The Wrath Of the Forgotten (27 page)

Tov said, “I see that you’re using the secrets that your people stole from my masters too. You humans are a blight on this world. Always taking and never giving back in return. Well, since you know about the Celestial Ones, I have no choice but to end your lives.”

The Onistan moved through the crowd, but the captain yelled out.

“Nori, he’s mine first.” The captain stepped forward toward him. “My ship, my rules.”

The brown haired captain dashed toward him with her sword tip leading her advance. For a human, she was quick. Tov parried her blade, but the captain whirled about like a miniature tornado. Her blade came at Tov from all directions. Tov dodged and blocked her steel with his magic sword. After the fifth or sixth strike, Tov countered and rammed his blade toward her torso. The captain parried his weapon.

Back and forth, he and the captain slapped swords against one another. During the whole exchange, the woman actually smiled at him. A crazed sense of excitement danced in her eyes every time she managed to prevent him from landing a killing blow. Whenever she missed killing him in return, her determination grew.

This woman would have made an excellent Yaoguai.

Tov flipped around and tried to go for her limbs, but the woman evaded him. Her lithe movements allowed her the dexterity to dodge and counter with viper like quickness. Despite her natural grace, Tov still blocked and countered every one of her attempts. He did have one advantage over her, one that he had neglected to use …until now.

He summoned his wings into existence. The captain froze in place for a moment and squinted as the sudden brightness no doubt caught her by surprise. Tov nearly ran her through. She managed to get back in sync with his sword strikes after several near hits. Tov blocked one of her sword slashes with his wing. The energy of his wing crackled with power, but the steel blade did little to damage its form. A small groove had been created on the edge of the wing, but it filled up a moment later.

Tov spun around and slammed the other wing into her stomach. His wings lacked the sharpness of the blade, but they still carried the bluntness of a hammer. The captain back stepped, and Tov went forward to slice her in two. She dodged again, but now Tov sent his wing tips at her in rapid succession. Sword slash, sword swipe, wing attack, wing attack, sword slash.

The confidence that the captain once showed faded. Panic dominated her face. One of his wings slapped her wrist, and she dropped her sword. She held her wrist and looked at Tov with a knowing eye. He thrust his sword at her, knowing this would be the final strike.

A tetsubo came out of nowhere and parried the blade aside. An instant later, the Onistan stood in front of him. Anger and coldness radiated from his eyes. The larger man kicked out and managed to hit Tov in the center of the chest. Tov hopped back as pressure collected around where the man’s large foot had struck him.

The captain reached down and grabbed her sword. In an instant, she charged back in alongside the Onistan. His tetsubo sailed toward Tov, and Tov blocked with a wing. Tov created a second energy sword in his other hand. He spun around in a circle and forced the pair of attackers backwards.

A third attacker closed in on him. The blond had covered her entire body in scales and rushed in with her claws leading the way. Tov brought an energy blade against her skin. The scales repelled its edge. She raked her claws against his side. Pain zapped up his nerve endings. Blood seeped out of the new wound. Just as the wound had opened, the magic in Tov’s blood focused on where his blood now poured out.

Tov hopped back. A fourth foe appeared beside him, an exact twin of the captain. Tov batted his wing at her, but his wing passed right though the woman as if she were a ghost. The ghost captain stepped into the real captain, and a moment later, they split again into two exact twins. Both captains struck out at once, and Tov tried to block the captain he thought was real. The captain he chose turned out to be the ghost. The real captain’s sword sliced open Tov’s arm. He winced as he twirled about with wings fully extended. She and the Onistan were knocked back, but the scaled blond ducked under the attack. This time, when the scaled blond tried to carve Tov open, Tov crossed both swords on her throat.

That stopped her, and Tov moved away from her. He spun around again, and brought the scaled woman to the ground. The Onistan hung back while the captains surged forward again. Tov tried to cut apart one of the captains again, but his swords moved through the ghost. His wing managed to block the real captain’s sword thrust.

A gigantic water creature rose up from the river. It had the form of a person, but it was comprised completely of water. Tov gazed at it in confusion. The Onistan slammed his tetsubo into Tov’s face. Tov bounced off of the ship and into the river.

The water creature jumped in after him.

Tov’s vision went black, but then slowly came back into focus. Everything hurt, especially his face. The magic within him flowed all over his body. Would it be enough? The wounds closed up, but Tov strength had diminished significantly.

The water creature surrounded him and turned into a giant whirlpool. Everything grew dark. Tov had to do something. The fate of his people rested on his shoulders. Tov’s lungs heaved for air, and yet, Tov remained completely submerged. In the midst of the whirlpool, a pair of large eyes watched him.

Tov jabbed his swords into the creature’s eyes. Magical electricity filtered from the swords into the creature’s face. A great underwater groan resounded, and the whirlpool stopped.

Tov’s chest tightened as he desperately flapped his wings and moved his legs. He broke through the surface of the river and gasped. Human faces watched him from the deck of the ship as the ship moved past him.

With great effort, Tov flapped his wings harder and hovered into the air. Water driblets fell from his face and hair. He flew over the ship and hovered there. Pride and smugness appeared on all of the human’s faces, all except the Onistan’s.

Whereas the other wounds affected him slightly, the Onistan’s face shot nearly killed him. Even with his magic to save him, Tov had almost slipped away from the world. Tov couldn’t allow that to happen again. His daughter needed him. His people needed him.

Tov pointed a sword at the Onistan. “You there. The captain wench called you Nori, right?”

Nori asked, “What of it, you vile creature?”

Tov floated a little closer to the ship, but still out of range of their attacks. “A woman screamed your name, right before she was torn apart by Oni.”

The blood drained from Nori’s face. The non-sailor women and the captain all turned their attentions on to him. To his delight and underlying regret, they appeared horrified.

“Wh-what did you say?” Nori asked. Tears had formed in the Onistan’s eyes.

Tov flapped his wings to stay afloat in the air. “I believe she was some kind of captain of the guard. I wasn’t sure, but the other Onistans seemed to follow her example. Right to the bitter end. She hit me pretty hard too…”

“No!” Nori screamed. “It can’t be true. There’s no way that Onista could fall. Not to someone like you.”

Tov forced a laugh out, but it had only been for Nori’s expense. He found no amusement in the devastation of a people, even if they were treacherous humans. Though he hated the Onistans, they had fought and died with incredible valor. “Your people and your city have been utterly decimated. I led the Oni army into your homeland. I watched as the Oni soldiers feasted on your …”

Suddenly, Nori leaped through the air. Time slowed, and the Onistan got ever closer. Tov wanted to move, but he couldn’t. His body refused to do anything but remain where the large, angry man could get him. Why did he float at eye level with them? Of all the stupid things Tov could have done…

Nori slammed into Tov with the force of a raging bull. Tov’s wings flapped frantically in attempts to keep both of them in the air. Tov tried to push Nori off of him, but the Onistan’s powerful arms had already wrapped around Tov’s waist. Nori pulled Tov closer. He reached up and grabbed Tov’s throat. Tov struggled, but the Onistan would not be discarded.

The larger man’s fingers tightened around Tov’s neck. Unbridled hatred burned in the Onistan’s eyes.

“I’ll kill you, you terrible monster,” Nori said through grit teeth.

A vortex of dizziness swept throughout Tov’s head. Slowly, the pair descended closer to the water. Nori’s grip was tightening by the second. Tov ran his blades against Nori’s ribs like saws. The Onistan’s armor broke apart, and waterfalls of blood streamed out. Nori didn’t care. Water licked at their feet, and then it engulfed their legs. Soon, they were underwater.

Red clouds spiraled around them as Nori continued to squeeze at Tov’s throat. Tov’s lungs expanded and contacted in panic. Though he held his breath for now, how long would it last? Desperately, Tov stabbed Nori in the face and eyes with his wing tips. The man refused to yield.

Tov’s vision started to tunnel.

Nori’s grip slackened. The Onistan’s eyes squinted, and then they closed. Tov pushed Nori off of him and swam to the surface. Every movement of an arm, leg or wing drew a little more strength away from him. Tov broke through the river’s surface. The sweetness of air filled his lungs. He flapped his wings wildly.

Someone screamed, “Nori!!!!”

Tov flapped out of the water and rose into the sky. The blond woman dived into the river. Scales no longer covered her body.

The magic in Tov’s body continued to tingle, but even it had its limits. He could feel the end of its power drawing ever closer.

A gigantic form made out of wind appeared high above him. It had a pair of ominous eyes and a tornado shaped body. Two humanoid looking limbs extended off its spinning torso. Tov turned around and soared away from the ship. The wind creature didn’t follow him.

Tov flew for about two miles before he stopped and touched the gem on his armband.

“
Forgive me,”
Tov said.
“I have failed you for now. They have too many defenders. They are using the magics they stole from you long ago. I will go after them again, I promise.”

After a short while, the Celestial Ones called back to him. “
The important thing is that you are safe and alive. Even if the humans find out about us, they cannot stop their destruction. Recover and try again. Do you require reinforcements?”

Tov said, “
No. I killed one of their defenders. I am only concerned about the mages. I will surprise them when they least expect it.”

Tov continued to follow the river
through the mountains. He couldn’t stop at the closest city. That place was too chaotic for him to rest and recuperate safely. Tov had to stop in Cao Xi, which meant days of flying.

WAVES OF SHARP
and dull aches greeted Nori as his mind became enveloped in consciousness. His face, his ribs, and his limbs throbbed with consistent anguish. Slowly, he opened his eyes and beheld a wooden ceiling. Nori laid on something soft and warm, and he even had blankets draped over him. He blinked several times, but the tears ran down his cheeks like rivers. Nori’s body trembled, and he sobbed loudly.

Something soft grabbed his hand. Nori wiped away the moisture that flooded his eyes with his free hand and focused on the person beside him.

Apisa sat on a stool beside the bed. Her eyes were lined with tears as well, and her lips formed a closely bunched pout. With one hand, Apisa gripped his hand with a secure, yet comforting grasp. She gently caressed the back of his hand with her fingers and palm.

Nori’s internal organs lurched, and he scrunched up his face. The tears continued to flow freely, despite his best efforts to conceal them.

“It’s okay to let go,” Apisa said softly. “I don’t care how strong you think you are, you’re allowed to cry right now.”

Nori shifted his gaze toward the visible sky through the nearby window. The mountains along the river were bathed in an orange light. He tried to push himself up, but Apisa placed a hand on his chest. Nori’s limbs shuddered under the attempt to rise. It took little effort on Apisa’s part to ease him back down on the bed.

Apisa said, “Now, now… none of that, you hear? You’re going to stay in that bed and rest up.”

“How long have I been out?” Nori asked.

Apisa’s gentle hand caressed the top of Nori’s head. He didn’t resist.

“About a day,” she replied. “Things have gotten really quiet since that winged guy left.” She winced as she stroked Nori’s hair. “I’m so sorry about your mother.”

Nori started sobbing again. “Everything is gone. My dream came true. Everything that I once stood for and was proud of is now gone.”

Apisa said, “That isn’t true at all. You’re still every bit the man I first saw those many days ago. You’re a strong, caring guy who dedicates his entire being to his duty and service toward others. You endure when others would surely fail.”

Nori gazed back up at her. “My people have fallen. My people have failed.”

Apisa rubbed her hand against Nori’s cheek. Though it wasn’t as soft as Rayko’s, it reflected a warmth and kindness that Nori once felt in the touch of his own mother. Apisa’s hands were rough, due to countless hours of labor and dedication, just like his mother’s.