Chapter 42
As soon as he steps through the other end of the Gate, Finn gets the sense that they’ve left behind the beautiful world that he had previously known, and had entered an entirely-different plane of existence. A few hundred metres to the front was the outer-most homes and businesses of Kingstown, though clad in darkness from the thick smoke wafting over the area. The glow from numerous, un-checked fires further in the settlement made the greasy fog loom ominously… and the effect was only compounded by the un-ceasing roars and screeches of unseen Daemon. “Fucking Hell…”
Angeline snorts out two breaths through her nose at the acrid stench of burning wood and flesh, then moves off to the side to set her trio of small crates down. “Just like before… Goddess be damned…” she lets out a long sigh, then turns to beckon her train of younger porters. “Come on! Move it! Make-way for the rest!”
The black-haired swordsman clears his throat as he gets the sense that the comment is directed toward himself as well, and glides over to set his half-dozen satchels of food and water beside his wife’s bulky crates. It amazed him that she was able to heft three hundred kilos of weaponry and armour as if they weighed as little as a stack of paper… but he knew it had to be some type of magicks, since all of the other kids of the Order were doing the exact same thing. “Bradley… Apples… Gail… set that stuff down and check your equipment. We move out in two.”
The blonde caster nods at her junior-members as they release the spells holding up their over-loaded burdens, then beckons the trio of trainees she’d chosen over to a spot on the soggy farmer’s field that they’d arrived on. “Ruthie… Teresa and Kellie, let’s go.” She falls into step behind the twins and her brief rival as they move up onto a small knoll to look out over the carnage. “Alright… Goddess… Ruthie… I want you to fly up and over the east… don’t go too far in… we won’t reach that area for a while yet… Lundagrens, you two soar straight to the centre of town and scout. You’ve got five minutes to get the lay of the land, then rendezvous with Samuel and I at the south-east.”
“Alright… go to it. You get noticed, you run. Got me?” Raising his brows as he sweeps his gaze across his Candidates, the wiry Captain watches for signs of cowardice, and finding nothing but stern resolution, issues a curt nod before watching the Knight-hopefuls sprint off towards the town. Their job for the next ten minutes was to find and direct survivors towards their head-quarters… but hopefully everyone that could have fled had long since done so…
“You want me to give you a ride, or do you want to limber-up with a jog?” The blue-eyed femme smiles towards her mate, then shrugs and directs her hands towards the ground as he stretches out his arms in preparation of another sprint. “Suit yourself.”
Finn chuckles softly as his Bond takes to the skies, and he allows himself to fall forward before suddenly dipping his knees to use his momentum in propelling him over the sloppy slope. The mud makes it difficult to keep his balance, though the hard frost just a half-inch below the surface ensured that he didn’t get dragged-down too much. Fighting massive behemoths in these environs would put them in a distinct dis-advantage, however… solid foot-holds were vital in both slaying the beasts, and staying alive…
Angeline grins from her elevated position fifty metres above her husband, and offers the feelings flowing through their Bond a shake of her head. Goddess how she’d missed the connection. When she was Bound to Patricia, every moment was so fresh. So new. Every experience was an absolute joy… and every battle was a momentous occasion. Even now, under the very real threat of dismemberment at the enlarged hands of some unknown hundreds of screeching Daemon lurking in the city, she couldn’t help but feel such excitement that it threatened to make her giggle like a ten year-old. And the funny thing was… she knew that Samuel felt the exact same way…
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Aegis and Order: First Light
Fantasy"It’s shoulders were wide and powerful. At four metres in height, it was almost as large across as it was tall. The arms of the hulking beast hung nearly all the way to the ground, and were thick with rope-like muscles that bulged with even the sl...
