5
Gus' face dropped. A man brushed passed him hurriedly towards the huddled villagers, and Gus turned. The huge gate behind him stood ridged; closed. The heat from the rooftop fire slowly thawed a chill down his spine, to bring Gus away from stillness. He followed after the man and the villagers, who bundled down the central road between the houses. There they were confronted, within a leaping bound, from the hoofed and tailed menace of a centaur warrior, who slid in one brief uncontrolled collision of legs as it landed in front of them. Recovering, it raised a bow above its plate armour, snorting fiercely.
The man drew his arms wide and circled his group around, diverting them from the ending road. Gus clenched a hand around his dagger as he drew it in front of him, throwing reams of lightening at the centaur. Ends of the white fire sparked pain at it as it thrashed the bow about, attempting to block. Soon it galloped away. Gus followed it with eyes and warding. He turned around once, watching fire burn into rooftops, lightening crack into sky, and what few people remained, flee into safety.
Gus ran along the road until it opened up into the small market square he'd seen countless times within his years. The flowered bridge that led out from the village to the fields of Shaemour was alight with a shielding fire, contained to barricade a vulnerable entrance.
A bustle sounded to his side and Gus could see that the villagers, shepherd by their hero, had made their way to the inn, where a Seraph opened its door. The timing was close: a group of centaurs ran into the square carrying fire and swords, eager to get inside. Gus threw a line of blaze across the entrance, before he spun his dagger in a quick circular motion, conjuring a ring of flame around them all. With no hesitation he followed that by thrusting his blade upwards and brought a large, flaming fang above their heads. In the confusion of gulfing flame, the fang landed devastatingly upon all but one of the group, for this one now charged towards Gus.
Rolling to one side, Gus evaded the centaur's wrath, loosing his dagger within the wet of a deep puddle. The horse-man skidded and stopped fast. Then sighted the billowing smoulder of its burning tail.
Spinning in an frantic attempt to put it out, with Gus sprawled blindingly searching for his father's gift, the villager's shepherd heroically returned and tackled the centaur within surprise.
Whatever attack had taken place, Gus knew nothing other than the shortness of it; the enemy lay in a heap of hoofs, and Gus was reunited with his keepsake.
A Seraph, unflinching in her task came belting to the inn's door. Gus overheard her bellowing directives, understanding that Captain Thackery needed soldiers to the garrison.
Gus sidestepped the bodies that war had dumped in his path. With not a human among them, it was clear who held the strongest position as he approached the garrison, and the rear gate opened as the last of a centaur siege came to a close.
Inside, Seraph stretched bows and poised over defences lined along the tall walls of the rampart. A small prison caged a pack of centaurs, who hounded with their eyes at every human present. A shout came forth through the thickness of dark, fire and troops; a stampede of centaurs battled their way at the other end of the garrison.
Captain Thackery ordered Seraph into formation, and from behind the protection of a strong line, Gus reached spells across at the falling four-legs. As fierce as they came however, it wasn't long before the captain had them in a calculated retreat.
A banner was pushed into the ground at the very front of the line, where it pulsed a powerful invigorating charm. Captain Thackery shot out an arm and an order. From the wide bridge that gave access over the moat surrounding them, came a single confident centaur. A belt of rocks circled the air around it like a shield. It angered threats towards the captain as it tackled the Seraph that went out to fight it. In a quick thrust of force, a shockwave knocked the Seraph outwards, felling them from the entirety of the bridge.
"Pitiful humans. You think you can defeat me?" The Centaur sage spat before storming away.
Its words sounded ridiculously spun from a child's adventure book, and the look on Thacker's face reflected this, but as a few Seraph ran after it, the captain motioned for pursuit in defence of more fallen comrades.
With a swiftly air of confidence, brave Seraph and villagers alike ran onwards, holding up weapons and mustering a battle. Among them was Hero, the shepherd; the good-doer; the lifesaver. Gus Windbourne took a longer stride.
Ahead, the centaur sage jabbed a sceptre to the skies and shards of jagged rocks broke out from the ground around it. Soldiers ahead toppled over themselves. The sage spoke loud, but through the crash of thunder, Gus heard nothing of words, only tone. Then, summoned from a power unknown to him, came earthen, skeletal hands erupting in enormousness in front of his eyes. As if reaching into the storm itself, they launched house-sized chunks of earth upwards, along with anything else that was nearby. Speaking a word, Thackery snapped people from their dazed awe. The fight to defeat the threat started.
The approach was beset by the whirl of pelting debris. Shouts were unheard; swiped viciously away into storm-wind. Through the blur, Gus saw magic and weapons strike at the fleshless hands; he fought in unison, drawing fire from the motions of his dagger. Someone fell into him and he stumbled. He reached out to support whoever may be hurt, but found no one. Then a leafy branch smacked him hard in the face, and as he recovered he saw that the tornado of chaos had removed his comrades to nothing more than silhouettes.
A shielding arc glimmered across from him, and Gus took a breath as he crouched. He rubbed grit from his eyes before leaning forwards beginning to rise, only to be turned about from a rocky blow to his shoulder. An angry earth elemental stood unmovable among the tempest. Unsteadily, Gus fled quickly to one side and it wasn't long before the creature disappeared from view. Confounded, he continued to flee and was helped, in no small part, by the explosive demise of the summoned entity that forced Gus from his feet and sent him the longest, frightening hurtling he'd never imagined.
He didn't see the ground, passed out, and felt nothing.