Rajhu pushed harder as the General locked his feet, the armoured boots digging into the ground. Rajhu faltered as he saw the man smiling. He knew, just as this General Val’kez knew, the upper hand lay not with Rajhu, but with this warlord. He gritted his teeth, setting himself to the task. He had committed himself to this cause, however foolhardy that had been. He couldn’t abandon it now, not even in the face of this monster of a man.

Goodness, what’s become of me? My mind has been poisoned by this blasted magic!

Val’kez grunted. ‘You’re a… Wishcharmer? That explains much of this. Why Buri would entrust the Taintless Blade to a child, and why he would hide inside his cabin, like a coward…’ He shifted his arms, bringing them up, grabbing onto the undulating forms of Wishcharmer magic. The blue arms countered, trying to reach for his throat, but the General blocked them, with some effort.

‘Do you even know how to control the power those ancients have given you?’ He growled as he shifted the weight on his legs again. Rajhu felt the balance change. He tipped backward as Val’kez pressed his advantage. ‘No… You have no idea. You disgrace the very idea of a Wishcharmer… For that, I will destroy you, and everyone who would stand with you!’

He shifted again, breaking through the lock that Rajhu had on him. Stumbling back, Raj gasped as the man collided with him. A series of punches snapped against his ribs, and before he could recover, he felt himself lifted from the ground.

The world spun in a flurry. Rajhu cried out as he hit the ground, hard. He felt something in his arm give way, a wave of pain shooting through him. Looking up, he realised he was laying on his back. He tried to move his arm, but the effort was futile. With the pain of impact still coursing through him, Rajhu cursed as General Val’kez suddenly filled his vision.

‘It doesn’t matter. You may have the magic of a Wishcharmer, and your friend may wield a sword forged by the same power… But you still don’t stand a chance against me, boy…’

‘Then how about you take me on?’

Rajhu barely saw Will as he lunged at General Val’kez. He was moving faster than Raj had ever seen him move. It was an incredible display. He brought the diamond blade down, the heavy blow colliding with the General’s armoured shoulder. Rajhu saw sparks fly from the impact as General Val’kez grimaced, stepping back, keeping his distance. He wasn’t sure why, since the blow hadn’t created any visible damage.

‘You’re still swinging that thing around like you know how to use it, Freeman?’

‘I’ll show you just how well I can,’ Will growled. He stepped forward again, the sword coming up in a slash. Val’kez had to throw his hand up to deflect the blade, only just managing to keep the point from cutting into his throat.

The General spat on the ground, then looked to Will. ‘I’ve wasted too much time letting you meddle in my affairs. You won’t stop me. Not with that sword, or with that Wishcharmer pretender!’ he pointed to Rajhu with a grimace. ‘I will get what I’ve come for…’ He glanced behind him, to the host of armour clad men and women.

Rajhu felt something inside of him sinking. Whatever was about to happen, he didn’t like it.

‘Kill them all!’ General Val’kez roared.

The earth shook with the sound of cries and thundering feet. Rajhu could see the wall of death rolling toward them. The steel hearted horde was as merciless as it was numerous. This was beyond him, it was beyond Will…

Just in front of him, Rajhu heard Will growl. It was a guttural sound, and Rajhu could see the muscles tensing on his friend. Before he could call out to Will, before he could yell for his friend to run, to retreat, Will moved, striking out like lightning, the sword leaping in his hands.

The strike was exact, but even as it was made, General Val’kez was retreating. The tip of the blade slipped into his cheek, dipping into the flesh as easily as if it had been water. The man hissed as he stumbled, his armoured hand coming up to the deep gash, smearing the crimson across his gloved hand. He observed the blood, all attention to the battle drawn away by the insignificant wound.

As Rajhu watched, the General was engulfed by his army, the massive force flowing around him, obscuring him from view. The cacophony of enraged screams crashed against Rajhu as did the force of the enemy. For a moment, all he heard was noise. The bite of cold steel roused him from his confusion, but it was too little, too late. He pushed against one of the warriors, but felt a blade slip through his flesh, piercing his stomach. Rajhu moaned as the pain tore through him, only worsening as the knife was pulled free. He tasted copper in his mouth, and knew it wasn’t a good sign. He threw his arms out, forcing all of his strength into the act. The magic forced its way out of his back, blue and coiling as it crashed down around him and Will, blasting many of the attackers off their feet, and throwing them back into their compatriots.

It wasn’t much, Raj knew, but it had given them a little breathing space, and maybe, just maybe, a chance at escape.

Just removed from him, Raj could see Will straightening, that blasted sword held tightly in his hands. There was a bead of blood running into the fuller, painting the diamond red in its wake. Beyond him, the General held out his stained hand, a wilting frown solidifying on his face.

‘For all your proposed skill, Freeman, you’ve not even delayed the inevitable…’

With a staccato shrug of his shoulders, Val’kez clenched his fists, his armour lurching. Two long blades extended from the elbows, running up along his triceps. ‘In gratitude, I’ll kill you painlessly.’

He jumped, launching far higher into the air than should have been possible. The armour fell in a heavy arc, the elbow-blade flashing as it reached for Will’s throat.

Rajhu cried out a useless warning, unable to do more than watch.

Faster than Rajhu thought believable, the Taintless Blade came up, meeting the attack, pushing the vicious edges clear of doing unrepairable damage.

Val’kez kicked out, catching Will in the side and throwing him to the ground. Rajhu rushed forward, a tendril of blue magic snapping out and wrapping about Val’kez’s throat. It constricted, but the General caught it, the elbow-blades coming up and cutting through it. Rajhu stumbled into the man, confused. How had he been able to break his magic?

A fist crashed into Rajhu’s face, and he felt his jaw shatter as he crumpled beside Will.

This wasn’t good. Not at all.

All around them, the army began to close in. They moved toward the house, their shouts and growls sounding, to Rajhu, more like a pack of wild beasts than humans.

Above him, above Will, the General glowered, watching as his army rushed around them, toward the log building.

‘You’re going to give that sword to me, Will. It’s my destiny. All of this is unfolding exactly as the old one has foreseen. Now give me the blade.’

‘I…can’t-’

‘Then die, and get out of my way.’ The man stepped forward, his hands flexing before tightening into fists. Murder was in his eyes, and Rajhu felt not the least bit of strength in him to stand against it. Blood slipped from his mouth freely. The bone of his jaw had ripped through his skin when it had shattered, and even now, the pain was impossible to withstand. Now, looking up at Val’kez, Rajhu saw his death before him.

A scream rose up from somewhere behind Raj. From the ranks of the General’s men, he could hear a battle taking place. He wondered for a moment if they had, at last, fallen upon the heroes of the retirement home, but when the body of an armoured bandit flew overhead, crashing into a pile of loose rocks, he wasn’t so sure.

Looking up, Val’kez growled. He straightened as another mighty scream ripped through the crowd. Rajhu turned to see a dozen or more of the soldiers flying backward through the air. They collided with their comrades, taking even more to the ground.

Rajhu turned, looking in the direction of the commotion. He could see the host of soldiers beginning to turn, running in the opposite direction, back toward the trail that led down the mountain.

As the scene cleared, a man came into view. He couldn’t have been many years older than Will, Rajhu was sure. He was short and thin, with lean muscle covering his body. A messy mop of red hair sat atop his head, sticking out in swaths of spiked and matted groupings. He had a soft face, almost boyish in nature, but a rage filled his eyes that was anything but. In his hands, the trunk of a splintered evergreen was held. The ancient trunk was far larger than he was, but as Rajhu watched, the boy swung it in a wide arc, batting away nearly twenty men as if they were flies.

The body of the tree cracked under the assault, and the boy threw it to the ground as he glared across the distance at General Val’kez.

‘You want to fight, Val?’ he screamed. ‘You can’t attack the old man’s home and just expect to get away with it!’

‘Rua…’ The General growled.

‘Come on, Val! If you think you can take me on, come here!’

The boy ripped the remnants of a shirt from his back, tossing the rag to the dirt. He shifted worn shoes into the ground, wiping his dirty hands on the stained, baggy white pants he wore.

‘Men!’ General Val’kez called, ‘Move to retreat!’

‘Not that easy!’ Rua screamed, leaping forward. He bounded across the distance, landing before Val’kez, his eyes ablaze.

‘You don’t get to just run away! If you want to leave, let me show you the shortcut!’ The boy screamed again, slamming a fist into the armoured stomach of the General. In a burst of dust and air, Rajhu saw the General blasted back by the blow, flying high into the air, arching over the lawn, past the crest of the path that wound down the mountain, and out of sight.

‘Anyone else wanna turn?’ Rua growled, rounding on the remaining soldiers.

There was the slightest hesitation, before the mass of armour and weapons turned, scattering toward the path, screaming as they ran from the boy in the tattered clothes. As they fled, the noise went with them.

As silence slowly began to return to the large meadow, the boy turned, looking down on Will and Rajhu. The anger drained from him easily, a wide smile crossing his face. The expression only enhanced this Rua’s boyish features.

With a young, high toned voice he gave a small laugh, ‘bunch of wusses didn’t even want to stand toe to toe!’ He sighed, closing his eyes and smiling wider, still.

‘It’s kinda funny, I told Buri I only needed time to think about it… and he went and found a replacement for me…I guess the old man was right, though… It looks like I’m not the last Wishcharmer after all!’

Rajhu stared up at the boy as blood continued to slip from his mouth.

‘Jeez, are you two alright?’ Rua asked.