THWACK!

 

A bowstring was released, and an arrow flew a hundred feet before striking right into the back of a fleeing villager. The man that was hit dropped dead, the missile having pierced his heart. Dozens of villagers scurried in different directions, attempting to escape whatever evil fate had befallen them. Buildings roared with flames. The grain silo and the Temple of Ekka both blazed as well. It was a cacophony of screaming fear and hungry fire.

 

THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!

 

More arrows were loosed, striking the commoners in their backs and heads and appendages.

 

In the center of the chaos, firing the bow, was a slim, black-garbed individual with radiating red eyes. His laugh was deep and cruel, and with each kill, he seemed to get more joy out of the experience. But his mirth was cut short as a shape rocketed at him from somewhere in the darkness, whistling.

 

SHLINK!

 

“Argh!” The man cried out as the object hit him in his chest, just below the shoulder. He looked down and saw that a sharp wedge of metal about half the length of a sword, had buried itself into his flesh. Then, a blur from his right. He couldn’t react in time.

 

Something hard and fast crunched into his throat. He heard a crack and he flew to the ground, smashing into it so hard that he was certain he gouged the earth as he landed.

 

His body wouldn’t move. His neck was broken. He could only watch helplessly as a form approached him.

 

A girl?

 

A harsh-looking woman that appeared all of seventeen to the man, thundered forward then ripped the blade out of his shoulder. Her hair was as black as night, but her eyes were a pale yellow. She had an animal fur gathered like a cloak over one of her broad shoulders, and her arms were bare. The man could tell she was strong. Probably from some backbreaking hardship or another.

 

Damn peasants.

 

She glared into the man’s face, leaning forward and stepping on his chest.

 

“Who are you?!” she demanded. Her’s was a fury uncaged, and she seemed wild to the man, like a feral mountain cat.

 

“Ha! You’ll find out soon enough!” the man sputtered, blood welling up in his mouth and spraying from his lips as he said this. He could barely speak at all, but, he figured, if he was going to die, he may as well die convincing her of the true horror she was about to see.

 

“Tell me!” she demanded, and kicked the man in his side. He could do nothing but groan and bear the boot, then he sputtered again, and a laugh bubbled out of him, blood splattering against his chin and chest.

 

“You’re going to die!” he practically sang, his eyes wide as he felt his life slipping away. He tried to focus on the girl with the broken blade, but everything got foggy. However, he could see a shape swiftly sneaking up behind her, and he smiled wide.

 

Here he is, he thought, finally showing up once I’m down for the count. Poor girl. She may have been able to pull one over on me, but he’s a completely different story. I almost feel bad for her.

 

Then he remembered his broken neck.

 

Almost.

 

---

Chronos readied his polearm, the curved blades on each end catching the light from all around. The boy with the… hook...thing screamed out.

 

“ATTACK!” He yelled, and launched forward into the air as the beast from the valley suddenly came into the light. It was massive, five times the height of a man, and just as wide, covered head to haunches with a sickly, slick slime. The skin beneath looked tough, and Chronos felt fear stab into his heart.

 

A Giant.

 

He’d never faced one before, and had hoped that he never would. He knew the stories, and he’d known men--strong men, that had fallen victim to their ravaging. What could this boy hope to do?

 

There was a tremendous smack, and the boy with the glowing green eye was suddenly on the ground, a smoking crater appeared where he landed. The Giant had swatted him out of the air like one might a mosquito, and kept lunging forward, barreling toward the smaller boy.

“No!”

Chronos’ instincts took over, and he reacted instantly. He leaped between the beast and the boy, shoving the child out of the way and the Giant’s next swipe collided with him instead.

 

Chronos felt the air being crushed out of his lungs, and he hit the ground, dazed. But the Giant didn’t give him the opportunity to get his bearings, and scooped him up in his massive fist and squeezed.

 

Chronos’ armor hardly helped, but it stopped him from being immediately killed. Instead, he felt the bones of his torso crunch, and though he tried to scream out, no sound escaped. He couldn’t think of anything else but the pain. The Giant lifted him into the air, snorting angrily, and it’s hot breath blasted the soldier. Then the creature opened its huge mouth. Rows of sharp teeth met Chronos’ gaze, and the great beast shoved the captain into its maw.

 

This is it, Chronos thought, as the razors closed in on him.

In this instant, now, instead of the pain, he thought of Darla. She was standing in front of the elm tree near his father’s stables, bundled against the mild chill as the breeze made her long tawny hair dance. She was smiling, as if beckoning him to her. That had been a good day. Chronos closed his eyes.

 

BOOM!

 

A purple blast hit the roof of the Giant’s mouth and caused the beast to drop the soldier to the ground in a heap. The creature screamed out in pain, and turned to face it’s attacker: the blond boy in the tattered cloak.

 

Chronos was confused.

 

Why isn’t this boy running away? He doesn’t stand a chance against this devil.

 

He tried to move, but his body was no longer working properly. He lay, crumpled, desperate to do anything, but he could not.

 

The boy looked angry, and his fingers worked in a complex pattern in front of him, ending crooked, forming a steeple. The Giant roared and closed in, but the boy’s hands lit up, and a web of magic circles and symbols enclosed him. The largest symbol appeared in front of his hands and ignited in glowing flame. Then he loosed his magic.

 

A huge column of rippling energy struck the Giant in the chest, knocking him off balance and slowing him, but not stopping him. The beam blasted sections of the creature’s flesh away, and black smoke curled from the burn the attack had made. But it wasn’t enough. The Giant launched an assault, swiping with both of his long arms.

 

Chronos wanted to look away, but forced himself to keep his focus. However, the boy leaped out of the way at the last second, and the Giant slashed harmlessly at empty air. The child somersaulted and shot up again. Chronos suddenly realized that the boy had been moving his fingers again while he had rolled, and finished another intricate pattern as he stood. It was the same steeple form again, and the rings appeared and he fired another blast.

 

The beam hit the Giant in the side of the head, and this attack seemed to be a bit more effective. It burned away part of its face, exposing muscle and sinew as the cauterized flesh continued to smoke.

 

The Giant screamed and in its anger, slammed its fists against the ground. Chronos felt the earth shake horribly, and the vibrations knocked the boy down, breaking his concentration. It turned on the boy again. He was still trying to raise himself up as the Giant struck, quicker than before. The boy noticed too late.

 

CRACK!

 

Chronos winced. Then his stomach lurched.

 

What?!

 

The Giant hadn’t moved, no, instead he seemed firmly rooted to the spot, struggling to break free of a hold.

 

The blonde child had fallen back, shielding himself with his arms from the monster’s rage, but standing in front of him was a heavily breathing figure. A faint green glow escaped from the form’s eye, and his body held the fading magic of a flickering emerald flame.

 

The young man with the red woolen cap.

 

His arms were up, and in his hands he clutched the Giant’s wrists. His grip looked powerful, and the monster seemed frightened suddenly. It pulled uselessly against its confines, howling angrily.

 

The young man’s brow was a storm cloud, his eyes pure, cold fury. He glared into the Giant’s eyes with his own mismatched irises--one a subdued indigo, the other the smouldering radiation of luminous virescent energy. Chronos could see the skin around the boy’s unusual eye was different, and looked almost like a half-mask of thorny armor covering the left side of his head and face to just past his cheek bone.

 

What the hell is this kid?

 

The young man tightened his grip, and Chronos could hear the snap even from where he lay dozens of feet away, and the Giant bellowed again.

 

“Nox,” the red capped youth commanded, “get away from here.”

 

The smaller child nodded, and half-crawled away, toward Chronos. When he reached the guard, he finally stood.

 

“Are you alright, old man?”

 

Chronos, despite himself, bristled.

 

Old man?! I’m thirty!

 

But he couldn’t speak, no, all he could do was stare and take muted, ragged breaths, each influx of air pure pain. He groaned.

 

Focus, Hyperion, he thought to himself, in this one area, you are at least not a completely useless fool.

 

The captain closed his eyes, and felt warmth wash over him as he focused on healing himself.

 

“Woah,” the boy said, “that’s a neat trick. Is that Restoration magic?” He kept his eyes on the battle at hand though, as Chronos concentrated. In only a moment, the man had healed his lungs enough to be able to take a few deep breaths.

 

“What exactly are you kids?” he asked, and the boy called Nox shrugged.

 

“I’m just a simple traveler,” he said, “but I don’t know about that guy.” He smiled.

 

“I think this might be exactly the sort of thing Hutch was built for.”

 

“Simple traveler?” Chronos objected, “you look familiar. Are you from Heldrtown?”

 

“No,” the boy responded, and seemed content to leave it at that.

 

Suddenly, the Giant roared, and ripped himself away from Hutch, gnashing his teeth. It backed up, and the two spectators watched as the Giant’s flesh suddenly rippled, the slick goo from before morphing. It hardened, and became thorny and rough, like the flesh around the young man’s eye. It opened its mouth, and Chronos could clearly see a vibrant green glow building in its throat.

 

It can breathe fire as well!?

 

He looked to the boy next to him.

 

“Can’t you do anything? Blast him with that purple stuff?”

Nox shook his head.

 

“I wasted the last of my Mana on that attack.” He frowned.

 

“I think our friend’s out of magic as well.”

 

Chronos examined their companion, and saw that he was doubled over, the flame around his body sputtering and then extinguishing.

 

This is bad for all of us.

 

The Giant reared back, and the glow was now a roaring blaze that had reached its mouth as it prepared to blast Hutch. Then, a sound.

 

SKEEEEEEEER!

 

A streak of light boiled across the sky, and dozens of blue projectiles struck the earth all around. Several hit the Giant, knocking him back. Its breath attack was knocked wild, shooting into the air above Hutch. Then, a floating form appeared above, hovering about fifty feet from the ground. Long hair fluttered around him, and a crimson robe hung from his powerful frame.

 

“Who is that?” Chronos demanded, his eyes couldn’t make out the man’s face, “have the Aries Equites arrived?”

 

Nox seemed to slump, his expression serious, almost deadly.

 

“Just one,” he said solemnly.

 

“Nightsign Commander Luxor Zephyr,” he said, “the Prince.”