Rook Talark

I grunted as Tame threw me to the side skidding across the ground kicking up a plume of dust. The ground had just been muddy yet now it was dry like sand. My head snapped up just in time to see the weird plant like monster crash into Tame. I wanted to call out to him, but it wasn’t necessary. Tame’s blade caught the beasts thorny arm stopping it scant inches from his face before he kicked it in what I assumed was its gut sending it flying back before following its flight as he slashed up cleaving its head off. The moves were fast, no wasted movement as he pivoted on the balls of his feet coming to face three more of the strange beasts. Before they could even finish reeling their arms back to strike his blade flashed ahead of him in a horizontal slash taking their heads off in one swing.

The movement was tried and true, done with such practiced ease it made me wonder just how much combat the young man had seen in his life. I met plenty of skilled warriors in my past life, but none as skilled as Tame was at his age. I wasn’t even thirty and he easily outclassed many of my old world’s knights. Some of the most skilled warriors to ever live.

His eyes locked with mine for but a second before zeroing in behind me as I saw his shoulders tense as he kicked off the ground and shot towards me like a bolt fired from a ballista to tear into a fortress wall. His boots clanked as they slammed down at my side as he slashed out thrice. Loud clangs rang behind me as Tame batted away two more beasts before he spun to my side quickly tucking me under his off arm as he blocked another attack from a third beast leapt down from overhead. Tame seemed more than a little skilled at fighting with someone in his arms. He quickly deflected the assault as twenty of the strange beasts zeroed in on him seeming to think he was the weak link. That or they could sense that I was next to useless.

My body wasn’t strong enough to fight yet and I still had no idea if I could use my previous magic. With that frustrated thought I grit my teeth and let Tame carry me back as he dodged blocked deflected and parried everything that came his way. He even killed a few more beasts as he did. But he froze as several of the beasts encircled us and attack at once. Five different directions had beast bringing down their odd, barbed weapon like appendages.

Instead of discard me though to better defend himself he tightened his grip on me as he tucked me into his side like luggage. His sword flashed as a shower of sparks exploded over head over me. I looked up in amazement as tame held back all five attacks with one hand his sword now locked over his head as he ducked low pushed down by the beasts. My knees scrapped the ground and tucked them in hoping I wouldn’t impair the man’s foot word. Tame smiled as I saw him gaze at me from the reflection of his eyes in the flat of his blade. He shifted his grip on the weapon, his thumb pushed against the bottom flat of the sword as he stepped forward and slashed out. his sword cut a perfect silver line tracing a circle around him lopping off the heads of the beasts that tried to entrap him. Bright orange fluid exploded into the air from the stumps that now replaced the beasts’ heads.

Tame tucked in and crouched low before kicking off the ground with a mighty leap. I was astonished at how powerful this man really was. I was so used to Tame’s constant teasing and boasts that I didn’t expect him to be such a masterful warrior. I really need to reassess my opinion of the man. We landed with a crash back on the bank of the river and I finally took in the sight around me.

My twenty guards were all locked in battle with these strange beasts. At the head of the battle, I saw Bartak. His battle axe-stained orange as he quickly and fluidly chopped and slashed his weapon at any beast stupid enough to attack. He was just as amazing as tame if not more seeing as his massive size should have made it difficult to fight the much smaller and faster creatures. But no, he was chopping through the beast like a lumber jack would wood. The beast no more than four feet tall all charging at Bartak was almost comical. Before I could finish taking in the scene I was lurched back as Tame threw me. I wanted to curse at him but as I saw the beasts that were charging him, I had to wonder why it took him so long to decide to finally get me out of his hands.

I flew past one beast its long head turning tracking me as I flew by. I cursed as it broke from the horde that thought to flood onto Tame. I was ready to tuck and roll only to feel my back collide with something as I heard a grunt. My vision filled with the back of a shield as an arm wrapped around me. a mighty crash resounded as I was certain that shield was just smashed into the face of the beast that had tried chasing after me.

I looked up quickly to see the face of my savior. A strong faced man a scar running across his nose with cold red eyes and maroon hair. It was Glint one of the quitter guards who served me. I didn’t know much else about him other than the fact like Tame Bartak trusted him explicitly. Before I could thank him for the save, he pulled me back his spear which was tucked against the crook of his elbow quickly thrust out piercing through two beasts that charged him. He easily back tracked with me still held tight to his chest as his shield protected me. I was honestly getting annoyed with how easily I was being man handled. But I didn’t have a choice, I was useless in this situation. I wanted to curse myself for my lack of hindsight but that would have been a waste of time.

My train of thought was easily derailed as I was thrown back by Glint as he spun around quickly doing a three-sixty. I did a quick twirl as the world flipped and I tumbled back into a tree head over heel before stopping laying upside-down. From my position I watched in amazement as Glint easily kited twenty of the annoying weed beasts back his spear snapping out in thrusts that would leave many struggling to approach.

The beasts on the other hand didn’t have any way of competing with the man as he easily destroyed their heads with precise thrusts never once being blocked or deflected. The beasts just weren’t as skilled as him. But from my position I could see that not all my guards were as skilled. The weaker ones rallying together to hold of the beasts. I had twenty-one guards counting Bartak who was both the commander of the Guard and my personal aid/Guardian. While the rest were not masterful warriors like Bartak, Tame and Glint the men were all tried and true soldiers and with that came its own quality. They operated in teams of three it seems making six teams.

Together the teams could keep up with the three heads of my guards. As I pushed myself upright, I heard Bartak’s voice boom. “My lord!” I caught sight of the man as he batted away one stupid weed that tried to fall on him from a tree. I wanted to know why the numbers of beasts didn’t seem to be dropping, before I caught sight of more of their pods bursting out in the distance of the forest. I saw as tree wilted and grass died with each pod that came out of the ground. It was obvious these beasts were the cause of the draught now that I saw that. before I could let that thought run away Bartak called out again. “My Lord descend the mountain now!” I flinched, he wanted me to run. As indignant as that made me, I bit back any argument and turned down the mountain. 

“Don’t you dare die on me!” I hollered back as I ran. I hated that I had to run, but as I was, I was going to just get everyone killed if they had to continue juggling me between them just to keep me out of harm’s way. Again, I wished I could use magic, I wished I was stronger. Had I had my old body and powers these beasts would be no problem. However, I didn’t and all that meant was I was a liability.