Dain moved forward cautiously watching the two combatants battle each other. He held his sword slightly raised in his right hand. Rain poured down his body and glistened across the edge of his blade. His cool eyes appraised the creature before him.
The beast was tearing into Segurant's magic. Its claws were batting the man's sword aside and pounding into the blue aura that protected him. Dain watched the scene with cold calculation.
He had been waiting in the shadows. He had watched the battle go back and forth. At one point he had thought that the Iron Hand was on the verge of victory. Then the monster had caught the man in its claws and pounded him into the ground.
In all his years in the Order he had never seen such a monster. As he drew closer he could feel the evil swirling around it. It was well that Segurant was here. He took another cautious step forward. His eyes slid across the shining surface of his sword. No mere dagger was going to bring this creature down.
He watched the monster's motions. He had learned long ago that every creature in this world had a pattern. Once that pattern was learned the creature was as good as defeated. He almost had this monster's pattern down.
He began raising his sword. The beast was so focused on killing its stubborn magical prey that it didn't even know he was coming. Dain cooled all his emotions. His eyes flickered across the motions of the shadowy monster. He didn't dare to blink.
Then he had it.
Permitting himself a cool smile he lunged forward. He had its pattern now. The monster was his.
* * *
Ashur finally found the corpse of one of the Janin. He dropped to one knee and searched the man's belts for spare weapons. As he did so he looked up involuntarily to watch Dain slowly approach the creature. Then he returned to his own task.
His eyes suddenly jumped to a hilt that was hidden beneath the dead man's body. He turned the man over and saw two daggers sheathed in his belt against his backside. Uttering a quiet thank you to the dead man underneath his breath he wrenched the two blades free.
As soon as he had shoved them into his own sheathes he looked up to see how the Sword was doing. His eye caught the shining blade of the sword of Janos almost instantly. He watched the man prepare for his attack.
Then Ashur turned his gaze to the beast. The hulking monster was throwing itself against Segurant's magic with almost reckless abandon. Its huge dark form was a blur of speed and movement as it tried to tear through the Iron Hand's defenses.
Ashur looked back at Dain. The man crept a little bit closer. Then he suddenly raised his sword and leaped into an attack. The movement was smooth and sudden. As Ashur watched him lunge forward he was astonished at the speed but not all that astonished. After all, he had seen a man move faster.
He followed Dain's sword as it sliced through the air. He began sprinting forward, even though he wasn't sure what he could do.
* * *
The glimmering blade of Dain's sword slid through the pouring rain. His body followed it in perfect balance. He felt no fear or triumph. All he felt was his own body executing a flawless attack. His mind had done its work and found the weakness of his opponent. Now years of training and experience had taken over.
The world slowed down around him. He could almost see the fat individual droplets of rain that smacked into his face and dripped across the surface of his blade. He was calm and in complete control. The huge shadowy form before him was of no concern anymore.
He had learned long ago that combat was a mental game based on the opponent. Once the opponent was understood and his pattern discovered he was defeated. Dain had discovered the pattern of the monster, at that moment the beast was defeated. Sure, it would be with his sword that he would actually deliver the killing blow. But the monster's defeat had already occurred it just didn't know it yet. His muscles pulled and contorted against each other as he brought the sword up.
The monster was fast and deadly. If it wasn't so concerned with destroying the Iron Hand he might have been more cautious. Dain's cool eyes narrowed on a target in the beast's torso. It was over. This was the largest creature he had ever faced and it was already dead. Blue light sheathed the wet surface of the ancient blade in his hand. It was fitting that a blade forged by a Caelestor should bring about the demise of such a creature.
Then the target shifted. Dain suddenly found himself staring into the yellow green eyes of his adversary. Burning orbs of twisted hate stabbed into his skull and seized his heart. His sword held steady as his body continued its unalterable course. His hand was steady but he felt the dreadful sinking feeling of his fatal mistake engulf him.
* * *
Ashur watched the terror unfold as he sprinted through the rain and mist. He saw the sudden motion of the creature that Dain had charged. He saw Segurant's form, sheathed in blue light, try desperately to prevent the inevitable. He drew in great watery breaths as his feet sloshed through ever deepening mud.
The shining sword of Janos was stuck in a stabbing motion as a great black claw came down on the dark form of the man holding it. Ashur's eyes widened as he saw Dain reflexively attempt to dodge or at least absorb some of the blow. He saw the sudden dip of the sword as the claws struck home.
He tried to run faster and felt his foot suddenly lose purchase on the slick ground. He felt himself skidding as he struggled to regain balance.
"No!" he cried silently as he felt himself falling to the ground.
* * *
Dain watched the terrible, hate ridden, eyes of his foe. They arrested him. They told him of his utter failure. They told him that his overconfidence had cost him his life. In a flash he saw all the faces of the men depending on him. He saw everyone that he had now failed. In pieces of seconds with his sword unable to move fast enough he felt a terrible despair settle across his shoulders.
In the corner of his eye he saw the black claw of the monster coming for him. Then time returned to normal. He reflexively attempted to dodge the attack but he already knew it was too late. The long black claws cut into his side. For a moment there was no pain. Only a kind of awareness of what had just happened. Then there was white hot pain that shoved further and further into his torso.
He looked at the huge glistening black arm of his killer. He suddenly could barely breathe. He could feel his lungs bubbling with fluid as he tried vainly to catch his breath. His wide eyes drifted from the arm to the monster's face. It's terrible eyes were looking at him with grisly satisfaction.
His face contorted as he stared at the beast. He was dimly aware of being lifted further into the air. He tried to move but his body seemed to have passed beyond his control. As terrible pain intensified and his body was lifted higher all he could move were his face and his head.
He looked down at the monster. It was below him now. He glared down at its wolflike features. He was vaguely aware of the fact that he was still clutching the sword in his right hand. The awareness was maddening because although he knew he held it he could not make his arm or hand do anything with it. The monster's huge wolfish snout opened to reveal rows of bladelike teeth glistening in the rain.
Dain sucked in part of one last breath. His vision was darkening around the edges. It was over. He couldn't move. He was fading away. The boatman was waiting to take him. In seconds he would just be another nameless martyr to the cause. He glared down at the monster below him and spat the thick bloody taste from his mouth.
The creature flinched as it struck its eye. With a shriek of contempt it tossed the man away like a rag doll. Dain saw the cold dark world fly past him for a moment and then his vision darkened completely. His last thoughts in this world were of the sword with which he had been entrusted tumbling free of his limp fingers.
* * *
Ashur slipped again as he struggled to pull himself to his feet. Yet, even as he regained his footing on the muddy ground he knew it was already too late. He looked through the torrential rain. Out in the darkness he saw flashes of blue light that told him that Segurant was still fighting. Ashur wondered how much longer the man would last.
He looked down at his hand where he clutched one of the two daggers he had taken from the dead Janin. The silver blade caught flickers of light from the nearby battle. His eyes jerked from the blade to the monstrous shadow that blocked out the shining form of Segurant.
He would have to be cautious but he would also have to be fast. He began moving forward. He became increasingly aware of the cold as strong winds threw themselves against his damp and dripping body. He tried to ignore it as he began to shiver involuntarily. The knife shook in his hand. He glared at it as he continued forward.
The stinging pains of his various wounds seemed to assail him from everywhere at once. He pushed on anyway. He had sworn no oath yet he felt duty bound to destroy this monster. His own better judgement told him that there was absolutely nothing he could do but get himself killed. A nagging voice warned him that he had yet to find Cass, which was the whole reason he was here in the first place. However, he could not just turn away from this beast. He had felt the evil that surrounded it. Such a thing was a threat to everyone. Such a thing should not be allowed to exist.
He trembled harder against a powerful gust of wind. This is just stupid! He told himself. He couldn't even keep his dagger hand steady. Besides that, he had already stabbed the creature with a silver dagger and it had been completely ineffective. He called himself a fool as he crouched down and kept to the monster's rear. He called himself a fool again as he prepared to spring forward. Then his mind struck an old memory that flashed before his eyes,
He is twelve years old and his father is training him to fight with his feet. His father is moving from side to side and having him kick his hands. He is keeping his balance pretty well this time and feeling relatively confident.
Even at this age experience has taught him that that is a dangerous state to be in while training with his father. He always felt the most confident right before the rug was tugged from under his feet. He looks about warily as he continues sending quickly aimed kicks into the open hands of his father.
His muscles are sore and he can feel that it is beginning to get late. They were probably going to finish up soon. He looks up into his father's face. Perhaps he is wrong this time. Perhaps this time all will be well and he will end on high note.
Then, Abdiel suddenly grabs his foot. His eyes widen as the big man pulls and twists sending him face down into the ground. Normally, he would jump right up but this time he just lays there for a moment.
He slowly turns over and looks up at the standing form of his father. Abdiel isn't looking at him, he is looking off into the distance as he sometimes does.
Ashur stands up and angrily brushes himself off. He is upset. Why must his father always smash him down like that? Why can't he just have one training session where he isn't completely crushed? He steps towards the big man to begin his tirade and Abdiel's face suddenly turns and looks at him.
His father's eyes are intense and they lock Ashur in place and freeze his angry words in his throat. Then Abdiel opens his mouth and speaks,
"You should know something, boy."
"What?" asks Ashur taking a step forward.
Abdiel looks away and is silent for a time. Ashur waits expectantly. He turns his head to see what his father is staring at but sees nothing.
"This is a dangerous world."
Ashur nods hesitantly.
"And what makes it dangerous are men who won't do anything to stop the evils around them."
Abdiel turns to look at Ashur,
"Remember Ashur, a man who won't protect what's left of the good and decent in the world is a coward."
Ashur stands thinking about this as his father turns and heads back into the house. The words run through his mind again.
What makes it dangerous are men who won't do anything to stop the evils around them...
The next day his father leaves on a trip and isn't back for three weeks.
Ashur's eye suddenly caught a shimmering sliver of light on the ground. His body still shaking against the cold and damp he stepped across the wet ground. He clenched his teeth to keep them from chattering as he knelt to observe the treasure shining in the dark.
There, its shining blade partially buried in the mud, was the sword of Janos. Ashur caught his breath. Despite the cold and the precariousness of his situation he felt a powerful sense of awe upon seeing the unsheathed sword so close. His dagger slipped from his hand and sank into the mud as he reached out to wrap his fingers around the hilt.
The hilt was slightly longer than that of a normal broadsword. It was just long enough to wield with two hands if the swordsman so desired. Ashur gently pulled the blade from the ground. The mud slid from its flawless surface as though it had never been.
Ashur looked at the shimmering blade as it seemed to catch rays of moonlight that didn't exist. He felt a kinship with it. He felt as though he had trained with the weapon his entire life.
He realized suddenly that he had stopped trembling. The cold seemed to have faded away. He looked away from the sword and to the silhouetted backside of the enormous monster.
He was close now. Stealth was useless at this point. All he had was speed. He looked at the blade again. He would have to be quick. He tensed himself for an explosion of speed. No mistakes. One hit. One chance.
Remember Ashur, a man who won't protect what's left of the good and decent in this world is a coward...
* * *
Segurant jumped to one side as one massive claw tore through the air towards him. He was panting as he caught the other claw with the burning blade of his sword.
The heads snapped and snarled at him. Great yellow green eyes cut through the rain and dark. He could feel the ferocious hate that burned through the air. The creature's hatred was as palpable as the cloud of pure evil that hung about the monster like a foul stench in the air.
He feinted and then came forward with a slashing motion. The monster swatted his attack aside and brought its claws into his torso. His magic saved him from disembowelment but he could feel the force behind it all the same.
The blue magic swirling from his hand protected and armed him. He just managed to avoid another claw only to look up into the gaping jaws of the monster's army of heads. Large razorsharp teeth grated across the blue light an inch from his face.
He pulled away and swung his sword of flaming blue light. The heads flinched away and another thrust of claws scraped across the blue magic protecting him. He slashed again and just managed to inflict a shallow wound in the monster's arm.
He rolled away from another attack as it screamed in rage and pain. Then he crouched and waited for the thing to strike. He watched the huge shadowy form pause and then suddenly lash out like a viper. He managed to slide past two of the blows but the third knocked him off to one side.
His magic was weakening. He could feel it as he struggled to recover from the blow. He had taken too much punishment already. The light around him glowed as brightly as ever but he could feel the strength behind it waning.
Normally he could feel the magic in his hand burning as bright as the light around it. At this moment it felt like warm embers. The dying remains of an untended campfire. He sucked in air and dodged another flurry of attacks.
He smashed his fist into one of the snapping heads as the tore straight for his throat. He tried to bring the burning blade of his sword up into its chest but with incredible speed it smashed into him and knocked him to the ground once again.
He recovered quickly and just missed being stomped on by its huge feet. The creature let out a crowd of shrieking roars and threw itself at him once again. He expertly dodged the attack this time and slid to its right flank.
The monster waited for him to strike and then caught his sword hand in one enormous claw. Segurant willed the fire of his sword to coat his hand like a burning blue glove. The creature tore its claw away with a shriek but its other swung up into his midsection at the same time.
Segurant felt himself being lifted. Dozens of wolf snouted heads tore into his magic. It snapped furiously at his chest and head. He brought his burning blade up desperately as the creature lifted him and flung him to the ground. The blade just grazed one of its heads as he struggled break free of its monstrous claws.
Even as he landed the beast pounced. He tried to recover as quickly as he could after hitting the ground but the monster was already on top of him. Heavy dark bulk pinned him to the ground.
He just managed to twist so that he wasn't pinned facedown. His sharp blue eyes looked up into the writhing mass of his assailant. His eyes couldn't lock on any own of the numerous sets of burning eyes the beast reared up and then a thousand powerful jaws were tearing into his face and shoulders. The blue light around him flickered and crackled as large pointed teeth raked across it. He struggled to bring up the flaming sword in his hand but his arm was trapped beneath the dark frame of solid muscle.
He was breathing heavily now. Perspiration slid down his forehead and cheeks beneath the protective magic. Jaws and teeth chewed and gnawed against the barrier. He could feel his magic draining fast now. His grim face locked in determination as he watched the creature struggling to tear through his barrier. He wasn't going to last like this much longer.