Arc 3, Chapter 39: Dragon Knight

  Boudica scanned the chamber. Alex braced himself against one wall. On the far side facing him, Marcus knelt next to Kyle, who slumped against the obsidian. Mira sat among them, her head turning slowly toward where Alex's voice had come from. The two villagers huddled nearby.

  At Boudica's feet, Emma lay unconscious.

  The hall continued to disintegrate. Shards of obsidian rained from the ceiling as the dimensional barrier turned to gray dust.

  Boudica's gaze dropped to Emma's still form.

  *Summoned to fight our battles. To die in our wars. What right did we have to call them here?*

  A voice cut through the silence. "Alex—are you hurt?" Mira shouted.

  "I'm fine," Alex called back.

  Boudica's eyes shifted to Kyle, crumpled beside Marcus.

  *I stood here and measured the threat while he took the blow. I could have moved sooner. Should have moved sooner.*

  She steadied herself with a slow breath, then faced the armored colossus.

  Mana flooded from her core into both palms, spiraling between the fingers.

  Boudica raised her voice. "Brace yourselves."

  Her right palm thrust toward Alex. The air beside him tore open. A vertical line of white fire split the darkness. A massive spectral claw reached through the rift. Its long fingers, tipped with hooked nails of solid light, curled around Alex and locked together into a gleaming cage.

  Her left hand swept toward the far wall. The air above Marcus and Kyle split wide. A second claw burst from the void and slammed down. It spread over Mira and the villagers, forming a dome of pale energy that shielded them.

  "Clear the chamber, Sanguir." The command echoed off the obsidian walls.

  Sanguir's massive head swayed. His eyes ignited, golden irises blazing into twin points of molten heat. The air around his head rippled outward in waves, distorting the space between the dragon and the knight.

  A pulse of golden energy erupted from Sanguir's skull and slammed the knight's breastplate.

  The armored figure staggered backward, boots grinding against the obsidian. Metal joints shrieked under the force. It stumbled back several paces. Its arms windmilled to find balance.

  —

  The dragon's head pulled back through the opening, leaving the chamber in a heavy silence.

  A low vibration started in the stone beneath Boudica's boots. Wind whipped past her shoulders toward the hole at her back. The pressure in the room dropped.

  Sanguir's roar built in the distance, climbing into a shriek.

  She shouted over the sound. "Cover your ears!"

  The wall behind her detonated. Stone exploded inward in a spray of black glass. The chamber filled with the shriek of tearing obsidian as Sanguir tore through the barrier at full speed.

  Wind hammered Boudica from behind, whipping her cloak forward. The dragon's massive form streaked overhead, his scales flashing as he crossed the chamber in a single heartbeat.

  Sanguir struck the knight.

  The collision rang out like a massive hammer on an anvil.

  BOOM.

  Metal screamed under the impact. The heavy boom shook the obsidian floor and vibrated through Boudica's bones. She staggered forward and planted her boots wide to keep from falling.

  The shockwave followed.

  A wall of pressure slammed into Boudica's chest and knocked the breath from her lungs.

  Boudica's spectral claws flickered. Inside the cage, Alex pressed against the wall as the barrier shuddered around him. Across the chamber, the dome rippled overhead. Marcus hunched over the villagers, shielding them with his body.

  Sanguir roared as his talons punched through the knight's breastplate. His claws locked into the metal. He dragged the armored weight into his chest and held it tight.

  Their combined momentum carried them forward. Sanguir and the armored colossus struck the front wall. The obsidian barrier exploded outward, massive chunks of stone launching into the forest beyond.

  Sanguir shoved the iron shell ahead of him. His talons remained hooked in the breastplate. The knight’s back hammered into the oaks. Trunks sheared off against the metal. Wood splintered into shards as they broke through the low branches. Sanguir and the knight plowed through the treeline and hit the forest floor. Mud and grit flew in every direction as the pair tumbled. Roots snapped. Their combined weight flattened every bush in their path.

  The motion stopped. Sanguir crouched over the knight, his weight pinning the armored body to the forest floor. Flames erupted from his throat in a torrent of gold laced with black.

  A pressurized flood of fire hammered the helmet. The iron faceplate turned translucent. Its jagged edges slumped and dripped into the dirt like melting wax. In the gaps of the armor, the black sludge burst into pillars of oily soot. These dark ribbons wove through the golden flames while the iron continued to melt and run in white-hot streams.

  The afterheat rolled through the breach in heavy waves. It seared Boudica's lungs, thick with the stench of burning oil and white-hot iron.

  *Sanguir. Hold steady. Just a little longer.*

  Boudica dropped her arms. The spectral claws broke into a scatter of white sparks and dissolved. The shields flickered once and vanished. Alex stood against one wall, exposed to the heat. Marcus and the others remained huddled together near the opposite wall.

  From the huddled group across the chamber, a villager's voice trembled. "By the gods…"

  The second villager pushed to their feet. "That's not a beast. That's judgment."

  Boudica turned toward Alex. "Get them out of here."

  Alex pushed himself upright and crossed the hall toward her, his boots crunching over stone fragments. He crouched beside Emma.

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  He met Boudica's eyes for a moment, then nodded. "Thank you."

  Boudica reached into her pouch and withdrew a small vial. Green liquid swirled inside. She pressed it into his free hand.

  "For the injured one against the wall. Make him drink all of it."

  Alex's fingers closed around the glass. He nodded once more.

  Then he gathered Emma into his arms and stood, adjusting her weight against his chest. He turned and moved toward the others.

  —

  Boudica stepped through the shattered front wall. Fragments of obsidian crunched beneath her boots as she crossed into the forest. The scent of charred metal and burning oil filled the air.

  She raised her hand. "Enough."

  The flames ceased. Sanguir closed his jaws and lifted his head, smoke curling from his nostrils. The dragon withdrew his claws from the knight's shoulders and stepped backward, his massive talons sinking into the earth.

  Boudica approached the fallen knight.

  The armored figure lay sprawled across the ground. The cracked helmet vented oily plumes of smoke into the night air. Metal ground into the dirt as the entity fought to push itself upright.

  A heavy blur of clotted-blood scales cut through the clearing.

  Sanguir’s tail slammed into the knight’s breastplate. Its rising posture snapped. Iron heels tore free of the roots as the body tilted into a wide, heavy arc away from the dragon. The force drove the head and shoulders back. Mid-flight, the armor rolled until the front faced the ground. Gravity yanked the armored bulk downward. The stomach and chest crashed into the dirt. Soil sprayed outward as the helmet whipped down, burying the faceplate into the earth. Fractures snaked through the ground beneath the iron.

  Boudica placed her hand on Sanguir's scaled foreleg. "Your precision hasn't dulled, old friend."

  Sanguir's massive wing swept forward. The leathery membrane curved over Boudica's shoulders, forming a shield between her and the struggling knight.

  "I'm standing, Sanguir. Save your worry."

  She stepped out from beneath the wing. "We honor the oath now."

  The wing folded back against the dragon's side with a soft rustle of scales.

  Boudica fixed her eyes on the struggling knight. "Sanguir, bind it."

  Brilliance erupted across Sanguir's massive frame. Golden mana flooded through his scales, igniting them from within. The light spread from his core outward, racing along his flanks and limbs until every inch of his body blazed.

  Boudica's eyes flared. The pupils stretched and narrowed, reshaping into slits. Gold bled into the irises, molten and bright, mirroring the dragon's gaze. The same radiance surged through her veins. Her skin glowed beneath her clothes, golden light pulsing in rhythm with Sanguir's heartbeat.

  On Sanguir's scaled foreleg, a sigil ignited, its geometric lines spinning into a blur. Glyphs flared in rapid succession at his shoulder, his throat, and along his flanks to align with every joint of his body.

  Golden tethers of mana snapped from the light and streaked through the clearing in lines to strike the armor. One chain locked around the giant's wrist while a second coiled across its chest. Further chains seized the throat and the legs simultaneously.

  The knight planted its palms against the dirt and pushed. The massive frame rose onto hands and knees. Metal joints shrieked as the armored figure began to drag itself away from Sanguir, clawing toward the treeline.

  Sanguir shifted his weight backward. His claws dug deeper into the earth. The dragon's shoulders dropped low, his hindquarters settling as he pulled against the bindings. The chains stretched between them like a drawn bowstring, vibrating with tension.

  The knight's forward crawl stopped. The arms buckled. Metal screamed as the figure collapsed face-first into the dirt. The impact drove the helmet deeper into the soil. Dust exploded upward around the prone form.

  Boudica approached the struggling armor. She reached into the leather pouch at her belt to retrieve four markers. The small, gray stones felt cool and smooth against her palm, their etched runes pulsing with a faint, rhythmic glow.

  She stopped at the knight's left side and lowered herself into a crouch. The first stone touched the earth. Its rune flared white, then settled into a constant, biting glare.

  "I see what corruption has made of you." Her voice was calm and clear.

  *You fought it, didn't you? I can see the claw marks where you tried to tear the corruption out.*

  Boudica stood and moved to the knight's right side.

  *How long did you resist before it broke you?*

  Her boots crunched through grit and splinters.

  She set the second stone. A line of pale light immediately connected the two markers, the energy vibrating with a low, electrical hum.

  "I will not abandon you to this fate."

  A rumble vibrated from Sanguir's throat.

  *Even if you're too far gone to hear me. Even if there's nothing left to save.*

  She continued toward the knight's head, her steps measured and slow.

  The third stone touched down.

  "I carry the duty sworn by those who came before."

  The light from all three markers intensified, bleaching the color from the churned ground as the triangular pattern took shape.

  *My teacher spoke these same words. Her teacher before that—*

  Blood welled at the corner of her mouth. A single drop fell, darkening the dirt at her feet. The golden light surrounding her body flickered, dimming for a heartbeat.

  Sanguir's roar tore through the air. The glow across his scales blazed brighter. Light flooded the forest, bathing the trees in molten gold.

  Warmth surged through Boudica's veins. The radiance around her body steadied, burning strong once more.

  "Thank you, Sanguir."

  *—Sanguir and I carry the oath forward, as others will after us.*

  Boudica reached the knight's feet. The air inside the perimeter began to shimmer, the space warping and bending.

  The fourth stone completed the square.

  "I free you from the chains that bind your soul."

  *Fellow knight, I break your chains, sever this curse. Your body and soul belong to you once more.*

  The runes pulsed in unison, their light building with each rhythmic surge.

  Boudica straightened and raised her right hand, her fingers splayed toward the pinned giant.

  "Dragon Gate: Sacred Tether"

  The stones erupted with brilliant white radiance. Beams of pure mana connected the corners to form a glowing box that enclosed the knight completely. The light climbed into the night air, transforming into translucent walls.

  Smoke-gray mana erupted around Boudica. The energy drove into her shoulders and spine with overwhelming force. Her knees buckled. The weight drove her down until her palm struck the earth to keep from collapsing completely. Air compressed in her chest, each breath shallow and strained.

  She lifted her head against the pressure.

  "Oath of the Twelve."

  The air around Boudica tore open. Smoke-gray mana poured through the ruptures, billowing outward in twelve distinct streams. The currents cut through the clearing, each one racing toward a point around the knight's prone form.

  The streams reached their positions and spiraled upward. Smoke thickened, condensing into vertical columns. Shapes formed within the haze. Shoulders broadened. Arms extended. Legs took form beneath torsos.

  Twelve figures stood in a circle around the bound knight. Smoke clung to their forms, writhing across armor that gleamed beneath the spectral haze. One gripped a broadsword. Another held a spear taller than Boudica. Curved axes, war hammers, and blades of every kind rose above their heads.

  The twelve drove their weapons into the ground. The blades punched through earth and stone, sinking deep. Lines of white energy shot from each impact point, racing across the clearing toward the knight's bound form.

  The lines converged. Light engulfed the armor.

  The corruption tore free. Dozens of twisted shapes burst from the disintegrating metal, clawing upward into the night air. They shrieked, writhing as they climbed.

  The light flared. The creatures detonated mid-flight, scattering into dust that dissolved before it touched the ground.

  The pressure around Boudica vanished. She rose to her feet, breath returning to her lungs in a rush.

  A pale figure materialized where the knight's body had lain. The shape solidified into a man clad in ghostly armor. He turned his head slowly, taking in the clearing, the dragon, the shattered remains of the corrupted shell.

  He met Boudica's eyes and dropped to one knee, fist pressed against his chest.

  *I witness your final salute, fellow knight. Rest now.* Boudica bowed her head.

  The pale knight rose. He stood before her, motionless.

  Boudica spoke. "Your duty is complete. Walk free."

  The knight's expression softened. A smile touched his pale features.

  His form scattered into motes of light that drifted upward and faded.

  The twelve turned as one. Each spectral figure faced Boudica. Their forms blurred, dissolving into smoke. One by one, they vanished.

  The white light connecting the four stones flickered and died. The glowing box collapsed inward, dissolving into the night air. The stones crumbled into gray powder and scattered across the ground.

  The golden chains binding the knight shimmered, then dissolved. The sigils across Sanguir's scales dimmed, flickering once before going dark.

  The glow beneath Boudica's skin faded. Her eyes shifted, the molten gold draining from her irises as her pupils returned to their natural shape.

  Her knees buckled. She dropped forward, catching herself with both palms before her face struck the dirt.

  Massive claws stepped into view. Sanguir's head lowered beside her. His nose pressed gently against her shoulder, nudging.

  Boudica lifted her head. "I'm fine, old friend. Just need a moment."