1565
The Dark Queen
The Black Fortress…
The assault was still moving, and now there were casualties. The forces of the Dark Queen fought back fanatically, giving lives for time. It was admirable, Kyril actually felt pity before the whirling chaos that was the battlefield brought him back to his senses. This grinding, never ending push was war.
Gone was the initial battle plan…
All that was left was strength.
The Hunter dodged the spear thrust made for his chest and trapped the shaft of the spear between his arm and body. He then cleaved the Dark Elf spear-man's face in two and dropped him. The Hunter surged into the tiny gap and swung left to right, cutting through the line that was holding this junction. Behind him, the Black Dogs rallied to the charge.
"Move it, you dogs!" Kyril heard Vault scream at his men. "You gonna let the Hunter do all the work for you!? Kill and move, boys! Do not get bogged down here!"
Kyril smirked underneath his mask before his countenance turned back into an emotionless visage. His red eyes were dulled as he swung the Saw Cleaver into another Dark Elf warrior. Blood forged iron bit deep into the man's neck before completely severing the helmeted head from his shoulders.
Did Vault really think that he was fighting for him and his Black Dogs? Kyril sliced into another enemy warrior, ignoring the screams as he looked ahead...
Then, he sensed it. Hairs on the back of his neck stood. Kyril looked around, red eyes searching even as the Dark Elf spear line parted as if to allow the Black Dogs passage. Kyril saw something...bright orange, and then he felt heat.
"Move!" He bellowed to the floundering Black Dogs behind his advance. "Move!"
A great ball of flame, summoned as if in desperation surged forward at the Black Dogs. Kyril dove under it. He heard screaming dimly before he was back on his feet. The Hunter caught the mage, a figure with light metal armor under her cloak. She was clutching her staff, eyes wide in surprise as Kyril started running at her.
The Dark Elves realized what Kyril intended as they scrambled to reform the line. The Hunter disregarded Vault yelling to regroup, or the whispered incantation of the mage that was lining up another shot. Fire burst to life in the round crystal mounted on the staff. No time. He was going to have to end this quick.
The Hunter's cleaver struck out, cutting down the two spearmen who tried to get in his way. Kyril reached the mage, his blade gleaming dully in the torchlight as he struck.
A scream. Kyril saw a pair of delicate hands flying through the air, still gripping a staff, as he swung down. The Dark Elf mage hit the ground, armor and flesh cleaved open, eyes wide with terror and pain as she expired. And then the light in her eyes faded as the trauma from the savage wound finally took its toll. The horrid death of one of their mages caused the enemy warriors to cringe back at the horrible foe arrayed against them.
It was...a chilling sight, worthy of the attentions of a master artist. The Hunter, half-cut with blood, standing in the midst of dead warriors wielding a madman's weapon in one hand and his firearm in the other. The Black Dogs behind him and the Dark Elves arrayed in front.
The moment lasted for a few seconds before the Black Dogs charged the Dark Elves, their morale restored. They had lost quite a lot of men to the magical fire and only Kin's magic had saved the rest from being immolated. A second shot would have devastated the Black Dogs, Kyril had done much good by slaying the mage responsible. The Hunter watched as the Black Dogs crushed the opposition, their morale was high and they were close to victory.
Vault grinned as his men surged forward. Kyril was standing still, as if calculating his next moves. The boy was no combat leader, but he could certainly inspire…dread in his enemies. The Dark Elves had fallen back, still willing to fight for every inch they gave to the Black Dogs.
"Hunter, you ready to move? Hicks and Kin are clearing out the other sectors of the Fortress." Vault said.
Kyril didn't reply but he nodded, implying that he heard the information given to him. Like always, he looked utterly bored. The Hunter swung his Cleaver down, folding it into its compact form with a metallic screech. Vault shook his head at the fact that someone actually managed to use such a mad weapon with one hand before waving his boys forward.
The Hunter moved at the forefront with Vault.
"So...we're in," Kyril said. "What is the plan?" He loaded a new canister of shot into his gun. Vault eyed the massive Blunderbuss warily before deigning to answer Kyril's question.
"The plan is to cut our way in, there's more resistance in this area so that should mean that we're getting close to the center of it all." Vault spoke, hefting his blade across his shoulders, "Olga should be in the throne room, and if my hunch is correct she's too prideful to run off, but I have Hicks and Kin creating a perimeter in case she tries to leave without our permission."
Kyril did not have the heart to argue with Vault about that. This could of course have been a trap to lure them in deeper and then...He guessed Olga could just blow them all to hell and most of the fortress with the Black Dogs inside. The Hunter kept that to himself. Whatever happened, happened and he would react accordingly.
The was wrong. He should have just stayed out of this mess and found somewhere isolated. Instead, he was stuck in a fortress where the ruler was waiting to just blow them all apart with her magic.
That was what was bothering him though, apart from the battles he and the Black Dogs had gotten into as they entered the Fortress through the sewers, everything seemed to be going to plan. Casualties were within expected limits, as far as Kyril knew they were doing well despite having lost quite a few good men in the battle of the Black Fortress.
So why was Olga's fortress so empty? Surely she was not foolish enough to truly send every orc and Dark Elf she had into the South?
The Hunter shook his head. He truly was not a soldier, just a good killer. He should be concentrating on the present, not the future.
/
With the most irritating timing imaginable, an orc war band was waiting for them in the next expansive hall. Worse, there was a larger ogre with them. The bastard was a smaller version, only eight feet instead of ten but still quite big. Kyril saw that this was going to be a hard push, already moving quicker.
Vault let out a shout and the Black Dogs met the orcs with ferocity. Men and orc died, hacking each other to pieces as the orcs gave everything they had to keep the Black Dogs from advancing further into the Dark Queen's domain. Swords cut through flesh and bone, orcish cleavers hacked the limbs from bodies. It was madness, a melee that forwent all manner of strategy. It was just one side pushing another, mortal enemies waiting for one or the other to break first.
The Hunter was among the first that crashed into the enemy lines, he went in swinging and killed an orc with one swipe across the throat. Shoving the body forward, Kyril felt the jarring impacts of crude spear points punching into the body he was using as a shield. He shoved his corpse shield forward, then blasted a flanking orc in the face with his Blunderbuss. The weapon's roar was deafening in close quarters and the spread of Quicksilver buckshot was enough to utterly obliterate whatever it was pointed at.
The orc on the receiving end was certainly unlucky, its face was utterly destroyed by the shot. Kyril swung round knocking aside a club headed for his head with the empty Blunderbuss. The Hunter swung his other weapon upwards, the Saw Cleaver opening a gash in the middle of the orc's face. He kept killing, his Saw Cleaver opening throats. An orc tried to end him with a spear thrust to the side. Kyril sidestepped the clumsy attacker and smashed his Blunderbuss' stock into its face, breaking off a tusk. The orc roared in pain and was promptly silenced as Kyril's Saw Cleaver crashed through its skull, the great blade crunching through bone and brain.
The Hunter swung again in a brutal arc, cursing under his breath at the delay. The swing took the top of an orc's head off. Kyril kept moving. He was getting delayed, he had to keep moving forward.
"Hunter!"
Kyril turned back around, seeing Vault as he cut down another orc with a one handed swing. His other fist sledgehammered into another orc's face knocking it aside.
"We'll deal with the Ogre, just press on and end it!" The mercenary leader told him. "We've got things here!"
Kyril gave the barest of nods to Vault before heading onward. The Black Dogs could hold. Now he just had to worry about Olga...or whatever else was in his way. The Hunter had his quarry, and while he knew he was leaving his allies behind potentially to die he still had his mission.
As always, he was alone in this and he traveled deeper into the Dark Fortress.
/
Vault lowered his sword as the Hunter made his way forward. Good. That meant that he could do what he came here to do, but he wasn't counting on the Hunter being unscathed. Olga was no pushover, and a sorceress of her caliber could take on practically anything. Even the Hunter would have trouble; Vault was counting on the Hunter lasting long enough to weaken Olga to the point that she could be easily captured.
The Plan...Vault needed to be patient, and let Kyril take the hits while he remained relatively fresh during the fighting. He knew, without a doubt that Hicks and Kin would do their jobs. They had to kill enough orcs to get through the fortress but at the same time take enough prisoners to fully have the fortress under their command.
They all had to move fast, that was the key. Vault knew that the time to deal with the Hunter was fast approaching. The Shields already disliked him, and even if he did try something in the Black Fortress he was just one man.
A dangerous one, but just one man.
Vault waved his men into the fray, as the orcs fell back. He saw one of his men fall backwards, helmet and head crushed by the ogre that was still fighting. Vault was going to take care of this bastard. With a loud roar, the mercenary leader surged forward. His sword bit deep into the ogre's shoulder.
The brute hollered and raised its club but Vault had already moved, spinning and swinging his sword low at the thing's left leg. The blade cut right into the knee joint causing it to stumble. Vault's sword flashed and the ogre's lumpy head flew into the air. The body spurted blood from its neck and it fell forward.
The Black Dogs cheered as Vault hefted the blade, panting. But he grinned. Never before had he felt so alive...his dream was close.
And no one would be the wiser...
"Move up, boys!"
The Fortress was dark, its halls dimly lit by torches. The hallway he was in seemed to stretch on for miles. Kyril could feel the magic coursing through this place, bound as it was to the will of its mistress. The Hunter's pace was quick, steady and yet cautious.
Twice he had encountered several orcs and had cut them to pieces before continuing his advance. Kyril loaded a new cartridge into both his firearm before heading onward, stabbing a Blood Vial into his thigh. He had not encountered any Dark Elf warriors, so perhaps they had been assigned to more important sectors.
None were in the vicinity of the Throne Room. What the Hell was going on?
Irritated, Kyril felt the hole in his side begin to close alongside his clothes being repaired. He didn't exactly question how it worked. The sacred Blood contained within the vials healed him completely, but it came with a terrible price. Kyril paid that price even to this day, another burden that laid across his shoulders. The Hunter exhaled as he felt his wounds closing. He felt his canines growing and swore to himself, shaking his head. Kyril kept going his eyes scanning the area around him.
The hallway continued on for a few more moments but eventually he came to a pair of great doors. This had to be the throne room. Kyril steeled himself and then pushed both doors open, the wood creaking as he did so. The Hunter walked through the doors, Saw Cleaver and Blunderbuss in hand.
The throne room was expansive. Banners hung from the walls on each side of the great black chair, showing the sigil of arrogant Garan. Seated on the throne was a queenly figure, a Dark Elf of great beauty and poise.
Cold, amber eyes observed the Hunter with annoyance. The woman stood to her impressive full height of six feet. Long midnight locks reached down to her ankles, she wore an elegant corset and robe, all covered in a rich dark cloak that flowed over her shapely, lean form. Kyril knew this was his target.
Olga Discordia, Haughty Queen of the Dark Elves.
Kyril stopped a certain distance from his foe. Hunter and Queen stared each other down. Olga certainly demanded respect, her fearsome countenance held the weight of ages. But the Hunter's malicious shadow was deep, seemingly reaching into the infinite darkness.
"So...the South sends a band of bandits to rampage through my home, and in turn there was only one man who was willing to volunteer his life to try and slay me." Olga's seductive voice rang with authority and barely concealed anger.
Kyril didn't reply, not for a while. He then spoke, "Your fortress is under attack, and the men I fight with are currently slaughtering their way through your orcs." The Hunter looked up at Olga.
"Surrender amicably, and this ends."
Olga smiled, a haughty one. "Surrender amicably?" She repeated his words mockingly, "When a thief or a ruffian enters one's home, it is only right for you to slay the person trying to bring harm." Her eyes narrowed in a heated glare.
"Tell me, human. Was the price offered worth coming here to die?"
Kyril blinked. His red eyes were blank pools. "I will give you one more chance," He said, his soft voice rumbling with menace, "Surrender. Lady Celestine's orders were to bring you to her alive. Do not mistake this warning for lack of resolve."
Olga chuckled darkly as flames erupted behind the Hunter.
"Die as you lived, human. Brave, but foolish!"
The flames enclosed upon her foe and in those few seconds, Olga relished in the victory. What an arrogant and errant fool Celestine was to think that one man-
The sudden roar took the Dark Queen off guard. Olga flinched back at the terrible, low sound that told her death had come to her home.
The wordless howl was that of a tormented, berserk beast that had just been attacked and was now responding in kind. The flames that had enclosed upon her enemy had been blown away as if by the wind itself.
The man had crouched, arms crossed over his chest. Olga shrank back as cruel red eyes stared into hers. He was unharmed, save for the few spots of singing on his clothes. Those flames had been hotter than hell itself, and yet this man seemed to hardly notice it.
"I warned you," The man told her, his voice sending chills down her spine.
Olga twirled her staff and pointed at him, sending another blast of fire. The man roared again, the terrible sound ripping its way out of his throat. The fireball was deflected upwards by sheer sound, crashing into the stone above them.
The human then charged, swinging his weapon right at her. It was a madman's weapon, a saw fused with a cleaver.
Olga barely had time to dodge it and the man's blade cleaved through the back rest of her throne. Laying on the floor, the Dark Elf Queen saw that had she been a few seconds too late she would have been cleaved in two from shoulder to waist.
Getting to her feet, she glared at her opponent.
"You should feel honored, to witness the might of Haughty Garan." Olga told him as she whirled her staff once more. Flames surrounded her. "Your name?"
"I am a Hunter, my name matters not," Was the cold answer of the human as he swung his weapon outward, unfolding the compact saw into a long bladed cleaver.
Olga augmented her body with her magic, keeping her distance from the human by leaping back every time he moved into close range. With her waning reserves she knew she was more than a match for this beast that had invaded her home. But the Hunter kept pace with her.
Even with her fire magic, Olga was no match for someone so swift, something she had never seen in her centuries of life. The Hunter was never in one place, dashing, sidestepping, diving and sidestepping everything she threw at him. Even her barriers, sorcerous magic that protected many mages from harm, which were more than a match for even Celestine shattered when he hit them with the cruel weapon in his hands. It still did not mean that she was going to give up so easily. If this human thought that her life was cheap, then he was going to work for it!
Olga thrust her staff forward with a wave of force, feeling a little better as the Hunter flew back. Only for him to roll back onto his feet, crouched. His Cleaver was still in hand. Red eyes looked at her with detachment, looking for one good chance to put her down. The Dark Queen scowled as the Hunter stood to his full height.
He stepped forward once, then blurred into motion.
Left or right? Olga thought to herself as she readied her staff. The crystal atop it glowed with purple light as she cast another barrier around herself.
A single footstep.
Behind!?
Olga spun around, magic at her fingertips; the fire that soon blazed into life caused the Hunter to disengage. He swung, shattering the magic barrier with a single blow. Olga stumbled backwards, raising her staff only for the venerable artifact to be cut in twain by the returning downward swing. Olga let out a breathless yelp as the Hunter kicked her in the torso, sending her flying a few feet. It was as if an ogre had thrown a boulder into her midsection.
The Dark Elf coughed and sputtered, gasping for air that would not enter her lungs as she crawled away. Her staff was useless now. She tried to call for another spell but the Hunter was on her. Kyril had drawn his pistol and had aimed it at her head.
"Surrender," He spoke softly. "You cannot match me in close quarters, and I really would prefer not killing you." The Hunter kicked aside the sundered halves of Olga's staff. The Dark Queen readied her magic, knowing full well that she wasn't as fast as this man was.
"No." She hissed.
The Hunter blinked. He sighed tiredly, "Wrong answer."
The doors slammed open once more.
"Well, I'll be damned!" Vault crowed as he and his men entered the throne room. "And here I thought you'd be burned to a cinder."
/
Kyril's eyes narrowed at the sight of Vault, swaggering triumphantly into the hall. The Hunter lowered his Saw Cleaver a fraction. Vault grinned at the sight of the Dark Queen on the floor, the Dark Elf was glaring at the Black Dogs. Her opponent, the ever grim Hunter, just watched the proceedings with detachment. Although Vault did see some annoyance in the boy's empty gaze he wasn't going to do anything yet.
Vault whistled and two men moved forward, holding a prisoner. Kyril looked at this one, a Dark Elf much like Olga save for her blonde hair tied into a side ponytail. She wore scaled light armor and leather. Two sheathes for knives hung at her slender waist. Dark crimson eyes glared hatefully at him.
"My Queen!" She cried out. "Forgive me, I should have been here-Ah!"
Vault yanked the young woman by the root of her ponytail. Olga's eyes widened, then she snarled. "Fiend! Let her go, or I will make you suffer for hurting her!"
"You've got nothing, Queen!" Vault laughed at the helpless Queen. "If you don't want this poor bitch gutted, I suggest you surrender!" He nodded at Kyril. "Nice work, Hunter."
"She is my prisoner, Vault. I have this under control," Kyril said. "Lady Celestine wants her...unspoiled."
"The Goddess isn't here, and I'm in command boy." Vault answered arrogantly. "But fine...you did do the heavy lifting, so I'll be grateful for that. Truss her up, and toss her in a cell."
Kyril stepped over Olga, and in front of her. "You should not make this more difficult by using a hostage," He told Vault, angrily. "I had this under control."
"Relax, boy," Vault grinned, "Just do as I say, we've won! We've got time to look over our spoils. We'll gather what we can use, leave and you'll get your nice, juicy pay from the Goddess, she gets her prisoners and we all walk away happy. Lock her up so she doesn't escape."
Kyril stood there, and the atmosphere chilled. Olga looked up at the Hunter. The man just hauled her up and threw her over his shoulder.
"Let go of her!" Kyril heard the blonde Dark Elf scream at him.
"I'll kill you all!" Olga swore to herself. Kyril heard the hate in her voice and ignored it along with her subsequent attempts to get free.
The Hunter was in deep. His mission was to bring Olga to justice in the south but Vault was beginning to play games. Could he kill him? He could, easily in fact, but that meant risking Olga Discordia's life in return. No doubt that the Black Dogs were loyal to their master.
Olga kept kicking. In irritation, Kyril dropped the Dark Queen on the floor. Olga cried out as the Hunter suddenly hauled her up by the clasp of her cloak. He roughly shoved her into a wall. The hallway they were in led to the dungeons and it was empty.
"I am trying to keep you alive, fool!" Kyril whispered harshly.
Olga stopped struggling. "Why should I trust a treacherous human!?" She snapped. "I should have-"
"I will leave you here." Kyril stated and Olga's blood ran cold at the certainty in his quiet voice. "I will let them do as they please to you, should you continue to try and escape on your own."
Olga closed her eyes, blinking back tears of frustration. "...Fine." She whispered with obvious reluctance. "Do with me what you will."
Kyril let her go briefly as he adjusted his coat. "I will put you in a cage," He told her neutrally. "You will not be harmed so long as you act civil." His voice brokered no argument, he would make no deal with her yet but he held no malice in his tone.
"And my...servant?" Olga whispered.
"...It may take some time. I will bring her to you when I get the chance."
Olga let herself be led to the dungeon where Kyril put her in. He looked around for a blanket and handed it to her. Surprised, Olga took it.
"Why?" She questioned him, surprised and relieved because it was cold down here. That and the fact that he was helping her now confused her.
The Hunter paused at the door for a brief moment, and then left. Olga huddled in her cell, lost, alone, and most certainly miserable.
Kyril walked with purpose through the hall. With victory came consolidation, the Black Dogs had begun their plundering of the Dark Fortress. Kin and Hicks' companies had regrouped with Vault and were processing Orc and Dark Elf prisoners; he saw several men hauling a bunch of treasures out, their eyes lit up with greed. It was all too easy to sneer at the sight. Humanity was truly capable of great avarice, even during dark times such as these. The war was not yet over, so why were these bastards celebrating already.
The Hunter walked past a group of cheerful Black Dogs as they cleaned up bodies. He didn't doubt that there was much plunder in the fortress. He walked past another group with the same job, making his way to the throne room. He disregarded the Black Dogs for the moment and pushed into the throne room where he had no doubt that Vault was in here.
He saw Kin, already reading a grimoire of spells. Hicks was smirking, looking at his surroundings with a critical eye. He winked at the Hunter who ignored him.
Vault, in his usual arrogant ways, sat in Olga's throne. He rested one elbow on one of the armrests, his chin tucked in his hand. Kyril resisted the urge to chuckle. The fool thought himself a king. Kyril was going to make his case, after that he was grabbing whatever supplies he could for the journey south to fulfill his mission. If Vault denied it then he could collect his damn payment from lady Celestine himself.
Kyril looked at Vault and the mercenary leader stared back. "She enjoying her new chambers?" Vault asked the Hunter, knowing full well Olga was in a cell.
"Yes." The Hunter replied coldly. "Although, she is highly distressed and will refuse to cooperate with us once we depart."
"Not too soon, boy. We've got a lot of stuff to sort through," Vault said, his smile widening. "The Black Fortress is a fucking goldmine, Hunter, imagine what new toys we'll be able to find in here!"
"The war is over," Kyril's voice was annoyed. "Our mission was to bring the Dark Queen to the Goddess."
"Like I said, Hunter." Vault replied. "She's not here, and you may be an agent of her will I am in command here. So relax, shut your mouth and enjoy the fruits of your labor."
Kyril glared at him, "Whatever foolish game you are playing at, I want nothing to do with it. I'll just get ready myself then-"
"Don't, Hunter." Kin spoke up.
Kyril turned to the young mage who closed his grimoire. Kin looked at him sternly. "We temper with Olga and something bad might happen, I know you are aware of her mastery of the arcane arts."
The Hunter nodded. "What does that have to do with bringing her south?" He asked.
"I mean...that if she were to 'willingly' come with us, unrestrained with no limiter on her magic, she could easily kill the Goddess. Nobody wants that, would they?" Kin told him, "We should take every precaution with that...sorceress, even if it means holing up here for a few days."
Kyril blinked once. "So why waste time not doing that?"
Kin waved his hand, "Look at this place, Hunter," He said, annoyed that he was being questioned, "The Black Fortress has many secretes, arcane and not. This place is a treasure trove, we should take every advantage we can get if we're going to make the South more powerful. That takes time, you can trust me on that."
Kyril didn't back down. "Three days," He said, "And I'm taking her back south, with or without any of you."
"No. A week at most," Kin shook his head, "You stubborn bastard…" He muttered when Kyril turned around and left the throne room. When the Hunter vanished into the dark halls of the Black Fortress, Hicks and Kin turned to Vault. The man scratched his cheek.
"Hicks, find your sneakiest guys." Vault said. "I want him followed every step while he's here."
"Got it, Boss." Hicks left swiftly.
Kin opened up his grimoire, "He's not really cooperative, is he?" He asked Vault.
"He should, if he wants to live long under my wing." Vault smirked. The duel was an eye opener, but Vault was certain that he could take him on with backup.
Shame, he thought to himself, it would have been good to have such a powerful warrior at his side when the plan has come to fruition.
Oh, well...Better to deal with a potential problem before it grew into an unmitigated catastrophe.
