The Last Heroes Before Judgement (43 page)

Sergeant Zara-grast called to his Seals to pull us up. They had broken through the major Swillian stronghold north of the plains. Tall reds, pirates, even royal guardsmen were thrown from the cliff. Arrows followed closely behind them. The rope lifted me up, and Zara-grast looked down to ensure that I was holding on. His face paint again reminded me of the grinnlies, and I remembered little Kru cooing at the bears with no fear. The memory was so vivid that even Zara-grast could hear Kru barking. He looked to the small patch of trees, and the barking came from a pup that was all grown up. He had run nearly twenty five miles without stop, only to be left behind in the final moments of the battle. Zara-grast tried to warn me that it was not yet over, the threat had not yet passed. His voice barely registered in my ears. I dropped from the rope and landed on the spongy ground so hard that my feat sunk in.

“Kru!”

Three Opa were running into the trees when they heard my voice. They turned to meet me head on. It would prove to be their last mistake. One of the Seals warded them off with arrows long enough to pull up Zara-grast and toss the rope back down. But, there was no going back. I raised the Broadhammer high and, despite the lack of sunlight, I summoned the red shadow.

“Kru!”

The first Opa I reached received the full force of the hammer. It was like nothing I had ever imagined. I hit the bastard so hard, he sailed through the air and over the cliff. While he fell to the bottom of the waterfall, I raced towards his mates. One was taken out by archers. The next I smacked in the face so hard that his neck spun all of the way around. I hit the tree line at a full sprint, running straight into a hollowed reed.

“Ha! My liver is on the other side- idiot!”

I broke the reed in half, and showed the beast how to properly stab a liver. His friend was so upset that he tried to roar dominance over me like the lion. His low toned bellowing turned into a high pitched squeal as I swung the hammer low, bringing it up between his legs. His body flew up into the canopy. I turned left to skirt the river valley, listening for the source of Kru’s cry for help.

“Kru! No!”

I had to stop suddenly, as the Opa War Chief had the lion’s tooth to the base of Kru’s skull. He did not mean to offer the mercy of an instantaneous death, he simply wanted a hostage. He turned up his nose to smell for fear, but only inhaled two plumes of red shadow. He flicked his eyes to my hammer and tore his claws into Kru’s back to show that he was serious.

“So, this is what you want? Let’s trade beast. Here...”

I slowly extended the Broadhammer to his right. He did not drop the tooth. Instead, he switched hands. He crushed Kru beneath his foot, curling his clawed toes to prevent him from rolling out. The lack of action should have sapped my energy, but Kru’s constant pleas for help drove me mad with bloodlust. The hammer was vibrating out of control when the beast grabbed on. He tried to steal it, then bucked back. His giant hand slid to the base of the handle, turning away from the top facing side. His eyes gave him away. It was not some lost form of sorcery that kept them under Swillian control. It was not the ruse that drove his cousin wild in the shallow pool.

“You- you’re allergic to gold?”

The beast slunk down into itself, losing confidence and scanning the trees for an exit. I laughed. I cackled at him. I stood tall, using the break to kick his knee out. Kru was free to run north after Zara-grast, and the beast nearly took my hammer. A flash of gold made us both freeze. Like the phoenix, the specialized Broadhammer was able to channel the will of Kane. My mouth flew open, tongue falling loose. My face shook from side to side. The beast knew that I did not merely mimic a goat, as he had seen Kane force his way through the phoenix before. Seeing the face of his enemy turned him back into a monster. He dropped down and kicked with both massive feet. I nearly went over the edge, but I had practiced bouncing back onto my feet. However, the hammer was lost. With nothing standing in his way, the Opa War Chief spread his arms wide and roared like the mighty predator he was. I revealed Major Swiftblade’s golden hilt from my vest, and he tightened his grip on the lion’s tooth. We both prepared for a head on collision.

That’s when Kru sunk his teeth into the thing’s wrist. He squealed and dropped the tooth. Losing his weapon and the use of his hand convinced him to retreat. I meant to utilize his hesitation, but he launched a final attack. With one massive foot, he kicked Kru up into the air. The red shadow allowed me one last bit of assistance, and left my body before I could finish blinking. I had no time to think- only move. I pulled Kru to me, holding him tight and curling up around his small body.

The monster laughed like a demon from the underworld, and it was the last thing I heard before the rushing falls drowned out everything. Judgement day had come, and we all raised our fists in defiance. Even Kru had held up his little paw, fighting and dying for the honor.

This honor quest has lasted a quarter century with no end in sight. Much to my dismay, I have uncovered a mere three basic truths of stoicism- I hope.

1. Provocation is a fool’s errand.

2 .If the question is how: the answer is to try.

3. There are only two types of people in this world.

There’s you, and then there’s everyone else. Only one of which do you have the power to change.

A special thanks to the spirit of De La Cruz.

Even at the end, his power level was over nine thousand.

Follow me to the sequel

@MWilkNovelist

On Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook