“What. The. Fuck.” I stared up at the insane-looking monster in total awe.
It was like something straight out of a child’s doodles, and the pieced together amalgamation of creatures sent shivers of dread down my spine. The tentacled arms were a putrid orange color that faded into the furry brown of the monster’s torso, but the leathery wings beat a steady pattern in the air as the creature descended.
Then, an instant after I spotted the weird flying beast, the sky darkened as hundreds of the winged monsters descended from the cobalt darkness of the sky.
All the color disappeared from my face as I realized what I was up against, and for the briefest moment, I felt a flash of fear.
But I shook it off and reminded myself who I was. The God of Time could conquer anything.
I was tempted to reset to my save point right then and there, but I wanted to learn as much as possible about this kind of creature before I did so I could have an advantage next time.
“Bash!” Caelia gasped and pointed skyward as she noticed the monsters.
“What are they?” Zenda asked as she hurried to my side, and her voice shook with fear. “They look creepy.”
“They’re coming this way!” Eva said as she leapt to her feet.
“Stay close,” I instructed and gestured for Eva and Caelia to get behind me as I drew my weapons. There was no telling what these creatures were capable of, and I needed to be a strong example for my people to follow. “Be ready for anything.”
All around the campfire, people rose to their feet as they stared up at the approaching monster storm, and the camp remained silent as everyone drew their weapons. Jorgen issued some quick commands to his men as he drew his bow and nocked an arrow to the string, and Corvis quickly followed suit, but the two men waited for my command before taking any further action. The tribal members among us summoned their flame swords, and then the world descended into chaos.
“Ahhh!” someone shouted as they made contact with the enemy for the first time.
“Get it off me!” a soldier’s voice echoed through the storm of wings.
Tentacles and claws swirled around our heads as the monsters descended and attacked. Cries of pain echoed through the air from all around me, but it was almost impossible to see what was happening through the cloud of leathery wings.
I swung my panabas and chopped down monster after monster, but they merely hopped back into the air to continue the attack an instant later. I heard the fwip fwip of Eva’s throwing stars from behind me, and a moment later, my wife cursed in frustration.
“Bash, they’re everywhere!” Eva gasped.
“They must have armored flesh,” Zenda observed as she huddled behind me.
“Let’s get to the tents!” Caelia suggested over the sound of flapping wings.
“Run!” I shouted, and I stabbed into the mass of leathery wings flapping closest to me. “I’ll guard your backs!”
The women held their hands over their heads to protect themselves as they darted around me in the direction of our tent while I guarded their retreat as we made our way past the soldiers’
structures. I waved my panabas around, but they did little to injure or
even slow the quick-moving creatures, so I wasn’t making much headway.
We made it to the tent in what felt like an hour later, but really only a few breaths had passed, and I waited until the three women had made their way inside before I followed behind them.
Then an image flashed through my mind of Nameless ripping into the monsters’ flesh and devouring them while in mid-flight.
Hunt!
Had the little dragon just said his first word to me?
Why was I not surprised it was something predatorial?
It seemed like my pet dragon was able to kill and eat the octo-bat-monkey things, so I wasn’t worried about leaving him to fend for himself in the sky full of monsters.
One of the octo-bat-monkeys followed us inside, and it crawled along the ceiling of the tent like a nasty, giant spider. I shot out a small fireball the size of a musket ball as the beast was inching closer and closer to my women, and the flames struck true as a high-pitched scream echoed through the tent. The creature fell from the ceiling of the structure to writhe in pain as the flames began to consume its flesh, and I kicked it out of the doorway as fast as I
could before my women and I quickly began to stomp out the remaining flames.
I blasted any more of the creatures attempting to get inside with my fire magic, and soon, they seemed to learn that danger laid inside my dwelling.
“Bash! Help!” Jorgen’s voice came from outside the tent, and I took off at a dead run without a second thought.
I batted aside monkey-beasts with my panabas like I was annihilating flies with a fly swatter, as I headed in the direction Jorgen’s voice had come from, and a few moments later, I stood by his side.
The hunter shot arrow after arrow into the sky, but I could see them dropping harmlessly to the ground after they bounced off the monsters’ flesh.
“Stop wasting arrows,” I said. “They’re armored. What’s going on?”
“They’re dragging people away into the sky!” Jorgen said, and he pointed upward at a pair of legs disappearing into the clouds.
The boots were standard issue for my soldiers, and since I wasn’t about to let anyone get taken away, I reset to my save point
with a wave of my will.
Chime.
It was late afternoon once more, and we were setting up camp for the night again. I shook off the creepy vibe I’d gotten from the oddly spider-like monkey-monsters, and I went about the tasks associated with setting our campsite up. Once everyone was situated, I called for a meeting with my platoon leaders Jorgen and Corvis, the Kanuaki warriors traveling with me, and my three women.
We gathered around the bonfire closest to my tent, but I couldn’t help continuously glancing at the open sky above my head.
“We face a new opponent this evening,” I informed the group in the common tongue I’d created for the tribes. I’d been giving Jorgen and Corvis lessons in the language and wanted them to practice their comprehension skills, but I saw understanding in their eyes, so I continued. “A giant horde of monsters like nothing we’ve ever seen before are going to attack shortly after sunset.”
“What kind of monster?” Akina frowned as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Mirago?”
“I wish.” I shook my head. “They are like a combination of animals that have no right to go together. They have tentacled arms
like an octopus, the furry torso and head of a monkey, and the wings of a giant bat.”
“I know of no such creatures,” Mikino said as his eyes widened. “That sounds awful.”
“Me, neither,” Akina added.
“What do you think they are?” Rystuni asked, and I could hear the fear in the young man’s voice.
I scanned over the worried faces staring back at me from around the bonfire, and I put on my most confident smile.
“Don’t forget who you’re traveling with,” I said in a cheerful tone. “You’ve got the God of Time on the case, and I never leave a mystery unsolved. From what I could tell, they’re weak to fire, so use that to your advantage. But they will be trying to take people away, so don’t let them get a hold of you.”
“You really think we can do this?” Jorgen swallowed hard.
“Sounds like a nightmare.”
“Even nightmares fade with the dawn,” I pointed out. “We can get through anything if we work together. Don’t bother with arrows or regular weapons, though. They seemed impervious to metal, protected by armored skin or something.”
“Yes, sir.” The hunter lifted his chin bravely as he nodded.
“Corvis, stay near the horses, I don’t want them getting spooked,” I instructed the horse master. “The Kanuaki chargers included.”
“Yes, sir,” Corvis said with a crisp salute, and he shook his shaggy black hair out of his face before he left the circle of light.
“What about us?” Eva asked. “I wish I knew fire magic right about now.”
“Your throwing stars won’t work against them,” I warned her, but I softened my words with a warm smile. “And your primary job is to protect our baby and the other women.”
“Alright,” Eva sighed, but a rueful smile twisted her juicy lips.
“I’m taking a torch with me just in case.”
“Good girl.” I grinned, and then I turned to Zenda and Caelia.
“This is another one of those fights above your skill levels, and I want to make sure you’re safe first and foremost, so stay in the tent with Eva. Please?”
“Yes, Bash,” Zenda said with only a hint of disappointment.
“But I want you to observe as much detail as possible for my notes on the subject.”
“Deal,” I laughed.
“I’d rather not face some horrifying nightmare beasts by myself,” Caelia admitted with a sheepish grin. “I’m more than happy to stay safe and sound in the tent while the warriors handle the fighting. A dead merchant makes no one any money, after all.”
I gave them all kisses on their foreheads before I ushered them into the safety of the tent, but I posted a guard of four men around the perimeter of the temporary dwelling, and I armed the soldiers with torches.
Finally, I instructed the Kanuaki warriors to separate throughout the camp to help my soldiers, and then I took a position near the biggest bonfire as I waited for the attack.
I heard the telltale monkey-like screech overhead shortly after the stars became visible in the night sky, and I steeled myself for the battle ahead. Then I sent out a probing search for Nameless, and I found the little dragon in a very excited state.
Hunt!
My heart swelled as the first word passed between us once more, and I sent a mental image of the octo-bat-monkeys, and I got a feeling of hunger through our bond in response.
That was all the confirmation I needed.
My bond with my pet dragon was growing stronger every day, and soon we’d be able to have long, telepathic conversations, but for the moment, I was content to work together to kill some enemies.
Go, hunt, I said as clearly as I could in my mind.
Then the horde descended, and the stars were blotted out of existence for a brief moment as the dark winged forms crossed into my line of sight. Shivers ran down my arm as excitement bloomed in my gut, but I was used to the pre-fight adrenaline rush.
“Everyone ready?” I asked.
“Ready!” Jorgen shouted.
“Aye!” Mikino hollered.
“Hold steady,” I said in a calm voice. “Wait for them to attack.”
We wouldn’t be caught unaware this time, and I was eager to see what kind of difference that change alone would make in the upcoming fight. Then I emptied my mind of the racing thoughts, and I controlled my breathing as I prepared to summon a flame sword of my own.
A moment later, the monsters attacked.
I twirled my fingers through the movements required to summon a blazing sword of flames into my hands, and then I struck out at the closest beast with a heavy overhead swing. The creature was knocked from the sky by the blow, but I continued to drive the force of my flaming blade forward into its flesh.
Several more of the octo-bat-monkeys came at me from the sky, and I swung my flame sword around in a broad arch to keep them at bay. Then I stabbed into the one writhing on the ground over and over again until it ceased its movements, and a short while later, I was surrounded by the burned corpses of the monsters.
Suddenly, several pairs of tentacled arms grabbed me from behind, and my feet were quickly lifted off the ground as the screeches of the monkey-creatures echoed in my ears.
“Fuck you!” I swung my fiery weapon around behind my back and blindly swiped at their arms, and I heard a pained cry before the flying beasts dropped me.
Luckily, I was only about six feet above the ground when they let go, but I still had to drop into a tumble to break the impact of my fall. I came to my feet on the other side of the somersault, but my flame sword had been extinguished in the process, so I had to redo the movements to summon the fiery blade again.
Before I even had time to target one of the flying bastards, six more simultaneously came out of the sky at me.
They were ganging up on me.
Even though I was vastly outnumbered by the flying horde of creepy monsters, I knew they were weak to fire magic, so it was time to get really serious about killing them all.
Hunt!
Nameless called through our bond once more, and the glee in his child-like voice warmed my heart. The little dragon was having the time of his life, and he sent the sensation of blood dripping down his maw through the bond between us. There was no telling how many he had killed so far, but I was proud of everything he was able to do.
I took a firmly rooted stance with my legs spread apart, and then I cast fireballs into the sky at the flapping wings of the octo-bat-monkeys. The monsters’ movements were erratic like moths flapping around a light source, and it was hard to land a hit on them, but I wasn’t about to give up.
I waited until some of the creatures swooped down at me, and then I unleashed a torrent of flames directly in their faces they
couldn’t avoid. The monsters flew straight into the blast, and when I ceased the spell, nothing but ashes fell to the ground.
All around me echoed the sounds of battle, and I moved all around the campsite looking for people to help, but thanks to the help of the flame sword wielding Kanuakians, the soldiers with torches were holding their own.
“Bash!” Mikino hollered in my direction as I made my rounds.
“On my way!” I shouted as I killed two octo-bat-monkeys at once, but then I inched my way across the battlefield to the fire mage’s location.
Mikino was surrounded by the singed and smoldering remains of octo-bat-monkeys, and he nodded calmly as I crossed over the circle of bodies to get to his side.
“It’s hard to tell how many more there are in the dark,” he said, but he paused to whack a monster out of the sky, and he stabbed it through its monkey-like torso before he turned back to me. “Their numbers seem endless.”
“What should we call them?” I asked in a casual tone as I knocked two more octo-bat-monkeys out of the sky, and Mikino quickly stepped forward and disposed of them.
“The monsters?” the fire mage asked with a confused tilt of his head. “Is now the best time to decide that?”
“I’m just gathering information.” I smirked, but then I switched into the common tongue of Sorreyal. “It’ll all go more smoothly on the final run through.”
“Great One?” Mikino’s confused frown deepened.
“Never mind,” I laughed. “These monsters are a thorn in my side, so I want a proper name for them.”
“They vex me, too,” Mikino said, but he killed a couple more of the monsters before he flashed me an amused smile. “Call them bastards, for that is what they are.”
“What about Vex?” I arched an eyebrow, blasted some octo-bat-monkeys down, and let Mikino dispatch them. “It has a nice ring to it.”
“The Vex are an annoying monster,” Mikino agreed. “Let us kill them all.”
“You got it, buddy,” I chuckled.
The fire mage and I worked in concert for what felt like hours, but I knew only a short amount of time had passed when the horde of monsters finally abated. Only a couple of the Vex fluttered out of
the air to attack us, and I couldn’t help wondering how many had gotten away. They were nearly impossible to see above the clouds, and a thick layer continued to hover overhead throughout the night.
The Vex flew in from the south, and every time they got their tentacles on someone, they headed back in the same direction. No one knew what laid beyond the southern horizon, but I had a feeling that was where the mysterious sorcerer had fled to.
If the sorcerer was responsible for the Vex and the other monsters, then it was obvious he was purposefully attempting to thwart me. The attacks from the Vex had sealed his fate, and the God of Time would find him to dispense the consequences.
The sight of the dawn lightened sky was a welcome relief to the endless feeling of night, and we all cheered as the last of the Vex flapped back into the clouds.
Nameless sent a questioning feeling through our bond as images of him chasing after the monsters flashed through my mind, and an idea struck me like lightning.
Nameless could find the sorcerer by tracking the Vex.
Time to formulate a plan and put it into action.
Chime.
The late afternoon sun was warm on my back when the ringing of the chime finally stopped, but I was filled with a new sense of determination.
The Vex were going down, and then they would lead me straight to the mysterious sorcerer who’d been plaguing my every step. It was time to deal with him once and for all, and if anyone could do it, it was me.
Little did the sorcerer know, but the God of Time was coming for him, and I wasn’t going to stop until he answered for his crimes against the Kotar Desert. The catacombs could wait, but the enemy sending monster troops after me could not.
We set up camp for the night, and I called for a meeting with all of my companions again.
“Monsters I call the Vex are coming shortly after sundown,” I announced without preamble. “They’re coming to capture us, but the joke is on them. They’re messing with the wrong god.”
“What do we do?” Jorgen frowned.
“They’re weak to fire, so use that to your advantage,” I instructed. “Don’t waste time with regular weapons since the Vex
have armored skin, but simple torches will take them down if used correctly.”
“Our flame swords will make short work of these new enemies,” Mikino said in a serious tone. “I will join you in this fight.”
“I wouldn’t expect any less,” I said, but then my gaze turned to my three lovely ladies. “I want the three of you to stay inside the tent.”
They once more agreed to keeping a safe distance away from the Vex, and then everyone went about their preparations for the battle. We lit several more fires to quickly light torches when needed, and the campsite was awash in a warm, orange glow.
Once everyone was occupied with their individual tasks, I sent a probing thought through the bond between me and my pet dragon, but Nameless quickly responded with a telepathic purr.
I sent a mental image of the Vex and received an excited noise as the little dragon’s answer.
A part of me wondered if he retained any memories of the previous run throughs I’d erased by resetting to my save point, but I had no reason to think the dragon was able to remember anything despite his connection to me.
Hunt!
Nameless’ first word echoed through my mind, and it still stirred pride in my heart like the very first time I’d heard the telepathic communication.
“Go on, then,” I chuckled as I pointed to the south. “Find out where they’re coming from.”
Nameless flew out of sight within my next two breaths, and I turned to finish my own preparations for the battle ahead. He was just one dragon, but I imagined the impact he’d make on a fight once he was fully grown.
If he still obeyed my commands then.
Those were thoughts for another time, though, so I cleared my mind of everything not pertaining to the new threat on the horizon.
This time, I instructed everyone to stay out of sight for as long as possible, and it wasn’t until the sound of wings flapping filled the campsite that we emerged from the shadows to brandish torches and flaming swords.
The Kanuakian warriors quickly set about chopping down the beasts from the air, and flames erupted from their hands like fireworks. I joined with my own flame spells, and together, we
dropped monster after monster to the ground. Then the rest of the soldiers would rush forward to make sure each creature was fully ignited.
It was the middle of the night when the monsters’ numbers began to slow, and the few remaining creatures decided to flee instead of face us once their comrades dwindled. I sent Nameless after them with a telepathic thought, and the rest of us quickly took down the campsite and prepared to follow him.
It would be rough traveling at night across the unknown terrain to the south, but there weren’t many other options since I wasn’t about to let Nameless go alone. He was still too little for me to feel comfortable sending him straight into the sorcerer’s clutches without any backup.
I’d let the little dragon out of my sight briefly before, but there was no telling how far away the sorcerer’s lair was.
When Nameless wandered out of my line of sight, I sent a telepathic command for him to slow down. At first, I felt his will fighting against my own. Then I gritted my teeth and strengthened my resolve, and I could feel the shift when the dragon agreed to my command. He stayed within sight after that, but I was always prepared to regain my control over him.
It was the first true test of our bond, and we’d both passed with flying colors.
“Those monsters…” Akina rode up alongside me, but she didn’t look me in the eyes. “I haven’t even heard of them in the legends.”
“I call them the Vex,” I explained. “I believe the sorcerer created them by summoning a combination of animals. He’s trying to play god, and it has to come to an end.”
“You really are capable of anything, aren’t you?” Akina shook her head in awe, and her metallic eyes were full of emotion when they met mine at long last. “I… I will follow you into the jaws of death, Great One.”
“Akina, it’s about time you start calling me Bash,” I laughed. “I consider you a friend, after all.”
“You do?” Her chin wavered ever so slightly, but then a stoic expression crossed her face. “I am honored, Gre-- Bash. Truly.”
“That makes two of us,” I chuckled. “You’re an amazing warrior, and a really cool person.”
“Cool?” Akina tilted her head to the side in confusion. “I dwell in the Kotar Desert. I am never cool.”
“It just means I like you a lot,” I said. “I’m glad you decided to join me on this quest.”
“I have heard the rumors about your greatness long before I decided to follow you,” she said in a soft voice. “But I believe in your greatness, and I wish to see it for myself so that I might tell the children of the future the tales.”
“Stick with me,” I said. “And you’ll have one hell of a tale.”
Suddenly, Nameless flapped his wings even faster, and the iridescent dragon disappeared into the clouds far overhead. I sent out a command to return to my side, but I felt no response through the bond between us.
Had the little dragon gone rogue?