Chapter 55: Chapter 55
Colter
Kingdom of Havocc
The new prince of havoc saw the approaching troops, from a distance he could sense their sheer joy at what happened. This was a squadron of bowmen King Dyron had sent out earlier, his father had briefed him about their plans and now he was caught up.
He stared around and saw the Kingdom in all its evil glory, it looked like a place that mothers would use to scare their children with. King Dyron’s palace stood atop of a cliff where it overlooked hovels of countless numbers, where the denizens of the kingdom had stayed.
The sky was forever darkened laced with streaks of crimson, trees did not grow, they stayed withered and leafless. A slight pang of pain shot across Colter’s chest as he pondered this, not knowing what might have caused this as he merely set his eyes on the dead trees.
Hordes of creatures of all sizes patrolled the areas, all of them were armed to the tooth, their armor was emblazoned with Dyron’s evil looking crest that looked like a skull splattered in red blood.
There were no children or ordinary citizens frolicking, it was a place that felt desolated. There was no laughter, only bloodlust and war cries with the usual sounds of steel clashing against one another as many of these creatures also trained.
Indeed, it was a kingdom that was built to conquer.
The approaching bowmen had finally reached their location, they all prostrated themselves before the King who was sitting lazily on his throne, grinning at them, containing himself at whatever news they might say.
“Master” one of them spoke, “The deed has been done. The one known as Flora of the Kingdom, High Deity and Oracle of Malik has fallen to our weapons.”
Dyron bellowed in laughter; the palace shook with the malicious energy that was laced with it. His booming laughs made the bowmen tremble in fear at the sheer evil it conjured.
“Very well done, my friends” Dyron applauded them, clapping as he stood up from his throne, “It is not an everyday occurrence where you are able to slay a ‘deity’, especially one as powerful as Flora”
Colter’s heart hurt again, as he heard the news, but he still did not know why that happened. He simply ignored it and observed as his father spoke to his servants.
“Now Malik and his about to fall Kingdom will have no choice but to blunder in the dark. I have taken their eyes. The pieces are in place then.” Dyron pulled the bowmen into his arms and gave them a warm embrace, “Very good, my beloved ones.” He crooned into their ears, “I adore you all for your loyalty but it seems I may need your service one more time before the grand battle starts.”
“What is it, my lord?” one of them asked as Dyron let them go from his embrace, “Anything for you master”
“Anything…?” King Dyron asked them playfully and they all nodded energetically, willing and fully committed to serving their dark king with all their might. His eyes were glowing with pure, unadulterated evil now.
It was a signal and Colter had realized it, he immediately snapped his fingers and a pillar of flame engulfed the bowmen within seconds. The smell of flesh and scale burning wafted throughout the room, crimson and black flames enveloped their bodies without a second thought. Colter had casted this magic and targeted them; he was only waiting for Dyron’s signal.
He felt his rage build now as the dark energies in him thrashed, he exerted more energy into his thoughts and the flames grew larger. To the king and Colter’s amazement, they were still alive, in pain, but still alive. Their screams would be horrifying to anyone who might have heard it, but Dyron was simply laughing, basking in the pain and misery they were inflecting at his now used up servants.
Colter had casted ‘Chimera Flames’ at them, it was a fire that would cause utmost pain to its victim but will not kill them immediately, hence granting them a slow and excruciating death.
“Ugh, the smell” Dyron complained teasingly, wrinkling his nose, “This is the last service you do for me, my beautiful creatures.” But the burning bowmen only replied with horrendous screams and shouts of pawin.
“No loose ends, no one must know about what you did.” He told the burning creatures pointedly, as if chastising a child that had done wrong. “Now then, for your reward…” he turned around and reached for something around the throne. “My darling son, please give them their just rewards” He chucked something at the prince.
Colter caught it immediately, it was a sword, a gemstone that resembled an evil looking cat’s eye was in the center of its hilt. The blade’s edge glowed with a faint but violent looking color of black.
“Your reward is the sweet release of death!” Dyron told them maniacally laughing now, his hands were thrown up as he laughed as all was going according to plan.
Colter prepared the sword he had been given, he swung it in the air a few times and it let out whistles as he cut through the wind.
“It’s light.” He said to Dyron, as if delaying and letting the poor bowmen burn a little bit longer, “I like it”
With a whooshing sound, he had disappeared from where he stood. Colter had pointed the sword at the burning squadron of creatures and dashed forward, as he closed in on them with lightning like speed, he slashed horizontally.
The chimera flames died immediately, for a fleeting moment the creatures stood immobile. Colter, a master swordsman in his own right, flicked the blood from the blade and as soon as that happened, they collapsed to the ground, falling into tiny pieces of meat, blood and burnt flesh.
Dyron laughed and clapped like a little boy at this display of power, “Very good. You show extreme potential, and your powers will only grow from here.”
“I was only taking care of loose ends; it was not necessarily a show of power. I barely used a fraction of what I am capable of.” Colter grunted with arrogance, now storing the sword at the clasp on the back of his armor.
“Do take care of that” Dyron told him warmly, “It’s called the ‘Black Phoenix’ and it fits, seeing your powers”
Colter nodded at this wordlessly, and motioned for his new father to go about his business, as they had already finished taking care of the assassins.
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King Dyron
The Palace, Kingdom of Havocc
The smell of burn flesh, blood and urine still filled the palace, but Dyron was now used to these smells, having lived for a long time in with these creatures. Now, he stood at the balcony of his palace where thousands of his forces mustered below. He had raised for the signals to be lit and they all returned to him.
“My friends. The last piece has been placed” he roared over the fervor of their impending battle, “We are now at our strongest while Malik and his ilk are at their weakest. The Kingdom of Howard does not know it yet, but they stand atop the ruins of their kingdom.”
The monsters below roared in agreement, aching and thirsting to take Ecanus lives. Colter stood behind his father, staring intently at the forces while also guarding for possible assassins.
“As I have told all of you, allies and friends of Dyron Havocc, we will wrench this false kingdom from their place and shatter their dreams. We will rip them apart, we will feast of them, we will burn down everything they have ever believed in, and when we are finished with them, we will build a new kingdom on top of their old and broken one. A kingdom where you will only worship and serve me!”
There was an uproar now, many weapons were thrust into the air, banners were raised, horns were sounded and there were bestial cries of bloodlust.
“Let them enjoy their last day tomorrow, for we shall strike when they are blanketed in the false embrace of darkness. Let us watch as they blindly believe in the solace that the darkness brings not knowing that I AM THE KING OF DARKNESS!” Dyron was screaming now, he was now fully intoxicated by his own powers and his own aura.
“Mobilize my beautiful ones, for tomorrow night we shall feast on Ecanus flesh!”
The screams filled the air, anyone who was not from this kingdom would faint at the sound and would probably die when they see how many there were. Their stomps thundered through the ground as they moved to their positions while Dyron laughed gleefully, finally getting the opportunity to put his ambition to the test against the will and power of the weakening King Malik.
He stared at Colter who was aloof and uncaring, “It is time, my son” he said softly, “The moment to raze a kingdom is nigh”
Colter’s eyes glowed and there were flashes of fire around him as he unleashed some of his aura, “Then let us burn down what this Malik has built, father.”