'T YOU BROTHER?!?" Aster thought he was going to die from embarrassment as the panther practically announced that claim as fact to the whole residence in the loudest voice imaginable. He hurriedly scolded the cat in a forced whisper.
"Corty! Shut up! No, I don't have a mate... I...We... We kissed is all. It was nice... Really nice, actually." Aster let out a breathe of relief, Cortist was the first person he had talked to about that night and these feelings. That felt right to the boy somehow. The cat was eyeing his brother from the side with squinted eyes, the shit eating grin upon his muzzle grew by the second as he began to snicker soon after.
"It's the Aschefell wolf, isn't it? The taller one? The one you were shielding back there?" Aster could only stare at the ground and cover his face as the blood rushed to it, forcing out the reddest blush the mage had ever seen on his little brother. The cat laughed loudly again at the confirmation.
"HAHAHA, SERIOUSLY?!? YOU'VE BEEN OUT IN THE WORLD FOR ALL OF FIVE WEEKS, AND YOU SCORED WITH A HOT, NOBLE WOLF ALREADY? ASTER! I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!!!" Aster was going to die. It was that simple, everyone in the mansion had heard his brother's excited yelling just now, and his heart was going to explode from embarrassment. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and found his brother was finally satisfied with the torture. He spoke in a much quieter tone now, albeit one still laced with the teasing.
"I swear, it's always a canine that sweeps someone off their feet... Is it the knot? That do it for you? I can respect that." Aster just glared at his brother now, Cortist smiled regardless.
"I, I don't even know what you're talking about Corty... I really don't know what I'm doing. I didn't care about this stuff. Until I did, so now I'm just trying to figure out what to do next. I mean... I know what sex is... But I don't really know what sex is. Or how to I guess... I just get nervous when I think about it too much... I think I want to try with Stahl though... Eventually... If, if he wants to... I just don't want to mess it up is all." Aster was actually having quite the self analyzing breakthrough now that he was saying it out loud. Cortist smirked again, letting out an affirmative "Hmmpf."
"I've been waiting ten years to have this talk with my little brother, so bet your ass that big brother Cortist is here to help you secure that wolf's heart, and his knot!" The cat smiled down naughtily at his little brother. Aster just gulped, still wondering what exactly a knot was. Cortist had his work cut out for him.
The brother's talk in private went undisturbed for most of the afternoon. Eventually, dinner time came, and Cortist joined Aster and the Aschefell estate for a delicious meal with good conversation. When morning came, Aster found his brother waiting for him at breakfast with Stahl. After they finished, the wolf and panther blindfolded the human, leading him to ask plenty of questions that they ignored. They guided him quite a ways, but soon Aster could feel the warm morning sun upon him. Aster was stopped and the blindfold was yanked away a short moment later, revealing the surprise at last.
Aster was staring at a set of armor gleaming in the sun beside Stahl's brother Amboss. There was a simple breast plate that was mostly black, with amber tinted trim outlining the torso. There were two pauldrons attached that covered just the tops of his shoulders, and two bracers that ran from his wrist to his elbows with the same coloration and design. There were greaves on each leg that began at his knees and stopped right at his ankle to guard his shins, they secured easily over his boots and pants. Aster noticed all of the armor had a light layer of leather beneath the metal, giving him a comfortable feeling of security when he wore it. He could freely move in all of it, and it didn't even feel that heavy, snag, or rub anywhere. It really was custom measured to him with astonishing accuracy. Aster was handed his finished new staff next. The black of his armor matched the cool steel handle. There seemed to be a fine powdery metal dust lacquered around the center area, giving it sand paper like grip when needed, or allowing the staff to slide through his palm when it wasn't. The two blades affixed on the ends were thin and slender, but seemed perfect for piercing through thick skin. The weapon was a bit longer than his previous one, but was proven as well-balanced when Aster twirled his staff, and even rolled it across his shoulder once with perfect movement, getting a feel for his new weapon and his attire. This was undoubtedly the best gift he had ever received, and it all made his heart want to burst from joy. Cortist was the first to speak pointing towards Amboss as he started.
"I've been up all night with Wolfie here enchanting and enhancing everything you now have on. He did incredible work forging this for you, as I'm sure you can see for yourself. Stahl here gave his input based on what he believed would actually help you, and he has also been steadily updating any changes needed for the design to his brother for the last month of your training together. The result you are wearing now took a LOT of work from a lot of people that care about you, brother, so wear it proudly. However, you shouldn't rely too heavily on the warding magic, but it can help dampen some blows enough to allow you to possibly scrape by what could be otherwise fatal. The Greaves will help keep you balanced, support your legs when shielding, and even boost your speed and movement a slight amount. The bracers pretty well do the same, but for your arms. All of it also has weight reducing magic imbued, so you should still be able to use your agility to move out of the way whenever possible. Overall, we went for the basics to both keep from hindering you too much, and to keep you from hurting yourself with too much power increase, all while giving you some basic protection out there... I Hope you don't mind that I took the liberty of choosing your colors. I went with the black as a base, but that golden shield of yours is a big part of you as an individual too, so I felt that amber color should be present as well. That's why the trim is the same color as the gem on it." Aster could only study his gift as his brother explained the details and effort behind it, making sure he clung on to every word the mage had spoken. This was important to the human, and he was grateful beyond words. Cortist pulled something from his robe pocket then, and cleared his throat before speaking again.
"I know how much you liked father's red cape as a cub, but with that staff as your weapon, there's no way it wouldn't hinder you if we tried adding one... And well, I guess Father knew that too... He sent this for you, brother. Aster slowly accepted the package from his brother's outstretched hand, and found there was something soft wrapped inside of a piece of brown cloth, tied-up tightly with simple twine. Aster broke the twine, and beneath the brown fabric was a scarlet red strip the same color as his father's cape, the trim on his brother Cortist's robe, and even his oldest `brother,' Talan's scarf that had once belonged to his late mother. This was a personal symbol and message from his father to all who saw it, that Aster was indeed to be revered as a son of the Venatus family. Cortist took the strip of fabric from his younger brother's trembling hands, and tied the scarlet band securely over his forehead with a proud smile. Stahl had to agree with the fatherly panther's choice. The scarlet headband looked good on Aster.
When the first teardrop fell, Aster just started rambling in a shaky tone. There were just too many emotions trying to get out at once to give any real voice to. "I'm so damn tired of crying, I've cried more tears in the last five weeks than in my entire life... But dammit guys... How am I supposed to hold them in when happiness like this exists? I really don't deserve a single one of you... I just... I can't even begin to..." The little human soon felt his brother snatch him up in a tight embrace. That was more than enough said for all of them. Aster felt Stahl place a hand on his arm, giving him an encouraging squeeze. Amboss just beamed on brightly as he smiled at the crying boy. Aster found himself reminiscing on that day often when he found himself longing for some comfort.
A short time later, a handful of beasts departed the Aschefell estate along with the human, making their way towards the capitol once more, where they were to finally join in the ranks of legends.
Aster was a bit nervous as he approached The Selection Grounds once again, and received some hostile looks to say the very least, but Stahl, Cortist, and everyone else was with him this time, so Aster kept his head up as the group made their way through the entrance. When they made it the other side, and found themselves once again in the large arena, the group split apart to go where they were needed. Cortist walked beside Byron Aschefell, excitedly talking with the old wolf as they made their way to the king's platform. Cortist assisted the knight up the stairs along with The wolf's other son, Amboss. The young red fox Rust had been trailing behind them, more excited than anyone to see his uncle and his human friend swear into the Elite King's Guard. Aster and Stahl made their way to the center of the arena, waiting with the other victors who were already present. Aster was met with a familiar face scowling at him among others from a short ways away. It was Oust, the tiger he had barely managed to best on the second day. The one that had unmasked him seemed to have made it through his final matches as well, clearly holding a grudge. Suddenly, Aster saw a large, familiar shadow encompass his own completely. The boy knew who it was before he ever turned to face them.
"Hello, little human. Did you miss me as much as I missed you?" Straga went to reach his hand up to brush against Aster's face, but Stahl slapped away the dragon's claws before he could get too close. The monster only paused to smile creepily at first, and then spoke in that deep, hushed, whisper of a tone that seemed to come straight from the boy's very nightmares.
"Ah, I see you've found a cute little guard dog to keep you safe for me, human. That's good. Thank you, puppy, for taking care of my toy... And I thought for sure I had broken it too. I'll let you hold onto it for now, but don't get too attached, mutt, I'll be coming back for it soon. Make sure you keep a little meat on those bones for me, alri-." What Stahl did next surprised everyone who was watching the confrontation.
The wolf actually started growling by the end of the taunt, and promptly jabbed the dragon right in the snout, cutting him off mid rant right in front of everybody in the stadium. Straga's head only moved the slightest bit from the blow before he was slashing down on the wolf. Aster caught the dragon's swing with his shield without a second's hesitation, eliciting hushed whispers and gasps throughout the audience. Straga's eyes narrowed for a moment in irritation, but then the monster took a step back, smiled at the human one last time, and withdrew. Aster felt amazing, despite letting the dragon get under his skin with his threats... There was just something about seeing Stahl defend him like that... AND him immediately getting to protect the wolf after? Well... It just made the human feel good about his hard earned progress, as if everything would be alright as long as they were fighting together. That they could possibly even defeat such monsters as a team.
A boom of thunder echoed across the stadium. It would seem all the winners were finally present, and the ceremony would get underway soon. Stahl noted there were 26 victors this year, himself and Aster included. Aster saw a figure stand, but was just as shocked as most of the crowd was when it was not King Alocer Tonitrus that began making his way to the arena, but his son, Prince Tyfin Tonitrus, in his place. It would seem the prince would be doing the honors himself for the first time this year, truly marking a changing of the guard. Aster felt relieved, the prince seemed much more accepting than his father had been, at least in regards to the human among beasts. As the young lion stepped up on the stage, every warrior before him knelt in respect. When he had arrived where he needed to be, upon the newly applied voice magic rune, he ordered them all to rise before he began making his opening speech. Many listened on nervously, many smugly, and many angrily, but all remained silent regardless of their opinions while the prince spoke that day.
"People of Alora, I stand before you, as the future ruler of this great country, to carve upon our history the names we welcome into our highest ranks today. It is within my beliefs that this country has long suffered from the consequences of countless battle, but I truly aspire to believe that we are entering a time of healing for the scars we have carried for far too long at last. With an open mind, and by bountiful patience and forgiveness on all fronts, we can finally enter an era of true peace between kingdoms. We can be better than we ever were. We can look within ourselves, and know we can do better than we have ever done. We are coming into a new age, one that could be looked back upon some time in the future as the day everything changed. As the-"
Prince Tyfin was cut off by the sound of metal clashing with metal directly above him, screams erupted through the crowd as a few of the warriors to be inducted on that day rushed forward, desperately trying to reach their prince. Aster could only struggle to keep the shield in place, he had barely managed to catch the huge blade in time. It's like it just appeared from nowhere, slicing through a tear in the very air above the prince that hadn't existed before. The blade itself was completely black, but the truly unnerving part of it was the dark, smoke-colored flames that appeared to rise up in murky tufts from within the cursed steel. Aster was immediately forced down onto one knee from the sheer weight of the monstrous blade. Aster didn't know how anyone could swing such weight around. He had never caught something so heavy, and he hadn't had time to properly prepare himself. Nevertheless, he held until his prince was clear.
The tiger Oust was the first to reach the prince, tackling him in a pounce, sending the pair rolling off the ledge of the arena, finally clearing Aster to drop the shield that he was barely managing to hold. As the foreboding sword cut down further with the obstacle removed, the tear it had appeared from grew larger. To aster, it looked like a giant eye opening into somewhere terrifyingly dark. Somewhere that the hairs standing up on the back of his neck told him light never shone inside of.
Suddenly, a figure fully clad in black armor that looked like jagged gemstones stepped forward from the void. His entire body was hidden beneath the otherworldly obsidian, the only light that seemed to reflect anywhere on this creature was the burning yellow glow of eyes, or at least, Aster assumed the smoking orbs imbedded behind the helm were it's eyes. The creature had a dark cloak that seemed to flicker like fire itself where the ends rose up and whipped about endlessly growing and shrinking like dying firelight. The helm (Or that's all Aster could think to call it anyways,) had wicked horns that spiraled up and out of the forehead area, and the entire arena smelled like rotting death now. There was no mistaking it, this was undeniably a demon, and considering the entrance and the ability it had used to make it, it was a strong one they were up against.
The demon took a step forward, now standing where the prince had been seconds ago. He raised his sword up high, and hilted it into the tightly packed earth of the arena, sending shockwaves of dark magic out nearby that slammed into the victors on the stage with consecutive, powerful blasts. Aster barely managed to take the full force of the first hit before he got his shield up and prevented himself from being hit too harshly again. The only other fighter who had managed to stay on the platform by the tenth wave was the dragon Straga, who had jumped and used his wings to avoid the secondary impacts as well.
Suddenly, a high pitched whistling sound shot off through the arena as Alice the mage launched herself from the king's platform at lightning speed, slicing through the sky as she closed in on the demon before even a full second had passed. Aster watched in horror as the demon simply held out his free arm, and caught "The King's Cannon," herself by the throat, inches before she could slam into him. The cat only smiled madly at the intruder, and quickly raised both hands before shouting the final part of her incantation, launching an unbelievable blast of energy directly into the face of the demon, bathing everything in the vicinity in a blinding light. When her attack ended, only a smoking pile of ash remained where the demon had stood. The doorway seemed to have been closed up by the blast as well, and the calico cat seemed awfully smug about her quick work while she looked to her prince with a contempt smile. Then a sword burst out of her chest.
Alice went rigid as she felt the large sword slice the divide through her flesh even wider, the crunch her ribs made as the blade cleaved them from her spine was almost worse than what was undeniably the cat's dying, sputtering breath as Aster watched on in shock. As the entire arena watched on in shock. The demon withdrew his blade, catching the cat by the nape of her neck. Her body was entirely limp now. The monster raised his sword high into the air, and Aster braced for impact as the demon sliced open another large scar upon the very earth below itself. Within the scar was some terrible type of void or abyss, with writhing figures barely in view, begging to be freed. There was no mistaking that gut feeling, this was something truly, terrifyingly evil at work. The demon raised the defeated cat above the scar, and dropped her body inside, commanding the hidden creatures in a hollow, raspy voice that carried far further than it should have as he disposed of the most powerful mage in Alora within seconds.
"Feast on flesh. Sate your hate and hunger with the breaking of bones. Consume this kingdom." With a horrible screech, fiends began emerging from within the scar, charging whatever living thing that fell in it's sights. Chaos truly erupted then, and Aster found his own mind on overdrive as two of the beasts plummeted towards him.
Fiends, as they are called in Alora, are creatures born of hate, disaster, and tragedy. They can bear many forms, but all seemed to consist of mouths full of sharp teeth, and claws and appendages combined seemingly at random. It is said after every great trial faced by the living, the number of fiends nearly doubles. Constantly fending off those fiends often falls to the military of Alora, with the Elite King's Guard often lending soldiers to assist. However, on rare occurrence, a tragedy so powerful can take place, that the immeasurable amounts of negative energy and emotions of the dead that lingers in the wake of such destruction and loss forms into an especially powerful fiend known as a demon. Demons could have many powers, and were almost always behind the greatest losses suffered in Alora's battles. Many have been dispatched over the years, but many have eluded defeat. In this case, the one before the kingdom of beasts was an unknown demon, but still a demon that had come knocking on their front door.
Aster lunged forward at the first fiend to arrive, piercing through what he assumed was the creature's head and dropping it instantly. With practiced precision. He pulled it free and swatted the next one away that was already lunging towards him. He didn't have long, but he was able to get a small peak at what was in his field of view then. The crowd was panicking, badly. Beastmen were pushing, trampling, and climbing over each other desperately trying to make it to the exits that were quickly clogging up. Some of the fiends were almost upon them, but Aster couldn't focus on them yet. Him and the dragon were the only two presently available to hold the big guy in place at the time. There were a number of knights rushing down from their seating to take up arms while some stayed near the king. All Aster and Straga had to do was buy them some time.
The demon slashed the air, opening up another rip as he stepped through it and out of sight. The scar closed behind him this time. Aster noticed he had more fiends almost upon him, but was relieved to see Stahl safe and standing beside him a moment later, speaking quickly.
"We need to cover Prince Tyfin, NOW, Oust is getting overwhelmed over there by himself." The human gave the wolf a nod, and they began carving their way through the fiends. Stahl was slashing a path forward, and Aster was shielding for whoever he saw that needed it as he ran behind the wolf, always keeping an eye on their destination. Suddenly, the imposing sword reappeared in the air above Stahl, and Aster was once more brought to his knees by the sheer weight of catching it to protect his friend. Stahl had started to stop, but Aster just shouted for him to go. The prince needed help, Aster could at least hold the demon in place. The wolf gave a solemn nod, and disdainfully continued on as the human struggled to hold the monster until help could arrive.
It took almost eight seconds for another fiend to reach the human, buying plenty of time for Stahl to make it to the young prince's side. Aster just closed his eyes and turned his head while the fiend leapt at him with gnashing teeth. He would stay where he was and hold the demon as long as he could, no matter what. That was all that was important in that moment. A spear slammed into the airborne fiend, pinning it to the ground in a writhing squeal of pain. The human felt waves of relief despite the crushing weight on his shoulders as help had finally appeared in view.
"You've done well my son, please hold on just a moment longer. Brutus!" His father's call was answered by the large black bull from Aster's trial, Brutus Rixator, leaning over the human and wrapping his thick fingers around the boy's forearms, giving him much needed support. Aster watched as the owner of the spear that had just saved his life stepped into his sight to reclaim his weapon, only to thrust it into another nearby fiend. To Aster's surprise, it was his oldest brother Talan who had rescued him, and now spoke.
"The human will only slow you down against that thing, I'll drag him with me to Tyfin's side. Can you handle this, Father?" The older panther nodded once, and began speaking to his youngest son.
"Me and Brutus are going to kill that thing, when you drop your shield, I want you to go protect your prince with Talan. Focus on defense, everyone is getting overwhelmed here. Don't engage this demon if you can help it, we will try to finish this quickly. Cortist, clear a path for them, then work on helping to cover the civilians while they flee." As the panther shouted the last part, lightning fell all around the warriors, striking down over a dozen of the nearby creatures as the magic that once dazzled Aster as a child now cane to his rescue. The human felt the bull release his grip, and his father shouted for him to go. Aster immediately dropped the weight, and shifted into a full on sprint behind Talan to reach their prince.
Prince Tyfin had his back against the arena wall, Stahl, Oust, and a few other beastmen were in a formation surrounding him, repelling any fiends that got within range. Stahl and a bat fighting beside him parted just enough for Talan and Aster to pass through. The human struggled to catch his breath for a second while his brother joined in the ranks of the formation. Aster felt a hand resting on his back, followed by a surge of strength that seemed to come from nowhere. The surprised boy looked up to see Prince Tyfin himself as the one responsible. The lion spoke shortly, turning his attention back to those around him and the situation at hand.
"Thank you. He would have killed me." Aster, feeling a bit recovered, turned to face the foe bearing down on them with the others. It was then that he witnessed the clash of the demon with the bull and his father.
Right as the demon emerged, Brutus swung his axe into his chest, knocking the monster backwards into the void it had stepped out of. A moment later, and another slash tore through the fabric of reality a few paces away. This time, the demon managed to emerge, launching two more strikes nearby, opening up more scars. Before Jagón's longsword could reach him, he slipped back into one of the shadowy voids. Again, the demon cut a new hole but the bull was already upon him, swinging his mighty axe right down the center of the tear. His weapon never met the mark. Suddenly, the monster appeared behind the bull from one of the previous marks, slashing at his back. Jagón immediately knocked the attack away, making the demon retreat again. This time, however, Brutus lunged after it, reaching his hefty arm through the rip. Just as he felt the demon's stony armor in his grasp, the portal snapped shut, completely slicing off the great warriors left arm without warning.
As the bull staggered forward in pain, the fiend sliced through the air once more, coming out directly beside the beast, bringing his sword down upon the fighter. Brutus, as a true warrior, did not hesitate, and swung his entire body behind his right arm, driving his axe into the chest of the demon mere seconds before being completely cleaved in half himself by the hefty sword. Aster watched on in horror as the giant beast's insides were splattered across the dirt with a horrendously wet splat. A loud roar of sorrow erupted from another bull currently fighting to protect the prince's vicinity. The demon only faded back into the void with the axe still in his chest, barely avoiding another lunge by Aster's father. The human realized in horror that the demon was merely toying with them still. This thought evaporated instantly as a tear appeared in the air right above his father now.
Jagón rolled out of the way right as the blade came crashing to the ground where he had just stood. As the beast went to take a step backwards into the fresh scar, he felt his back against Aster's shield, blocking his exit and giving Jagón just enough time to dash forward and behead the monster in one single slash. The demon disintegrated where it stood, leaving the heavy axe of Brutus Rixator to fall to the earth where it stuck in the ground, almost like an eerie tombstone for the now fallen bull.
Aster let out a small sigh. His father was at least safe from that monster now. Before the human could even react, another scar appeared before him, faster than ever. The demon stuck his head through the tear, seemingly unharmed, and Aster found himself staring up face to face with the beast. As the blade came forward quickly, Aster didn't have time to block at this range. Luckily for the human, his wolf was there, striking the blade with both of his swords to deflect the strike. The demon slipped back, and reappeared a few feet back now. He raised his greatsword into the air, and went to drive the blade into the ground below once again. The human used both arms to throw up the largest shield he could manage at the time, to cover as many behind himself from the devastating attack as he possibly could. A nearly ten foot shield came up just in time, as the shockwaves rocked everything in their path once again. After another ten pulses, the fiend removed his sword.
Those lucky enough to be protected were unharmed, but many outside of range were caught in the blast and knocked away. The fiend disappeared again, Aster was tired of this repetitive game, but perhaps the demon was too. The demon reappeared far away now, and held his sword up with one hand, closing all of the scars he had opened, finally ending the flow of fiends that had already heavily saturated the arena. The demon was met by Jagón once more, with Straga and a few other knights joining the fray this time. As the demon shifted his focus back to them, nearby shrieks erupted as the fiends began tearing into the civilians still trapped in the seating area. Prince Tyfin gave Talan and a few warriors on his right side an order.
"Go! Assist your brother, protect the citizens! We can hold this line for the time being." The panther faltered at the idea of leaving his prince's side, but bowed his head in acceptance of the order before departing to handle the task with half the formation in tow. A roar erupted from the main battle, and Aster turned to see the demon's fiery sword slicing through one of Straga's wings. He slashed at the large dragon again, but was fended off by Jagón stepping in to parry the blow. The demon took a step back in frustration, and slashed in front of himself, creating another scar that he quickly disappeared into. It seemed he was determined to whittle down the number of warriors little by little, as he reappeared before the Prince's formation suddenly, snatching a hold of Aster's wrist as it spoke again.
"Time grows short. Even the most powerful hate can only do so much. I'll handle you before I go. The boy should learn." Stahl's sword came crashing down, attempting to sever the hand of the demon. It dodged the swipe effortlessly, releasing its grip to fade back out of reach and into the abyss. As the final remaining fiends were being dealt with, the stadium was growing more silent by the second while every soldier present nervously waited for the monster to reappear.
"There! In the stands!" Aster turned to look where the beast that had shouted was pointing, and saw the demon with his sword stuck in the stone beside him. The monster seemed to be chanting something with it's arms raised before it, and within seconds, a ball of darkness started to form in front of his hands. This was a clearly a charge up for something powerful, and Aster was already concentrating to give shape to the biggest shield he could manage to defend against it. The ball shot forward, erupting into a beam of shadow that barreled down upon the formation with lightning fast speed and intensity.
Aster would've been knocked back completely were it not for Stahl standing behind him to help brace Against the impact, but even still, he could feel it. It was simply too much, he couldn't hold... Everyone... Everyone was going to die. Suddenly, Aster felt a hand on his arm, and a familiar rush of power stronger than the last surged through him as Prince Tyfin lent the human everything he could to stave off the assault. As the magic collided against the shield in a deadlock, a ringing pulse began to emit from the magical metal, growing in both frequency, and pitch the longer the stalemate progressed. Aster was finally getting some hope back as he tried to reassure himself of the situation.
"It's going to hold. It's going to hold. It's going to hold. It's going to hold. IT'S GOING TO HO-AAAAAAAAHHH." His body was screaming beneath the crushing force, but they were holding somehow. As the magic struggled against the shield to find it's mark, smaller beams of the blast began to splinter off from the main magic and began bouncing away in random directions as anything or anyone they collided against was disintegrated immediately, torn from sight in the blink of an eye. The human couldn't do anything to stop that, and his arms were beginning to tremble from the efforts he was barely able to hold as it was. He was running out of energy fast, but he would exhaust every bit of his strength if he had to. The ringing pulses had accelerated to a constant, high-pitched whine now as the magic tried to adjust. The shield held in the end, but it couldn't stop anything when the blast suddenly split apart into hundreds of smaller beams, and enveloped everything around the shield in darkness. Before Cortist had even finished shouting his brother's name, all traces of the human, the wolf, the prince, and the other soldiers around them were completely wiped from the arena. The prince's formation had fallen, but those still inside of The Selection Grounds had an even more dire problem now before them as the true nature of the spell was revealed.
Well, as usual, thanks for reading. I like hearing feedback if you have it, and should have another chapter out soon. (Yay for spicy parts within the next 2.) I had to make some choices here that would impact who is where and certain roles for the entire story, some that I had left on the table to decide on for as long as possible, so sorry if there seemed to be a lot of irrelevant info. Not all of it is as irrelevant as it may first seem. If I'm able to pull it off the way I think I can, I really do believe the story won't bore y'all too badly, and may even surprise you a bit.
Appreciate it guys! -PupBayou