Escape

Kagan howled in pain, grasping at his severed stub, trying to stop the bleeding. The Forsaken King ignored him, turning his attention towards the others.

“Zena!” Markus cried. “You’ll pay for that!”

“I am without coin, unfortunately,” the king quipped.

“How?” Liandra shook her head in disbelief. “You were dead!”

“I was,” the king shrugged. “There’s an ancient skill that hasn’t manifested in your era, known as Draco Resurrection. It only works once, but it instantly revives the owner to full health. Once it does, the skill goes to the next inheritor.” He smiled again. “Which, in this case, is myself again.”

“My lady,” Shisa grasped Natalia’s shaking hand. “We need you to fight him, otherwise we’re all going to die. You’re the only front line fighter left.”

“I…” Natalia quivered, her knees nearly giving out again. “I can’t…”

“Liandra,” Markus turned towards the High Priestess.

“I’ll prepare the escape spell, but I need time,” she explained.

The Forsaken King pulled off his cloaked, revealed a scarred bare chest and a pair of dark leather trousers underneath. He had a small, coin-like object wrapped around his neck. With each movement the king made, it seemed to glow with an almost mystical energy.

“I will make this quick,” the king declared.

“Arrow…” The king closed the distance, gashing Markus’s bow in half, cutting through and slicing his chest.

Markus fell backwards, blood gushing from the slash along his torso.

“S rank,” the king put his hand to his eyebrow, pretending to search the horizon. “Where?”

Shisa summoned several icicles, lobbing them at the king. They all missed, moving around him.

“Seems one of you has fire still,” He said, lunging forward and grabbing Shisa by the neck.

“Shisa!” Natalia cried.

“Run,” she gasped.

“Blade Ballet!” Natalia summoned a single sword, charging at the king with a terrified yell.

The king chucked Shisa away like a doll, engaging Natalia in some swordplay. He laughed as he blocked and parried, Natalia flailing desperately, trying to get a hit in.

“I told you,” he whistled. “I’d grant you a mercy.”

“Shut up! Shut up!” She screamed, her attacks growing more frantic with each swing.

“Here it is,” he said, flicking his weapon and knocking the magical sword from Natalia’s hand. With a quick motion, he kicked her to the ground. He gestured his weapon, and stabbed downwards.

“No!” Shisa screamed, hurling herself in-between the blade and Natalia.

The blade stabbed cleanly through the maid, going straight into Natalia’s gut.

“Hm, how loyal,” the king sighed, pulling the blade from the two of them.

Both women fell to the ground. Shisa coughed, crawling over to Natalia. Shisa had been stabbed in a less vital part, but was still bleeding profusely.

“My lady! My lady please!” Shisa shook Natalia. “Please wake up!”

Natalia lay limp, not responding to any of Shisa’s desperate pleas.

“I respect it. For that, I will finish you to off last,” the king said, turning to the last remaining adventurer.

Liandra was on her knees, chanting her prayer, not bothering to open her eyes. The king strolled over, raising his sword. Just as he swung down, suddenly he was sent flying, kicking up a plume of sand as he skidded across the beach.

“What?” the king coughed, digging himself out of the dune he was half buried in.

Kagan slammed downwards a short distance away.

“Lion Heart,” He growled.

Kagan’s features had changed, becoming more beast-like. His white hair had grown thick and spiky, resembling a lion’s mane. The beastman's remaining hand, though normally already claw-like, had contorted, truly becoming a cat’s claw. Kagan's face was wild, his teeth becoming enormous fangs that jutted from his jaws. Even his eyes had changed, his pupils becoming narrow slits against yellow irises. Kagan’s muscles bulged, making him twice as big as he was normally.

“The Lion God truly choses entertaining hosts,” the king opened his arms, ready to receive this challenge. “Come then!”

Kagan slammed a meaty claw into the king’s stomach, before dancing out the way of a sword attack. The king twirled towards the adventurer’s open left side, swinging his sword. Kagan lurched, hurling around and grabbing the blade with his fangs.

“If I can’t kill you,” Kagan graveled. “I’ll make it so you can’t fight anymore!”

“Shit.” Markus cursed, dragging Zena’s headless body towards Liandra. “Shit!” he collapsed, grasping at his wound. He had covered it quickly with bandages, but the blood still seeped through.

“This is my fault!” Shisa cried, tears streaming down her face as he clutched Natalia’s unconscious body. “I should've had known you were struggling, but I…”

“Almost…” Liandra whispered, before continuing her prayer.

Enormous plumes of sand exploded in the distance as the two fighters battled. Some of the sand showered atop them, almost like snow.

“I don’t know how much longer Kagan can keep that up,” Markus gasped, finally reaching the group. “I’ve never seen him that hurt before.”

Another sand explosion echoed.

“What the hell can we even do against something like that?!” Markus rasped, falling onto his back and hissing in pain. “He killed Zena, an S rank, and he took us all out without any trouble. He’s unkillable. Where the hell is Ronin when you need him?”

“Lord Markus,” Shisa scolded. “Please let the High Priestess concentrate.” She tenderly wiped away some blood from Natalia’s face as she said this. “She’s our only chance now.”

“Yeah,” Markus nodded, turning towards the sea. It was oddly calm. “I don’t blame her. For wanting to quit after facing that thing.”

Something slammed down in front of them. It took a few moments for the sand to clear, before they could see Kagan.

“Ohhh,” Kagan growled in pain.

“Not bad,” The king landed a short distance away. There was a claw mark across his chest oozing blood. “Not so bad at all.”

“No,” Markus panicked. “No, no, no! Liandra hurry!” He scrambled, grabbing at the priestess’s robes.

“Stop!” Shisa leaned over, pulling his hand away.

“We’re going to die you dumb bitch!” Markus slapped her hand away.

“Yes.” The king confirmed, already casually striding towards them.

Kagan slammed into him, forcing the king to block the lion’s bite with his blade.

“Very good!” the king laughed.

“Never again!” Kagan roared.

Golden magical circles formed around Kagan and the rest of them, encircling their feet as Liandra’s prayers intensified.

The king released his grip on his sword, before right hooking Kagan in the face, smashing him to the ground with incredible force. He stood atop him, landing several more solid punches before retrieving the sword from Kagan’s jaws.

“No you don’t,” He lunged towards Liandra, swinging his blade right for her neck.

Liandra opened her eyes, fearless as she stared down the king, before evaporating into golden mist just as his sword made contact. The others, including Zena’s body, disappeared in the same manner.

“Lucky adventurers,” he sighed. “Very lucky.”

A few orcs appeared some time later, riding atop their kelpies. They leapt off, kneeling to the king.

“The S rankers have abandoned the rest of them above,” The king said. “Send a raiding party of goblins. Wipe out as many as you can.”

The orcs bowed their heads deeper, before mounting their kelpies, riding back to the keep to muster their forces.

“Now they know how helpless they truly are,” the king smiled. “I will slowly savor this victory, before I exact my vengeance.”