Chapter 219
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They had an overwhelming number of men, sure, but that alone wasn't enough to stop me. Hearing the name Konig filled me with some hope though. If a man working for Stalwart was in charge of the custodians, it meant that their orders were to bring me alive. I had a slight advantage over them, and they didn't know about it.
I drew my sword and activated my time shield. I wasn't going to surrender. I wouldn't let them hand me over to my grandfather. I've seen enough of him to know he will make my life a living hell. I wasn't going to die either. Somehow, deep down, I knew it. I knew I could do the impossible and defeat these men.
Most of them were mounted, however. This would have worried me a month ago, but not now. I watched all the armed men that surrounded me, and started thinking of the best way to tackle them all. To my left, most of the men were on foot. To my right, there were at least twenty archers and double that amount carrying crossbows. They crossbowmen were all mounted, which meant they had the higher ground and better visibility.
"Darkstar," the steel plated guard called out. "Surrender now, and we won't have to resort to force. Drop your weapon. There's nowhere for you to run anymore."
"Who said anything about running?" I asked.
I went for my throwing knives. I didn't expect to hit him. I only wanted to make my intentions clear. The knife hit the man on his shoulder guard then bounced off on the ground. The guard looked at his chipped armor then chuckled.
"The Chancellor will be furious if we killed you," he said. "But he won't kill us for bringing down a fugitive, a terrorist. Am I right Johann?" he turned to look at a man behind him. The latter nodded, and the other guards followed suit.
"You're all alone here Darkstar," the guard went on. "What can you accomplish against all of us? You may succeed in killing one, even two, but my archers will drill you before you can make it to the third one."
I smiled. I transferred essence toward my legs, reinforcing my calves and hamstrings. I needed to make an impression, intimidate them and get them to doubt their chances. I immediately jumped toward the guard. I must have crossed twenty feet of a distance between the both of us, and I was airborne at that.
I landed on the guard with my sword thrust between my strengthened legs. I crashed on his chest, and brought the horse down on impact. As we fell, the steel armor bent inwards, choking the guard in the process. He didn't even have time to draw his sword.
The horse made a horrible sound as its bones got crushed with the impact of my fall. The guard screamed as well, but I brought his squeals to a stop as I sliced his neck open then turned toward the man he called Johann. I kicked him in the chest, propelling him backwards and into his comrades.
"The first rule of engaging your enemy is knowing their limits," I screamed at them. "You want me to surrender? Make me!"
I jumped at the riders in front of me. Some of the horses they were mounting were already showing signs of panic. As soon as I killed the second one, all hell broke loose within their ranks. Horses neighed and got on their hind legs, kicking anyone who was unlucky enough to be on their way. Riders fell, while the ones who were on foot tried to get out of the panicking horses' way and their deadly hooves.
In the midst of all that chaos, I was slashing my way toward the back of the line. I had to be far from the archers. Despite having my time shield activated, I couldn't risk being blindsided. This was a battle of endurance and tactics, not stubbornness. I had to be methodical. I had to take out the highest threats before I dealt with small fry.
My priority was to take out the archers and crossbowmen, but to do that, I had to surprise them. I had the sunset to thank for the tactical advantage too. The forest was almost dark, as the sun had already reached the horizon.
I disappeared within the chaos. Every man or horse I met on my way had to taste my sword. The more chaos I created, the better my chances were of getting out of this alive. Besides, I'd killed their leader. It would take a long time for them to regroup, or perhaps they'd never regroup.
The chaos wasn't enough to contain more than a hundred men though. One of them was bound to be lucky and catch me off guard. Although I kept my time shield activated around me at all times, I couldn't trust in its ability to be invincible. I resorted to creating more chaos then.
I broke trees and kicked them down toward the clearing and the area where most archers and crossbowmen were. At the meantime, I kept slashing my way toward them. I learned that day, that I shone brighter during the most difficult times.
I knew that one mistake would cost me my life. I had to stay focused at all times. I didn't miss any custodian that tried to blindside me. I blocked their attacks, parried and killed whoever tried to harm me in the most efficient way. One hit was all I could afford for each custodian, and I made sure I hit them where it hurt most.
In the midst of blood and horrified screams, I was the shadow that jumped from corpse to walking corpse. I was the angel of death, quick, decisive, and deadly. Every custodian I faced was heavily armored, but they all had more than one weak spot. Some didn't wear helmets, which left their necks exposed. Others wore plated armor, which left their elbow joints, armpits, knee pits, basically every limb joint, open.
Besides, I had a sword that could cut through steel. I used that ability whenever I could, but I didn't overdo it. Swords tend to break if you put them under enough pressure. This was an endurance race, not a sprint. I didn't want to lose such an important weapon by randomly swinging it left and right.
I kicked, slashed, even head butted some. I didn't hear the screams of the dying ones, nor did I care about the ones who tried to run away. I was focused on my immediate vicinity. Those closest to me would meet their end at all costs. I would also absorb enough time energy from the dying ones to keep my fragment full at all times. Keeping the time shield on was easier when I was at full energy.
By the time I reached the crossbowmen, only three of them remained. The others were crushed by fallen trees, or under their panicked horses' hooves. The one that survived had dismounted. Their bolts sped toward me as soon as they caught sight of the bloody one eyed man running toward them. They didn't know, however, that I could slow the projectile's approach. They didn't know that I could perceive said projectile's time energy.
All I had to do was catch the bolts, turn them around to face the shooters, and reverse their time energy. Time, as you may very well know, is tied to space. Movement is time, and vise versa. By reversing the projectiles' time energy, I reversed the force at which they were propelled toward me. And with that, I sent the bolts right back at their owners. The archers didn't stand a chance either. They were dead before they could nock their arrows.
Then I allowed myself to take a short break and look around. I had come back to the entrance of the cave. Raiya was still lying in there, I could still sense her energy reading. In front of me, where the leader of the custodian forces was, bodies piled up on top of dismembered horses.
To my left, guards were hesitating to approach. They had their weapons unsheathed, but they didn't dare to get closer to me. To my right, most riders had either died or run away. At least a dozen trees were lying on the ground after they crushed more than twenty men beneath them.
From the fear ridden custodians, a man emerged. He had a small shield on his left hand, and a long sword on the other. He looked at me then at the others.
"Are you really afraid of one man and his little tricks?" he screamed at the guards. "He's just a man, we outnumber him. What are we doing watching him as –"
I didn't give him a chance to finish his sentence. I managed to grab a fully loaded crossbow from a fallen custodian earlier and shot him square between the eyes. I didn't even bother aiming, but the shot landed exactly where I wished it to. The other guards started whispering. I could tell that fear had seeped through their bones.
"He may be right, you outnumber me." I said.
I made sure my voice was loud enough for all of them to hear. Silence had suddenly settled in the clearing. All the custodians' eyes were on me.
"Soon, however, the situation will change. I will kill every son of a bitch here tonight. And when I'm the only one standing above your corpses, I'll burn you all, along with this fucking forest. Merinsk, no, all of Biarkh will know that Zedd Darkstar is a man you do not fuck with.
"You wanted to play law enforcers? You wanted to become heroes? This is what happens to heroes. They die in a forest facing a greater foe. They die and the world forgets about them in a day. Only evil men prevail, their names forever engraved in history.
"Look at the man who sent you here. You all know he's crooked, corrupted, a cold blooded killer. Yet, you all obey his orders like loyal dogs. You are no heroes, you are but dogs who are taught when to bark, when to sit, and when to shit. The moment you see danger though, you put your tails between your legs and run like never before.
"Come at me, you spineless bastards! Is this all a custodian's capable of? Is this the face of justice?"
I needed them to come at me. I was confident I could kill them. I wasn't confident that I could run after them though. Those who ran before them would surely get to the city and deliver the news of their awful defeat, but those who remained only needed a push. I needed them to fight back. I wanted to send a message, and there was no message without a heaping pile of corpses.
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They had an overwhelming number of men, sure, but that alone wasn't enough to stop me. Hearing the name Konig filled me with some hope though. If a man working for Stalwart was in charge of the custodians, it meant that their orders were to bring me alive. I had a slight advantage over them, and they didn't know about it.
I drew my sword and activated my time shield. I wasn't going to surrender. I wouldn't let them hand me over to my grandfather. I've seen enough of him to know he will make my life a living hell. I wasn't going to die either. Somehow, deep down, I knew it. I knew I could do the impossible and defeat these men.
Most of them were mounted, however. This would have worried me a month ago, but not now. I watched all the armed men that surrounded me, and started thinking of the best way to tackle them all. To my left, most of the men were on foot. To my right, there were at least twenty archers and double that amount carrying crossbows. They crossbowmen were all mounted, which meant they had the higher ground and better visibility.
"Darkstar," the steel plated guard called out. "Surrender now, and we won't have to resort to force. Drop your weapon. There's nowhere for you to run anymore."
"Who said anything about running?" I asked.
I went for my throwing knives. I didn't expect to hit him. I only wanted to make my intentions clear. The knife hit the man on his shoulder guard then bounced off on the ground. The guard looked at his chipped armor then chuckled.
"The Chancellor will be furious if we killed you," he said. "But he won't kill us for bringing down a fugitive, a terrorist. Am I right Johann?" he turned to look at a man behind him. The latter nodded, and the other guards followed suit.
"You're all alone here Darkstar," the guard went on. "What can you accomplish against all of us? You may succeed in killing one, even two, but my archers will drill you before you can make it to the third one."
I smiled. I transferred essence toward my legs, reinforcing my calves and hamstrings. I needed to make an impression, intimidate them and get them to doubt their chances. I immediately jumped toward the guard. I must have crossed twenty feet of a distance between the both of us, and I was airborne at that.
I landed on the guard with my sword thrust between my strengthened legs. I crashed on his chest, and brought the horse down on impact. As we fell, the steel armor bent inwards, choking the guard in the process. He didn't even have time to draw his sword.
The horse made a horrible sound as its bones got crushed with the impact of my fall. The guard screamed as well, but I brought his squeals to a stop as I sliced his neck open then turned toward the man he called Johann. I kicked him in the chest, propelling him backwards and into his comrades.
"The first rule of engaging your enemy is knowing their limits," I screamed at them. "You want me to surrender? Make me!"
I jumped at the riders in front of me. Some of the horses they were mounting were already showing signs of panic. As soon as I killed the second one, all hell broke loose within their ranks. Horses neighed and got on their hind legs, kicking anyone who was unlucky enough to be on their way. Riders fell, while the ones who were on foot tried to get out of the panicking horses' way and their deadly hooves.
In the midst of all that chaos, I was slashing my way toward the back of the line. I had to be far from the archers. Despite having my time shield activated, I couldn't risk being blindsided. This was a battle of endurance and tactics, not stubbornness. I had to be methodical. I had to take out the highest threats before I dealt with small fry.
My priority was to take out the archers and crossbowmen, but to do that, I had to surprise them. I had the sunset to thank for the tactical advantage too. The forest was almost dark, as the sun had already reached the horizon.
I disappeared within the chaos. Every man or horse I met on my way had to taste my sword. The more chaos I created, the better my chances were of getting out of this alive. Besides, I'd killed their leader. It would take a long time for them to regroup, or perhaps they'd never regroup.
The chaos wasn't enough to contain more than a hundred men though. One of them was bound to be lucky and catch me off guard. Although I kept my time shield activated around me at all times, I couldn't trust in its ability to be invincible. I resorted to creating more chaos then.
I broke trees and kicked them down toward the clearing and the area where most archers and crossbowmen were. At the meantime, I kept slashing my way toward them. I learned that day, that I shone brighter during the most difficult times.
I knew that one mistake would cost me my life. I had to stay focused at all times. I didn't miss any custodian that tried to blindside me. I blocked their attacks, parried and killed whoever tried to harm me in the most efficient way. One hit was all I could afford for each custodian, and I made sure I hit them where it hurt most.
In the midst of blood and horrified screams, I was the shadow that jumped from corpse to walking corpse. I was the angel of death, quick, decisive, and deadly. Every custodian I faced was heavily armored, but they all had more than one weak spot. Some didn't wear helmets, which left their necks exposed. Others wore plated armor, which left their elbow joints, armpits, knee pits, basically every limb joint, open.
Besides, I had a sword that could cut through steel. I used that ability whenever I could, but I didn't overdo it. Swords tend to break if you put them under enough pressure. This was an endurance race, not a sprint. I didn't want to lose such an important weapon by randomly swinging it left and right.
I kicked, slashed, even head butted some. I didn't hear the screams of the dying ones, nor did I care about the ones who tried to run away. I was focused on my immediate vicinity. Those closest to me would meet their end at all costs. I would also absorb enough time energy from the dying ones to keep my fragment full at all times. Keeping the time shield on was easier when I was at full energy.
By the time I reached the crossbowmen, only three of them remained. The others were crushed by fallen trees, or under their panicked horses' hooves. The one that survived had dismounted. Their bolts sped toward me as soon as they caught sight of the bloody one eyed man running toward them. They didn't know, however, that I could slow the projectile's approach. They didn't know that I could perceive said projectile's time energy.
All I had to do was catch the bolts, turn them around to face the shooters, and reverse their time energy. Time, as you may very well know, is tied to space. Movement is time, and vise versa. By reversing the projectiles' time energy, I reversed the force at which they were propelled toward me. And with that, I sent the bolts right back at their owners. The archers didn't stand a chance either. They were dead before they could nock their arrows.
Then I allowed myself to take a short break and look around. I had come back to the entrance of the cave. Raiya was still lying in there, I could still sense her energy reading. In front of me, where the leader of the custodian forces was, bodies piled up on top of dismembered horses.
To my left, guards were hesitating to approach. They had their weapons unsheathed, but they didn't dare to get closer to me. To my right, most riders had either died or run away. At least a dozen trees were lying on the ground after they crushed more than twenty men beneath them.
From the fear ridden custodians, a man emerged. He had a small shield on his left hand, and a long sword on the other. He looked at me then at the others.
"Are you really afraid of one man and his little tricks?" he screamed at the guards. "He's just a man, we outnumber him. What are we doing watching him as –"
I didn't give him a chance to finish his sentence. I managed to grab a fully loaded crossbow from a fallen custodian earlier and shot him square between the eyes. I didn't even bother aiming, but the shot landed exactly where I wished it to. The other guards started whispering. I could tell that fear had seeped through their bones.
"He may be right, you outnumber me." I said.
I made sure my voice was loud enough for all of them to hear. Silence had suddenly settled in the clearing. All the custodians' eyes were on me.
"Soon, however, the situation will change. I will kill every son of a bitch here tonight. And when I'm the only one standing above your corpses, I'll burn you all, along with this fucking forest. Merinsk, no, all of Biarkh will know that Zedd Darkstar is a man you do not fuck with.
"You wanted to play law enforcers? You wanted to become heroes? This is what happens to heroes. They die in a forest facing a greater foe. They die and the world forgets about them in a day. Only evil men prevail, their names forever engraved in history.
"Look at the man who sent you here. You all know he's crooked, corrupted, a cold blooded killer. Yet, you all obey his orders like loyal dogs. You are no heroes, you are but dogs who are taught when to bark, when to sit, and when to shit. The moment you see danger though, you put your tails between your legs and run like never before.
"Come at me, you spineless bastards! Is this all a custodian's capable of? Is this the face of justice?"
I needed them to come at me. I was confident I could kill them. I wasn't confident that I could run after them though. Those who ran before them would surely get to the city and deliver the news of their awful defeat, but those who remained only needed a push. I needed them to fight back. I wanted to send a message, and there was no message without a heaping pile of corpses.
They had an overwhelming number of men, sure, but that alone wasn't enough to stop me. Hearing the name Konig filled me with some hope though. If a man working for Stalwart was in charge of the custodians, it meant that their orders were to bring me alive. I had a slight advantage over them, and they didn't know about it.I drew my sword and activated my time shield. I wasn't going to surrender. I wouldn't let them hand me over to my grandfather. I've seen enough of him to know he will make my life a living hell. I wasn't going to die either. Somehow, deep down, I knew it. I knew I could do the impossible and defeat these men.Most of them were mounted, however. This would have worried me a month ago, but not now. I watched all the armed men that surrounded me, and started thinking of the best way to tackle them all. To my left, most of the men were on foot. To my right, there were at least twenty archers and double that amount carrying crossbows. They crossbowmen were all mounted, which meant they had the higher ground and better visibility."Darkstar," the steel plated guard called out. "Surrender now, and we won't have to resort to force. Drop your weapon. There's nowhere for you to run anymore.""Who said anything about running?" I asked.I went for my throwing knives. I didn't expect to hit him. I only wanted to make my intentions clear. The knife hit the man on his shoulder guard then bounced off on the ground. The guard looked at his chipped armor then chuckled."The Chancellor will be furious if we killed you," he said. "But he won't kill us for bringing down a fugitive, a terrorist. Am I right Johann?" he turned to look at a man behind him. The latter nodded, and the other guards followed suit."You're all alone here Darkstar," the guard went on. "What can you accomplish against all of us? You may succeed in killing one, even two, but my archers will drill you before you can make it to the third one."I smiled. I transferred essence toward my legs, reinforcing my calves and hamstrings. I needed to make an impression, intimidate them and get them to doubt their chances. I immediately jumped toward the guard. I must have crossed twenty feet of a distance between the both of us, and I was airborne at that.I landed on the guard with my sword thrust between my strengthened legs. I crashed on his chest, and brought the horse down on impact. As we fell, the steel armor bent inwards, choking the guard in the process. He didn't even have time to draw his sword.The horse made a horrible sound as its bones got crushed with the impact of my fall. The guard screamed as well, but I brought his squeals to a stop as I sliced his neck open then turned toward the man he called Johann. I kicked him in the chest, propelling him backwards and into his comrades."The first rule of engaging your enemy is knowing their limits," I screamed at them. "You want me to surrender? Make me!"I jumped at the riders in front of me. Some of the horses they were mounting were already showing signs of panic. As soon as I killed the second one, all hell broke loose within their ranks. Horses neighed and got on their hind legs, kicking anyone who was unlucky enough to be on their way. Riders fell, while the ones who were on foot tried to get out of the panicking horses' way and their deadly hooves.In the midst of all that chaos, I was slashing my way toward the back of the line. I had to be far from the archers. Despite having my time shield activated, I couldn't risk being blindsided. This was a battle of endurance and tactics, not stubbornness. I had to be methodical. I had to take out the highest threats before I dealt with small fry.My priority was to take out the archers and crossbowmen, but to do that, I had to surprise them. I had the sunset to thank for the tactical advantage too. The forest was almost dark, as the sun had already reached the horizon.I disappeared within the chaos. Every man or horse I met on my way had to taste my sword. The more chaos I created, the better my chances were of getting out of this alive. Besides, I'd killed their leader. It would take a long time for them to regroup, or perhaps they'd never regroup.The chaos wasn't enough to contain more than a hundred men though. One of them was bound to be lucky and catch me off guard. Although I kept my time shield activated around me at all times, I couldn't trust in its ability to be invincible. I resorted to creating more chaos then.I broke trees and kicked them down toward the clearing and the area where most archers and crossbowmen were. At the meantime, I kept slashing my way toward them. I learned that day, that I shone brighter during the most difficult times.I knew that one mistake would cost me my life. I had to stay focused at all times. I didn't miss any custodian that tried to blindside me. I blocked their attacks, parried and killed whoever tried to harm me in the most efficient way. One hit was all I could afford for each custodian, and I made sure I hit them where it hurt most.In the midst of blood and horrified screams, I was the shadow that jumped from corpse to walking corpse. I was the angel of death, quick, decisive, and deadly. Every custodian I faced was heavily armored, but they all had more than one weak spot. Some didn't wear helmets, which left their necks exposed. Others wore plated armor, which left their elbow joints, armpits, knee pits, basically every limb joint, open.Besides, I had a sword that could cut through steel. I used that ability whenever I could, but I didn't overdo it. Swords tend to break if you put them under enough pressure. This was an endurance race, not a sprint. I didn't want to lose such an important weapon by randomly swinging it left and right.I kicked, slashed, even head butted some. I didn't hear the screams of the dying ones, nor did I care about the ones who tried to run away. I was focused on my immediate vicinity. Those closest to me would meet their end at all costs. I would also absorb enough time energy from the dying ones to keep my fragment full at all times. Keeping the time shield on was easier when I was at full energy.By the time I reached the crossbowmen, only three of them remained. The others were crushed by fallen trees, or under their panicked horses' hooves. The one that survived had dismounted. Their bolts sped toward me as soon as they caught sight of the bloody one eyed man running toward them. They didn't know, however, that I could slow the projectile's approach. They didn't know that I could perceive said projectile's time energy.All I had to do was catch the bolts, turn them around to face the shooters, and reverse their time energy. Time, as you may very well know, is tied to space. Movement is time, and vise versa. By reversing the projectiles' time energy, I reversed the force at which they were propelled toward me. And with that, I sent the bolts right back at their owners. The archers didn't stand a chance either. They were dead before they could nock their arrows.Then I allowed myself to take a short break and look around. I had come back to the entrance of the cave. Raiya was still lying in there, I could still sense her energy reading. In front of me, where the leader of the custodian forces was, bodies piled up on top of dismembered horses.To my left, guards were hesitating to approach. They had their weapons unsheathed, but they didn't dare to get closer to me. To my right, most riders had either died or run away. At least a dozen trees were lying on the ground after they crushed more than twenty men beneath them.From the fear ridden custodians, a man emerged. He had a small shield on his left hand, and a long sword on the other. He looked at me then at the others."Are you really afraid of one man and his little tricks?" he screamed at the guards. "He's just a man, we outnumber him. What are we doing watching him as "I didn't give him a chance to finish his sentence. I managed to grab a fully loaded crossbow from a fallen custodian earlier and shot him square between the eyes. I didn't even bother aiming, but the shot landed exactly where I wished it to. The other guards started whispering. I could tell that fear had seeped through their bones."He may be right, you outnumber me." I said. I made sure my voice was loud enough for all of them to hear. Silence had suddenly settled in the clearing. All the custodians' eyes were on me."Soon, however, the situation will change. I will kill every son of a bitch here tonight. And when I'm the only one standing above your corpses, I'll burn you all, along with this fucking forest. Merinsk, no, all of Biarkh will know that Zedd Darkstar is a man you do not fuck with."You wanted to play law enforcers? You wanted to become heroes? This is what happens to heroes. They die in a forest facing a greater foe. They die and the world forgets about them in a day. Only evil men prevail, their names forever engraved in history."Look at the man who sent you here. You all know he's crooked, corrupted, a cold blooded killer. Yet, you all obey his orders like loyal dogs. You are no heroes, you are but dogs who are taught when to bark, when to sit, and when to shit. The moment you see danger though, you put your tails between your legs and run like never before."Come at me, you spineless bastards! Is this all a custodian's capable of? Is this the face of justice?"I needed them to come at me. I was confident I could kill them. I wasn't confident that I could run after them though. Those who ran before them would surely get to the city and deliver the news of their awful defeat, but those who remained only needed a push. I needed them to fight back. I wanted to send a message, and there was no message without a heaping pile of corpses.
