B8 - Chapter 57: A Titan’s Faith

Rhea experienced a strange sensation.

If she did not know any better, she would have said she was nervous. But could that be possible? Her? Nervous? Facing a bunch of puny humans?

Though she was still young, she was a Titan. How could a Titan fear the likes of them, with their frail bodies and insincere hearts? Even so, several spots on her body itched with phantom pain, a cruel reminder of the many wounds she had suffered during their previous encounters.

She took a steady step forward, the earth shaking beneath her feet.

At her side, two dozen treants marched, needing two or three steps to keep up with each one of hers. These were the last ones remaining, the result of Cassius working himself to the bone over the last few days.

There would be no more.

The young Dragon had promised. After this batch, Cassius would get to rest. She would get to rest, too. No more charging into enemy forces, into battles she knew she could not win, just to delay them for a day.

She could trust his words.

Rhea could feel the blood coursing through his veins. A Dragon’s blood. It could not be a lie. The ancient races did not lie. 

It was the only thing giving her courage as she felt the trees grow suddenly sparser and the enemy camp come into view. She had been told to trust him. She had been told to go all out. She had been told he would be here.

Rhea did not see him. And yet, her feet did not slow. He was definitely a Dragon. His words would not be false.

Her eyes turned to the distant camp. The enemy awaited her. Somehow, they always knew, as if an unseen hand were guiding them. It was the first time she had advanced this far, but they had still known. Somehow. It did not matter.

Rhea did not have to bother with it. There was no need for strategy, no need for thought. All she needed was to charge, and the Dragon would take care of the rest. He had promised.

The hand holding her club began to tremble. Strange. It was not that heavy. She tried to steady her grip, but the trembling only grew worse. This was not going to be her death, was it? No. That could not be. A Dragon could not lie.

Trying to vent this stifling feeling in her chest, Rhea roared from the depths of her lungs. The trees bent from the force, and she saw even the distant enemy formation take a half step back. They were right to fear her.

At her signal, the treants charged. It would be different from before. There was no room for the humans to retreat, so they would have to go all out to stop the treants’ charge, or give up on their camp.

Even though these treants were not very smart or fast, they were still relatively useful in situations like this. She followed in a leisurely trot. Ironically, the closer the battle drew, the more her nerves calmed. Her wandering thoughts began to fade, replaced by a single-minded focus.

This was a fight. Life or death could be decided in an instant. Her body instinctively knew that, shutting out all distractions.

Rhea heard it now, the screaming, the yelling, the shouted commands. The humans were preparing to meet her charge. She saw their faces. They did not look afraid. More than that, they looked confident. They must have thought she had finally lost her mind to challenge them directly. Maybe she had.

Rhea picked up a rock nestled behind a large tree. It fit neatly within her hand. Well shaped. Aiming for a gap between the rows of treants, she threw it. The rock whizzed through the air, finding its mark.

She saw a spray of earth, followed by groans and cries. The rock, no, the boulder, was slick with blood as it rolled into view again after tearing through the human formation. How many had it crushed? A dozen at least.

A smile touched her lips when she saw the change in their expressions. Much better. Their confidence had irked her. Humans should never look that confident when facing her. Even if this was to be her death, it would be theirs too.

Rhea caught a flash of movement from the corner of her eye. It was too fast to follow. But she already knew what it was. She had known from the beginning that her little prank would cost her.

The human leadership could not allow her to run wild, so they had sent out their heavy hitters to counter her.

A sharp sting bit into her left thigh. A slash cut at her ankles. She knew this pain all too well. It was wind, shaped into a blade. That pesky little fly was targeting her legs once again. Completely ignoring the tiny human darting around her, she picked up another rock and hurled it at the human formation.

They had already engaged the treants and were locked in battle. Her second attack landed much like the first, but before the boulder could crush more than a few, it suddenly sank into the earth as if it were water.

Rhea felt the ground beneath her shift. That one was here too. She stomped, hoping to crush him to paste. No such luck. The earth rose once more, binding her.

These two always did this. One tried to injure her legs, the other tried to bind her movements. It seemed they wanted nothing more than to keep her here. For once, she did not mind. She had no intention of fleeing in the first place.

Her heart was pounding. Her blood was boiling. This was going to be a fight to the death. Theirs, or hers.

Rhea swung her club. She put her whole body into the strike, the muscles in her back straining to their limits. The blow went wide, barely missing the little fly, but still sending her whirling through the air.

It was frustrating.

She could not hit either of her opponents directly. One was too fast, the other hid too deep. She did not know the solution. But she did not waste time thinking about it either. If you could not solve a problem with your fist, then the real problem was that your fist was not large enough.

Rhea jumped, curling her legs. Then, before landing, she kicked out with both at once. Her feet struck the ground with the momentum of a collapsing mountain. Nearby trees keeled over, their roots ground to dust. The resulting shockwave even made the treants stumble.

The ground stilled. 

Had she finally crushed that cowardly little bug? The earth remained still. Rhea grinned. Then the ground erupted with twice as much fury. Instead of hands to bind her, it formed sharpened stakes.

It felt like stepping on a hedgehog. Rhea crushed them all. She felt them cut into her soles, drawing blood. Even so, the grin did not leave her face.

He was definitely hurt.

Before she could celebrate, another slash struck. This time, she could not help but grimace. The attack had been aimed at her neck. The next one cut across her face. This was definitely new. It seemed the enemy had already realized she would not run today. They had shifted from debilitating attacks to killing blows. From the stakes to the blades, every strike now targeted a vital area.

Rhea dropped her club. It was too slow, too cumbersome. She would never catch that pesky human with it.

She spread her arms wide before bringing them together with all her might. The sound of her palms colliding was like a battering ram striking an iron gate. The shockwave alone had enough force to pulverize an average soldier.

But she had missed her mark. That pesky fly escaped once more. The price was another slash to her neck and one to her wrist. Tendons and veins. The spots were well chosen.

Rhea was beginning to feel her strength diminish. She ignored it. Aiming even more carefully, she brought her hands together again. The human mage escaped by an even slimmer margin. Rhea could see it. The shockwave had reached her. The humans' robes were tattered, hanging in strands. But that was all. She was uninjured.

A slash to each of her heels was the price for the attempt. She could barely stand. The stakes piercing her soles had already done their work. The ground was slick with golden blood.

Her feet grew unsteady. Rhea tried to catch her breath. Her strength was draining. Slash. Slash. Slash. Heel. Wrist. Neck.

Her gaze shifted to the distant fight. No treant was left standing. The human forces had triumphed. None had even reached the camp.

She was alone. The humans were fanning out to cut off her retreat. A sense of hopelessness washed over her at the sight. Even if she could still run, she had nowhere left to go. 

Dead end. This was it. This was going to be her—

A deafening roar split the air.

It was so loud that all other noise vanished. Deep and resonant. Even after it faded, a low, mournful wail lingered in its wake, echoing like the song of a whale.

Rhea’s eyes opened wide. It had been more than a century since she had last heard that sound. Unbidden, memories surfaced from the deepest recesses of her mind. Memories she would never forget for the rest of her life.

How could she forget the Dragon’s roar?

Among the ancient races, the Titans had the strongest bodies. Phoenixes had the strongest minds. Dragons had the strongest pride. Their roar perfectly reflected that nature. A voice that feared nothing. Beautiful, yet haunting. Domineering, yet so very welcome.

Her eyes searched the sky, certain she would find the silhouette of wings against the sun. But that was not what she saw.

In the distance, just above the enemy camp, an unmoving structure hovered boldly in the air. No flapping of wings, no sails, nothing at all. It simply was, as unmoving as the earth itself.

Rhea had not seen it approach. It was as if it had simply sprung into existence.

Though not a Dragon, the flying fortress was no less imposing. There was menace in the way it defied the very laws of gravity.

The humans stopped. The troops that had rushed to cut off her escape paused, as if unsure whether to continue. Not even the two Archmages continued their attacks. For a breathless moment, the battle ground to an absolute halt. 

Rhea smiled, her body relaxing despite her battered state. It was a strange feeling. Her situation had not changed. Her injuries had not healed, and she was still surrounded. And yet, she did not feel even an ounce of tension.

In her mind, all danger had passed.

The Dragon had come, just as he had said he would. He had promised that if she led the charge, he would take care of the rest. She had led the charge. 

And now, he would take care of the rest...