"We come because we must, and we kill because we can."
The only sentence uttered by a captured Champion. The Orc was found dead in his cell the next morning. It was ruled as suicide.
Excerpt from The Beasts of the Dungeon.
REPLACE WITH LINE BREAK p^o^q REPLACE WITH LINE BREAK
Elly watched Marcus and Xathar teleport away, turning to the fort. The evacuation was in full swing, and she had her own Calamity to prepare for. There was no time to watch him leave, maybe waving dramatically before he left her field of view.
Fighting them as a pair one after the other would have been nice, but that was just begging for one to attack the army while they were busy. And while they'd been holding up very well so far, Calamities were city killers. Some more than others, apparently, but they didn't get that title for nothing.
Marcus was fighting an Elven mage, she was supposed to hunt a chicken. Hunt it without being able to teleport freely past the Hounds, which was a whole other problem.
Or it would be, if she was taking people with her.
Which she wasn't, because while she herself was fast enough to weave through the Hounds, even her best pupils would struggle to keep up. So there she was, watching the evacuation going as planned, and knowing she had to trust Pator to lead the army in her absence.
That wasn't a problem, really, but she liked doing it herself. She liked making sure everything was working as it should, and doubly liked seeing her plans coming to fruition.
Was that newly promoted captain as promising as he'd seemed? How was commander Kos handling his fresh recruits? Was baron-commander Zotor, second in command to her own general Pator, still putting the army before his own political situation?
Elly shook her head, making her way down from the roof. Life energy ran through her veins like a gentle stream, giving her the strength and reflexes needed to scale down to the ground floor, and she took a moment to relish in it.
She was so close. So close to breaking through and purifying her relation with Life. It would mean greater strength, enhanced stamina and even faster reflexes. And that sounded a little greedy, but Marcus was pushing her hard, these days.
Losing to him wasn't bad, but winning was just so much sweeter.
Unfortunately, that man combined martial skill and magical prowess frightfully well. Better than any war mage she'd seen, Imperial or otherwise. Which he resolutely refused to acknowledge, something that could get somewhat insulting.
Laying in the dirt, wounded and tired and beaten, and then hearing her opponent say he really wasn't that good at fighting was a tad… rude. Less so because he didn't mean anything by it, but she had her pride, dammit.
So yes, more everything would be nice. Very, very nice.
Elly had made her way to the gate as she'd complained, stepping out through it and into the army of Hounds. The area around the fort was relatively clear, thankfully, so she had a moment to properly infuse her body with strength.
Then she jumped, clearing the small group of beasties that had come to eat her. Killing them would have been trivial, but she had better things to do. Like finding her prey, which shouldn't be too hard.
Her eyes were sharp, and a feathered, wagon-sized, fire breathing chicken couldn't possibly be stealthy.
More Hounds raced towards her, and Elly settled into a low jog. One she could maintain for hours and hours, and barely touch her well of energy while doing so. It was just enough to outrun her faster pursuers, though the flying beasts were another problem.
But not that big of one, because she could hear them coming. Smell them coming, and both of those senses weren't limited like eyesight. So when they swooped she dodged, and if enough gathered together that dodging became risky, she killed.
Hounds were nothing, not compared to what she was used to fighting. That being a teleporting mage and a Calamity the size of a small castle, really. The former was slippery beyond belief and the latter had enough strength and durability to survive its lack of brains.
This? This was a warmup.
Elly let herself slip into old habits, slowly growing her group of stalkers. Some lost interest, especially the slower ones, but new beasts joined just as quickly. A rough guesstimate put them around the fifteen thousand mark, roughly split into three. Two parts flying, one part running. Stir for ten minutes then let cool.
She snorted.
It was good to run again. To move instead of be moved. When monster-birds came down she killed, when dog-beasts tried to cut her off she jumped. What Champions she passed didn't even try to keep up, and what rough terrain stood in her way was easily passed.
She started singing her stalking song soon after, her mood rising as the landscape blurred by. It wasn't a real song, of course. More like snippets of old tales, mixed together with whatever came to mind. It was funny.
And horrific, so she only did it when she was alone. And despite being surrounded by thousands, she was alone. Blessedly, freeingly, alone.
It was nice, sometimes. No Marcus and his magical bullshit, no army to impress or pupils to train. Just her, the prey she was stalking and the weapons needed to kill it. Which, as she finished climbing a suspiciously large boulder, was close.
Unless there were other creatures nearby that liked to melt stone, and for some reason she doubted that.
The Calamity was easy to track from there, Elly following the trail of destruction with ease. Heat residue gave her a direction, and soon enough she was seeing open flames. And lava. Actual lava, at that, the stone having melted and only just starting to cool.
She didn't know how hot the stone needed to get for that stage, but it seemed fair to assume that its breath was very, very hot. And fire was annoying to dodge on the best of days.
That thought was solidified when she finally did find it, almost five klicks away and eating a Hound. It was, as the reports had said, a chicken. And yes, it was the size of a carriage. It looked like it should belong in one of her homeland's circuses.
Then it breathed a plume of fire thirty feet long, killing several dozen Hounds that had been circling it, and Elly calmed herself. She could see some good vantage points to attack from, and most of the non-flying Hounds had lost her by now.
The flying ones were still a problem, but by how alone the Calamity suddenly was, she didn't think it was going to be one for much longer.
A burst of speed brought her closer, Life thrumming in her veins. The Hounds nipping at her heels vanished behind her, though they'd be following soon enough. One of the many rocks hid her when she arrived, and she took a moment to breathe.
Elly took the bow from her back and shifted to a crouch a long second later, mentally calculating how much time she needed. Five seconds until the closest Hound was on her, ten until the Calamity could reach her. She took one of the special arrows from her bottomless quiver, feeling the magic thrum between her fingers.
A simple piercing enchantment, but startlingly effective. The bow gave her range and power, her limbs the strength, and thousands of hours of practice gave her the skill. With luck this would be over in one shot, and she'd have something to brag to Marcus about.
Three seconds left. Elly lined up her shot, stepped to the side and got a good view of the Calamity. The chicken was still eating the Hound, though its position had shifted. No matter.
She breathed in, fully extended the bow, and breathed out. A moment later the arrow was flying, and the Calamity didn't even react. Not until the arrow took it in the side, penetrating nearly up to the fletchings.
Elly prepared a second shot as the creature squawked, knowing she had time for it. And she was proven wrong not a moment later, because the chicken turned in her direction and moved.
Fast. That was all that came to mind as it crossed the distance between them, Elly dropping her bow and moved to draw her sword. She pulled deeply on the well of energy in her chest, flooding her limbs with strength, and then her time was up.
It was big. Bigger than it had appeared, towering over her and lifting one of its feet to attack. Elly pivoted, slashing in the same movement she used to dodge. It should have taken the limb, or at least scratched it, but with a burst of speed the creature pivoted. Elly threw herself back, dodging its beak by inches.
Really fast. She drew on more energy, enhancing herself to the point her body was breaking down. Time didn't slow, but she was able to lean out of the way of another lunge. Its bone-like claws flew by her, and the Calamity sailed away with a deafening screech.
What in the absolute fuck is this thing?
Elly jumped when her ears picked up the sound of fire, a wave of heat washing under her a moment later. The Calamity clucked at her, seeming to inspect the wound on its side while she was dodging. Then it actually pulled out the arrow with its beak, snapping it in two and squawking again.
She landed and fully unsheathed her sword, the blade shining a verdant green as Life ran through it. The chicken dug its right claw into the ground like a mad bull, its two purple eyes glaring at her. Then it shot forward, no doubt aiming to cleave her in half.
Elly felt nothing from it. No Life energy nor magic. Just normal biology, which somehow made it able to do this, and she turned just as it arrived. Her instincts screamed and she avoided another peck, the wind snapping like a whip, and her blade ran over its side.
Feathers flew free, but other than that it was little more than a scratch. The Calamity seemed mortally insulted, nuzzling the wound instead of attacking. Elly was more than happy to punish that foolishness, sword rising point first.
The Calamity took a few steps back, not even looking at her. Elly grunted, jumping after it and ramming her blade through the thing's neck. It squealed again, right in her face this time, and the creature seemed almost shocked that she could keep up.
That made two of them, honestly. Not that the blow had done any real damage.
With that much toughness, speed and strength, it would tear through her army. It would tear through just about anything, really, and what its claws couldn't break, its fire could probably melt.
Elly stepped left and ducked low, dodging another peck. It launched itself to the side, ramming into her before she could dodge, and Elly turned her free fall into a controlled roll.
She spat to the side, watching it watching her. This thing was dying before it could get anywhere close to her people. That much was certain. And if it took her—
A giant stone dome appeared some distance behind the chicken, its sheer size making it hard to gauge the distance. It caused the Calamity to twist around and scream at the structure. Elly blinked. She didn't know much about magic, but she was pretty sure it wasn't usually performed at that scale.
She hummed, her sword keening through the air a moment later. Marcus' fight was his own, at least for however long it took her to kill this thing, and he could handle himself.
The chicken stepped over her attack, breathing another stream of fire at her. It burned so hot it was almost invisible, and Elly ducked under the thing. It promptly tried to crush her, but holding her sword straight up dissuaded the thing.
It wasn't as stupid as the stone not-elemental monstrosity, but it wasn't brilliant either.
But just like her first Calamity, it had other qualities to make up for that. Speed, in this case. Elly leaned back, forced to use her blade to knock away one of its wings. The chicken pecked, which tore open a small wound on her shoulder, but in return she punched it in the throat.
The Calamity breathed fire on her again, forcing her to create distance. She wasn't doing nothing, but frankly, this wasn't a good matchup. It could do everything she could and was far more durable, though at least the Hounds were staying away for now.
Running away wasn't an option, any blow beyond grazing would cripple her, and when she did kill it, the Hounds would swarm. Elly exhaled, a grin forming on her face.
Good.
Life was rushing through her veins now, and the chicken was just the right kind of opponent to let loose against. Fast, surprisingly skilled, morally bankrupt and utterly focused on killing her. It didn't belong to some faction that would swear vengeance upon its death, it wasn't political and it couldn't overwhelm her with numbers.
The perfect opponent.
Elly weaved around one leg and cut into the other, forced to duck low to avoid being pecked to death. She punched it in the face when it tried to correct its lunge, which earned her another outraged squawk, and one of its claws raked across her arm.
Things blurred from there. She dodged, cut and punched, the Calamity losing more and more of its feathers, and blood soon started marring its skin. Her Life empowered sword cut shallow cuts all along its chest and legs, and after a few minutes, she managed to get one cut deep enough to bleed.
She earned a deep wound on her shoulder in exchange, but for all its speed, it was still a chicken. One that fought better than most professional soldiers, but was clearly never trained to fight. And good instincts could carry one far, but never as far as one that had both instinct and centuries of cumulative knowledge.
Its legs were comparatively small, and Elly aimed for its shins. Or whatever those were called on poultry, but the important part was that she almost had one halfway cut.
With one of its legs gone she could kill it at her leisure, and—
The Calamity lunged, Elly stepping aside as she'd done a dozen times before. Except it moved with her, and before Elly could stop herself, she ducked low to avoid being pecked.
Fire washed over her back like a living torrent, its two purple eyes staring at her in triumph. Her already ruined armor superheated in moments, molten steel dripping on her shoulders and burning down, and Elly screamed. Screamed as her mind stuttered, all she knew washed away under the agony.
The chicken clucked in surprise when Elly's fist connected with its beak, the fire cutting off abruptly. Elly grabbed its throat and tore out a handful of feathers, which resisted just long enough for her to swing up. Her prey shook itself, but despite the pain, Elly balanced on its back easily enough.
Her sword shone so brightly it nearly blinded her, and she stabbed it down and into the creature's neck. Pain, adrenaline and fear combined into a slurry of thoughts, her own mind far too chaotic to follow.
So she stopped thinking and simply was, her whole being focused in that one moment. In the simple action of thrusting her sword into the back of this monstrosity's neck, the blade sinking down nearly halfway to the hilt. The Calamity thrashed in more than anger, now, and actually tried to crush her by flipping on its back.
Elly jumped off and landed on her feet, breathing in the fresh air. Blood, fear and burnt flesh was there, but further away there was power. Magical power alongside the smell of brains, Marcus' own scent mixed with it. She grinned a bloody smile, strength rippling through her.
The Calamity lunged and Elly stepped to the side, her fist smashing against its beak. The bones in her hand splintered, pain lancing through her hand, but then so did her target.
This. This was why she had wanted to fight it alone. This was why she meditated for months and months, slowly refining her understanding of Life. Pain was nothing, now, and her body responded so smoothly it almost felt alien.
But it wasn't. This was just her, finally breaking through her limits. Finally understanding her place in the world, even the destruction of her homeland not being enough to awaken it. But this chicken pushed her over the edge, and for that she owed it thanks.
The Calamity clawed at her and she stepped to the side, her blade finishing what it had begun. The foot came free and Elly laughed like a child, carefree and without reservation.
Once upon a time, at least a millennia ago, the founder of Caldir was rumored to move so fast light itself was left in awe. He was rumored to be able to smash boulders with his fists, and that his eyes could see so far he proclaimed that they were not alone. That other continents existed, and that he could hear their fishmongers argue.
Elly didn't know if that was this. She didn't know if those tales had been embellished, and if so by how much. But she did know that this creature was now balanced on one leg, and that its beak was in ruin.
It tried to punch her with its wing, and Elly's sword carved a chunk out of it. It tried to jump and land on her, and Elly climbed on its back like she was walking up the stairs. Her blade flashed and its skin parted, a river of blood gushing over her feet.
A small surge of power made her look up, Marcus appearing some distance away. He looked awful, his hair half burned and littered with wounds, but he was alive. Alive and having arrived to help her.
She wasn't planning on needing help.
Elly looked down, shifting her stance as the Calamity collapsed. Her blade sank into its skull and it stilled completely, rolling onto its side as gravity took control. Even now her sword only managed a cut few inches into its cranium, but a few inches was enough.
She stepped off it, landing lightly on her feet, and with great reluctance let go of her newly purified Life energy. The pain returned twofold, nearly bringing her to her knees, but it wasn't like she could keep it up anyway.
Her body was breaking down under the stress, her years of building tolerance proving to not be nearly enough. Marcus joined her in a flash, his hand resting on her exposed shoulder and muting the pain, and a pearl was clutched in his other hand.
Two Calamities dead, Marcus smelled like he'd broken through to his sixth matrix, and Elly herself had broken a limit none had managed for at least two centuries.
She staggered and heard howling Hounds rapidly approaching, the hooves of centaurs at their forefront. Marcus offered her a tired grin, one she returned with savage joy.
Power, enemies worth fighting and an equal to share it with.
Deep, deep contentment filled her soul, and Elly revelled in it.
Afterword
And that's the end of arc two, book two. Next time we'll be starting arc three of book two (which is also the last arc of the book), and we'll see how the Empire has been handling things.
Probably not a good idea to assume Marcus' and Elly's success is turning the tide of the war.