Erin lifted her staff to send a lighting bolt at a couple of elves that tried to get close to them, making them retreat.
Helen kept using her shield to protect them from arrows, while Faralynn and Mia tried to hit with arrows and laser beams the ones firing at them.
Ffyr used fireballs to attack so other elves, keeping them away from Faralynn and the others.
At the sa ti, Matthew attacked Orson and his horde.
The hobgoblins advanced close together in a tight shield wall, which was useless against Matthew. With one kick, he sent one of the hobgoblins flying backwards, downing the others behind him and breaking its shield in half.
He dodged the stabs of spears that ca after that and cut at his attackers. Against his swords, their wooden shields were re paper. Their blood flew high and their at burned bright blue.
Matthew didn’t even have to dodge the arrows that ca at him. None could pierce his Vital Shield.
Orson sent a barrage of magic missiles at him, but Matthew picked up a goblin and used it to shield himself from the attack.
Matthew now walked forward cleaving his way through Orson’s horde as if he was mowing through tall grass. Every goblin he felled stayed on the floor burning with unholy fire, lighting the night blue.
"You’ve beco a monster." Orson clenched his teeth.
Matthew switched Aym’s blade for a gun and used it to kill the goblin shamans and archers who were further away.
"You can’t defeat ." He said getting close to the Summoner and his horse.
"I thought that I could at least delay you." Orson shook his head, ordering the rest of the goblins to stop their attack and teleporting them away.
The human then looked at the distance where Ffyr bombarded the elven troops with fireballs.
"I failed again." He chuckled.
"Surrender." Matthew ordered. "The only reason I haven’t killed you already is because you saved us long ago."
"I know. I wish that things were different." Orson smiled at Matthew.
"Why do you serve a person like Farynn?" Matthew asked with a painful expression, knowing what was about to happen.
"Long ago, I was but a scared child trafficked and enslaved not very far from here." Orson explained while lighting a cigarette with a small red crystal as a lighter. "Lord Farynn saved . Saved all of us. He even gave this eye to replace the one the slavers took away."
Matthew kept silent, not knowing how to respond to that.
"He’s not an evil man. He cares about those near to him." Orso puffed his cigarette.
"And trying to kidnap his own niece? Or using the Earth Dragon, destroying its eggs?" Matthew asked.
"He’s not a good man either." Orson laughed, taking a pull on his cigarette. "But he’s the one who saved . I owe him my life."
Matthew just sighed.
"I really wish it didn’t co to this." Orson gave Matthew a sad smile.
When a bright light covered the man as he tried to teleport away, Matthew threw Belial’s sword at him, piercing his chest with ease. His horse backed up and neighed loudly, getting scared by Matthew’s movent. Feeling his rider go limp over him, it moved about as if trying to wake Orson up.
Matthew used his superior speed to touch the horse and his Witchcraft skill to calm it down. He then undid the straps that held Orson on the saddle, took back his blade and laid the man on the floor with respect.
He sighed as he closed the man’s eyes and clicked his tongue in anger. He hated himself for killing Orson, but he couldn’t just let him leave again after all he did.
"Is this the Duchess’ uncle?" A female voice asked him in English.
Matthew turned around to find the blue winged fairy looking at Orson’s body.
"No. This is one of his n. The one who controlled the goblins to steal the dragon’s eggs." Matthew explained.
The fairy just nodded without taking her eyes from the body.
"What are you doing here?" Matthew asked.
"I’m making sure the Duchess will keep her word." The fairy said.
"I see." Matthew noted simply while purifying the blue flas that still burned the bodies around him.
"You knew this man well?" The fairy asked.
"No. But he saved my life long ago."
"I see."
"I have to help the others now." Matthew said, leaving the fairy behind and running back to the camp.
"As you wish." The fairy didn’t take her eyes from Orson’s body for even a second. She had a pensive face on her.
When Matthew approached camp, he found Ffyr extinguishing the fires she caused in the forest. Faralynn and Helen were going around collecting the dead while Erin and Mia rested around the fire.
"Is anyone hurt?" Matthew asked.
"Just tired." Erin smiled at him.
"Most of them fled after a while." Mia explained.
Helen put two dead bodies near a tree where they were putting the others as well.
"Guess they didn’t expect that we were this strong." She said.
"What about Orson?" Faralynn asked, arriving with the last body, dead with 3 arrows in his chest.
"I killed him." Matthew said remorseful.
"I see." Faralynn caressed his face consoling him.
"What are you doing?" Matthew asked, looking at the bodies.
"Gathering the dead." Helen said as if it explained anything.
"We burn the bodies so that they won’t return as undead." Faralynn explained.
"Should I bring Orson and the goblins?" Matthew asked.
"Please. I’ll help you."
" too." Helen volunteered.
Faralynn said a prayer in elven as Ffyr set the bodies ablaze with her magic.
As they watched the pyre consuming the dead with saddened expressions they heard the blue winged fairy again.
"I don’t understand you."
They all looked at the little spirit who materialized near them.
"These n tried to kill you and you prayed for them." She protested.
"They were doing their duty." Faralynn tried to explain.
"It doesn’t make sense. Why aren’t you angry?" The fairy asked, visibly confused.
None of them could explain. The fairy was right. Shouldn’t they be angry?
"Yet you treat their bodies with respect." The spirit kept talking.
"I think that is... It’s just inevitable. I have no reason to hate them. They were doing what they were ordered to do and we defended ourselves." Erin tried to explain.
"Are you really going to deliver your uncle?" The fairy questioned Faralynn.
"Of course. This is all his fault. The war, the dragon, them." She pointed at the fire.
"I’m watching you, elf." The fairy warned her before vanishing from sight.
Ffyr showed her tongue to air as soon as the spirit beca ethereal.
"We should move." Helen said as the fire died down.
They arrived at the encampnt a couple hours past noon. After a short rest, Faralynn went to the war council to explain what happened.
"A week?" Dalynn protested.
"6 days, since it took one for the Lady to get here." Azan corrected him.
"And you agreed with that?" Another noble questioned Faralynn aggressively.
"I’m sure the Duchess did her best." Faralynn’s aunt emphasized her niece’s title as a way to admonish the noble for forgetting to treat her properly.
"The spirits are fickle." Azan agreed.
"I’m sorry, my ladies." The noble sat down.
"This ans we can’t wait any longer." Farzan said.
The rest of the day was spent planning and preparing to assault the walls.
At night, Matthew was washing his body with a wet rag in a dark part of the encampnt.
"There you are." Faralynn found him naked from the waist up.
"Hey Lynn." He smiled at her as she approached him.
"Hey Matt." She smiled back hugging him.
"Nervous?" Matthew asked, placing the rag down and sitting with her.
"Yes." She said resting her head on his shoulder.
He just caressed her hair and kissed her head. There wasn’t much to say.
"Look." Faralynn said pointing at the sky.
"What?" He asked looking up.
"See those stars?" She pointed at a group of stars tracing lines with her fingers. "Those are Archer. It’s a constellation that only appears this ti of the year."
"It’s beautiful."
"That one. The tip of the arrow." She pointed, making sure Matthew was watching the sa one. "That’s Earth."
"Are we that far away?" Matthew was surprised.
"It’s hard to believe. Isn’t it?" She smiled at him.
"It is. But then again, I was in hell and in heaven." Matthew chuckled.
Faralynn chuckled as well and kissed him, caressing his face and feeling his beard that was starting to show up again.
"Should I shave?" Matthew asked.
"No. Only if you want to, I an." She blushed.
"You like beards?" He asked.
"I don’t know. I’ve never seen you with one." She answered, caressing his chest now.
Matthew pulled her to sit on his lap.
"We haven’t had much ti to ourselves." He held her waist.
"No, we haven’t." She put her arms around his neck.
As the trebuchets started to launch boulders drenched in fire against the fortress walls, Matthew laid his lover on the grass, kissing her passionately.
Soon they would be over the walls.
But that night was theirs.
User Comments
0 comments from readers