Unconquered Tower

SIXTY-TWO

“He’s overloaded. There’s no way he can control that much power, Moira whispered as Taoya stood between them and the general. Power shot off of him, bolts of pure energy that grounded out in furrows of earth. Even with all of the power flying off of him, he was a beacon of power as he stood before the horde officer.

“A challenge?” The officer asked with a raspy laugh. It lowered the naginata so the long blade edge pointed at Taoya and began to circle. The shielding stayed around him though.

“We need to kill those shamans,” Roan said, but Darren was already ahead of him. The man had ghosted along the side of the walls and was circling far around the two champions, trying to get behind the caster goblins. Two others had broken in the other direction and were running to get around the fight.

“I hate this,” Moira said, eyes darting between all the figures. Roan had to trust that Darren and his chosen were going to get to the shamans and that Taoya could last long enough to see this through.

“I admire your bravery, champion. But I shall kill you, eat your heart and claim your strength!” the officer continued to taunt as it circled. Taoya hadn’t moved, just tracked the officer as it slowly got behind him.

“Why isn’t he moving?” Roan whispered.

“Conserving his captured momentum. This won’t last long once the shielding is gone,” Moira said, sounding certain. Darren and the other two were now racing parallel to the fight, a hundred yards on either side. Bolts still flew at the shields every now and then, keeping all the shamans locked into the fight.

The officer lunged and Roan had to admit the mob was fast. It was nothing more than a blur of leather and steel as the naginata swiped down at Taoya, to split him shoulder to hip. Taoya disappeared.

“What?” Roan muttered as he looked around and then finally up. Taoya had jumped a clear ten feet straight up instantly, holding himself in mid-air for a second before he fell like a cannonball.

The officer leapt away as a massive blast of force launched itself in every direction, picking up dirt and bodies and throwing them everywhere. Roan ducked down, pulling Moira with him as debris, body parts, and shattered obsidian knives bounced off the walls. A few others hadn’t been as fast and they now cried out in pain as they dealt with shrapnel injuries.

“Damnit,” Moira hissed, moving in an army crawl toward the wounded, bandages appearing in her hand as she worked closer to them. Taoya had landed in the same exact spot he’d started in, but the horde officer had been blown away, rolling and coming to his feet smoothly. One of his shields had broken in that exchange, but a moment later it was back.

“Four shamans. One guards the other three while those three layer shields over the higher officer,” Roan observed. If Taoya leapt and killed the shamans, then the officer would have free range on the survivors or Taoya’s back. It would take at least two attacks to kill the four of them and leave the officer vulnerable, one to break the shield then an AoE attack to kill them.

“That officer is too fast and we’re too weak. He’d fillet us all before Taoya got back to defend us,” Roan said to himself. That he was too weak, again, grated on him. Even at full strength he doubted he’d be fast enough to fight this officer, even if Taoya was too much for it.

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Darren had reached the edge of the forest and was turning inward to angle behind the four shamans, running as fast as he could. Right behind him came the other two. They’d be there in a matter of moments, but Roan worried it’d take too long. When Taoya turned his head, Roan could see the stains of blood leaking from his nose, eyes, and ears.

The officer lunged inward again, long staff sliding in an upward attack to cut groin to throat. Taoya punched the blade, energy coalescing for a moment around his hand like armor. A blast of power blew apart the area and both fighters were thrown back. The officer in a roll that ended with it in a crouch, weapon at the ready. Taoya slid back five or six feet, shaking his hand gingerly. Fingers were pointed in the wrong direction, Roan realized.

“Moira is right. He needs a body tempering method to use his bloodline to its full ability.” Roan looked back at Darren and the others just as they arrived at the shamans. Light flared as swords struck the barrier surrounding the four casters, but unlike when Roan had hit one, it didn’t burst instantly. They began to attack it faster and the burning haze flickered, but it still hadn’t burst.

“Fool!” the officer roared. It darted forward toward Taoya, staying low and swiping horizontally at waist level. Taoya jumped again, but Roan felt his stomach drop. Taoya had been played. It was a feint. Roan knew it in his heart as the shaman turned toward the survivors, specifically Moira who was wrapping bandages around a thrashing man’s face.

“MOVE!” Roan screamed at his body as he lunged forward. He only had a few feet to cover versus the horde officers dozens of yards. Roan’s body was sluggish, fighting back against him as Roan staggered past the other survivors who were hugging the ground. The short sword in his hand felt heavy as Roan leapt in front of Moira and threw his entire body weight behind his deflection.

Time slowed as the horde officer appeared in front of him, humid breath that stunk of raw meat washing over Roan’s face. Spittle sprayed from the creature’s mouth as it leveled a splitting blow at Moira, top to bottom that would split the healer in half. She was just lifting her staff up, perched protectively over her charge.

Sparks erupted as Roan’s sword met the edge of the polearm’s blade. The strength behind the blow was unstoppable and Roan threw everything he had in pushing it to the side. White-hot pain ripped through his right side, starting at his brow and extending past his hip.

The ground rushed up to meet him, the fall feeling soft as Roan lay there, looking up with one eye, the other clouded with something red. The officer hissed in anger and lifted the polearm back up, going for a sideways cut. All three of his shields stopped at the same moment. The haze of heat around the mob vanished and Roan could see the shock in its eyes as it instantly turned to retreat.

Fingers burst from the mob's chest, then the full hands up the wrist. They were firmly wedged together as if in prayer. The officer looked down at the hands emerging from its chest as black blood trickled from its mouth. Blue-white energy flared as bright as the sun and with a sickening squelch the officer was ripped in half.

Warm gore showered Roan as he looked up to see Taoya’s bloody face. The man was looking down worriedly as he crouched low, grabbing Roan around the back of his head. Some part of Roan’s mind recognized he didn’t feel Taoya’s fingers, just the feeling of being moved.

“Oh, shit. It looks bad, Moira, we need one of the good healing potions!” Taoya said.

“I used them all!” Moira fired back as she hurried up to Roan, her hands full of bandages as she wrapped them around him.

“Those won’t do shit!” Taoya snapped as he looked down on Roan.

“Tired. I’m really. Tired,” Roan said.

“Fuck no!” Taoya shouted as he looked about frantically.

“Tell him of the mushroom you have!” The voice screamed in his head and Roan recognized finally that it wasn’t his voice shouting at him all this time. Memories swirled but the pain and exhaustion were dragging him down.

“Mushroom. Pack.” Roan finally slurred out, something hot and coppery filling his mouth, spewing out as he spoke. Moira gasped and turned him, but Roan was tired and needed to sleep. His eyes closed on their own accord and he passed out.