The Battle Beneath the Earth

(Part 23)
Metal met in a shower of sparks as the two combatants clashed in the center of the arena. All around them the horde of kobolds cheered, throwing encouraging fists in the air and shouting taunts at their leader's opponent in their squeaky language.

Sterling, remembering his vision, attempted a similar maneuver to the one he had used on his inner demon. But, as the dagger slipped from the tangle of weapons between the two adversaries, Arthenia applied pressure to her hammer and sent the weapon flying forward into the boy's gut. The human staggered back, winded, as the crowd around them went wild.

"Nice try," the rat-woman congratulated. Sterling snorted, dropping into a defensive crouch. He wasn't going to take a compliment from the monster trying to kill him.

Arthenia rushed forward again, her sword leading the way. The blow came as a stab towards the human's face, but he sent his sword in an upward cut to deflect the coming blade. He used the momentum of the block to come up from his crouch, spinning within the blades to stab out at the rat's heart with his dagger.

Steel met steel as the kobold's hammer narrowly blocked the oncoming attack. Cursing his opponent's skill, the boy backpedaled to find a new angle of attack. His thoughts were constantly interrupted by the cheering of the crowd, the unending noise becoming the enemy of concentration.

"It's a new style of fighting, isn't it?" Arthenia asked. Sterling ignored the question.

"Come now," the kobold said "just because I have to kill you doesn't mean we can't be friends." "Yes, as a matter of fact it does." The sandy haired boy said despite his desire to remain mute. "Oh, a pity then." The rat said.

Both kobold and human dropped down defensively, their bodies hunched over as they slowly began to circle each other. One watched the other's every move; at the first sign of a false step or the drop of guard, the other would strike swiftly and definitively.

But neither of the duo expected that both would drop their guard simultaneously.

It wasn't a noise that caused them to look up in confusion; it was the lack of noise. Every rat surrounding them had gone silent, their enormous eyes turned to a lone kobold that stood at the civilian entrance to the arena. This creature was the lone speaker, squeaking out loudly to the gathered monsters.

And then the noise began again as the spectators, all giving what seemed to be war cries, swarmed towards the exit in a frenzy. Within moments the arena was empty save for Arthenia and Sterling.

"What was that all about? Was I too boring?" the human asked. His opponent turned to him, her bright orange eyes holding the same look of confusion that her enemy wore. "We're… under attack." She said.

Sterling's eyes widened. He had no idea what sort of dangers lay beneath the earth; it was very possible that some other race of vermin was attacking the guardian's city. But he knew one thing: Embyr and Crystal, his greatest friends, would not abandon him. He hoped – he prayed that they had found him and that they would rescue him.

"You aren't going to run off with them, then?" the human asked after a long moment. Arthenia grinned, the action taking on an almost wicked appearance.

"My fight is here." She said simply, dropping back down into her defensive position. The boy nodded, mirroring her stance. If he had to, he would kill Arthenia; then he would return to the city and find his friends.

Truly alone for the first time since they had met, the kobold and the human rushed forward in a shower of sparks and steel. The fight was no longer for the benefit of the gathered horde; the fight was for themselves.

* * * * *

Both dragons were hardly surprised to see the glowing green outline of a guardian as they broke through the massive double doors at the end of the hallway. The creature was some seventy-five feet in height and, unlike when Sterling entered the cavern, she was standing.

The guardian – built in the likeness of a succubus – had not seen the doors before her open in millennia. They were a cue, a signal that one had come to take the artifact she was charged to keep.

With a snarl the demoness sprang forward, throwing a slash out at the black dragon with her dagger-like claws. The Black Terror sidestepped the attack, countering with a blunt fist to the monster's face. The blow caused the guardian to stagger back but did no real damage; guardians, after all, had invulnerable stone skin. The only way to kill such a creature was to pry off a slab and attack its vulnerable interior.

Before the succubus could recover both dragons sprang on her, Crystal circling around behind the monster to jump onto her back while Embyr pinned the demoness's arms to her side in a massive bear-hug. But, despite their combined efforts, the strength of the guardian won out; Embyr's grip was broken, throwing her backwards, which left the blue dragon vulnerable and exposed.

Grabbing her by the neck the ancient creature threw the dragon to the ground, stomping on her chest with a massive foot and winding her. The downed dragon then began to feel movement all along the sides of her body, and turned her head to see the tiny forms of kobolds climbing up onto her, mining picks bared to be turned into weapons.
Her main concern, however, was the fact that the demoness was now reaching down towards her throat with her deadly claws. Just before her companion had her neck slashed, however, Embyr sprang forward and tackled the succubus to the ground, her claws scratching at the guardian's body in an attempt to dislodge a stone fragment from her skin.

Being so close to their opponent, for the first time during the fight, the black dragon noticed the cages. On each of the demon's arms a dozen prisons were built, just large enough for a single occupant; and in each a kobold lay, most somewhat injured from being thrown about in the fight. The dragon did not have time to ponder the prisoners, however, for a moment later the guardian turned the tables and instead rocked the Black Terror back to pin her to the stone ground.

Embyr kicked up with her clawed foot, catching her opponent in the stomach. With luck that seemed almost divine a toe caught the edge of a section of stone, slipping into the narrow crack to pry it upwards. Adding to the force of her blow the dragon sent the patch of invulnerable skin crashing to the floor, leaving a fist-sized green hole in the demoness's stomach.

The monster howled and leapt back, flapping her bat-like wings to send her several yards away to safety.

Rising to her feet the Black Terror grinned victoriously. Neither of the other two guardians had been injured so quickly; this fight was actually turning out to be easy!

And then she heard the screaming.

Looking to the cages on the guardian's arms he saw a kobold helplessly thrashing about as his prison seemed to shrink around him, closing in on his helpless form. Within moments the tan skin of the guardian had covered the whole and the movements within had stopped.

Then the green hole in the succubus's stomach began to shrink. As quickly as it had been removed a new slab of stone covered the wound, making it as good as new.

Embyr snarled. The guardian was using the kobolds as slaves to heal herself. There had to be nearly two dozen cages on the monster's body; how long would it take them to even begin to harm her?

"Are you ok Crystal?" the black dragon asked as her friend rose to her feet beside her, brushing off the last of her tiny attackers. The blue dragon nodded.

"The kobolds are a good sign." "Did you see that she's absorbing them to heal?" "Yes, but that also means your little snack is in here somewhere." Crystal said.

The Black Terror's heart skipped a beat. They had found the kobolds' nest; Sterling, if he was still alive, was close!

"Then let's end this bitch and find him." Embyr said darkly, her eyes burning with a demonic fire. The blue dragon beside her nodded, bearing her claws in preparation for the fight.

But then their odds took a turn for the worst as, from the far side of the cavern, a horde of well over two hundred rat-men surged forth from the cracks in the walls.

* * * * *

Sterling cut in from the side as Arthenia ducked under the coming attack, springing up behind the human's blade with her small but deadly hammer. The human leapt to the side, going down in a roll and coming up with his enchanted dagger ready. But, in the time it had taken him to orient himself, the rat had already moved out of the way of the anticipated attack.

The kobold was now behind him, leaving him in one of the most vulnerable positions in a fight. A sword could cut through his neck or the dagger could shatter his spine, and we would have no way to deflect it.

Not taking the precious time to turn the boy bolted forward, narrowly avoiding the oncoming attack from Arthenia's sword. He spun after a few steps, facing the kobold again.

Both panted heavily for a moment, catching their breath from the intense battle. Arthenia had never been in such a close fight; Sterling could relate the equality behind their abilities only to the fight he had had with his inner darkness. Both kobold and human seemed so similar: they were nearly equals in age, ability, and potential.

But, before the day was over, one would have to die.

Deciding he had stalled long enough Sterling went on the offensive, rushing forward with the blade of his dagger held parallel to his left arm. In his right hand he swung his father's sword, the blade arching towards his opponent's neck.

He swung clockwise and, as he anticipated, the rat ducked under his blow. But he spun so that his dagger would also be able to strike out in the maneuver; and the blade did, slashing a thin line of blood across the kobold's descending chest.

Surprised by the move Arthenia did not react offensively, giving Sterling time to swing his sword in again. By then she had realized her error, however, and managed to bring her slim blade up to blow the downward strike. The rat's hammer dove forward towards the boy's chest but his trusty dagger snapped up to block, absorbing the force of the attack and forcing the enemy weapon back.

The combatants disengaged, jumping back several feet to regard each other with respect earned only through such a close matchup of skills.

"Looks like we both have blood on our hands now." The human said, nodding towards the shallow but long wound now spreading bright red blood through Arthenia's brown fur. "But I got first blood," the kobold replied matter-of-factly, nodding to the bruise Sterling felt all too keenly on his stomach.

"Unfortunately," the boy said "last blood is what counts the most."

Arthenia snickered. "How right you are, human." She said.

And then the rat struck, diving forward with her sword aimed at her opponent's jugular. Sterling narrowly leaned back out of the attack but dropped his guard in doing so. In his moment of weakness the hammer shot out to slam into his chest, dropping him painfully onto his back.

Arthenia was on him in an instant, her sword ready to dive down to administer the killing blow. But in his darkest hour Sterling found his inner strength, his natural instincts taking over as he spun his legs to knock the rat's feet out from under her. Arthenia crashed to the ground beside him, the death blow no longer possible.

The boy sprang up and onto the downed rat, his dagger at her throat. Her sword was too bulky to maneuver in such close quarters; her hammer was pinned helplessly to her side.

"It's over," Sterling said simply. But then, to his surprise, the rat's mouth lunged forward to slam her sharp teeth into his dagger-arm. The wound burned even as she released the bite, several deep indentions left in the human's flesh.

Sterling roared in pain and lashed out, his sword-arm punching his opponent brutally across her cheek. Her head slammed into the hard ground again and again as the boy delivered blunt blow after blunt blow, relentlessly wearing down his opponent's resolve.

After the long, violent stretch of close combat Arthenia was broken; she looked up into the eyes of the boy she knew would be her killer. In the low light of the arena his gray eyes seemed to take on a cold, hard appearance that fit his role in the kobold's life quite well.

The dagger pressed against her neck as Arthenia's large eyes closed, waiting for the gentle prick to become a deadly slice.

But the blow never came.

She looked up to see Sterling rising to his feet, sheathing his weapons. He looked down to the defeated creature, his dark eyes promising a less desirable end should she decide to rise and attack him again.

"You… you would let me live?" she asked in disbelief. "I don't expect you would do the same for me, but yes; I will let you live, Arthenia."

With that the boy made his way to the low side of the arena, making for a gate he had seen earlier in the fight. The exit would have proven impossible had the area been lined with spectators, all pushing their way forward to try and see the ongoing fight; but now, in the empty arena, the old doors were easily enough kicked open.

Ascending a short flight of stairs Sterling ran for the exit that, earlier in the fight, had been swarmed with angry kobolds. A tunnel beyond led the boy into a nearly lightless region of the subterranean world, the path lit only rarely by a glowing patch of fungus. Moving with caution, Sterling made his way back towards civilization, back towards where his friends fought with the dangerous guardian.

* * * * *

"I have a plan; it's desperate, but it just might work." Embyr said, wiping the thin line of blood that was starting to trick down into her eye. "I'm ready to try almost anything." Crystal replied, messaging the new scratches on her already injured arm.

The fight had not gone well. The succubus had attempted to knock the dragons down throughout the fray and, when they hit the ground, the girls found themselves being swarmed by the tiny humanoid rats that surrounded them. They had broken stone fragments from the guardian's skin three times including the initial foot-to-stomach attack by Embyr; each time she had regenerated.

"I think she's using the kobolds' life force to regenerate herself." The Black Terror explained, motioning to the cages lining the monster's arms. "If we kill the kobolds, she can't regenerate."

"How do you plan to do that?" Crystal asked. "The prisons are open to the front and back; we blast them with fire and we could take out five or six at a time." The black dragon explained.

"Not a bad plan…" the golden-eyed dragon said. "I'll hit her with fire to hold her still; you blast the cages." "On three," the black dragon said, watching as the monster shifted in anticipation to strike.

"One," Crystal counted. "Two," Embyr said. "Three!" they shouted together, charging forward. The demoness met them head on but stopped in mid stride as the blue dragon's fiery breath tore across her face, immobilizing her. And then the black dragon's fiery breath tore over the guardian, scorching across her arm where the defenseless kobolds cowered in their prisons. Six of the nine remaining monsters on the succubus's right arm were reduced to ash but, before Embyr could finish her work, the monster was released from its paralysis and forced the dragons back with her claws.

"Nice work," the Black Terror complimented her friend as the duo staggered back. "Same to you," Crystal replied.

The guardian howled in rage, her green eyes regarding the cages on her arms with dismay. The demoness turned back to the dragons, crouching in preparation to strike.

As she lunged forward Embyr met her head-on, throwing her dangerous claws to the side and accepting the brute force of the lunge. As they toppled to the ground the dragon finished what she started, burning the three remaining monster's on the demoness's right arm in their tiny prisons.

But such an offhand blow did not immobilize the powerful enemy. The succubus overpowered the dragon, reaching her claws up to scratch at the still-open wounds left by Aracnathid across the black dragon's face. Embyr roared in pain at the attack, but the roar of rage that followed was even louder as kobolds began to crawl across her muzzle, stabbing their weapons down into the reopened wounds.

And then Crystal was back in the fight, slamming into the demoness and knocking her to the earth. The blast of fire that followed brought five of the remaining trapped monsters out of the fight, their charred bodies falling uselessly to the sides of their cages.

As the blue dragon struggled with the guardian Embyr rose to her feet, tearing at the rats on her face and shaking those across the rest of her body off to fall to the ground, injured or dead from the impact. Her blood-red eyes burning with rage, the Black Terror charged in to where her friend struggled, immobilizing the pair's opponent with an inferno of dragon fire.

By then Crystal had worked up another blast within her belly and finished what she started, incinerating a record of seven imprisoned kobolds. The guardian could no longer work her regenerative powers; they just had to create a weak point at which to strike.

But the succubus knew how weak she was and had no intention of giving up the fight easily. Her horned head shot forward, crashing into Crystal's forehead and causing her to fall back in a daze. Embyr attempted to take her friend's place and hold the monster down; but the demoness proved faster, leaping up to slash at the black dragon again with her terrible claws. Lines of red blood appeared across her chest as the injured dragon staggered back, cursing in her native tongue.

But the guardian was relentless, stepping forward to slash out again and again. Wounds across Embyr's shoulders were reopened and new scratches appeared across her chest and stomach, spilling her life blood across the vicious mob of rat-men below.

Somehow the Black Terror managed to strike back, slamming a fist into the demoness's face to send her staggering backwards. Another blow dove in at her stomach, attempting to find a weak point in the invulnerable skin but failing.

Just before the guardian retaliated Crystal, having shaken off the last of the kobolds that had swarmed her downed body, leapt onto the monster's back. Rearing her head back the blue dragon charged up the fiery energy within her, releasing a cone of flame across the monster's head. Held still by the powerful blast, the succubus was powerless to stop Embyr as she tore her claws into the creature's chest, tearing out a fist-sized patch of skin.

The monster was released from her paralysis a split second later and swung out at the dragon before her, attempting to put the vicious intruder on the defensive. But her blow came too late as the Black Terror's fist shot through her slashing arms, tearing into her chest where a normal creature's heart would have been.

Sterling emerged from the tunnel at the far side of the cavern just in time to see the guardian fall lifelessly to her knees, toppling over into the horde of her minions.

The battle beneath the earth was over.