The Battle, Part 3
Dark Realm
Odomus growled uneasily. The castle gates were sealed shut. He could feel Constantine looming somewhere inside, most likely in the tall throne room tower just ahead. The battle still roared around them and the occasional arrow or spear hurtled towards them, deflected by quick reflexes and sharp blades and the occasional magical shield. Hudson and Sonar hurried towards them, guiding Lady Dragon and Nassiah. A small group of strange, deformed creatures raced towards them on the dry plains. Almost bored, Lady Dragon lifted a hand, producing an invisible energy wave that lifted the creatures off the ground and slammed then into the nearest glossy wall. They slumped to the ground, unmoving.
"Thos gates are the only way inside," Hudson growled, sensing a trap as he stared past them into the obscured castle grounds.
"Should we climb the walls or glide over them?" Sonar wondered. "Either way, there's sure tae be something waiting for us inside."
"Whatever we do, we'd better do it quickly," Odomus growled as he took a step closer. "The heart stone's magic is increasing. We must be ready when it appears." He looked at Goliath. "You need to be ready, my son."
Hudson scratched his head. "But Constantine all ready has the Heart Stone."
"Yes, but in a secret place," Odomus told him. "With all this madness around us, with so much magic in the air, with so much death, it will not be able to resist making itself known. Its centuries-long bond with Constantine has left it with a bit of a consciousness I dare say."
Goliath nodded. "I have felt as much. It wills itself to heed Constantine's calls."
"What do we do then?" asked Hudson.
"We break in," Goliath roared, charging the walls. The castle guards saw his advance and armed their fire-tipped arrows, hurtled blazing boulders over the walls and threw spears to trip him up. With his shield in place everything bounced off and harmlessly struck the ground. Behind him, Odomus made a gesture that blew the upper walls apart, decimating the warriors opposing them. A second later, Goliath plowed into the castle gates, his speed spurred on by magic, increasing his strength. They collapsed with a loud groan, creating a loud crash as they hit the dusty earth.
Goliath rolled to his feet an instant later, scanning the unfamiliar terrain, but met no opposition. He scowled suspiciously and stood as the others joined him. Odd, he thought and walked deeper into the courtyard.
"Where to, Guardian?" Sonar called to Goliath.
The large gargoyle looked back at his younger companion. "To the dungeons," he replied as he smashed down a sturdy door, "and possibly any torture or execution chambers in use."
Odomus nodded and followed his son towards the dungeons. He and Goliath shouldered the large guard door once they got there, knocking it down. They took care of any opposition quickly before things could get more confusing.
Nodding once to his companions, he began searching the halls and cells, still finding no real opposition even in a place that was supposed to be heavily guarded.
"He's not here," Goliath observed in frustration. "They must have moved him."
"Nassiah, beloved, return to the cells and free any of our prisoners they might have captured," Odomus ordered. "Sonar, go with them. Goliath, Hudson and I will check the lower chambers. Please hurry! Time is short and two very important souls are at stake."
"Ye probably shouldn't even be here, lad," Hudson noted, glancing at his leader. "Ye should best move on and leave this tae us."
"Not just yet," the giant growled out, and silently jogged ahead before the matter could be argued.
"Aaaargh!"
They paused, startled.
Shouts, mocking laughter and several grunts of pain echoed through the deepening corridor. Further down it seemed to become a sort of cavern.
"I think that was Thailog," Odomus whispered.
They hurried on, keeping to the shadows until they came to a dark chamber barely lit by bright orange torches. A few paces away stood two large trolls, both of them grotesque and fierce looking. Just beyond them and someone obscured by his larger comrades was one of the ugliest humans Goliath had ever seen. He had to be seven feet tall, an impressive size, heavily muscled, big bellied and covered in porous warts. Sweat trickled down his dirty, smelly skin and his crooked, nearly toothless smile glinted maliciously in the torch-light.
"There is blood on his hands," Goliath snarled, and charged. Neither the trolls nor the ugly dungeon keeper expected his attack. They put up a fierce fight, but it was over quickly.
Goliath scoffed as he tossed the dead troll aside. He had to admit he'd be glad when creatures this ceased to exist completely.
Thailog groaned weakly as Goliath tore away the straps that held him to the table. He blinked, surprised, and stared up at Goliath. Somehow, he was surprised to see Goliath there, although he knew he shouldn't be. It was just like Goliath to save the life of his most bitter foe.
"So, you did come," he coughed, one eye partially swollen shut from the beatings. "I wish I could say I was really surprised."
Goliath scowled and carefully lifted the clone from the table. "Save your strength and hold your tongue," he muttered, turning towards the door with the exhausted clone in his arms. Odomus remained at the door spying for reinforcements.
"No one has come," he informed his son.
"But they will soon enough," Hudson growled and took rear guard as Goliath hurried into the corridor after his father. Thailog moaned in his arms. The disfiguring scars and burns from before had returned, leaving him bleeding and broken along with newer fresh wounds. Goliath guessed there had to be some broken bones in there somewhere too.
Within minutes they came to the main chamber of the dungeons and spied a few new trolls standing guard near the only exit. Having spotted the bodies of their comrades, they were on edge and angry. Goliath had never considered them intensely intelligent or emotionally loyal to anyone, including their own kind, but perhaps he was wrong. There was so little they knew about trolls.
"Careful now," Odomus hissed, motioning for them to stay back as he charged, silent and deadly. A flash of his blade took the trolls out before they knew anyone was there. They crumpled to the ground, barely grunting.
"Let's go," Odomus whispered, signaling them to approach. "The others are outside waiting."
The sounds of battle beyond the castle suddenly intensified as they stepped into the courtyard. They ducked for cover when spears and arrows assaulted them. Apparently the enemy's cavalry had arrived. It was very possible they'd lain in wait until Goliath and his friends emerged from the dungeon, eager to smite them with a lucky hit.
Despite Goliath's quick reflexes, a spear managed to break through, tearing a strap that held his armor in place. Greatly weakened, it barely held on unnoticed by the rampaging giant as he ducked behind an ancient, broken down wall, clutching Thailog close to him.
"Ye alright, lad?" Hudson demanded concern etched on his features as he rested a hand on Goliath's shoulders. "I thought for a moment that spear had ye!"
"I'm fine, old friend!" he snapped, waiting for an opportunity to knock out the new ring of archers above them. His father and mother found it for them and took out their assailants. Despite that warriors flooded the castle grounds, extending the battle inside.
After finding a secluded spot where Thailog could rest, Lady Dragon immediately began assessing his wounds. The clone was struggling to remain conscious. Goliath hovered over his wayward son until Odomus pulled him away.
From his vantage point, Goliath could see that at one time the palace must have been beautiful and prosperous. Hundreds of people must have inhabited it, enjoying peace and happiness. But then Constantine's evil sucked in all the good and destroyed the people, leaving the place to fall in ruin.
The courtyard was wide and open. There were pathways overhead with skylights that had been broken in over time directly above them. Fabulous rotted pillars seemed to lunge from the ground holding the upper floors steady. One of those floors was a balcony with long dead plants dropping over the sides. Even on the ground itself there were traces of trees that stood petrified with dead and some which had fallen, no longer able to stand.
"How sad this place is," he muttered.
He cautiously made his way across the courtyard. The battle raged around him, loud and deadly and urgent. Decorative tiles on the ground had slowly been blown away or smashed to dust over time. A huge dead tree dominated the courtyard's center and there was a surprising amount of cover in its dead branches. They headed for it, protected in its thick trunk and guarded by the shadows. He squinted his eyes against the dust stirred up from the battle and glared at a huge tower his father pointed to.
"Yes," agreed Odomus. "This place does echo and era of sadness doesn't it?" He moved to another portion of the courtyard and pointed. "You see that? That leads to the stairway that will take you up tae Constantine's throne room. It's a massive tower with three hundred and sixty degree view so he observe his land from all angles. He even uses it to watch his greatest warriors, the dragon-men, who dwell there in the mountain."
The mountain was an imposing sight. Goliath swallowed his misgivings about approaching it. Even with all the power he had he didn't see the wisdom in attempting to navigate the sharp spires and terrible defenses he knew waited there.
"Be brave, lad," Odomus pleaded. "And be careful. Remember what ye've learned. It can protect ye."
Goliath nodded and wordlessly launched towards the entrance. Odomus watched him go, an anxious frown on his face and didn't turn away until his son had disappeared.
He'd barely done so when a rush of wind assaulted him. Sensing a presence, he spun around to confront his attacker but instead found himself laying on his back on the ground, glaring up into the trees branches. He wasn't too surprised to see Tyrant hovering above him, grinning like a bob cat, a black blade pointed at his chest.
He sighed. "Ye realize, lad, ye canna kill me."
"One can hope," the trickster sneered, glancing around at the battle. "You realize, fool, that this rebellion o' yours is pointless? You've succeeding in nothing but sending your son and your people to death."
Odomus swatted the sword away and back flipped, landing on his feet. "We all came here knowing the risks," he stated calmly. "Many have already given their lives to prevent your father from spreading his magic further. We WILL defeat ye, mark my words."
Tyrant laughed. "Your son is not all powerful yet, fool! That armor is only giving him extra time. He will die!"
"Never!" Odomus snarled, and pulled out his own sword.
Tyrant laughed and lunged. Their blades met with tremendous force, raising sparks. Only because of his fey blood was Tyrant able to match Odomus. Their battle became one more of the many mini battles scattered all over the Black Realm.
"I wonder old one," Tyrant hissed as they leaped apart. "Can you do what you couldn't before? Can you kill me this time?"
Odomus smirked. "Do ye wish me tae, lad?"
Tyrant sneered and charged again.
Goliath raced along on all fours, gaining speed and saving time. He could feel Constantine somewhere above him, sitting in wait. He could hear the battle between the six-foot thick rock walls, though muffled, and could feel the urgency, fear and rage it created. Every once in a while, he felt a spike of pain and despair before someone was slain, but it wasn't always easy to tell which side had lost a warrior and at the point of death it didn't matter.
He felt a spike of interest and realized Constantine knew he was coming. His cold presence sent icy waves of uncertainty down his spine. He had power now but was it going to be enough to fight an evil like Constantine's? What surprises did he have in wait for them?
All too soon, he reached the first doors. He was so close now. Unexpected trepidation seized him. Could he do this? So many lives depended on him? He'd faced so many enemies before who were just as powerful and he'd never faltered before. Why now?
"Son," he turned, expecting to see his father, but realized it was only his voice carrying in his head. " Ye must face Constantine. If ye don't, everything we've done until now will have been for naught. Ye can do this, so go on. We're counting on ye."
Goliath closed his eyes and nodded. He drew in a breath and with a snarl barreled through the doors, charging up a second, shorter flight of stairs. He met little to no resistance along the way and was soon upon a larger set of decorative doors that blocked his access to the throne room. He thrust them open, grunting at their weight, and stared into the throne room. He'd never been in here but his father had. It matched the descriptions Odomus had given him perfectly. In some ways it was beautiful, but with the rotting stone and deformed figures lining the walls and painted on the ceiling it was a disheartening place to be.
He advanced when he realized there was no resistance waiting for him and glared up at the huge steps where Constantine kept his throne. He could barely see the sorcerer sitting on his magnificent throne waiting for him. He knew Constantine was aware of his injury so he was going to have to be careful.
A huge black cauldron sat at the base of the steps. Constantine stared into it as if he hadn't noticed Goliath at all. His golden eyes flashed periodically, but his face remained frustratingly blank.
At last, the sorcerer turned to him and a small smile played at his lips. Goliath brought his sword and shield to arms and took a few more cautious steps into the room. His senses began tingling with a warning of danger.
"Well, well, well. Welcome Goliath," Constantine purred from his throne. "At last, we get to do battle. REAL battle, just as I knew we would."
The throne room doors slammed shut, startling him. He whirled around as the thunderous boom echoed throughout the room, and immediately blocked a strike aimed for his head. It was a small group of dragon-men and one dragon-woman.
"Alas," Constantine sighed, mock-sadly, "I fear it will end all too soon."
He laughed maniacally as Goliath sliced the head off the nearest dragon-men then ducked and rolled to avoid the crushing power of a broad axe as another dragon-men jumped in to avenge his fallen comrade. Goliath turned to fight back, but yelped in surprise when a smaller group tackled him from behind. Constantine's laughter intensified, his eyes flashing in the gloom, when Goliath fell with a cry.
Tyrant laughed as Odomus flew backwards, colliding with a nearby wall. "Ye may be immortal, Odomus, but your reflexes are pathetically slow!"
Odomus shook himself off with a growl and soared forward, roaring, wings outspread. He swung his sword in a large arc, nicking Tyrant's shield as the fey side-stepped to avoid him. Odomus pivoted on a pillar, watching as Hudson surprised Tyrant by tackling him from behind. Sneering, the sorcerer twisted in his arms and with one hand created a ball of energy that impacted with Hudson's midsection. The old warrior roared in pain and toppled to the ground, freeing his prey.
"Gargoyles," Tyrant spat, watching as Hudson shook his head and stood on shaky feet, eyes still blazing. "Pathetic."
Both warriors snarled and advanced. Tyrant waited, sneering.
Odomus was the first to strike, surging forward with a roar as white energy surrounded him. Tyrant met him with equal force, sword singing amidst the chaos. Odomus struck at the hybrid with his shield, breaking his nose and while he was distracted, disarmed his opponent.
"Clever," Tyrant hissed, and returned the favor by blasting his enemy with a burst of energy that knocked him back a few feet and disarmed him as well. The hybrid smirked. "Now we're even."
Hudson roared and swung his sword, catching the hybrid in the gut. Unfortunately, his thick armor prevented a mortal wound, but blood was still drawn.
"FOOL!" Tyrant howled, pelting Hudson. As the old warrior fell, Odomus came in with a flurry of punches Tyrant was barely able to dodge. Each strike was pumped full of magical power. Angry, Tyrant retaliated with six quick kicks and a four punch combination; the kicks missed their marks entirely, and the first two punches were effortlessly blocked. The third managed to strike Odomus' jaw with crushing force, driving him back, but the fourth strike was set up for ensnarement.
Odomus gave Tyrant a cocky, split-second smile before he rocked Tyrant's midsection with three lightning fast kicks in the space of a single breath. Tyrant let his mouth fall open as if to gasp in pain, but no sound was emitted.
Odomus stepped back as Tyrant dropped to his knees, gasping for breath. "Will ye surrender and spare us both this nonsense?" he asked the hybrid with no real hope.
Tyrant sneered up at Odomus, his bloodied lips twisting into a toothy snarl. "Never," he hissed, stubborn to a fault. "The death of your race is worth every pain. We will be victorious!"
Tyrant stood, still sneering and grinning. He reached into his robes and pulled out what looked to be a dagger, but it grew to the length of a long sword. A few feet away and still holding his side, Hudson gasped and glanced at Odomus. The older warrior didn't seem too concerned.
Unknown to them, Thailog snaked around a pillar at Tyrant's left and Odomus's right, his dark skin blending with the shadows. As the hybrid lifted his sword to attack, he moved. He leaped out of the shadows, mere feet from Tyrant, who turned to him with a wide-eyed stare.
"You're still alive?" he cried, enraged. "Not for much longer!"
Thailog gasped and dropped to his knees. Odomus hurried forward and allowed the clone to lean on him. Lady Dragon came over and added her support while Nassiah helped Hudson to his feet.
"I didn't think ye had that kind of strength left, lad" Hudson muttered.
"I don't," Thailog growled, exhausted. "I think it is coming from something, no, someone else, deep inside me."
"And he will be back soon enough," Odomus noted, frowning.
"Where has Goliath gone?" Thailog asked curiously, his voice strangely soft.
As if in answer to his question, Goliath's roar shattered the noise of battle. Everyone looked up at the tower as a bright light penetrated the gloom.
"Little brother!" Nassiah cried, worried.
"You'd better go to him," Lady Dragon begged of her mate. "We can look after Thailog."
Odomus nodded, retrieved his weapons, and then rushed for the tower entrance.
Goliath roared angrily as he heaved with his magic and threw every attacking dragon men across the room. His body was glowing a piercing white, forcing anyone else in the room to back away. He stood up and faced his foes and a second later, froze them in place. He felt the chill of the ice that permanently imprisoned his enemies, and even someone managed to free them, it wouldn't matter. The sudden cold had killed them instantly.
Constantine chuckled, his voice echoing a tone of admiration and boredom. Goliath snorted, glaring at his enemy as he retrieved his sword and shield. He still hadn't noticed that his breastplate was dangerously loose. Though his eyes spied Constantine atop the throne his senses detected him everywhere in the large room. It was like there were many pieces of him sitting in random places waiting to attack.
"That was surprisingly good," Constantine noted. "But . . . not good enough. I should have expected you to do better. But I suppose while wearing your father's armor ye would slow a bit. Particularly with those broken ribs, eh?"
Goliath paused.
"Aye, warrior," his enemy laughed. "I know all about it. Odomus thought he could hide it from me. But I am able to see through some of his magic. Besides, I watched your fall and felt your pain." He chuckled coldly. "You will meet your end this night."
Goliath frowned, his determination mounting. He was not going to fail.
He spun around when a piercing roar shattered the eerie silence and leaped out of the way as a huge dragon-men, possibly one of those his clan now dubbed 'diggers', slammed its massive claws into the floor where he'd just stood, gouging out a huge section of stone. He winced at the thought of what those talons could have done to him. Not even a gargoyle could boast that strength.
It pulled out a large, serrated sword and began swinging it in wide, sweeping arcs. He hopped backwards to avoid each swing, waiting for an opening. He used his shield to guard against one strike and found himself tumbling backwards. The beast was definitely strong!
He leaped up and back flipped as the creature swung down, slicing a section of the floor. It left an appropriate sized opening and Goliath leaped in with a stabbing motion, catching the huge beast in the gut. His enchanted sword cut through the armor and pierced the dragon-man's thick, scaly hide. It howled in pain and slapped him away with its massive hand. He cried out as he collided with the ground and rolled to his feet with a growl. Both stood facing each other, separated by several feet and breathing heavily.
Goliath's danger-sense was intensifying. His opponent was advancing, his steps unbalanced. He'd done more damage than he'd thought, apparently but it was still unclear if he'd hit anything vital.
He yelped when something struck him in the back of the head and stumbled against the assault, but felt no pain. He marveled at the power of the armor as he turned to face his new opponent, and that was just what the huge 'digger' wanted.
The giant beast lunged as he turned, striking his midsection with a fatal strike. However, his armor was enchanted and the blade merely shattered on impact. Overbalanced and startled by the unexpected loss of his blade, the giant dragon-man stumbled forward, nearly toppling into Goliath. With a roar, the large gargoyle swung his own sword, catching the huge beast by the throat. An ugly gurgle escaped its mouth before it hit the ground dead, and he turned once again to drive off the other creatures attacking him.
It wasn't long before he was engaged by another oversized dragon-man. He distantly wondered how many of these creatures existed as he drove it towards a large stone pillar. His opponent was highly skilled and surprisingly agile. Once they'd reached the pillar, Goliath roared and kicked the beast in the gut. Despite its armor and thick scales it stickered backwards colliding with the pillar. Goliath struck the beast with a thrust, impaling it against the pillar. It howled in pain a moment, then slumped dead to the ground as Goliath pulled the blade free.
Breathing heavily, Goliath glared up at Constantine's throne. He could see the sorcerer's pale green face dimly in the poor light. It looked like a phantom image through the smoke and steam. His face was still void of emotion but his golden eyes danced with bloodlust. Silence other than the bubbling of the cauldron prevailed. Sneering angrily, he approached the throne's steps, skirting the cauldron. He paused when he saw Constantine's grin.
Goliath jumped and spun around when the pillar behind him snapped at the base and tumbled towards him with a resounding boom. He leaped out of the way as it crashed to the ground. He rolled to his feet and glared at his enemy who laughed like a madman from his throne. He roared in pain as an arrow embedded itself in an unprotected region of his right arm. A second later he was tackled from behind and hit the ground with a cry. He couldn't see his attacker but he guessed it was a demon of some sort judging by the long fingers, black talons, scaly red flesh and acrid scent.
The discomfort in his chest surprised him. With a grunt, he blasted the creature with his magic and listened to it scream shrilly as it was knocked off him, but it latched onto his chest-plate and ripped it off as it fell back. He roared in immediate pain and slowly pushed himself to his feet. Not good! He thought fretfully. I need that armor to keep the pain at bay!
Goliath turned in hopes of reclaiming the missing piece of his armor but was tackled by a troll and once more driven to the ground. Agony coursed through him causing him to roar with pain. Enraged, he flipped his attacker over his heave and sliced at it with his shield before shrinking it to fit it back on his armguard and used the butt of his sword to strike the troll in the head. As he staggered to his feet another charged him from the balcony nearby but he side-stepped it and with surprising strength, kicked it through the throne room doors. He heard it roll down the stairs for a full minute before silence returned.
Groaning against the pain, he turned towards his armor again only to find it in the hands of a second golden-eyed demon. Several trolls and dragon-men and dragon-women stood around it in a semi-circle, facing him. He glared at them all, defiant to the end, but couldn't keep himself from gulping down his trepidation. He was already getting very tired but from here on out he'd have to rely solely on his magic.
Suddenly, he spun with a roar, swinging his blade. He felt it hit something before he saw it and heard the sickening sound of metal cutting through bone and flesh, heard the squawk of pain before a dragon-men fell dead to the ground.
It would have stabbed me in the back if I hadn't sensed it! He realized.
Behind him, Constantine snickered. "Finish it," he heard the sorcerer sneer and turned to see an unnerving glint in his foe's eyes.
Goliath turned with barely any time to spare. All of the standing enemies were charging him. Spears and swords were raised, maces were being swung, arrows were being strung and some had already started to fly. He blocked what he could with his shield and sword but he needed something else if he was survive this and defeat Constantine as he was supposed to.
With a roar, he lifted his shield hand and released a piercing blast of light into every nook and cranny of the room. The dragon-men and dragon-women stopped to shield their eyes while other creatures like the golden-eyed demon scurried out of the room. Some died on contact as if their only existence came from shadow magic. Those that were left met the sharp edge of his sword or the ensnaring power of his tail.
At the very last of it, he flicked his tail and sent a dragon-woman tumbling head over heels and roared as he jammed his sword into the cobbled floor, releasing a shockwave that finished off the last of his opponents before he sucked in a deep breath, pulled the blade free and straightened, glaring up at Constantine.
My strength is running out, he realized with a small sense of dread. I won't last much longer without that breastplate. He sucked in a deep breath. Well, no time to worry about that now. This must end. NOW!
He took a few steps closer to Constantine's upraised throne, his eyes glowing like tiny beacons in the darkness. He snarled furiously at his enemy, very much aware of how closely Constantine was watching him.
"That was a very poor way of finishing your opponent, Constantine," he taunted. "No more of these GAMES! Stop hiding behind your minions like a child under his blanket. You hide behind your magic like a COWARD!"
Constantine glared at him, a dangerous light building behind his eyes. "You dare MUCH to mock me so, Goliath," he muttered, his voice a deadly hum.
Goliath shook his head. "No more, sorcerer," he said in a calmer voice. "No more suffering, no more fear, no more PAIN! End it now, Constantine. Face me now in battle and let us end this nonesense ONCE AND FOR ALL!"
Constantine stared at Goliath, deathly silent.
To be continued . . .
